Learn at a Distance

  • Course Design Tools

    Course Design Tools

    Explore two essential tools for enhancing your online teaching and course design: the Course Design Helper and the Instructional Design Wizard. Designed to meet the needs of both new and experienced instructors, these tools provide structured guidance to develop engaging courses and refine instructional strategies. Learn how these resources can…

  • Using Diagnostic Assessments

    Using Diagnostic Assessments

    Understanding where your students are starting from is crucial. Each learner brings a unique set of experiences, skills, and challenges to your course. Diagnostic assessments are powerful tools for identifying these starting points, enabling you to tailor your teaching to better meet students’ needs. By using diagnostic assessments effectively, you…

  • Student Presentations

    Student Presentations

    Student presentations are a valuable way to assess knowledge, encourage communication skills, and promote professional development in online graduate courses. However, delivering a presentation—especially in an online environment—requires a range of skills that students may not have fully developed. By providing targeted support, you can help your students excel in…

  • Identifying Prerequisite Learner Skills

    Identifying Prerequisite Learner Skills

    As an instructor, you know that student success depends on more than just understanding the course material. Often, the ability to complete assessments and activities hinges on students’ possession of specific prerequisite skills—skills that your course may assume they already have but doesn’t explicitly teach. Identifying these skills, determining whether…

  • Becoming a Reflective Practitioner

    Becoming a Reflective Practitioner

    Asking the Right Questions Teaching adult learners requires not only a solid grasp of content and technology but also the ability to adapt to diverse experiences, expectations, and challenges. Reflection serves as a bridge between teaching methods and student outcomes, helping instructors continually refine their practices to foster deeper engagement…

  • Reflective Practice in Teaching

    Reflective Practice in Teaching

    A Guide for Online Graduate Educators Reflective practice is an essential element of effective teaching, particularly for those working with adult learners in online graduate programs. In this context, reflection allows educators to continuously adapt to their learners’ diverse experiences and professional goals. Guided by the foundational insights of Jack…

  • Assessment Rationales

    Assessment Rationales

    An assessment rationale is a justification for why a specific assessment has been included in a course or learning module. It explains how the assessment aligns with learning outcomes, the skills or knowledge it measures, and its role in supporting student learning. Providing a rationale ensures that assessments are intentional,…

  • Content Rationales

    Content Rationales

    A content rationale is a clear and concise explanation of why specific content has been included in a learning module. It connects the instructional materials or activities to the broader course objectives, learning outcomes, or the needs of the learners. The rationale provides justification for how the content supports student…

  • Designing a Learning Activity with Multi-Dimensional Engagement

    Designing a Learning Activity with Multi-Dimensional Engagement

    Course Context: Marketing Ethics and Sustainability in Business Sample Learning Outcome: “Students will evaluate the ethical implications of marketing strategies and propose sustainable, customer-centric solutions that align with professional standards.” The Challenge This learning outcome challenges students to critically evaluate ethical issues in marketing, synthesize diverse perspectives, and propose actionable…

  • The Anatomy of Learning Activities

    The Anatomy of Learning Activities

    Learning activities are where the abstract goals of education—learning outcomes—take root and grow into concrete achievements. They are the structured experiences that transform theoretical concepts into applied skills, making education tangible and actionable. At their best, learning activities engage students fully, leveraging the dimensions of engagement—cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, agentic,…