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Macquarie University
Online education: The foundations of online teaching
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Macquarie University

Online education: The foundations of online teaching

This course is part of Online Learning Design for Educators Specialization

A/Professor Iain Hay
Billy Bruce
Jada Bennett

Instructors: A/Professor Iain Hay

Instructors

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.6 (96 ratings)
A/Professor Iain Hay
A/Professor Iain Hay
Macquarie University
8 Courses•149,293 learners
Billy Bruce
Billy Bruce
Macquarie University
3 Courses•23,100 learners
Jada Bennett
Jada Bennett
Macquarie University
3 Courses•23,100 learners

15,330 already enrolled

Included with Coursera Plus

•Learn more
5 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(283 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Recommended experience

Beginner level

This course has been designed for anyone working in online education

Flexible schedule
2 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
99%
Most learners liked this course

5 modules
Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.
4.7

(283 reviews)

Beginner level

Recommended experience

Recommended experience

Beginner level

This course has been designed for anyone working in online education

Flexible schedule
2 weeks at 10 hours a week
Learn at your own pace
99%
Most learners liked this course
  • About
  • Outcomes
  • Modules
  • Recommendations
  • Testimonials
  • Reviews

Skills you'll gain

  • Discussion Facilitation
  • Learning Management Systems
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Augmented and Virtual Reality (AR/VR)
  • Instructional Design
  • Community Development
  • Digital Communications
  • Teaching
  • Course Development
  • Pedagogy
  • Education Software and Technology

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

10 assignments

Taught in English

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Build your subject-matter expertise

This course is part of the Online Learning Design for Educators Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
  • Learn new concepts from industry experts
  • Gain a foundational understanding of a subject or tool
  • Develop job-relevant skills with hands-on projects
  • Earn a shareable career certificate

There are 5 modules in this course

In a world that’s quickly becoming dominated by mobile technology, flexible working opportunities and a post-pandemic economy, online learning is here to stay. This course introduces you to the basics of reimagining, redesigning and optimising face-to-face offerings for the online environment so that learners feel connected, engaged and motivated to learn.

Educators from around the world who are facing these issues in schools, universities and the vocational education sector are finding they need to adapt by upskilling to meet these changing times. This course will introduce you to the key foundational concepts required for teaching online and will explore how technology has fundamentally changed the way education can be delivered and consumed by learners. The course will cover questions such as: What is online learning and how does it differ from learning in traditional classroom settings? Do the needs of online learners differ from their face-to-face counterparts? How can I design online learning so that it reflects and meets the needs of my learners? Which tools and resources are readily available and easy to master for facilitating engaging and interactive online learning? These questions and many more will be answered in this course, which is designed for teachers and educators who are new to online learning, or those who are preparing to adapt existing learning resources to an online learning environment. Learning outcomes By the end of this course, you’ll: 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the trajectory of online learning, from a historical perspective to contemporary experience and future possibilities 2. Explain how the needs of learners in blended and fully online learning environments differ from traditional face-to-face learning environments 3. Select and use a range of techniques, tools and resources to improve the digital learning skills of learner

Welcome to Week 1! This week we will discuss and review the evolution of online course design. Advancements in technology have fundamentally changed the way learners can study. Students and learners can now choose from a range of course model types and most current course models have an online learning component. It is expected that online learning will continue to grow in popularity as more and more students gain access to the internet throughout the world.

What's included

5 videos9 readings2 assignments2 discussion prompts

5 videos•Total 39 minutes
  • Welcome to Online education: The foundations of online teaching•3 minutes•Preview module
  • Week 1 overview•1 minute
  • The TPACK framework•6 minutes
  • Synchronous versus asynchronous learning •5 minutes
  • Podcast | What is the hyflex model of teaching?•22 minutes
9 readings•Total 177 minutes
  • Welcome to Online education: The foundations of online teaching•20 minutes
  • Welcome to Country•10 minutes
  • Course overview •5 minutes
  • Bio of video subject matter expert - Professor Matt Bower •2 minutes
  • Modalities of online learning•15 minutes
  • Podcast | Subject matter expert - Professor Ronika Power•5 minutes
  • Week 1 Challenge exercise| Exploring course models•60 minutes
  • Additional learning resources •60 minutes
  • Reference list •0 minutes
2 assignments•Total 35 minutes
  • Week 1 Graded quiz•20 minutes
  • Week 1 Recall quiz•15 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 30 minutes
  • Introduce yourself•20 minutes
  • Week 1 Challenge exercise - Step 5•10 minutes

Welcome to Week 2! This week you will explore the key concept of transactional distance, a phrase coined by Michael Moore in 1998. Being physically distant from your students presents a number of challenges but building on online presence can reduce some of these issues. We will also explore three key concepts related to Moore’s early work developed by Garrison, Anderson and Archer (2000), and built into their Critical Community of Inquiry Model. The concepts are 1) teacher presence, 2) social presence and 3) cognitive presence. These three concepts inform teacher behaviours and learning design characteristics that are crucial to the successful delivery and online learning experience of students.

