See how an Online Teaching Program (OTP) became successful from needs analysis, design philosophy, and promotion strategy.
We, instructional designers, work for the college of liberal arts and social sciences in a public research university. Few online courses are based on sound educational theories and most are lacking a consistent quality standard. After completing Quality Matters (QM) training, we designed OTP based on QM and the principle of backward design, both stress the importance of learning objectives. All modules begin with goals and objectives followed by a list of QM standards addressed in each module.
OTP was launched in January 2019. The course can be accessed in Blackboard, and it is self-paced. Those who completed OTP would receive a certificate, and qualified to apply for an online course design grant from the Dean’s office. Three instructors were awarded the grant and the new courses are offered.
To reach out to more faculty seeking online teaching help, we shared OTP through school events. We received a lot of positive feedback from the faculty who took the course. During the COVID-19 pandemic, OTP became required by some departments as a response to the huge increase of online classes. The dean also endorses the program by making it mandatory for new faculty before teaching an online course. As OTP opens its door to faculty from various colleges, we also promoted collaboration between instructional designers across colleges.
