Online and Blended Learning

The Rush Standards

• Having standards for online learning is a requirement for all quality courses and programs.
• We have two standards at Rush University. These forms can be downloaded by clicking on the links.  
  Online Course Design and Online Teaching.
• The standards began as a recommendation from the intercollegiate Online Taskforce.
• A committee was developed to create the Rush University Standards that included representation from all colleges as well as CTEI and library staff.
• The Standards have been approved by the University Curriculum Committee and University Council.
• Faculty members who develop new or revise existing online courses should use these standards during development.
• Faculty members should complete a course design self-evaluation of their online course(s) before the course begins.
• Faculty members should complete a teaching self-evaluation of their online course after the course ends.
• Completed forms will be sent to the CTEI email box and an instructional designer will be assigned to work with you.
• Have questions? We have a Frequently Asked Questions document related to the Standards.

Training for online teaching

Watch this short video that introduces the class. Note, the link to the form in the video is not clickable; find those links below.

• Each semester the CTEI offers a 5-week, fully online class called Online Teaching and Course Design to prepare faculty for online teaching at Rush University.
• The course is appropriate for those who teach blended courses too, since the skill set is similar.
• The course is asynchronous, which means that there are no on-campus meetings and no required times to be online.
• However, the course does require you to participate every week, throughout the week.
• There are practical assignments and activities that lead to course completion.
• The course focuses on the skills needed to design and teach a high quality online class, including how to use the learning management system (Canvas).
• Visit our CTEI homepage for the next offering of the Online Teaching and Course Design. 

Did you know we have an online course template?

• The CTEI created a Canvas template for anyone who wishes to use it to drastically cut down on the time it takes to design a high quality course.
• Here's a video overview of the online course template.
• If you would like to have the course template copied to your Canvas course, please email CTEI@rush.edu and include your Canvas username in your email and your course ID and course name.

Teaching Online Tips and Ideas

• Faculty Focus: Practical advice for going from face-to-face to online teaching
• Making the shift to online teaching
• Icebreaker ideas for online classes
• Bloom's taxonomy verbs for creating discussion questions, assignments, and assessments
• How to encourage continually active weekly discussions
• 10 best practices for being a great online teacher

Blended Teaching Tips and Ideas

• Why Colleges should embrace blended learning
• What works best in college blended learning

• The future of learning
• 9 e-learning trends for 2018
• ELearning Industry: ELearning trends