The OLC is an online community in which we share information and ideas about online teaching and learning throughout the year in a group chat in Teams and meet virtually on the third Wednesday of the month. Even if you are unable to attend the meetings, we encourage you to join the community to receive the information through Teams and participate in the discussion.

Would you like to see how others are using D2L Brightspace and other instructional technologies to create innovative online learning experiences? Would you like to be one of the first to learn about new instructional technologies and updates to existing technologies? What about sharing campus best practices to improve online teaching and learning? The FDIC invites all EIU faculty and staff interested in online teaching and learning to join the EIU Online Learning Community (OLC). The purpose of the EIU OLC is to:

• Share campus best practices to improve online teaching and learning.
• See how others are using D2L Brightspace and other instructional technologies to create innovative learning experiences.
• Inform the community about existing and new web-based instructional technologies including what's new in D2L Brightspace.
• Leverage expertise, experience, and training resources for D2L Brightspace and other instructional technologies across campus.

Information and ideas will be shared with the community throughout the year in a group chat in Teams.

The OLC will also meet virtually through Teams on the third Wednesday of the month (except for April 2023) from 3:00-4:00 PM. The OLC meetings for Spring 2023 will be January 18, February 15, March 22 (4th Wednesday due to Spring Break) and April 19. An agenda will be provided with the topics that will be discussed at each meeting and of course there will be time for sharing and Q&A. Even if you are unable to attend the OLC meetings, we encourage you to join the community so you will have access to the information shared in Teams. The meetings will be recorded for community members unable to attend.

Community members will be added to the OLC team in the Teams app for access to the group chat and upcoming meetings. For questions about the EIU OLC, contact Julie Lockett, Director of Learning Innovation at jalockett@eiu.edu.

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.