Online Learning Instructor Handbook
Welcome to Online Learning at the University of Washington! This handbook will
- help you get started with your online course syllabus and other features of the online learning environment;
- help your course run smoothly by acquainting you with the policies and procedures related to online courses; and
- provide you with valuable tips about your interactions with online students.
Index
Getting Around in the Online Environment
Getting Started in My Course (Moodle)
- Welcome letter for students in My Course (Moodle)
- Logging in to My Course
- Moodle Help—your guide to the basics of working in Moodle: getting started, what's what on your course page, creating new assignments and discussion forums, and sending e-mail to your class. Also includes Help topics for students
- Your class list
- Creating and Editing Your Profile: establishing your presence in the online classroom.
- Communicating with the entire class
- Grading Assignments in My Course
EDGE
- EDGE (Education at a Distance for Growth and Excellence)—a group of experts who can work with you to videotape your lectures or other materials for online presentation, or set up the technology to include students at a distance in your classroom sessions. Contact them at 206-543-4689.
Communicating with Your Students
- Communicating with Your Students: a variety of methods for communicating, including e-mail, discussion forums, announcement boards, and more.
- Using E-mail
Assignments
- Designing Assessments—How will you know what your students have learned?
- Receiving and Returning Assignments
- How to Grade Assignments
- Rubrics—Guidelines for effective and consistent grading
- Discussion Assignments
- Facilitating Discussions—an in-depth discussion of how to use discussion assignments effectively
- Netiquette—standards for effective and courteous postings to discussion forums
- Instructions for Student Facilitators of Online Discussions—an opportunity for student leadership in online discussions. These tips will be helpful for your own role as faciliator, too.
- Encouraging Students to Post Questions in the Discussion Forums
- Sample Discussion Assignment
- Sample Instructions for Discussion Participants
- Creating a "Student Lounge"—setting up an unmoderated meeting area for students
- "Timing-out" Information for Discussion Forums
- Student Access to Discussion Forums after Finishing the Course
- Encouraging Collaboration—designing effective collaborative projects, and tips for facilitating collaboration
Guidelines for Successful Instruction
- Training 101—an introduction to successful online instruction: provides you with the information you need to plan, develop, implement, and evaluate your online course. Also see Online Learning Course Examples, where you can experience the technologies available through Online Learning.
- The Five Ps—guidelines for successful online instruction. Effectiveness in this teaching environment requires that you be prompt, personal. positive, practical, and patient.
- Managing Your Course Effectively—tips for planning and organizing your course, time management, effective communication with students, and keeping up with e-mail.
- Tips for Classroom Teaching—useful for both traditional classroom teaching and blended learning.
- Andragogy—the theory and practice of teaching adult learners
Standards and Policies
- Setting up your UW Net ID—your UW Net ID is your gateway to your course, as well as to a wealth of University of Washington's online resources
- DLD Standards—what constitutes an acceptable online or blended-learning course
- Updating and Revising Your Course Materials
- University of Washington policies on sexual harassment, equal opportunity, academic honesty, use of state resources, and conflict of interest
- Exams and Grades—the University of Washington's policies on exams and grading (including numerical grading scales, credit/non-credit courses, and granting incompletes and extensions)
- Housekeeping—your pay schedule, change of address procedure, making long-distance calls, vacation or leave of absence, and benefits as an instructor
- Dealing with emergencies (for instructors with a face-to-face class component)
- Contract Renewal and Midcourse and Final Evaluations
- Course checklist—a guide to the administrative tasks you'll need to complete before, during, and after your course begins.
- Disability Accommodations
- FERPA—Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act
Contact Information
- Contact Information for Online Learning at the UW
- **Help—where to go with technology or other questions about your online course
- Emergencies (for instructors in courses with a face-to-face component)
Tools
- Adobe Connect Meeting—a tool for communicating in real time with your students, guest speaker, and others, and sharing documents with them
- Adobe Presenter—a tool to help you create narrated PowerPoint lessons with transcripts
Other
- What is Blended Learning?—"blended" or "hybrid" learning: integrating the best aspects of classroom and online venues
- Guest speakers—integrating other experts in your field into your course.
- Glossary—a guide to some of the specialized terms of online learning at the University of Washington.
- Resources—some books and websites we're found useful.
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