Building Our Virtual Classroom Module 2 Overview

Overview

This week you will learn more about how a common approach to design will help us construct a distinctive "St. Mark's virtual classroom" in Canvas. You'll also start drafting content to add to your course, select a module template to use to plan & build your weeks, and practice using other Canvas templates we've created to ensure a more consistent student experience (and to make the course development process easier for you!).

Please take a few minutes to watch this short video, which provides an overview of Module 2:

Learning Goals

Understand the principles & strategies that drive our online/hybrid course design & development process
Use common templates to plan & build hybrid courses to ensure consistency across the student learning experience
Draft the start of one unit (at least 2 weeks) in Canvas using our Hybrid Learning Checklist to guide the build process.

Module 2 Culminating Assignment

By the end of this week, you will draft & build at least 2 weeks of a course in Canvas then submit the link to the course via the end-of-module submission assignment. You will also use our Hybrid Learning Checklist to guide your work and to individually reflect & share feedback on the design & build process as a final step in this course.

When's it Due?

By 11:59 pm on Sunday, July 12 for Session 1
By 11:59 pm on Sunday, July 19 for Session 2.

Guideposts for Our Approach

Here are the guiding principles of this course and how each will help us prepare to teach and work with students in a hybrid context*:

Design & build all courses to run fully online in Canvas in the 20-21 SY: Similar to PSU's Open CoLab, we will “Design once, for online, and use any other time, space, or opportunities to flexibly interact with and augment the online course approach.”
Intentionally plan & design for the best use of online and in-person learning opportunities: Our weekly plans will incorporate a seamless blend of synchronous & asynchronous learning, which will enable us to make the most of all modalities of teaching & learning, no matter the circumstances.
Adapt the purpose & use of on-campus instruction: To alleviate the feeling that we have to plan, prep, and "teach twice" (once online and again on-campus) we can leverage any on-campus time with students to support, deepen, or extend the learning happening in our online courses. For instance, we might adapt the British tutorial system to bolster the design of our online courses and to personalize instruction & feedback for our students (for more on this idea and for other potential models see PSU's Open CoLab's "Four Models for HiFlex Course Design").
Anticipate the need to adapt: Since the pandemic is far from over and with global and local requirements still unfolding, we need to have a resilient academic program that allows us to adapt and remain flexible. Building high-quality online courses will enable is to handle any abrupt pivots to remote learning.

*Adapted from PSU's Open CoLab

Want to get in touch or need help? Here’s a link to the Course Overview page with details on how we will connect & communicate.