Resources from Technology Services
Instructional Technology Services
Center for Teaching Excellence
Checklist for teaching online (pdf)
Teaching Tools and Tips (pdf) - presented at fall 2016 faculty meeting
Pedagogy Workshops
Online pedagogy workshop are an opportunity for faculty to share ideas about how to effectively teach online. Target audience is instructors who will teach online courses. Topics to be covered are:
- Workshop 1: Strategies for successful online teaching: This session will provide 10 tips for successful online teaching, which will include planning process, course design, organization, time management, expectations for online students, a sense of community, communication channels, etc. View PowerPoint slides (pdf)
- Workshop 2: Using multimedia for the engaging and dynamic learning environment: This session will demonstrate best practices of using multimedia to make online courses more engaging and dynamic. Selected multimedia software (e.g., Jing, iSpring, Adobe Connect Pro, etc.) and concrete examples of their usage in the online learning context will be introduced. View PowerPoint slides (pdf)
- Workshop 3: Effective interactions in online courses: This session will cover effective ways to manage online discussion, one-on-one student advising, student assignments, and group projects in online courses. View PowerPoint slides (pdf)
Workshop 1 took place in early May 2015, and Workshop 2 took place summer 2015, and Workshop 3 took place fall 2015.
Timeline
Refer to Academic Calendar
10 weeks before start of semester or, if summer, 8 weeks before summer term: Submit required textbook information - "adopt" online
2 weeks before start of semester: Share draft syllabus with students
By start of semester : Submit syllabus on syllabus repository
1 week before start of semester: Release Blackboard course to students
Add/drop date: Reconcile your Blackboard roster with your official Cardinal Students roster
Last class session: Alert students to complete the online course evaluation they will receive from the university
See Academic Calendar: Submit Grades for graduating students via Cardinal Students
See Academic Calendar: Submit Grades for continuing students via Cardinal Students
Instructors should give contact information to students and set aside time during the week to respond to students. Students expect interaction on Blackboard by the start of the semester. Please release your course and draft syllabus two weeks before the start of semester. You must also submit your final syllabus to the syllabus repository by the beginning of the semester.
Required textbooks are listed on the schedule in Cardinal Station, and a federal mandate stipulates that textbook information be published before registration opens. Many students rely on the CatholicU Barnes & Noble Bookstore for textbooks. Please "adopt" your books in advance of registration day (usually 8-10 weeks before the start of the term). Log on to https://www.facultyenlight.com/node/add/adoption-request to do so. If no textbook is required, please let us know, so it can be reflected in Cardinal Students. Email us at cua-lis@cua.edu with the ISBN number and title, if you are having difficulty with the request form.
Planning your class
An online course is a 3-credit semester-long graduate level course, the equivalent of 14 two-and-a-half hour class sessions, or about 35 hours. We request you use the University syllabus template, as it includes required information. Also include a link on your syllabus to online resources in the teaching methods section.
Blackboard, Zoom and AdobeConnect training
If you are an instructor who is new to the online format, you will meet with department faculty or staff as you plan your course. Also, take advantage of campus trainings and workshops to maximize your effectiveness with Blackboard, Zoom or Adobe Connect. Learn more at https://sites.google.com/cua.edu/ts-inst/instructional-continuity/technology-support-for-instructional-continuity?authuser=0
Course Evaluations and Student Survey
Feedback is essential to improving the program. Links to the university's online course evaluations will be sent to your students the last week of class. Remind them to look for this email from the Office of Planning, Institutional Research, and Student Learning Outcomes Assessment.