Description

Faculty earning this badge have completed the Online/Hybrid Design and Teaching Certification course (also called the Designer’s Course) offered by the Center of Excellence in Teaching and Learning at Saginaw Valley State University.  Offered via the Canvas learning management system, the course requires faculty to design work in Canvas. However, the course emphasizes excellent online course design, rather than proficiency with specific online teaching technologies. The earner has demonstrated the knowledge and skills necessary to create and teach learner-centered, clearly structured, and well-aligned online and hybrid courses that support student success. These courses incorporate regular and substantive interactions, community-building strategies, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), accessibility principles, and consistent course organization within the LMS.

Earning Criteria

Learners complete 7 content modules

1. Online teaching at SVSU
2. Designing a welcoming and accessible environment
3. Course objectives and syllabus
4. Assessment and consistent module design
5. Learning activities and materials
6. Orientation and interaction
7. Putting the pieces together

Course Learning Outcomes

Outcomes: Upon completion of the course, faculty will be able to

• Create measurable and student-friendly course learning outcomes and module objectives.
• Design effective course structures, including orientation materials, simple navigation, and consistent modules using appropriate learning management system (LMS) tools (Canvas).
• Design effective, aligned, and engaging learning activities appropriate to the learning modality, using carefully selected course materials to ensure equitable access for diverse students.
• Create assessments aligned with student learning outcomes and provide effective feedback.
• Support student success, including connecting students with available support services and resources, creating reasonable and clear course policies, and establishing a welcoming environment.
• Plan for efficient and supportive course communication.
• Create opportunities for meaningful, substantive, and regular interaction among students, and between students and the instructor.
• Adhere to university, federal, and legal regulations in the course design and delivery.

Content Created

By the end of the course, the learner has create the following items in the learning management system (Canvas) for their own online/hybrid course:

1. Home page that is welcoming and provides a short course description, instructor contact information, instructions for starting the course, and links to the modules and syllabus.
2. Orientation/Welcome module that provides, at minimum, instructions in navigating the course, an icebreaker discussion, a link to the syllabus, and a formative assessment to ensure students have reviewed the module information.
3. Welcome announcement that welcomes students, introduces the instructor, provides a course description, and tells students how to begin the course.
4. Syllabus, using positive language and including basic course information, instructor contact and office hours information, a course communication plan, measurable and student-centered learning objectives, course policies, a draft schedule, and student support services information.
5. Two content modules with consistent structure and including at least one active learning activity, one formative assessment, an engaging content discussion, and a grading rubric attached to a discussion. Each module must have an overview page that includes measurable and student-centered learning objectives.

• Canvas content must be checked for accessibility.
• The course navigation menu must be simplified for clarity.
• All items must be completed to a satisfactory level: all items must exist and quality must demonstrate solid understanding of the design and teaching principles involved.