Online education: The foundations of online teaching

Overview

Online learning is essential for modern education. This course helps educators redesign and optimise face-to-face content for online environments, ensuring learners stay connected and engaged. It addresses how technology changes education delivery and consumption. This course is for teachers and educators new to online learning or those adapting existing resources. It covers key concepts for effective online teaching and digital content design. By the end, you will: - Understand online learning's evolution and future possibilities. - Explain how blended and online learning needs differ from traditional settings. - Select and use techniques and tools to improve digital learning skills. No specific software is required. Learners should have a background in traditional teaching or education roles.

Syllabus

Evolution of Online Course Design

Welcome to Module 1! This module discusses the evolution of online course design. Technology has transformed how learners study, offering diverse online learning models. Understand how online learning continues to grow globally. You will gain insight into its historical context and current trends.

Delivering Online Content

Welcome to Module 2! This module examines transactional distance, a key concept for online teaching. Physical distance presents challenges, but building online presence helps. We will study the Critical Community of Inquiry Model, focusing on teacher, social, and cognitive presence. These concepts guide effective teaching behaviours and learning design for successful online experiences.

Building Digital Learning Skills

Welcome to Module 3! This module examines cognitive load. Educators must prevent cognitive overload, which impacts student learning. We will review practical tips and techniques to manage cognitive load. We also discuss creating supportive, inclusive online learning environments, providing practical tips to set up your online course for student success.

Building Learning Communities

Welcome to Module 4! This module defines 'learning community' and shows how to create one using online discussion forums. Research indicates that meaningful, inclusive learning communities foster belonging, supporting deep learning and improving student performance. Learn how online educators use discussion forums to build effective learning communities.

Future of Online Learning

Welcome to Module 5! This module considers the future of online education. We will investigate emerging technologies like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, discussing their impact on the education sector. The course concludes by emphasising continuous upskilling for online educators. We provide practical tips to create your future online teaching professional development action plan.