Fall 2026 Programming for Online Instructors
Fall 2026 Programming for Online Faculty
The Center for Teaching, Learning and Assessment offers book groups, workshops, sessions and course design or redesign institutes to support excellence in online teaching.
The Joyful Online Teacher Book Group
- 11 a.m. to noon, Sept. 29, Oct. 13, and Oct. 27, via Teams
Join colleagues for a discussion of the book The Joyful Online Teacher: Finding Our Fizz in Asynchronous Classes by online teaching expert Flower Darby.
From the author's website: "In The Joyful Online Teacher, Flower addresses the root causes of pervasive challenges in online classes, highlights ways to promote happiness and satisfaction in everyday life, and translates those principles into practical, joy-inducing online teaching strategies. You’ll find concrete tips to promote flourishing in every class, whether online or in person, to enhance everyone’s vibrancy, engagement and success—starting with your own."
- September 29: Introduction, Chapter 1
- October 13: Chapters 2-3
- October 27: Chapters 4-5
Discussions will be facilitated by Sherleena Buchman and Kimberly Ephlin, both from the College of Health Sciences and Professions.
Orientation to Online Teaching
- 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Oct. 13, via Teams OR
- 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 14, Via Teams
Teaching online courses begins well before instructors open a course shell or import a Canvas template or Blueprint course. Teaching online begins with consideration of the characteristics of excellent instruction regardless of modality, then identifying the factors that enable those characteristics to manifest in online course design and delivery.
This orientation is perfect preparation for either 1) an Online Teaching Boot Camp, an offering for instructors new to online instruction; or 2) an Institute for Online Course Design, a nine-hour structured opportunity for faculty to design or enhance an upcoming course. The Orientation to Teaching Online is required for any instructor planning on attending the Course Design Institute for Online Courses who has not taught online previously.
Topics covered include:
- Considerations for moving a course from in-person to online
- Considerations for working with a Blueprint course
- Considerations when taking over a previously taught online course
- Evidence-informed instructional strategies for online environments
- Teaching to OHIO learners in an online environment
- Ramifications of AI for online instruction
Online Teaching Boot Camp
- 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 17, via Teams OR
- 8:30 to 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, Nov. 18, Via Teams
This boot camp provides faculty teaching online in the spring semester the opportunity to engage with colleagues from multiple disciplines who are already delivering highly effective online courses, each reflecting an evidence-based or innovative approach to the modality. The boot camp offers participants the opportunity to:
- Examine the structure and design of excellent online courses in Canvas,
- Critically assess the organization and presentation of their own course content and modules,
- Review various types of assignments and assessments well-suited for online learners,
- Identify effective strategies for engaging students in an online environment,
- Consider strategies for incorporating friction that mitigates AI use, and/or for leveraging AI to enhance student learning outcomes.
Institute for Online Course Design
- 9 a.m. to noon, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, Dec. 14, 15 and 16, via Teams
The Institute for Online Course Design is an intensive, hands-on experience for faculty who are preparing a new online course or seeking to strengthen an existing one. Participants will work through a structured course design process that connects learning outcomes, assessments, instructional activities, course organization and student engagement.
Over three days, faculty will apply evidence-based principles of online teaching and learning directly to their own courses. They will examine organization of course content and design of meaningful learning activities and assessments, plan for instructor presence and engagement, establish clear communication channels for students and review their courses for accessibility and substantive interaction compliance. The institute also provides opportunities to consider how emerging technologies, including generative AI, may influence course design, student learning and assessment practices.
Instructors who have not taught online before should also attend the Orientation to Teaching Online. Participants are encouraged to work on their Canvas courses in the afternoons; an open instructional design office hour will be scheduled each day.
Participants will
- Develop, confirm or refine measurable course learning outcomes.
- Align assessments and learning activities with course outcomes.
- Create a clear, consistent and student-friendly course structure.
- Design opportunities for meaningful interaction, engagement and active learning.
- Strengthen instructor presence and communication in the online environment.
- Incorporate accessibility principles.
- Examine assessment strategies appropriate for contemporary learning environments, including those shaped by generative AI.
- Receive feedback on course design decisions and identify priorities for continued development.
- Leave with a substantially developed or redesigned online course and a clear plan for completing remaining work.