Conference Presentations

Follow our human designers as they journey through a new course design project, while agreeing  to an exciting new proposal: fully committing to artificial intelligence as their co-designer the moment they first meet. Will it be a match made in cyberspace or will the pair be destined for doom? Join us to find out if the pair will stay together…or if they will split up! 

Peer evaluations are used to gauge an instructor’s teaching performance. A peer observer’s feedback, however, could contain implicit biases. Quality instructional design often yields quality teaching. This presentation shares how the Quality Matters Rubric led the design of a peer evaluation tool.

Meeting the needs of our youngest learners requires intentionality at every step of the way. Explore how teachers and program leaders designed a virtual learning program to address the needs of the students they were serving and how the key performance indicators demonstrated evidence of student success.

"Do you repeatedly have to answer student questions about how to get an A on an assignment?" Attend this session to learn how well-designed feedback rubrics clarify expectations, guide assignment development and provide consistency in grading.

As more institutions are offering accelerated programs, it is essential that research assess the effectiveness of course design to ensure learners master the course and module learning outcomes. Wlodkowski and Ginsberg (2010) reported that many disciplines have overloaded the content that is required for learning in a course by designing instruction focused on extensive facts and research that only marginally support the learning outcomes.

Accelerated courses and programs are becoming more common within higher education institutions. However, compressing the amount of time over which these courses and programs take place can result in less time for students to reflect, which, in turn, can result in poor learning outcomes. This session will present the findings of a research study that investigated the instructional design strategies used to promote deep learning and how instructional designers decide which deep learning strategies to use in accelerated online courses and programs.

Rethink how you use the Discussion Tool and discover quality student-centered discussion designs, rubrics, and emerging trends with multimedia tools that can be tailored to your class. (Standard 5.2 and 6.1)

Participants will analyze one of their own courses and will use materials to examine the situational factors and pedagogical challenges. They will have share these in discussions to learn from one another. They will develop course outcomes and/or competencies or modify existing ones to complete a table which will align outcomes with assessments and learning activities. A crosswalk and discussion of multiple assessments and activities will be shared to help participants further develop their courses for significant learning.

This session examines traditional and future design models of lifelong learning which can include greater access, convenience, immediacy, and credit for prior knowledge. How will faculty, designers, and institutions prepare to adapt to the changes that are centered more on learners? Join us for the analysis of microlearning, badges, stackable credentials and ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) to demonstrate mastery of outcomes where lifelong learning is delivered in a more seamless and immediate manner.

Are you looking to make your online lessons more engaging? In this session, we will discuss what an engaging lesson for secondary learners might look like in the online environment. In addition, we will offer tips, strategies, and tools for developing online lessons that will captivate your learners.

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?