Teaching and Learning Online

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

Academic Staff Certificate

Course description

In this twelve week course, you will have the opportunity to learn about teaching online through readings, discussions, collaborative activities and pragmatic assignments. As a member of an interdisciplinary cohort, you will collaborate with other instructors and academic staff to share and learn about 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 online learning,
  • Design learning activities and assessments that promote student-centered learning experiences in online courses,
  • Leverage learning technologies that align with your pedagogical priorities and promote achievement of learning outcomes, and
  • Develop high-quality online learning experiences for different course contexts.

 

Assessment activities will include:

  • A teaching philosophy statement focusing on teaching online
  • 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.

Next offering: Jan. 12, 2026 to March 30, 2026

Synchronous sessions will be held over Zoom on the following:

  • Jan. 16, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m.
  • Jan. 30, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m.
  • Feb. 13, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m.
  • Feb. 27, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m.
  • March 13, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m.
  • March 27, 2026, 10 – 11 a.m.

Deadline to register: Jan. 8, 2026

Please ensure your availability before registering for this course.

Register here

You will learn to:

  • Design meaningful online learning experiences for your own context that draw upon evidence-based and practice-based approaches.
    • Select learning activities that provide students with enriching learning opportunities and experiences.
    • Design assessment strategies that meaningfully assess student learning.
  • Examine and critique key models and concepts in teaching online courses in a postsecondary context, including large enrollment courses.
  • Develop strategies on how to establish teaching presence in online courses, including those with large enrollment.
  • Critically reflect on and articulate their teaching philosophy and approaches with regard to online courses, in a curated dossier of learning artefacts. 

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, 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.