Designing a course is like constructing a house – first, you establish a strong foundation, articulating student-centered learning objectives, then you build the frame, designing activities and choosing content aligned with those objectives, and finally, you move, adding the details that make it your own, and teach!
Flexible Formats
All courses are offered asynchronously online. We have 2 different formats – self-paced and cohort courses. Both formats offer participants who complete the course a badge/certificate in recognition of their commitment to quality online teaching.
Self-Paced Courses:
- Are designed to be flexible to accommodate busy schedules
- Have no set due dates or course end date, so you can progress at your own speed.
- Are monitored by CTL staff to address questions and provide feedback on assignments
- Take 3–5 hours to complete
There may not be other “students” in the course at the same time as you are here. We did, however, set up a discussion topic so that you can share ideas with your colleagues even if you are not in the course space at the same time.
Cohort Courses:
- Are designed so that you can interact with and learn from your colleagues
- Have a start, specific time frame for peer-to-peer discussion, and a flexible end date to submit assignments
- Take 10 – 15 hours to complete
Currently, we are offering three courses:
These courses are described in detail, below.
- Self-paced Courses
- Introduction to Course Design: Applying the Backward Design Framework
- Designing Engaging Online Courses
- Cohort-based course
- Teaching Equitably Online
These courses help instructors new to online teaching build a strong foundation for designing courses and support experienced instructors in growing their skills by incorporating equity strategies.
Intro to Course Design: Applying the Backward Design Framework
In this Brightspace course, you will apply the foundational principles of the “backward design” framework to design courses that foster student success. Courses designed with this framework communicate clearly to students what they will learn, how they will learn it, and how they will know if they’ve mastered the material. You learn how to align your course objectives, activities, and feedback to create a clear, cohesive learning experience that supports student progress toward achieving their goals.
While backward design can be applied to courses in any format, it is especially important in online courses. Clear alignment of learning objectives, content, activities and assessments creates relevant and structured learning environments, critical for online student success.
Participants who complete the course will earn a badge in recognition of their commitment to quality online teaching.
You can self-enroll in this course.
How to Self-Enroll
Designing Engaging Online Courses
This Brightspace course is designed to support you in developing or revising an online course. It focuses on helping you make clear, informed design decisions that align with your goals and support a wide range of learners. In each module, you’ll apply research-based frameworks to your own course. Modules address evidence-based strategies for effectively organizing your course, presenting content in ways that foster student engagement, and your role as the instructor in fostering student success.
Course Topics
- Module 1: Introduction to Foundational Frameworks: Universal Design for Learning and Community of Inquiry
- Module 2: Organize Your Course
- Module 3: Create Engaging and Accessible Content
- Module 4: Designing for Community and Learning
You can self-enroll in this course.
How to Self-Enroll
Instructions on the UVM Knowledge Base to self-enroll. The course is linked below.
Teaching Equitably Online: An Asynchronous Cohort Course
Teaching Equitably Online (TEO) in Brightspace is designed for faculty who want to deepen their understanding of equity-centered practices in online teaching. Focusing on inclusion, equity, engagement, and accessibility, faculty will engage with both theory and practical applications to create supportive online environments that motivate and empower students, with attention to the varied experiences and needs of individuals from diverse backgrounds. TEO is a cohort experience with guided discussion, assignments, and peer feedback. Assignment options allow for both experienced and new online instructors to meet their own learning goals.
Course Topics
- Introduction: Reflecting on positionality
- Module 1: Creating welcoming environments and fostering a sense of belonging.
- Module 2: Addressing the hidden curriculum in online learning.
- Module 3: Supporting metacognitive development and self-reflection.
- Closing Reflection: Reflecting and planning next steps.
Total Time Commitment: Approximately 10-12 hours across the duration of the course, depending on your prior experience and the depth of engagement with optional activities.
Participants who complete the course will earn a badge/certificate in recognition of their commitment to equity-centered online teaching.
How to Enroll
Next Session: January 2 – 9, 2026
This online class will be added to the CTL events calendar in ~November 2025. This is where you'll be able to register. It has an enrollment cap of 20.