On June 2nd through June 5th, faculty from across the University attended the 2014 Online Teaching and Learning Institute (OTLI) at The Learning Studio in Des Peres Hall. The four-day institute examined effective practices and pedagogy for teaching online. Members of the CTTL staff facilitated discussions on course design, assessment tools, and university-supported academic technologies. KimScharringhausen from Information Technology Services also presented an overview of Blackboard’s quiz tool tool.
While the Institute is a great opportunity for faculty to learn more about online course design, another benefit of OTLI is the cross-disciplinary dialogue that takes place throughout the week. Faculty gain valuable insight from colleagues on what online practices work well in other academic disciplines. The conversations often help provide new perspectives on teaching as well as generate useful tips on how to engage students online.
Afternoon breakout sessions provide an opportunity to address specific technical and course design questions. At the end of the Institute, attendees leave with a plan for how to expand their online teaching presence.
Although the next OTLI session won’t be until next summer, Reinert Center Instructional Developers are available to meet with faculty to talk about online course design at any time. To schedule a consultation, simply complete the consultation request form, which you can find using the following link: https://docs.google.com/a/slu.edu/forms/d/1nPnmAPuuodDle8s-SgwxmtbzLITx17ufe3z6v5OyNgk/viewform.
The Notebook 