{"id":9390,"date":"2021-07-06T15:51:52","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T14:51:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/?p=9390"},"modified":"2021-07-06T16:27:39","modified_gmt":"2021-07-06T15:27:39","slug":"help-is-at-hand-an-open-course-to-support-the-transition-to-online-teaching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2021\/07\/help-is-at-hand-an-open-course-to-support-the-transition-to-online-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"Help is at hand: an open course to support the transition to online teaching."},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The pandemic has fundamentally altered approaches to work, teaching and study. There has been an unprecedented shift to online learning during this time, with a huge demand for online courses as learners seek alternative methods of accessing learning content, with searches for \u2018online courses\u2019 being higher than pre-pandemic. In some ways there are a lot of positives to take from this, with one being the rise in the development of online course content and increased, easier access to resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A call to action<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The shift to online modes of teaching and learning has given me pause as an instructional designer.&nbsp; I wonder how much thought is given to quality, accessibility, and learner experience when we rush toward digital education? At the University of Edinburgh, our Online Course Production team took this as a call to action to share our expertise with those who are new to online course creation or looking to produce engaging online learning materials. More about what the team offers at the University, can be found on our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.ac.uk\/information-services\/learning-technology\/onlinecourse-production\">Online Course Production<\/a> pages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During these past few months, my colleagues and I have developed a new 2-week course on FutureLearn, \u2018<a href=\"https:\/\/www.futurelearn.com\/courses\/how-to-create-an-online-course?utm_campaign=the_university_of_edinburgh_how_to_create_an_online_course_june_2021&amp;utm_medium=organic_blog&amp;utm_source=blog\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">How to Create an Online Course<\/a>\u2019.&nbsp; The course explores key concepts around:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Understanding your learners<\/li><li>Active learning<\/li><li>Diversity in the curriculum<\/li><li>Creating engaging content&nbsp;<\/li><li>Digital tools<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The course combines readings and multimedia with interactive learning to help learners gain a deeper understanding of important topics. Experts from the University of Edinburgh and FutureLearn share their experiences and top tips for creating engaging online learning.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With an increased focus on digital education, it is vital we consider how we design and teach in online spaces. Whether you are teaching online for the first time, or are an experienced learning technologist, this course offers something for everyone.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter the subject matter or level of difficulty, all online courses have one thing in common&nbsp; \u2013 they must be designed with a target audience in mind. Yes, this sounds very obvious, but is commonly overlooked in favour of content. Yes, again, content is key, otherwise you won\u2019t have an audience, but designing with solely content in mind is not enough. Designing an online course is difficult, it takes time and requires a lot of patience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our course aims to give learners the key skills that will help them create engaging online learning experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our course is agnostic of subject matter, platform and level of study, instead focussing on teaching educators how to create immersive and engaging learning content that puts the end user or learner at the fore. By creating this course, we are hoping that we can encourage those who are responsible for creating online courses to put themselves in the shoes of the prospective learner and ask themselves, \u201chow would they like to learn?\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our team has a lot of great experience to share and It\u2019s been a privilege and fulfilling opportunity to do this course and to be able to share this with learners around the globe. So join us on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.futurelearn.com\/courses\/how-to-create-an-online-course?utm_campaign=the_university_of_edinburgh_how_to_create_an_online_course_june_2021&amp;utm_medium=organic_blog&amp;utm_source=blog\">How to Create an Online Course<\/a> as we will explore this in more detail.<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"info\"> Author Marcello Crolla, Information Services, University of Edinburgh, email: marcello.crolla@ed.ac.uk, Twitter https:\/\/twitter.com\/uoe_online<\/p>\n\n\n<p class=\"info\">If you enjoyed reading this article we invite you to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.alt.ac.uk\/membership\">join the Association for Learning Technology (ALT)<\/a> as an individual member, and to encourage your own organisation to join ALT as an organisational or sponsoring member. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The pandemic has fundamentally altered approaches to work, teaching and study. There has been an unprecedented shift to online learning during this time, with a huge demand for online courses as learners seek alternative methods of accessing learning content, with searches for \u2018online courses\u2019 being higher than pre-pandemic. In some ways there are a lot [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":9445,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1051,1390,1376],"tags":[1418,933],"class_list":["post-9390","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community","category-covid-special-collection","category-digital-pedagogy","tag-marcello-crolla","tag-mooc"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/07\/FLscreenshotsmaller-1024x485-1.png?fit=700%2C332&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9508,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2021\/07\/introducing-the-digital-learning-design-toolkit-for-course-teams\/","url_meta":{"origin":9390,"position":0},"title":"Introducing the Digital Learning Design Toolkit for course teams.","author":"Teresa MacKinnon","date":"23 July 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Teesside University in collaboration with Jisc UK have developed a Digital Learning Design Toolkit. There was a time before Covid when education had a focus in higher and further education. This focus was delivering learning and teaching utilising traditional teaching methodologies in face to face environments. Of course, there were\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Course design&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Course design","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/course-design\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Slide 3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/07\/Slide3-1024x576-1.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/07\/Slide3-1024x576-1.