Course design and delivery

It’s time for the sage to step down from the stage, according to Steve Davies who shares simple steps to ensure technology enhances learning outcomes

The move to online teaching is a chance to redesign higher education delivery to reflect the way students learn, replacing traditional lectures with more interactive material, as Kylie Readman, Garth Maker and Astrid Davine explain

If you want to improve teaching, speak to the learners, explains Pat Tissington, who advocates using student feedback to continually experiment and adjust your online instruction methods throughout the course

The move to online learning has seen a big increase in academic misconduct such as plagiarism. Camilla Roberts explains how careful planning of online teaching and assessment can minimise cheating

Student feedback is crucial to improving remote teaching. Here, Roger Austin shares key lessons for effective online course delivery based on a survey of his students

Dara Cassidy explains how the Community of Inquiry provides a framework to help translate teaching strategies that come naturally in the classroom to the online learning environment where they require more deliberate planning

Constant upheaval has left many university staff and students feeling overwhelmed. Wendy Zajack talks through basic principles for keeping digital communications clear and concise to avoid information overload

The move to online education has required a major rethink of traditional teaching practices. Julianne Law offers insight on how she has adapted her ‘lectures’ for the digital classroom

Maha Bali offers practical advice on building equitable learning communities online no matter what students’ bandwidth or synchronicity of the class

Many online courses can benefit from immersive technologies to enhance the learning experience. Here Chek Tien Tan and May Lim outline their method for ensuring technology is chosen to support the desired student outcomes

By gathering student feedback throughout your course, you can make ongoing micro-adjustments to resources and teaching methods to improve online teaching and learning, Leonardo Rolla explains

Online discussion forums are an effective way to ensure remote students engage critically with their subjects but require careful thought and planning by instructors, as Karen Srba explains

Avatars can be a useful tool when recording lectures and classes for online teaching. Kojiro Yano describes how he uses virtual reality to make recording avatar-led online classes easier

Three online teaching experts share advice for motivating students to read and engage with microlectures online, then answer questions on key challenges during this ACUE webinar

Two online teaching experts share advice on producing and using effective microlecture videos to keep students interested and engaged with online courses in this ACUE webinar

Three online teaching experts share advice on how to foster quality discussions among students online to aid learning during this ACUE webinar

Three online teaching experts share advice on how to organise an online course effectively and answer questions about some key challenges during this ACUE webinar

Three remote teaching experts share advice on building an authentic and engaging instructor presence online to support effective communication with students during this ACUE webinar

Three online teaching experts share advice on creating a welcoming virtual learning environment for students then answer questions about transitioning to remote courses during this ACUE webinar  

As remote and blended learning models look set to remain in place, universities need to consider how to scale online courses while maintaining quality. Michael Fried and Jenna Joo outline three effective scaling strategies

Relating your online teaching content to real-world interests and issues affecting your students is a great way to win and keep their attention. Tina Joshi explains how she does this

Asking students questions during online classes provides insight into what they understand and where they need support. David Martin explains how to do this effectively when teaching remotely

Creating fun, game-like activities as part of your online classes can aid learning, student engagement and collaboration. Shonagh Douglas explains how she has used ‘break-in rooms’ as an effective induction for remote students

Online collaboration is not an innate skill for most students but something that instructors must cultivate. Hugh McFaul explains how he did this through careful design of the content and assessment on his course

Teaching online requires adaptations to in-person teaching, whatever your level of experience. Jesper Hansen explains what key changes he has made to his teaching practice to optimise his synchronous online classes

What should educators consider before adopting a new digital resource to support their online teaching? Michael Windelspecht outlines three key questions to ask

Lessons in how to use an authentic instructor voice to keep students engaged when teaching remotely, from Shannon McCarty of National University

Hear about some tried and tested methods for effective assessment of written work when teaching online from Sara Clarke and Katy Dumelle of Oregon State University

Online learning expert Angela Gunder offers advice on how to design digital courses with a focus on quality and engagement

Find out about using evidence-based practices in online teaching and learning in this Q&A with Ryan Luke, programme director for adaptive learning at the University of Louisville

Learn about how and why to apply evidence-based practices to digital learning in this Q&A with Nina Araujo, instructional designer at Northeastern University

Brandon Karcher, instructional technology manager at Bucknell University, and Douglas Wilson, instructional designer at Dallas College, answer fellow academics’ questions about how best to design online classes

Recording classes well from home can be a challenge but by getting the basics right you can create a simple studio set up which will support effective online teaching. Here, Sean Willems explains how

It is important to explain your online teaching plan to students at the start of the course, so they know what to expect. Here, Dawn Gilmore explains why and how to do this.

Students respond much better to manageable packages of information. Here Paul Moss explains why and how to go about ‘chunking’ online lectures to get the best results from students

Too many educators still view online as a second-rate form of teaching, but it does not have to be. Here Stephen Hersh offers advice on how to offer first-class teaching via Zoom

Interactive learning is an effective way to keep remote students engaged with online courses. Sara Wolfson offers four tips on how to design classes with a strong focus on interactive elements

Peer-to-peer learning brings major benefits for students and instructors. Here, Zachary Walker explains how to encourage your students to learn from each other and why this can be so effective when teaching online

The sudden shift to online forced university staff to rethink and redesign classes often with little experience or knowledge of remote teaching. Helen Carmichael and Bobbi Moore explain how Southampton University supported all faculties to ensure high quality online courses

Higher education remains awash with claims and theories that are backed by little evidence. Here Celia Popovic and Fiona Smart debunk some of the more common “fake news” myths in relation to teaching and look at how to apply this knowledge in online courses

The rapid move to online teaching risks lecturers becoming over reliant on technology and steadily disappearing from their own courses. Here Glenn Geher argues the case for instructors remaining at the heart of their classes and only using technology to support their teaching

Ioannis Gaitanidis explains how he went about designing his asynchronous online teaching to foster the same level of spontaneous student discussion as his in-person classes

Advice on designing online courses with lots of interactive elements to boost engagement from Michele Hampton, professor at Cuyahoga Community College

When students discuss ideas and learn from one another, they absorb far more, which is the rationale behind the think-pair-share teaching model. Here José Guzman explains how he translated this to the online setting

It is all too easy for remote learning to become a passive experience for students, sitting on their own at home. Here Steven Mintz outlines some strategies for ensuring students remain actively engaged with their online courses

Having reopened for a new academic year, universities are now looking ahead to how they can deliver the best possible online teaching for the longer term. Here, Robert MacIntosh highlights what has been learned so far in the rapid transition to digital teaching and learning

There is no one-size-fits-all model for effective online teaching. Rupert Ward offers advice on selecting tools to promote personalised teaching and to encourage more self-regulated learning online

Find out what faculty need to know when moving their courses online in this Q&A with Kayla Jutzi, instructional designer at Tulane University

Learn how to use Microsoft Teams to offer students an engaging online learning experience with David Kellerman, senior lecturer at UNSW

Sophia Strickfaden, eLearning technologist for Colorado Colleges Online, talks through how to design online courses with strong pedagogy