UNH Quality Standardsfaculty Checklist

Teaching Online:

UNH Quality StandardsFaculty Checklist

This checklist of best practices in online teaching is designed for faculty as a personal reference and or self-diagnostic rubric. If you are thinking of teaching online; are starting to develop an online course or have already taught online and are looking to enhance the course, this checklist offers a road-map of the critical elements that need to be present in your teaching strategy online. Built on the research of organizations such as the Sloan Foundation, Quality Matters, the IDEC and others, the items below are tailored and streamlined to provide an accessible at-a-glance list of standards.

Instructor Notes
CORE & FIRST STEPS
Syllabus / Syllabus has clear and complete information aboutcourse organization, learning objectives, communication expectations, schedule, assignments, policies, grading, participation, technical requirements as outlined in the syllabus template.
Welcome message / A Welcome (letter, audio or video)is posted on the home page with first steps and course overview.
Blackboard basics / Instructor is comfortable and utilizes primary Bb tools as appropriate.
Course management / Instructor conveys expectations around schedule, participation, communication, assignments and grades. Instructor proactively manages deadlines, participation, community and performance.
Welcome forum / A Welcome forum for building rapport and connections is available, required and has active instructor participation.
TEACHING & LEARNING STRATEGIES
Active learning approaches / Demonstration of active, student-generated learning approaches.
Collaborative approaches / Inclusion of graded collaborative approaches that support learning objectives and build community.
Student engagement / Course is designed to encourage student-to-student engagement.
Constructivist approaches / Experiential and real-world experiences are woven into the curriculum to create meaning and relevance as appropriate.
COURSE DESIGN & CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
Structured curriculum / Course is modular. Course objectives, content and activities are systematically approached in a consistent pattern, sequence and pace.
Diversity of content types / Instructor uses appropriate and diversified content to present course materials via text, video, audio, web based materials etc.
Incorporation of media rich technologies / Instructor uses appropriate and diversified media and tools to transmit course content and engage students in the learning process.
Incorporation of social media / When feasible and appropriate, instructor incorporates social media to build community or meet learning objectives.
INSTRUCTOR PRESENCE & ENGAGEMENT
Instructor presence / The instructor is present in the learning experience via his or her active leading, nurturing, curating and simulating the student learning at the class and individual level.
Responsiveness to student / Instructor is consistently and regularly responsive to student communication in email, collaborative forums, assignment feedback and overall course performance.Instructor responds to students within 24 hours unless indicated otherwise in syllabus.
COURSE EVALUATION
Formative and summative evaluation / Instructor offers informal formative evaluations opportunities during the course to generate information on instructional effectiveness and course experience. Course adapts to information as needed. Instructor reviews formative and summative data to inform future course improvements.
ASSESSMENT
Diversified assessment / Instructor diversifies assessment of learning in both approach and tools at the module and course level.
Grade tied to collaboration / Grade is tied to participation and presented with a tailored participation rubric (20-30% of overall grade)
Assessments map to objectives / Activities are designed with course objectives and outcomes considered.
Critical thinking; higher order thinking / When possible, assessments and assignments are designed to nurture critical thinking in the learning process.
Assessment Integrity / Instructor promotes and communicates UNH and personal Honesty policies and provides information and resources to students to discourage cheating. Assessment is diversified and designed to reduce incidence of cheating. Bb tools are used when appropriate.