UM Online provides instructional design support and training for online course development, Moodle technical assistance, and online teaching best practices. Contact umonlineids@umontana.edu with questions.

Meet with an IT specialist to walk through how classroom technology and software such as webcams, microphones, and lecture capture can be used to support your teaching. Contact Scott Christensen (x5322), Classroom Support Technician, David Opitz, Classroom Technician, or Adam Carroll, Presentation Equipment/Production Supervisor, in IT to set up an appointment.

Bennett Goldberg, Director of Northwestern's Searle Center for Advancing Learning and Teaching, presents a set of short videos on moving materials online, bringing the work of asynchronous students into face-to-face classes, possibilities for assignments, flipping the classrooms, and motivating student participation.

In this recorded webinar from ACUE, learn practices to effectively welcome students to your online course in ways that support them and let them know that you are committed to their continued success, including the usage of specific methods like video, Q&A and social forums, as well as effective online communication techniques. 

• recommendations/resources available from ACUE on welcoming students to your online environment

One of the most important aspects—if not the most important aspect—of any student’s learning is you, the instructor. In this recorded ACUE webinar, learn how to more effectively be involved in discussions, respond to questions, provide feedback and encouragement, so students feel more supported and engaged in your course.

• recommendations/resources available from ACUE on managing your online presence

Students can become confused, frustrated, or disengaged if they find it challenging to simply navigate a course learning environment. In this recorded ACUE webinar, Learn how to organize your course from the students’ point of view—using tools like creating a module roadmap, creating a predictable rhythm, and more.

• recommendations/resources available from ACUE on organizing your online courses

Microlectures are short (6 minutes or less), instructor-produced videos that are designed using a structured format to provide effective explanations of a single key concept or specific skill set. In this recorded webinar from ACUE, learn how to use this format to help maintain student attention and allow students to reengage with the content when and if needed.

• recommendations/resources available from ACUE on recording effective microlectures

A collection of LinkedIn Learning courses that can aid you in transitioning from traditional, in-person education to teaching online, at a distance, or in synchronous classes. Includes courses on flipping the classroom and electronic accessibility.

Learn how to use technology to enhance course design, lesson planning, presentations, in-class activities, assessments, and student achievement and engagement. This course guides educators through selecting the appropriate technology for their activity, module, or class. Then it shows how to apply technology in three key areas: finding, creating, and sharing content with students; facilitating classroom activities; and assessing learning inside the classroom or online.

Professor Ginger Collins and Josh Herring, Learning Assistant Program Coordinator, demonstrate tips and tricks for hosting successful, active-learning discussions on Zoom including whole-class discussions, small group discussions, implementing and creating polls, using the chat function, using reactions, break-out rooms, annotating on the white board, sharing screens, sharing documents in and out of breakout rooms, and using Jigsaw.

Professor Lauren Fern, Mathematical Sciences, discusses strategies to build rapport and develop community in an online course. Include collaborative structures in your course design to promote student-to-student interactions around the course content. Professor Fern discusses techniques such as establishing course norms, getting to know your students, making yourselves available to students, and suggestions for assignments to engage students in discussion. Providing multiple and flexible opportunities for engagement can create a safe, supportive, participant centered learning environment.

Josh Herring, Learning Assistant Coordinator, discusses how to effectively use learning assistants in remote instruction environments to help support active student engagement.

In this recorded webinar from ACUE, learn techniques to help students get the most out of online discussions. Learn and discuss with online teaching and learning experts how to provide rubrics, create reflection activities, provide strategic feedback and more (recommendations/ resources available).

There are a variety of ways to keep students engaged in the content and help them focus their attention on what is most important. In this recorded webinar from ACUE, learn how to use a variety of practices to assess how well they are learning and making key connections, such as using guiding questions, preparing online discussion forums, developing skeletal outlines and more (recommendations/resources available).

The global COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in serious disruptions in everyone’s lives. Traumatic experiences reduce our ability to focus, to learn, and to be productive. While this has always been true, it is an issue that has often been ignored by higher ed faculty. In this "Tea for Teaching" podcast episode, Karen Costa discusses how trauma-informed pedagogy can be used to help our students on their educational journey in stressful times.

• Piotrowski, A., & Robertson, M. (2017). Engagement Across the Miles: Using Videoconferencing with Small Groups in Synchronous Distance Courses. Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, 1(2), 8.

• Beatty, B. (2020) Hybrid-Flexible Course Design: Implementing student-directed hybrid classes