The Stand-In Instructional Designer: An Interactive Guide to Online Course Design

Concurrent Session 5
Streamed Session

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Session Materials

Brief Abstract

Every instructor deserves access to instructional design support regardless of institutional resources. We will discuss our OER Interactive Guide to Online Course Design. It was created for instructors who are new to online and blended learning and delves into the online course design process, with many opportunities to apply learning.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Laura Smith, University of Arizona

Laura McAllister Smith serves as a Senior Instructional Designer focused on global courses for Digital Learning at the University of Arizona and the Office of Digital Learning. She has a M.S. in Instructional Psychology and Technology, a M.Ed, and a B.S. in Elementary Education. Laura is passionate about education and is always looking for innovative ways to engage learners, create positive learning environments, and reach broader audiences.

Co-presenter: Stephanie Tammen, University of Arizona

Stephanie serves as Senior Instructional Designer at the University of Arizona where she brings her science background into online course design. She earned her B.S. in Nutrition Science at the University of Arizona before moving to Boston to complete a Ph.D. in Biochemical and Molecular Nutrition at Tufts University. Upon graduation, Stephanie transitioned into education via a postdoctoral fellowship in curriculum design and evaluation. Before becoming an instructional designer, Stephanie was an Assistant Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine where she co-directed an online graduate-level program that teaches biomedical science to high school instructors nationwide. She also worked with high school teachers to research how partnerships between instructors and biomedical scientists may improve biology courses and student outcomes.

Co-presenter: Emily Torrez, University of Arizona

Emily Torrez serves as an Instructional Designer II at the University of Arizona in the Digital Learning department. In this role, Emily enjoys working with instructors to develop engaging, student-centered, and learning outcome-driven courses. Emily holds an M.A. in Organizational Leadership from Point Loma Nazarene University, a B.S. in Business Administration (emphasis in management and organizations) from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in History from the University of Southern California.

Co-presenter: Christopher P Hauser, University of Arizona

Chris Hauser has been in instructional design for over a decade. He now serves as the Assistant Director - Instructional Design for the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Arizona. Previously, he worked with Digital Learning as an Instructional Designer during the development of An Interactive Guide to Online Course Design (come see our session). His passion is in collaboration and authentic learning environments. He is technologically agnostic (sees learning informing the technology not the other way around). He has his M.Ed. in Educational Technology, with a focus on Higher Education and Training.

Extended Abstract

Every instructor deserves access to instructional design support regardless of institutional resources. Research has shown that faculty who do not feel supported in developing an online course felt anxious and unprepared to successfully teach online (Dhilla, 2016), which may negatively impact student satisfaction (Duncan, Range & Hvidston, 2013).  Many institutional resources focus on educational technology tools but overlook instructional design principles. To fill this gap, we created an Open Educational Resource (OER) course, An Interactive Guide to Online Course Design, that provides training and tools for our institution and others. 

Our OER was created for instructors who are new to online and blended learning and delves into the course design process for multiple modalities, with many opportunities to apply learning. A variety of foundational topics are covered, such as writing measurable and meaningful learning outcomes; using the backward design strategy to plan the course; and methods for delivering course content to the learners. 

After sharing the background information of our process for developing our OER, we want to hear from you on what professional development, training, or resources your institution offers (if any) and what instructors may need for course development. Our interactive session will use polls, padlet, and discussion. 

You will leave this session with: 

 

Dhilla, S. J. (2016). Using Mezirow's transformative learning theory to understand online instructors' construction of the virtual teaching experience (Doctoral dissertation, Boston University).

Duncan, H. E., Range, B., & Hvidston, D. (2013). Exploring student perceptions of rigor online: Toward a definition of rigorous learning. Journal on Excellence in College Teaching, 24(4), 5-28.