The first day of class for students is too often an automated form of passive listening to numerous lengthy syllabi. Whether teaching in the classroom or online, the course syllabus is an opportunity to make a big first impression. This tool can help set the mood, tone, and character of the anticipated class above and beyond the linguistic and logistic content. In this webinar you’ll learn how to make your syllabus more visually engaging by using simple graphic design tips and tricks. No special software needed.

The webinar will conducted through Zoom at the time listed. The Zoom meeting link will be sent to registrants in the confirmation and reminder emails. We recommend saving the meeting link on your calendar for easy access on the day of the webinar.

Join your colleagues in March and April to reflect and build on this past year. March 25th, we will be looking back, reflecting on how this pandemic year affected our faculty roles at EIU. April 29th, we will be moving forward, building resilience and our courses towards a post-COVID. Our guiding questions for both sessions are: what have we learned – about teaching and learning, about ourselves – over the past year?; what would we like to take forward into future semesters and years?

This semester, all Faculty Commons are facilitated by FDIC Director Newton Key and FDIC Advisory Council Chair Michael Gillespie on the final Thursday of each month at 12:30 pm for collegial conversation and connection. Each month’s zoom connection is our virtual space, a common place to share and learn. Register for one and you will receive reminders (and link) for following months.

The webinar will conducted through Zoom at the time listed. The Zoom meeting link will be sent to registrants in the confirmation and reminder emails. We recommend saving the meeting link on your calendar for easy access on the day of the webinar.

The Online Course Development Institute was established to provide faculty at Eastern Illinois University a professional development opportunity to experience best practices in online teaching and guidance in quality online course development. The OCDi is for EIU faculty developing or redesigning an online course and teaching online for the first time at EIU.

GOAL

The goal of the OCDi is to provide faculty with suggested guidelines and training necessary to develop a quality online course which will enhance the online teaching and learning experiences of both faculty and students and encourage effective engagement and collaboration in the online environment.

EIU ONLINE COURSE POLICY

“All instructors of online courses must submit proof of having completed the Online Course Development Institute (OCDI), Illinois Online Network’s “Master Online Teacher" certificate or another documented and equivalent training activity before teaching the courses/sections for the first time.” The EIU Online Course Policy can be found at https://www.eiu.edu/eiucaa/OnlineCoursePolicy.pdf.

OBJECTIVES

1. The participant will be able to develop a course for online delivery using standards presented for effective online course design.
2. The participant will be able incorporate strategies for effective online teaching and learning.
3. The participant will be able to integrate technologies that will engage students in the online environment and align with the course objectives.
4. The participant will be able to meet the university requirement for teaching an online course.

TOPICS

The course contains eight content modules. The topics of each module are listed below.

1. Overview, Introduction, and Learner Support
2. Learning Objectives and Instructional Design
3. Accessibility and Usability
4. Instructional Materials
5. Course Activities and Learner Interaction
6. Assessment and Measurement
7. Course Technology
8. Online Teaching Strategies

FORMAT

The OCDi Training Course is an online, self-directed course. Participants work through the content modules at their own pace. However, the facilitator is always available to answer questions, provide consultation, review assignments, and post grades and feedback. The course includes online activities, online resources, technology tutorials, and an online synchronous discussion scheduled at the participant’s convenience.

TIME REQUIREMENT

I am often asked the time requirement necessary to complete the OCDi training which is a difficult question to answer. The training originated as an 8-week face-to-face course followed by the completion of the online course development. The same course components remain but the course has been developed into a self-directed, online course. Because the course is self-paced, completion time often depends on many factors including the motivation, technology skills, experience, and time demands of the person completing the training.

Want to know more about conducting Zoom meetings and using Zoom features? What about integrating Zoom in D2L for class meetings? Zoom Your Way is a one-on-one training session for EIU faculty and staff. The session is customized to meet your needs. You schedule the Zoom Your Way session at a time convenient for you. You select the Zoom topics you want to learn more about. After registration, you will receive an email with a link to schedule your session. You must use that link to schedule a meeting time convenient for you.

Topics include:

• Scheduling Zoom meetings
• Customizing the Zoom settings in your EIU Zoom account
• Hosting a Zoom meeting (includes audio, video, participants, and chat)
• Screen Sharing and Annotations (includes the whiteboard, sharing a PowerPoint and other screen sharing options)
• Polling
• Breakout Rooms
• Recording options
• Integrating Zoom in D2L
• Attendance reports for Zoom meetings

Intended Audience: EIU Faculty and Staff