The Office of Distance Learning offers several workshops to prepare University of Louisiana at Lafayette faculty to teach online and hybrid courses, or to supplement face-to-face courses with online instruction and resources.
Review opportunities below and email us at distancelearning@louisiana.edu to enroll.
Delivery: Facilitated, asynchronous
Time requirements: 8-10 hours per week
Duration: 3 weeks
The "Applying the Quality Matters Rubric" is a fully-online, three-week workshop which explores the eight general QM standards, the 5th Edition rubric, and the peer review process. This training is the foundation for the distance learning certifications available to UL Lafayette faculty.
The amount of time required to complete activities each week varies depending on each participant’s background and any revisions that may be required. Revisions are due within 48 hours after grading.
Participants must log in on the first day of the workshop and are expected to complete all course content and assignments by the due dates stated in the course schedule and checklist.
Those who do not meet the course deadlines will need to re-enroll in a national section at cost to their department.
Quality Matters is a "...leader in quality assurance for online education and has received national recognition for its peer-based approach and continuous improvement in online education and student learning." As part of a statewide consortium agreement, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette partnered with Quality Matters to deliver professional development, and has incorporated QM standards in the ULearn Course Certification process.
The "Applying the Quality Matters Rubric" explores the eight general QM standards, the 5th Edition rubric, and the peer review process. This training is the foundation for the distance learning certifications available to UL Lafayette faculty.
QM training is required for the following individuals:
To remain current, faculty will participate in refresher trainings as new QM standards are published.
Delivery: Self-paced, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 365-day access
Participants will receive a certificate of completion for this course once they have completed all course content and activities and passed all quizzes. Please note the course must be completed within 365 days of enrolling, otherwise, participants will need to re-enroll in the course to earn a certificate.
Moodle is the Learning Management System (LMS) used at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. This workshop will provide an overview of the core skills needed to create and deliver courses using Moodle and the EduTools supported by the Office of Distance Learning.
In this workshop, each participant will learn how to: build basic course components, create video content, assess student learning, issue communication and feedback, and monitor and evaluate student activity. Additionally, participants will learn how all of these components can be made accessible to all students.
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Self-paced, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 365-day access
Participants will receive a certificate of completion for this course once they have completed all course content and activities and passed all quizzes. Please note the course must be completed within 365 days of enrolling, otherwise, participants will need to re-enroll in the course to earn a certificate.
Engaging students in learning is challenging in any classroom environment but even more so in an online class. This workshop will provide an overview of the practical strategies, best practices, and tools for increasing learner interaction and engagement in online or hybrid courses.
In this workshop, each participant will explore learner engagement through three main types of interaction online, as well as strategies to create a community of inquiry to lead to greater learner involvement and engagement. Participants will also explore Moodle tools and some EduTools supported by the Office of Distance Learning for enhancing learner-instructor, learner-learner, and learner-content interactions.
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Self-paced, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 365-day access
Participants will receive a certificate of completion for this course once they have completed all course content and activities and passed all quizzes. Please note the course must be completed within 365 days of enrolling, otherwise, participants will need to re-enroll in the course to earn a certificate.
With more students choosing to learn online, there is an even greater need to assure that online course content and activities are accessible to all students. While all students may not be able to access materials and participate in activities in exactly the same way, there is a legal mandate that they have the ability to access equivalent learning experiences.
Participants in this workshop will learn about the Universal Design approach and practical solutions for making course materials and media resources accessible. These steps can remove access barriers for the widest range of students, reducing the need for special accommodations. Participants will also learn about the University's Office of Disability Services, the support and resources they offer, and the process for students to request accommodations when necessary.
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Self-paced, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 365-day access
Participants will receive a certificate of completion for this course once they have completed all course content and activities and passed all quizzes. Please note the course must be completed within 365 days of enrolling, otherwise, participants will need to re-enroll in the course to earn a certificate.
Open Educational Resources (OER) are becoming increasingly popular as more educators and institutions recognize their benefits. Many institutions in higher education are embracing OER as one of the ways to provide high-quality educational materials that can be freely accessed, shared, and modified, which makes education more accessible and affordable. The trend of OER includes the development of open textbooks, online courses, and educational resources that are openly licensed and available to anyone.
In this workshop, participants will learn about the different types of OER, including open textbooks, online courses, and educational videos. Participants will also learn how to find, evaluate, and use OER effectively in their teaching with proper licenses. In addition, participants will explore open pedagogy strategies, such as open assignments, student-generated content, and co-creation of knowledge.
At the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Facilitated, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 7 days
For each session of this course, participants will be able to review the Getting Started Module to understand course expectations and deadlines. Participants must complete the Participant Introduction Forum within the first two days of the course.
