Fundamentals

Fundamental Online Competency Development

For whom is this intended: Those Interested in Learning More
The target audience would be anyone in SUNY who is interested in learning more about online instruction and for those who might be curious to see if teaching online might be for them. Those interested may have some limited experience in online teaching, and would not necessarily be those who are currently scheduled to develop or teach an online course. This professional development path would provide an informal entry point for anyone who wants to learn more and develop Fundamental Competencies in online teaching and learning.

Objectives/goals for this PD: The development of an online education fundamentals professional development (PD) path to lower barriers of interested interested in learning more about online teaching and learning, and provide relevant information about online education.

Fundamental Competencies:

1. • Provide an online teaching readiness inventory.
   • Promote and build a common understanding of online education within SUNY and to establish common language and definitions within the SUNY Online Teaching context.
   • Address scepticism, assumptions and misconceptions regarding online learning.
   • Get people interested. Promote an understanding of the benefits and affordances of the online teaching and learning environment.
   • Provide an overview of the various online pedagogies and models of online course development, faculty development that exist in SUNY Online.
   • Help those interested determine if online teaching is a good fit for them.

High Level Overview of Competencies /Skills:  

• Fundamentals in online teaching and learning pedagogy, design, assumptions, overview of the skills and competencies required to develop a course and teach online.
• Exposure to the perspective of online learners, exemplary online faculty and online course designs.
• Core Online course design competencies. N2OL for Course Developers. (See charge 1.)
• Core online instruction competencies – teaching and managing your course.  N2OL for Course Facilitators.  (See charge 1.)

How we envision accomplishing this:

1. A website collection of resources including:

• • An overview of online education.
  • Am I ready to teach online? Inventory to identify gaps that need to be filled before proceeding with any PD for online teaching/course development. Online Fundamentals Computer Skills Self-Assessment to help assess readiness to teach online and identify possible skill gaps where additional professional development is needed provided either from the campus or from the Center.frequently asked questions area that focuses on issues or concerns faculty have about online education.
    • FAQs: what is online learning? definitions establishing common language.
  • Video interviews/testimonials from online faculty and students from multiple campuses across multiple disciplines (to showcase benefits, breadth of disciplines, address assumptions and misconceptions).
    • Student Videos: 1. Videos of students to expose faculty to the perspective of online learners (reasons for taking an online course) 2. Video tips for student success – from the students! (online student readiness) 3. Video tips for faculty from students.
    • Videos of exemplar faculty discussing the typical questions and concerns faculty have who are new to online teaching or course development.
    • Videos with exemplar online faculty discussing their best practices and suggestions for novice faculty.
    • video showcase of exemplar online courses from multiple campuses across multiple disciplines.
    • Interviews (Video and podcasts) of faculty discussion the design decisions they made in the design of their first online course and lessons learned.
  • Examples of the breadth and depth of disciplines that are taught online – (to address scepticism, assumptions, and misperceptions) with a link to catalog on online courses.
  • Opportunities to view exemplar online courses.
  • Discussion forums associated with videos and other opportunities to interact with exemplars and experts to ask questions about online teaching and learning experiences, design decisions, etc.
    • The area will include testimonial videos from both faculty and students regarding the online experience and discussions could be based around these testimonials.

Expected results:

Those new to online will develop the core competencies to design an effective online teaching and learning environment and /or the skills to effectively teach and manage an online course.