Take Your Online Course to the Next Level!

By Abbie Amadio

Starting in Spring 2023, the UWEX Instructional Design team will be rolling out a revised series of faculty professional development courses called Level Up. In the interview below, Instructional Designer Amy Lane gives us an inside look at the new courses.

Amy Lane is an instructional designer with UW Extended Campus. Her experience includes several years of teaching online as well as coursework and experience working with faculty to develop instruction that helps students make meaning of their learning experiences. She enjoys collaborating with faculty to create innovative and engaging learning experiences for students using high-impact practices in online learning.

Interview

What are the new Level Up courses for faculty development?

The new Level Up courses provide professional development in online teaching for UW Extended Campus faculty. There are three courses in the series: one that focuses on course planning, one on development, and one on teaching. Notably, the courses contain numerous resources and peer examples from UW Extended Campus courses. They also show faculty how to use high-impact practices in online teaching and incorporate principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion into their courses.

What format are the three courses offered in?

All the Level Up courses were developed as fully online courses. There are many benefits of the online format. It allows faculty to do the following:

Save travel time and expense
Use a flexible schedule to help with life/work balance
Create a personalized learning space
Select an optimal time for their learning
Learn new technical skills at their own pace
Enhance their knowledge and experience of online learning
Expand their skills for future online teaching opportunities

How were the courses developed?

These courses were designed by the UW Extended Campus Instructional Design team using research-based best practices for online teaching to increase student achievement and success. The courses serve as a foundation of knowledge to support the professional development of our online instructors. Over 200 faculty have piloted these courses and have offered extremely positive feedback.

Do the courses apply to faculty with online teaching experience already?

The Level Up courses are appropriate for instructors of all levels of teaching experience; however, we developed the courses with two primary audiences in mind. The first is instructors who are new to online teaching and want to learn more about the best practices in the field. The second audience is experienced online instructors who want to level up their skills to keep up with best practices in the field of online teaching and learning.

How do faculty take these courses?

Faculty members with UW Extended Campus will automatically be enrolled in the courses by their instructional designer at the beginning of the course development or revision process. While faculty work on course development, they will work through the three courses with an instructional designer to provide a foundation of knowledge for online teaching.

What will faculty take away from the courses?

After completing the three courses, faculty will be even more prepared and confident in developing new courses and revising existing ones. Importantly, they will be able to implement new teaching methods and online strategies that incorporate high-impact practices and the principles of EDI that produce positive outcomes for their students. See you in the courses this spring!