Course design

The natural tech savviness of Generation Z doesn’t necessarily extend to remote learning tools. Here are three tips from the Open University of Hong Kong to train students to use collaborative working platforms

New digital teaching methods risk exposing personal and sensitive information among students and staff. Here are best practice tips from Dr Matthew Davis on running safe and secure online meetings and calls

The move to online teaching has led to a huge rise in the use of both remote and virtual laboratories. Here Dr Yeung explains how each works and outlines their strengths and weaknesses

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

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

Traditional exams often inhibit students, while more creative assessments provide a forum where their talent and knowledge can shine. Madeleine Davies discusses one technique she has used to offer such creative assessments online

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

Authentic assessment is one of the biggest challenges associated with online teaching and learning. Here Katherine Baverstock explains why negotiated assessment engages remote students and lowers the risk of cheating

Working remotely with no face-to-face contact is a challenge for many students. May Lim and Li Siong Lim explain how educators can use technology to identify and help struggling students before they fall behind

While the same psychological processes are at work online as in the classroom, it is much easier for students to disengage when learning remotely. Here are seven well-researched steps to help students stay focused on their online courses

It can be a challenge to keep students’ attention from wandering when teaching online. Here Bill Boulding talks through key rules to put in place to keep everyone engaged in the virtual learning environment

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

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

Liza Hita shares important lessons on using videos as a way of boosting instructor presence when teaching online

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

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

Penny Ralston-Berg, senior instructional designer at Penn State World Campus, discusses how to ensure quality in digital teaching and learning

Patricia O’Sullivan, project coordinator of academic innovation at the University of Mississippi, offers insight on engaging students in the online environment

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

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

Peter van Leusen, director of adaptive and personalised learning at Arizona State University answers questions on how to engage students when teaching across different modalities

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

Susan Holecheck explains why flipping the traditional classroom teaching model with an adaptive active learning approach has proven so effective at Arizona State 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

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

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

Best practice in creating instructional videos that efficiently impart knowledge to students learning remotely, from Judy Brooks

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

Appealing to students’ curiosity boosts their motivation to learn. Jose Vazquez explains how educators can use this in their online teaching strategies

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

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

Using 360-degree video can help create a more immersive digital learning experience, making practical aspects of online classes more realistic. Here Jane Frost draws on her experience of training nurses to explain how it can be used

Four academics offer practical advice on different aspects of online teaching and learning based on lessons from the rapid pivot to remote courses triggered by Covid-19

Chrysi Rapanta consolidates the knowledge of four online teaching experts to produce guidance on what pedagogical content knowledge faculty need in order to develop effective digital courses

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 how to foster quality discussions among students online to aid learning 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

Being outdoors can offer students and teachers dozens of benefits, from improved learning outcomes to better mental health. Aimée Little talks about taking online classes outside

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

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

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  

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

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

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

Reading and note-taking are vital to learning, but are too easily overlooked by remote students. Steven Mintz explains how you can boost students’ motivation to read and take notes during online classes

A key challenge with online learning is maintaining student engagement and motivation. Researchers found that a forum-based teaching system, in which all students could see and compare their work within a shared online space, helped mitigate this challenge

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

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

Creating a sense of community among students is vital for effective online teaching. Here, Miral Gibson explains how fostering this welcoming online learning environment should be pedagogy-led

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

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

A major challenge of the move to remote learning is how to teach practical subjects. Here, Lesley Saunders and Lucy Kirkham discuss how they adapted a large nursing course by adopting a combination of online, blended and socially distant teaching

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

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

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

With thousands of educational apps all promising to enhance online learning, choosing the right technology is a challenge. Miral Gibson explains why how pedagogy and teaching strategies should inform these decisions

From digital industry projects to virtual internships, there are plenty of options for enhancing employability online, but it is how students reflect upon and learn from their experiences that is important, as Dino Willox and Laura-Anne Bull explain

Traditional proctored exams rarely work when teaching online so instructors must rely on careful assessment design to minimise the risk of cheating, explain Patrick Harte and Fawad Khaleel

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

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

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

With most students new to online learning, many may lack the confidence to actively participate in group classes. Georgina Blakeley offers her tips on fostering a sense of belonging that aids interaction among students

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

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

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

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

Digital skills are key to the future employability of most graduates. Jo Coldwell-Neilson advises on how to embed digital literacy training into all aspects of online higher education

Online teaching offers valuable insight into effective pedagogy that will remain useful long after the pandemic is past, according to James Pickering, who outlines the key lessons to improve teaching design and delivery

Technology supports a more flexible approach to learning, but it is important that instructors guide students through the course to ensure they engage with content in a logical order, as Kylie Readman, Garth Maker and Astrid Davine explain

Instructors can minimise the opportunity for academic misconduct through careful online assessment design. Sarah Eaton shares five approaches to online assessment that promote academic integrity

With many concerned about the mental health effects of learning remotely, Elena Riva shares some helpful practices that can boost student well-being in the online teaching and learning environment

STEM courses can be challenging to master online, but research by Atef Abuhmaid and Tao Tang shows a flipped classroom model improves outcomes. Here they outline the key lessons from their study

Jessica Lee and Tamara Mann Tweel describe how they went back to basics when designing their humanistic online course, focusing on one-to-one mentoring and transformative texts

Having been pushed to the sidelines of academia for too long, public engagement projects can take a central role in digital courses, furthering students’ learning and reaching wider audiences, explains Warren Stanislaus

Robert Green talks through the digital tools he uses to keep students engaged in their online course during what are, for many, challenging times