Center For Teaching Excellence

Welcome to the Center for Teaching Excellence

Following SIU Carbondale’s ongoing efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, the Center for Teaching Excellence will continue to provide support for faculty as they design their courses for flexible, multi-modal delivery in Spring 2021.

Moving Ahead with Alternate Modes

In order to follow recommended social distancing when we return to our classrooms, we must adapt our teaching/learning practices to accommodate the reduced capacity in our campus learning spaces. A hybrid model of teaching and learning combines online recorded lectures, assignments, and activities with more intentional face-to-face instruction. Most instructional strategies can be converted for effective learning online.

The Center for Teaching Excellence is a member of Quality Matters, an international organization committed to the quality of online and blended college courses. We offer the following QM quality standards as a guide for SIU faculty adapting their courses for what comes next.

Course Overview and Introduction

1.1 Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course components.

1.2 Learners are introduced to the purpose and structure of the course.

1.3 Communication expectations for online discussions, email, and other forms of interaction are clearly stated.

1.4 Course and institutional policies with which the learner is expected to comply are clearly stated within the course, or a link to current policies is provided.

1.5 Minimum technology requirements for the course are clearly stated, and information on how to obtain the technologies is provided.

1.6 Computer skills and digital information literacy skills expected of the learner are clearly stated.

1.7 Expectations for prerequisite knowledge in the discipline and/or any required competencies are clearly stated.

1.8 The self-introduction by the instructor is professional and is available online.

1.9 Learners are asked to introduce themselves to the class.

Learning Outcomes

2.1 The course learning objectives, or course/program competencies, describe outcomes that are measurable.

2.2 The module/unit-level learning objectives or competencies describe outcomes that are measurable and consistent with the course-level objectives or competencies.

2.3 Learning objectives or competencies are stated clearly, are written from the learner’s perspective, and are prominently located in the course.

2.4 The relationship between learning objectives or competencies and learning activities is clearly stated.

2.5 The learning objectives or competencies are suited to the level of the course.

Assessment and Measurement

3.1 The assessments measure the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies.

3.2 The course grading policy is stated clearly at the beginning of the course.

3.3 Specific and descriptive criteria are provided for the evaluation of learners’ work, and their connection to the course grading policy is clearly explained.

3.4 The assessments used are sequenced, varied, and suited to the level of the course.

3.5 The course provides learners with multiple opportunities to track their learning progress with timely feedback.

Instructional Materials

4.1 The instructional materials contribute to the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies.

4.2 The relationship between the use of instructional materials in the course and completing learning activities is clearly explained.

4.3 The course models the academic integrity expected of learners by providing both source references and permissions for use of instructional materials.

4.4 The instructional materials represent up-to-date theory and practice in the discipline.

4.5 A variety of instructional materials is used in the course.

Learning Activities and Learner Interaction

5.1 The learning activities promote the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies.

5.2 Learning activities provide opportunities for interaction that support active learning.

5.3 The instructor’s plan for interacting with learners during the course is clearly stated.

5.4 The requirements for learner interaction are clearly stated.

Course Technology

Learner Support

7.1 The course instructions articulate or link to a clear description of the technical support offered and how to obtain it.

7.2 Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s accessibility policies and services.

7.3 Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s academic support services and resources that can help learners succeed in the course.

7.4 Course instructions articulate or link to the institution’s student services and resources that can help learners succeed.

Accessibility and Usability

8.1 Course navigation facilitates ease of use.

8.2 The course design facilitates readability.

8.3 The course provides accessible text and images in files, documents, LMS pages, and web pages to meet the needs of diverse learners.

8.4 The course provides alternative means of access to multimedia content in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners.

8.5 Course multimedia facilitate ease of use.

8.6 Vendor accessibility statements are provided for all technologies required in the course.

Micro-course Activity for Objectives/Competencies Alignment

This micro-course was developed as part of a collaboration between CTE and ITEC program as a tool for aligning program-level objectives and individual course-level activities. Examples are included to help you adapt the process to your own course. At the end of each micro-unit, for your convenience, you may enter your email where you can send your completed exercises that follow. Alternatively, you may skip emailing it to yourself and use the micro-course activities as a model to help you get started. In this case, the work will not be saved and will be deleted when you leave the page. Use this micro-course tutorial to develop your QM-compliant course objectives and aligned activities, for the audio version, please use the on-demand version of the micro-course (forthcoming):

Click image below to begin.

Center For Teaching Excellence | Southern Illinois University

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