Conference Presentations

Overheard: "I'm an expert at using active learning. My students tell me so in my course evaluations." We'll straighten this out with an active learning building block approach. Come ready to participate and leave with strategies and resources.

We’re not telling you it’s going to be easy; we’re telling you it’s going to be worth it. Making digital content accessible for all so learners can access all content and activities and all learners can easily navigate and interact with all course components is our job. This session will explore the QM Standard 8 and give participants quick tips & examples to help meet the guidelines.

This session will detail the implementation of Standards 8.3 and 8.4 in the context of an internal custom review system at the community college level. How do you communicate the changes, provide accessibility training, and verify courses meet the Standards?

Based on research into student perceptions of online course quality and the relationship between the Community of Inquiry and Transformative Learning, this presentation demonstrates why and how to: a) create consistency in online courses; b) transition learning objectives to the method for learning rather than merely a post hoc measure of it; and c) reframe questions in assignment instructions as declarative statements to create more effective and efficient teaching and learning experiences.

Born between approximately 1997 and 2012, Generation Z now dominates our college campuses, including the online classroom. These digital natives are comfortable texting, playing a game, and watching Tik Tok, all while completing their coursework. This presentation will examine the contextual factors that shape Generation Z learners and how the implementation of Quality Matters standards can foster a successful learning environment for all students in our college classrooms.

For leaders in online education, the word "design" has a new resonance.  It reflects the prominent role of instructional design in the structuring of the student learning experience.  It also signifies the responsibility of leaders to plan, implement, measure, and analyze.  To prepare new leaders, MarylandOnline (MOL) launched a Leadership Institute (MOLLI).  MOLLI's Director and planning council members will share lessons learned in MOLLI 2017 and plans for MOLLI 2018.

Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) is a small teaching approach to enhance student learning. Explaining to students the "why" of an assignment is the premise of TILT. Three parts of TILT — purpose, task, criteria — align with objectives to show the relevancy of an assignment to a student. TILT supports the Quality Matters Higher Education Rubric and helps instructors to think intentionally about activities. Examples from an online course using TILT and several resources will be shared.

In the last decade, significant emphasis has been placed on the process of creating quality online courses, with distance learning staff collaborating with faculty to create engaging and meaningful online course content. One way to meet the challenge of designing quality online courses, given the time and financial investment, is to create what is frequently termed a “master course”.

Do you envision collaboration as a cornerstone of an effective face-to-face classroom but struggle to imagine how it is possible in asynchronous online learning? Collaboration is a key approach across many learning theories and pedagogies. We will explore strategies to give your online learners the structure and support they need to successfully complete small group projects based on the UDL guidelines, research into inclusive pedagogy, and learner feedback from a real course redesign. 

Are you interested in approaches to quality assurance in online programs in higher education?

The Department of Nursing created a Course Design Team and user friendly templates for developing online courses RN to BSN and BSN to DNP programs.  The course design makes it easier for the student to identify the course and module objectives, assigned reading and videos.  The course templates increase consistency throughout the program thereby increasing student satisfaction as evidenced by increase in course evaluation scores.

While online learning is convenient as it gives the students the opportunity of being flexible, many learners suffer from feeling isolated or disconnected from the community. To promote interaction in online learning, we add a new feature to the traditional system, Tele-Instruction, which enables students to interact with the instructor at their convenience. The system provides the possibility of peer and content interaction and can use machine learning algorithms to improve lecture quality.

Faculty support staff at Oregon State University Ecampus found that while they had the tools needed to depict quality course design — the QM Higher Education Rubric — they needed a resource that could paint a picture of what quality online teaching looks like. Recognizing the need for faculty support and development extended beyond course design, Ecampus staff developed research-based Online Teaching Principles to help online educators take a well-designed course and facilitate it successfully.

In this session, the presenters will discuss how one historically black university (HBCU) sought to overcome skepticism by engaging science faculty in their area of expertise: research.  Preliminary results from research conducted on flipped classroom methodology will be discussed along with their implications.  Additionally, presenters will discuss efforts to develop a Community of Practice (CoP) on campus.   The session will conclude with some hands-on exploration of different tools and techniques for creating fl

With more faculty becoming familiar with using multimedia in online courses, the question that needs to be addressed is how effective are we at reaching our students. In this session, we will explore the research and discuss a framework for developing quality multimedia for online courses.

With more faculty becoming familiar with using multimedia in online courses, the question that needs to be addressed is how effective are we at reaching our students. In this session, we will explore the research and discuss a framework for developing quality multimedia for online courses.

There are many factors to consider when using videos in online courses, and this session will identify some of those key factors. This will be done by highlighting the educational research to present a framework for quality online course videos that can guide your development and usage of video in online courses. We will also review what factors to consider as you review future research articles and identify what it means for your practice as an educator.

The Institute for Economic and Social Development (INDES) at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) delivers a variety of online courses targeting the public sector in Latin America. These courses are offered in two main formats: traditional instructor-led courses (in Moodle) and MOOCs (through edX). INDES serves as a hub for many distinct departments. Course design and development activities are distributed between various professionals. The QM rubric has taken an important role in providing a benchmark for quality control.

During online courses, instructors often have to use valuable class time orienting students to the format of their Blackboard course. Further, the format of any given course may not match that of different online courses that the student has taken within or outside of the program.

Alignment is critical from a Quality Matters standpoint and also essential for assessment purposes.  A sound course design begins with measurable outcomes and alignment of coherent activities to provide students with quality learning experiences.  This session concentrates on student success by combining QM and assessment topics as the facilitators discuss challenges, needs, and emerging solutions to engage graduate education students in their online discussion forums.  In this session, facilitators discuss research on online discussion forums and assessment of learning outco