Bring pedagogy and cognitive science to online learning environments Online Teaching at Its Best: A Merger of Instructional Design with Teaching and Learning Research is the scholarly resource for online learning that faculty, instructional designers, and administrators have long been awaiting. Over 70 percent of degree-granting institutions offer online classes, and while technical resources abound, the courses often fall short of integrating the best practices in online pedagogy, even if they comply with online course design standards. Typically these standards omit the best practices in teaching and learning and the principles from cognitive science, leaving students struggling to keep the pace, understand the material, and fulfill their true potential as learners. This book fills the gap, providing evidence-based practices for online teaching, online course design, and online student motivation integrated with pedagogical and cognitive science to help you build the distance learning courses and programs your students deserve. As more and more students opt for distance learning, it's up to designers and instructors to rethink traditional methods and learn to work more effectively within the online learning environment, and up to administrators to provide the needed leadership. Online Teaching at Its Best provides practical, real-world advice grounded in educational science to help online instructors, instructional designers, and administrators deliver an exceptional learning experience. Adopt new pedagogical techniques designed specifically for online learning environments Ensure strong course alignment and effective student learning for online classes Increase student retention, build necessary support structures, and train faculty more effectively Integrate research-based course design and cognitive psychology into graduate or undergraduate programs Distance is no barrier to a great education; what do stand in the way are inadequate online course design and implementation and deficient faculty training and support—all of which administrators can mitigate. Online Teaching at Its Best will help you ensure that your online classes measure up to the rigor and quality of excellence in teaching and assessment, build in the personal touch for developing a learning community and equip your students to succeed in the next challenge. 

Table of Contents:
The Authors vii Preface ix 1 Teaching at Its Best, No Matter What the Environment 1 Teaching Quality as Key 1 The Special Challenges of Online Learning 2 The Special Challenges That Online Faculty Face 4 Teaching and Learning across Environments 7 Reflections 15 2 Setting Significant Outcomes 21 The Need for Reflecting on What We Teach 21 How Content Becomes the Wrong Driver 23 A Meaningful Destination for the Learning Enterprise 23 Examples of Significant Learning from Instructional Design 24 Examples of Significant Learning from College Courses 25 Examples of Significant Learning from Adaptive Learning 28 The Process of Reflection 29 Reflections 30 3 Designing a Coherent Course 37 Online Course Design Standards 37 Phases of Course Design 39 Structuring Your Course 40 Course Templates and Maps: Aids to Course Design 43 Writing and Sequencing Learning Outcomes 46 Developing Valid Assessments 49 Mapping Learning Activities to Outcomes 56 Choosing Online Course Content 58 Online Copyright Guidelines 59 The Syllabus: What to Include 63 Organizing Your Files for Yourself and Your Students 66 Reflections 68 4 Applying Cognitive Science to Online Teaching and Learning Strategies 79 Twenty-Five Principles of Learning from Cognitive Science 79 How These Principles Can Inform Online Course Design and Teaching 82 Reflections 96 5 Motivating Elements: Course Policies, Communications, Assessments, and More 107 Motivation, Effort, and Achievement 107 Too Much of a Good Thing? 109 Categories of Motivators: Intrinsic and Extrinsic 109 Reinforcing and Punishing 110 Capturing Attention 110 Ensuring Relevance 112 Encouraging Goal Expectancy and Self-Efficacy 115 Creating Satisfaction 120 Fostering Social Belonging 121 Motivating as Our Major Task 122 Reflections 123 6 Developing Interactivity, Social Connections, and Community 131 The Effects of Interactions on Learning 131 Student-Instructor Interaction 133 Student-Content Interaction 136 Student-Student Interaction 150 Interactions with Technology 156 Reflections 158 7 Making Accessibility for Everyone Much Easier 165 Why Use Student-Centered Design? 165 Sources of Obstacles 167 Overcoming Obstacles 167 Guidelines and Standards for Designing Accessibility 169 The Specific How-To’s of Ensuring Accessibility 171 Additional Resources and Advice 187 Reflections 188 8 Creating a Supportive Culture for Online Teaching 195 The Importance of Quality in Online Courses 195 Faculty Challenges in Transitioning to Online Teaching 197 Faculty Incentives and Support for Online Teaching 200 Designing Effective Professional Development 206 Models for a Professional Development Program 210 Summary 214 Reflections 215 Appendix A: Online Course Development Checklist 221 Course Beginnings 221 Technology 224 Assessments and Grading 225 Course Materials 227 Student Interactions with the Content, Instructor, and Peers 228 Appendix B: Accessibility Resources 231 Strategies to Make Access to Course Materials Easy 231 Ways to Make Accessible Document Files 233 Ways to Design Accessible PowerPoint Presentations 236 Captioning Resources 236 Accessibility Checks 237 Resources for Students 237 Index 241