The Online Teaching Toolkit: Build, Map, Teach
Welcome to the Online Teaching Toolkit! Whether you’re just starting out or have been teaching for years, this space is designed to support you as you build, map, and teach your online courses. Think of it like constructing a house – first, you establish a strong foundation, then create a blueprint, and finally, add the details that make it your own!
Currently, you’ll find two courses here to help guide you through designing and improving your online courses. We’re always adding fresh ideas to support your growth – new courses will be added this summer. In the meantime, feel free to explore and find what works best for you!
Building Your Course
Intro to Course Design – A Self-Paced Online Course
In this 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 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.
This course is designed to accommodate the busy lives of UVM instructors – it is entirely self-directed. This means that all assignments don’t have submission due dates, so you can progress at your own speed. And don’t worry – this does not mean you are entirely alone! CTL staff are just an email away, so please contact us if any questions arise. We will also provide feedback on all your discussion posts and assignments. We estimate that it will take you 3 -5 hours to complete.
Participants who complete the course will earn a badge in recognition of their commitment to quality online teaching.
You can self-enroll in Introduction to Course Design!
How to Self-Enroll
Follow these instructions on the UVM Knowledge Base to self-enroll. The course is linked below.
Log Into Brightspace and Enroll Here
Mapping Out Your Course
Teaching Equitably Online – An Asynchronous Online Course
The Spring 2025 Session starts May 12. Visit the event page to sign up.
The Teaching Equitably Online (TEO) short-course 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. This course is facilitated by the Center for Teaching & Learning’s educational developer, Dr.
Course Topics
- Introductory Module: 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.
View Spring 2025 Dates and Registration