Blended and Online Learning

Enhance your blended and online learning practice through an interactive and interdisciplinary online learning experience. You will explore the foundations of blended and online learning pedagogy, engage with blended and online course design models and learning technologies, and expand your teaching practices through the application of evidence-informed approaches to teaching in blended and online environments.  

Course description

In this semester-long course, you will have the opportunity to create or adapt an existing face-to-face course for intentional online or blended delivery. As a member of an interdisciplinary cohort, you will collaborate with other instructors and academic staff to share and learn blended and online teaching strategies, develop professional networks, and mobilize new teaching and learning approaches in your course. You will have the opportunity to:

  • Critically reflect on your beliefs, assumptions, and philosophy about blended and online learning,
  • Design learning activities and assessments that promote student-centered learning experiences in blended and online courses,
  • Leverage learning technologies that align with your pedagogical priorities and promote achievement of learning outcomes, and
  • Develop high-quality blended and online learning experiences for different course contexts.

Assessment activities will include:

  • An updated teaching philosophy statement which includes a blended and online teaching philosophy,
  • A revised course outline for an upcoming blended or online course, and
  • Design your choice of:
    • A learning activity with assessment OR
    • Learning module

Please note: The Teaching and Learning Theories, Practices and Assessments course and the Blended and Online Learning course cannot be taken in the same semester.

Course dates and times

This course will be offered at least once per academic year.

Registration deadline: January 15, 2024

You will learn to:

  • Select and implement evidence-based teaching practices within your own context to create meaningful blended and online learning experiences.
  • Examine, apply, and critique key theories and/or methodologies in teaching blended and online courses in a postsecondary context.
  • Apply online and blended pedagogies to design courses and learning activities that provides opportunities for students to apply new conceptual knowledge
  • Design assessments strategies that meaningfully assess student learning and content literacy
  • Critically reflect on your teaching philosophy and approaches, and document impact with regard to blended and online courses in a curated dossier of learning artefacts.

     

Blended course schedule


Module 1: Foundations

Week 1: February 2 (Synchronous Zoom)

Week 2: February 9 (Asynchronous D2L)

Week 3: February 16 (Synchronous Zoom)

Week 4: February 23 (Asynchronous D2L)

Module 2: Technology and Pedagogy

Week 5: March 1 (Synchronous Zoom)

Week 6: March 8 (Asynchronous D2L)

Week 7: March 15 (Synchronous Zoom)

Module 3: Assessment and Feedback

Week 8: March 22 (Synchronous D2L)

Week 9: April 5 (Asynchronous Zoom)

Week 10: April 12 (Synchronous Zoom)


Our approach

This course strives to create and sustain a learning community among its participants by combining synchronous and asynchronous online learning activities. Through Zoom sessions, there will be opportunities to engage in discussions, collaborative learning activities, as well as teaching observations and reflections with your colleagues.

Online components in D2L may include activities such as listening to podcasts, watching videos, interacting on discussion boards, and posting and reflecting on your work and that of your colleagues. In order to successfully achieve the learning outcomes in the course, active participation in both the Zoom and D2L online environments is necessary.