How I incorporate DEIBJ in online course design

At the University of California-Berkeley (UCB), we infuse diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and social justice (DEIBJ) in our efforts across campus to meet the needs of all learners, as well as in our various practices and interactions at work. As an instructional designer for Berkeley’s Digital Learning Services (DLS), I design remote and fully online courses. As tasks arise, I

Active Learning Typology – UC Tech

My colleague, Joseph Kearns, and I are excited to present our active learning typology at the 2023 UC Tech Conference in July! This venue is for those interested in and working with technology within the University of California system. Student workers are also invited to attend. This year has its first teaching and learning program track for which we applied.

Community of Inquiry: Research to Practice

My peers and I from the Division of Distance Learning with the Association of Educational Communications and Technology gave this webinar highlighting research to practice of the community of inquiry framework by educators and instructional designers. Here’s the recording. I focused on my action research and general application of the Online Community of Inquiry Syllabus Rubric. I briefly presented the

Online Teaching Readiness Needs Assessment

I use this questionnaire at the beginning of course design collaborations with instructors. It helps me gather their prior knowledge and better address where to begin the instructional design process. Also, surveys serve as a way to inform the participants. Feel free to adapt and use it with your instructors, as this one is based on the Canvas learning management

My Second Research Publication

I developed the Online Community of Inquiry Syllabus Rubric© (OCOISR) during my doctoral studies with the support of my Professor, Dr. James Van Haneghan, and peer input from other students. This new publication is about my two case studies reviewing syllabi with it. “It serves as a proactive way to determine the inclusion and strength of interactive treatments that support

Redesigning Online Discussions for Social Presence

A community of inquiry (COI) includes the social, cognitive, and teaching interactions among students, instructors, and experts in the field, as well as their interaction with the content provided. The presence of all three types of interactions is essential to the communication loop for an online COI (Garrison, 2000). Cognitive presence is the engagement in learning activities that demand higher-order

My First Research Publication

My peer, Susie Gronseth, and I conducted a case study research about active learning and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework this year. It was published in an open access journal. Our paper is titled, Apply UDL to Online Active Learning: Instructional Designer Perspectives. Check it out! We hope to present our findings at this year’s Association of Educational

LMS Adoption: Needs Assessment Action Plan

Use Altschuld and Kumar’s needs assessment method to select new learning software for your institution.

Finding and Creating Images for Online Courses

Images can shape the narrative of your online course and affect students’ learning. Bruning et al. (2011) recommend imagery as a way to encode information. The three most important things to consider when selecting an image are copyright, inclusion, and purpose. Your school’s librarian can help you navigate the copyright and fair use practices; otherwise, review the US government site

Guidance for Teaching Remotely

The following blog posts provide research-based guidance and vetted resources to enhance your understanding of how to teach remotely.