Explore professional development opportunities
Explore professional development opportunities covering a wide array of content available throughout the year via Online Learning Consortium. Registration fees for these professional development opportunities will be paid for by the Office of Online Learning. Faculty may register for one online session at a time and provide proof of successful completion prior to registering for additional sessions paid for by OL. Email onlinelearning@mnstate.edu indicating your topic(s) of interest and we will help create a customized plan for you.
Designing a Flipped Classroom – Jan. 27-Feb. 2, Apr. 20-26, Aug. 17-23, Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2020; Flipped learning is a model of teaching in which the more passive learning activities such as watching lectures, happen outside of the classroom, saving more in-person class time for interactive activities. Flipping the classroom is currently one of the most popular trends in education at all levels! In this workshop, you will explore different flipped design models and the educational benefits of the flipped design. You will gain a deeper understanding of how to implement this strategy into your own teaching. The workshop will require approximately 6-8 hours of work, including reading research-based articles, viewing presentations, engaging in online discussion forums, and submitting assignments. 1 week, online, facilitated, asynchronous.
Engaging Learners in Online Discussions: Mar. 9-15, June 15-21, Sept. 21-27, Dec. 7-13, 2020; Well-designed online discussions address a number of research-based strategies critical to effective online learning and improved learning outcomes. Through online discussions, student-student and student-content interactions increase, and both faculty and students collaborate in the learning process as they explore unique perspectives. Join an expert facilitator from the OLC Institute in this seven-day asynchronous workshop to learn strategies for engaging learners in effective discussions as well as tools that can be employed to foster learner engagement and improve learning outcomes. Throughout the workshop, you will develop a plan for creating engaging and effective online discussions in your courses. 1 week, online, facilitated, asynchronous.
Increasing Interaction & Engagement: Apr. 20-26, Aug. 3-9, Nov. 2-8, 2020; Student engagement can be one of the most important indicators for a successful class experience. In this workshop, you will explore theories and practices that foster student engagement in your own courses, including the use of multimedia feedback, discussion techniques, and group involvement. You will learn about the barriers to engagement, and how you can best address these challenges, and develop a plan for your course which will lead to greater student involvement and engagement. 1 week, online, facilitated, asynchronous.
New to Online, Essentials Part I: Getting Started: Feb. 24-Mar 1, Mar. 23-29, Apr. 27-May 3, May 11-17, Jun. 1-7, Jul. 6-12, Aug. 17-23, 2020; An essential component of successful online teaching is experiencing online learning for yourself. This workshop will provide you with an important online learning experience as you explore the basics of online teaching and learning. You will learn the critical differences between online and face-to-face courses, including faculty and student expectations, role adjustments, and course design and evaluation. Your explorations will include research-based readings, presentations, and discussions with other new online teachers. There will also be an hour-long optional (recorded) live session where you will get a chance to meet your facilitator to discuss important topics related to online teaching and ask your questions. This is a weeklong asynchronous workshop, with an optional one-hour synchronous (live) session with the facilitator. The workshop will begin on a Monday and end on the following Sunday. The live session will be held on Monday, on the first day. The workshop will require approximately 6-8 hours of work, including reading research-based articles, viewing presentations, engaging in online discussion forums, and submitting assignments. 1 week, online, facilitated.
New to Online, Essentials Part II: Converting Your Course: Feb. 10-16, Jun. 8-14, Jul. 20-26, Sept. 14-20, 2020; Converting face-to-face classroom materials for use in an online course can be challenging. Decisions such as what formats to use and when to use synchronous or asynchronous strategies are an important part of course design. In this workshop, you will develop strategies for migrating content from the face-to-face to the online environment. You will learn to determine when to use asynchronous or synchronous methods, and you will explore tools for easily converting various types of content into web-appropriate formats. The workshop will require approximately 6-8 hours of work, including reading research-based articles, viewing presentations, engaging in online discussion forums, and submitting assignments. 1 week, online, facilitated, asynchronous.
New to Online, Essentials Part III: Course Design Basics: Mar. 9-15, Jun. 15-21, Aug. 3-9, Sept. 21-27, 2020; Your first foray into online teaching can be exciting, yet challenging, as you explore the many opportunities that online teaching can present. To take advantage of those opportunities, you’ll need a great online syllabus and some strategies for designing effective online learning activities. This workshop will help you identify important considerations in the design of both. The workshop will utilize the OLC Quality Course Teaching & Instructional Practice rubric from the OLC Quality Scorecard Suite. The workshop will require approximately 6-8 hours of work, including reading research-based articles, viewing presentations, engaging in online discussion forums, and submitting assignments. 1 week, online, facilitated, asynchronous.