Effective Online Teaching Practices

The following set of sessions can be purchased through Individual Digital Access or a Campus Access License. Learn more.

Part I

Teaching Edge: What We’ve Learned From Creating Large Online Courses for Phi Theta Kappa Members 
Each year, approximately 20,000 students engage with Phi Theta Kappa’s online learning courses. As a result, we’ve learned some simple strategies that are effective for increasing course engagement and enhancing student learning. Discover how to use low-stakes knowledge checks throughout a course to increase student learning, use a digital rewards system to enhance course engagement, and arrange new content in a digestible format that is user-friendly and visually engaging. 
Blake Ellis, Vice President, Student Engagement, Phi Theta Kappa 

Smart Education Solutions: Improve Student Engagement in an Online Environment 
We are at a game-changing moment in the history of education. Effective course design, innovative instructional practices, and various learning technology (such as video lectures, virtual communication, and interactive learning) are paving a path for a new, modern, and fully engaging education for online learners. At the conclusion of this session, participants are able to perform backward design and know how to engage students using various online tools for effective 21-century learning. 
Jihan Nakhla, Instructor, Medical Assisting, Hudson County Community College 

Don’t Throw in the Towel: Academic Integrity and the Online Course 
Are you concerned about academic integrity in your online courses? This session explores the creative and common ways students cheat and best practices to encourage academic integrity in your courses. Participants take a deep dive into issues of contract cheating and other internet-based websites that make every effort to normalize dishonest conduct. This presentation draws from a review of current scholarship on cheating, as well as original research by the presenters that addresses several myths and misconceptions surrounding cheating. Proactive solutions are emphasized, mostly at the course level, but also from an institutional perspective. 
Melanie Morris, Professor, Business Law, Raritan Valley Community College; Steve Schwarz, Professor, Computer Science, Raritan Valley Community College 

The Day Teaching Changed: Teaching in the Time of COVID-19 and Beyond 
For many faculty and trainers, rapidly moving to 100 percent online instruction was an overwhelming change. The push to adapt seated courses to a distance environment, though challenging and unexpected, ushered in the opportunity to take a deep look at overall course structure, content, and assessment. Hear about six facets of hybrid and online courses that can be modified for the benefit of the students, as well as multiple practical ways to implement those changes. Leave with a list of tips and tricks that can take your course into the new era of transformed education.
Kristin Redfield, Professor and Coordinator, Writing Program, Forsyth Technical Community College 

The Virtual D.I.N.E.R.: Mixing It Up 
Be inspired to “mix up” online instruction. What can instructors do to make sure their online classes are Dynamic, Inspiring, Nurturing, Engaging, and Revisable? To really feed their students, instructors must dish out the basics while serving up new ideas. To whet your appetite, we’ll consider routines and relationships. Moving to the main course, we’ll discuss expectations and resources. Finally, for dessert, we’ll focus on inspiring and engaging your students. Individuals learning at the Virtual D.I.N.E.R. will leave with a to-go plate filled with free resources, inspiring ideas, and a handful of useful activities. 
Christy Ferguson, Instructor, Business and Office Technology, East Central Community College 

Practical Tips for Effective Online Teaching 
Higher education has made an extraordinary transition to mostly remote instruction. As the disruption continues, the need to ensure student success remains critical, even in online courses. This session showcases practical, effective online teaching practices from the Online Teaching Toolkit developed by ACUE. Participants explore how the toolkit promotes effective online teaching practices that nurture student success, gain several new ideas to implement, discuss challenges, and learn from peers who are also transitioning from in-person to online or hybrid classroom experiences. 
Cindy Stephens, Co-Coordinator and Faculty, Early Childhood Education and Student Learning Outcomes, College of the Canyons; Laurie Pendleton, Executive Director, Curriculum, Association of College and University Educators

The following set of sessions can be purchased through Individual Digital Access or a Campus Access License. Learn more.

Part II

I’ve Designed a Beautiful Online Course: Now What? 
You’re an excellent teacher and your passion for student learning is evident in your face-to-face classroom. This session demonstrates how to bring that same passion to your online classroom. Learn how to keep your online students engaged for better success and retention while you experience more joy in teaching. One of the hardest tasks involved with online teaching is connecting with virtual students. Leave this session knowing how to humanize your course and ensure that you and your online students see each other. 
Anita McCoy, Instructional Technologist, Guilford Technical Community College 

Student-Focused Best Online Teaching and Learning Practices in the Age of COVID-19 
This session offers a practical and proven best practices approach that identifies the barriers associated with remote teaching and learning and seeks to remove them through a toolkit of strategic teaching practices while promoting online engagement and student success. Participants consider five key barriers to effective remote teaching and learning, develop a strategies-based approach to overcoming identified barriers to teaching and learning, and develop individual customizable best teaching and assessment toolkits they can use to promote equity and inclusiveness in their remote classrooms. 
Sonia Chandarana Tandon, Professor, History, Forsyth Technical Community College  

How to Get and Keep Students Involved 
This presentation describes how instructors can get students to participate the first week of class and how to create an interactive environment that continues to promote engagement throughout the semester. Learn how to create options for different learning styles and preferences while addressing accessibility, as well as how to introduce the course and check students’ understanding on the first day of class. Participants also learn how to encourage students to interact with the material, the instructor, and each other, and how to inspire students to reflect on their learning strategies and experiences in a meaningful way. 
Annette Gillum, Instructor, Arts and Education, Angelina College 

Avoiding Big Brother Tactics in Online Instruction: Developing Creative Assessment Alternatives 
In a world where the answer to almost any question can be found on the internet, creating online assessments can be a challenge. This session explores how to use creative assessment ideas such as projects, student-initiated questions, and portfolios to avoid surveillance-based testing. While the assessment examples discussed are viewed primarily through a mathematics lens, the strategies presented can be adapted to any discipline. 
Amanda Davis, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Forsyth Technical Community College 

From Stage to Screen: What Professional Speakers Can Teach Us About Virtual Learning 
Many instructors feel lost after being quickly thrown into teaching virtual classes. It’s hard enough to engage students in face-to-face classrooms. Will it be even more difficult to engage students using Zoom? Professional speakers must also engage their audience. What can we learn from them that will be useful in engaging remote students so they understand, retain, and apply ideas? 
Donn King, Associate Professor, Speech and Journalism, Pellissippi State Community College; Becky Milam, Director, Student Transitions and Persistence, Pellissippi State Community College 

Cultivating an Engaging Online Learning Frameworks Course 
Learning frameworks courses, also known as study strategies courses, instruct students in the theoretical underpinnings of strategic learning and the application of learning strategies. This presentation focuses on instructional best practices, course content, and innovative class activities for creating engaging and dynamic asynchronous or synchronous online course environments. The presenters also discuss ways you can audit your syllabus to ensure that meaning-making activities are included in your curriculum. 
Jonathan Lollar, Doctoral Research Assistant, Texas State University; Russ Hodges, Associate Professor, Developmental Education, Texas State University