What's included

4 videos6 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

4 videos•Total 38 minutes
  • Week 2 overview•1 minute•Preview module
  • Transactional distance•7 minutes
  • Community of Inquiry •8 minutes
  • Podcast | Education, technology and the benefits of moving outside your comfort zone as an educator, with Grazia Scotellaro•21 minutes
6 readings•Total 137 minutes
  • Bio of video subject matter expert - Professor Garry Falloon•5 minutes
  • Minimizing transactional distance in online learning•5 minutes
  • Podcast | Subject matter expert - Grazia Scotellaro •5 minutes
  • Week 2 Challenge exercise | Understanding transactional distance and empathizing with your learners •60 minutes
  • Additional learning resources•60 minutes
  • Reference list•2 minutes
2 assignments•Total 35 minutes
  • Week 2 Graded quiz•20 minutes
  • Week 2 Recall quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Week 2 Challenge exercise - Step 4•10 minutes

Welcome to Week 3! This week we will examine the concept of cognitive load. As educators, we need to be mindful that cognitive load pressures can adversely affect our student's ability to learn. So, this week we will explore some practical tips and techniques to prevent cognitive overload. We will also discuss the importance of creating a supportive, inclusive and welcoming online learning environment and will show you some practical tips and techniques to set up your online course where your students can thrive.

What's included

4 videos6 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

4 videos•Total 25 minutes
  • Week 3 overview•1 minute•Preview module
  • Managing cognitive load•5 minutes
  • Nurturing your student's learning journey•5 minutes
  • Podcast | What can 'hands on learning' look like in an online space?•12 minutes
6 readings•Total 156 minutes
  • Bio of video subject matter expert - Associate Professor Agnes Bosanquet•2 minutes
  • Tried and tested: tips for online teaching•20 minutes
  • Podcast | Subject matter expert - Dr Kelly Johnston•4 minutes
  • Week 3 Challenge exercise| Improving the learner experience•60 minutes
  • Additional learning resources•60 minutes
  • Reference list•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 35 minutes
  • Week 3 Graded quiz•20 minutes
  • Week 3 Recall quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Week 3 Challenge exercise - Step 3•10 minutes

Welcome to Week 4! This week we will define the term 'learning community', then learn how to create a learning community using online discussion forums. Research tells us that meaningful, inclusive and supportive learning communities help students feel a sense of belonging. This sense of belonging can support deep learning and as a result improve student performance. As you will learn this week, discussion forums are popular tools that online educators can use to build learning effective learning communities of their very own.

What's included

5 videos6 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

5 videos•Total 53 minutes
  • Week 4 overview•1 minute•Preview module
  • The foundations of online learning communities•5 minutes
  • Designing online discussion forums•6 minutes
  • Podcast | Creating connection in a virtual learning space•24 minutes
  • Podcast | Is Team-Based Learning (TBL) online effective?•15 minutes
6 readings•Total 167 minutes
  • Bio of video subject matter expert - Dr Shazia K Jan•10 minutes
  • Facilitating effective online discussion forums•30 minutes
  • Podcast | Subject matter expert - Associate Professor Panos Vlachopoulos•5 minutes
  • Week 4 Challenge exercise | Design your own online discussion forum•60 minutes
  • Additional learning resources•60 minutes
  • Reference list•2 minutes
2 assignments•Total 35 minutes
  • Week 4 Graded quiz•20 minutes
  • Week 4 Recall quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Week 4 Challenge exercise - Step 6•10 minutes

Welcome to Week 5! This week we look forward and explore the question, what will happen next in online education? We will investigate emerging technologies such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and discuss their potential impact on the online education sector. We will finish this course discussing the importance for every online educator to continuously upskill and improve their skills in online teaching. We will give you some practical tips and help you to create your own future online teaching professional development action plan.

What's included

4 videos6 readings2 assignments1 discussion prompt

4 videos•Total 42 minutes
  • Week 5 overview•1 minute•Preview module
  • Understanding the importance of maintaining currency•7 minutes
  • The future of online learning•7 minutes
  • Podcast | Trends in technology, software and education•25 minutes
6 readings•Total 175 minutes
  • Teaching in the digital age•30 minutes
  • Podcast | Subject matter expert - Michael Rampe•5 minutes
  • Week 5 Challenge exercise| Lifelong learning •60 minutes
  • Additional learning resources•60 minutes
  • Reference list•10 minutes
  • End of course feedback form •10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 35 minutes
  • Week 5 Graded quiz•20 minutes
  • Week 5 Recall quiz•15 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
  • Week 5 Challenge exercise - Step 3•10 minutes

Earn a career certificate

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Instructors

Instructor ratings

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.6 (96 ratings)
A/Professor Iain Hay
A/Professor Iain Hay
Macquarie University
8 Courses•149,293 learners
Billy Bruce
Billy Bruce
Macquarie University
3 Courses•23,100 learners

Instructors

Instructor ratings

We asked all learners to give feedback on our instructors based on the quality of their teaching style.

4.6 (96 ratings)
A/Professor Iain Hay
A/Professor Iain Hay
Macquarie University
8 Courses•149,293 learners
Billy Bruce
Billy Bruce
Macquarie University
3 Courses•23,100 learners
Jada Bennett
Jada Bennett
Macquarie University
3 Courses•23,100 learners

Offered by

Macquarie University

Offered by

Macquarie University

Macquarie is ranked among the top one per cent of universities in the world, and with a 5-star QS rating, we are recognised for producing graduates who are among the most sought-after professionals in the world. Since our foundation 54 years ago, we have aspired to be a different type of university: one focused on fostering collaboration between students, academics, industry and society.

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4.7

283 reviews

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  • 3 stars

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  • 2 stars

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  • 1 star

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Showing 3 of 283

R
RW
5

Reviewed on Nov 27, 2021

I think this is a good introductory course. I recommed this course especially for early career educators as part of their professional development.

A
AP
5

Reviewed on Oct 27, 2021

v​ery good Course for basic understanding on Onliearning Learning

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CR
5

Reviewed on May 17, 2023

It is fabulous and very useful course, I have learnt new things.

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