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/07\/Slide3-1024x576-1.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/07\/Slide3-1024x576-1.png?fit=1024%2C576&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8982,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2020\/12\/transforming-tel-support-during-a-pandemic\/","url_meta":{"origin":9390,"position":1},"title":"Transforming TEL support during a pandemic","author":"Fiona Jones","date":"11 December 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"What happened? Kate:\u00a0The UK Higher Education sector has been through a period of intense transformation at a rapid pace in response\u00a0to the necessary changes required by the pandemic (JISC, 2020). Interestingly for me, this coincided with my\u00a0maternity leave. I left work in August 2019 to a way of working which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Covid special collection&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Covid special collection","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/covid-special-collection\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/12\/student_typing_keyboard_Pixabay_StartupStockPhotos.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/12\/student_typing_keyboard_Pixabay_StartupStockPhotos.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/12\/student_typing_keyboard_Pixabay_StartupStockPhotos.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/12\/student_typing_keyboard_Pixabay_StartupStockPhotos.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2020\/12\/student_typing_keyboard_Pixabay_StartupStockPhotos.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9281,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2021\/05\/guest-post-re-shaping-the-digital-learning-experience-after-covid-by-kamakshi-rajagopal-steven-verjans\/","url_meta":{"origin":9390,"position":2},"title":"Guest Post: Re-shaping the (digital) learning experience after Covid? by Kamakshi Rajagopal &amp; Steven Verjans","author":"Christina Vines","date":"10 May 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Since the Covid19 crisis started in the Spring of 2020, teachers at (Belgian) higher education institutions have been scrambling to online or blended teaching modes to allow students to continue their education. In this blogpost, Steven Verjans (Programme Manager Teacher Training at\u00a0University Colleges Leuven-Limburg) and Kamakshi Rajagopal (lecturer and post-doctoral\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;altc21&quot;","block_context":{"text":"altc21","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/events\/altc21\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"guestpostaltc","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/06\/guestpostaltc.jpg?fit=707%2C530&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/06\/guestpostaltc.jpg?fit=707%2C530&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/06\/guestpostaltc.jpg?fit=707%2C530&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2021\/06\/guestpostaltc.jpg?fit=707%2C530&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1961,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2012\/08\/mooc-pedagogy-the-challenges-of-developing-for-coursera\/","url_meta":{"origin":9390,"position":3},"title":"MOOC pedagogy: the challenges of developing for Coursera","author":"ALT","date":"8 August 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In the summer of 2012 the team of teachers and researchers associated with the MSc in E-learning programme at the University of Edinburgh began developing a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for the Coursera platform.\u00a0 Launched only a year earlier, this for-profit company founded by Stanford professors Andrew Ng and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Featured&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Featured","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/featured\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Screenshot of Coursera page for E-learning and Digital Cultures course","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2012\/08\/coursera.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2012\/08\/coursera.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2012\/08\/coursera.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13524,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2026\/02\/covid-19-a-catalyst-for-change\/","url_meta":{"origin":9390,"position":4},"title":"COVID-19 &#8211; a catalyst for change?","author":"ALT","date":"3 February 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Almost five years to the day after the start of the UK\u2019s second national lockdown which returned all Universities to a second period of fully remote teaching and learning, a paper by Rob Shaw and Richard Walker has recently been published reporting on the longer term impact of Emergency Remote\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Community&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Community","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/community\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"A world after covid 19","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2026\/01\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-27.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2026\/01\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-27.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2026\/01\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-27.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2026\/01\/TEMPLATE-DO-NOT-EDIT-THIS-PAGE-27.png?fit=734%2C550&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4844,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2015\/06\/event-report-m25-learning-technology-group-meeting-march-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":9390,"position":5},"title":"Event report: M25 Learning Technology Group meeting (March 2015)","author":"ALT","date":"1 June 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"A joint meeting of the ALT M25 Learning Technology Group (M25 LTG) and the University of London\u2019s Centre for Distance Education (CDE) in March attracted a record turnout for a programme of high quality, informative and entertaining presentations focused on learning analytics and learning design. The event was opened and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Conference reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Conference reviews","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/reviews\/conference-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"CC-BY-SA Bob McCaffrey https:\/\/flic.kr\/p\/5Tuv5b","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/06\/3208129302_7e14f00492_z.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/06\/3208129302_7e14f00492_z.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/06\/3208129302_7e14f00492_z.jpg?fit=640%2C427&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6CxU9-2rs","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/113"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9390"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9390\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9447,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9390\/revisions\/9447"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9445"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}