Once participants pass all quizzes and complete all course content, activities, and forums, they will receive a certificate of completion. The course must be completed within seven days, or participants will need to re-enroll in a future session.
According to the Quality Matters Rubric, ensuring course alignment is a foundation of effective course design. The concept of alignment emphasizes that critical course components must support and assess the learner’s achievement of clearly stated learning objectives. In this asynchronous course, participants will learn how to write effective course and module-level learning objectives from the learner’s perspective and that match the overall level of the course according to Bloom’s Taxonomy. They will then identify how to ensure the alignment of these objectives with assessments, instructional materials, learning activities, and course technology tools.
An examination will be made of both proper alignment and misalignment, and participants will engage in a discussion forum to explore possible solutions for the latter. Participants will also take quizzes to assess their ability to identify elements of alignment. Finally, participants will create a course map to demonstrate alignment.
Delivery: Facilitated, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 7 days
For each session of this course, participants will be able to review the Getting Started Module to understand course expectations and deadlines. Participants must complete the Participant Introduction Forum within the first two days of the course.
Once participants pass all quizzes and complete all course content, activities, and forums, they will receive a certificate of completion. The course must be completed within seven days, or participants will need to re-enroll in a future session.
Beyond planning and designing an online or hybrid course, instructors must also deliver the course to a live class. Many find that the process of teaching these courses is very different from the traditional, face-to-face technique. This facilitated, one-week course will emphasize the steps that instructors should consider during the term or semester.
Participants will start by learning the importance of steady, reliable communication for both students and instructors. They will then examine the most recommended methods by which classroom discussions can be best facilitated in an online setting. Next, they will address what constitutes effective feedback, how to deliver this feedback reliably to students, and how rubrics can be used as a feedback tool to enable student success.
Participants will finally tour the many University support systems in place and learn how to direct students to the support they require, no matter where they are.
Participants will also take quizzes to assess their understanding of the topics covered, participate in a discussion forum, and generate a sample rubric.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Facilitated, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 7 days
For each session of this course, participants will be able to review the Getting Started Module to understand course expectations and deadlines.
Participants must complete the Participant Introduction Forum within the first two days of the course.
Once participants pass all quizzes and complete all course content, activities, and forums, they will receive a certificate of completion. The course must be completed within seven days, or participants will need to re-enroll in a future session.
Interactivity is a key element of online course design. Incorporating interactive learning content into online learning has been proven to be a best practice that adds outstanding value to student's learning experience. As technology advances, instructors have access to an increasing number of tools that allow them to include interactivity into their online classes. In this facilitated, one-week course, participants will review the benefits of various types of interactive content and activities, discuss how to create specific types of interactive content (e.g., interactive presentations, interactive video lectures, interactive discussions, and interactive assessments), and gain some hands-on experience with creating different types of interactive content using various tools.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Facilitated, asynchronous
Time requirements: 6-8 hours
Duration: 7 days
For each session of this course, participants will be able to review the Getting Started Module to understand course expectations and deadlines. Participants must complete the Module 1 Forum within the first two days of the course.
Once participants successfully complete all course content, activities, and forums, they will receive a certificate of completion. The course must be completed within seven days, or participants will need to re-enroll in a future session.
Video is a powerful tool in education, offering dynamic and engaging ways to present content that cater to diverse learning styles. It allows students to pause, rewind, and review materials at their own pace, enhancing understanding and retention. Furthermore, videos humanize the learning experience, fostering connections between instructors and learners, even in online or asynchronous environments. In this facilitated, one-week course, participants will review the benefits of various types of instructional videos, identify key components and strategies for creating effective instructional videos, and plan out and implement a custom instructional video production.
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Delivery: Facilitated; asynchronous/synchronous blend
Time requirements: Variable, based upon participant
Duration: Variable, based upon participant
In this workshop, participants will build a new online or hybrid course in Moodle with the aid of their own dedicated instructional designer. The course design will occur in six separate phases, with a synchronous web conferencing call at the end of each phase to verify progress and review suggestions for improvement.
To earn certification, a participant must complete all six phases as described below as evaluated by their instructional designer.
Through guided course design in this workshop, faculty will develop mastery of creating measurable course objectives with aligned assessments, creating and implementing a plan for modular course design, and ensuring an online or hybrid course meets the Quality Matters Essential Standards.
The participant and their corresponding instructional designer will proceed through the following six phases of course design. Each participant will be given their own sandbox course in Moodle with the Standard Layout to use throughout this process.
The pace of the course will be set by the participant’s schedule and the expected time for the course to be taught. After completing all six phases of design, the participant will earn a course completion certificate.
This course can be taken as the final step in reaching the Course Designer Certification, or it can be taken on an as-needed basis.