FIU Online’s monthly Insider Instructor Webinar series explores relevant instructional strategies and effective ways to use technology in an online classroom. Missed a webinar? No worries, all recordings and recaps for past webinars can be found below:
Past Instructor Webinars
February 2019: Creating Instructor Presence in an Online Course
A strong sense of instructor presence can help students feel connected to the course and the content, increase student and faculty satisfaction with the course, reduce the sense of isolation. We will discuss a combination of instructional design and delivery methods that can create or strengthen the sense of instructor presence in an online course.
An absolutely excellent tutorial; should be mandatory for every instructor! -Dr. Clifford Perry
March 2019: Writing in Bloom: Writing Measurable Learning Objectives
Well-written, measurable learning objectives are the key to developing quality online courses. In this webinar we will explore how to create objectives that are measurable, precise, and clear at both the course and module/unit level. Participants will be introduced to different taxonomies that are useful in creating objectives and analyze sample course-level objective and the associated module/unit level objectives. We will discuss learning outcomes display templates and identify potential learning outcomes for a course.
I will try to implement some of these great ideas. – Jennifer Williams
April 2019: Grading Made Easy
Closing your Canvas gradebook and submitting grades to Panthersoft can be an easy! In this webinar, we’ll show you how fast and easy grading can be with Canvas Gradebook. Learn how the “Treat Ungraded as 0” option works and how it affects student grades, as well as other cool things, like grading rules and calculations that will make your life simpler. Finally we will go over grades submission to Panthersoft.
Thank you! Looking forward to implementing in spring. – Daniel Creed
May 2019: Creating and Sustaining Effective Online Discussions
In this session, we will share strategies to create and sustain online discussions that foster critical thinking. Provide strategies to guide an instructor to effectively design the discussion, facilitate the conversation as it progresses, and assess the discussion when it concludes.
Thank you. Learned some very practical strategies. – Dr. Rosa Chang
June 2019: Showcasing your Course Content
Battling information overload and student non-engagement is a persistent challenge in the world of online instruction. In this session, discover a series of tactics for curating and presenting resources in your Canvas course to encourage student exploration, evaluation, reflection, and application. The discussion will include methods for using alignment maps to curate content and best practices for enhancing student-content interaction in online learning.
Eye opener. – Eugenio Jaramillo
August 2019: Feedback that Sticks; Gradebook Strategies for Amazing Outcomes
For many of us, the cliche rings true: “I teach for free, they pay me to grade.” Grading and feedback is an essential part of the teaching and learning process, though it presents many pitfalls and challenges, especially for online faculty. Join Amber Webber, PhD for an exploration through techniques for creating feedback that sticks with students, and leveraging the Canvas tools available to streamline and strengthen grading strategies for the upcoming term.
This has been very good. it now gives me a format to update my course. – Dr. Trudy Gaillard
September 2019: Teaching Diverse Learners: Multiple Intelligence Theory and Inclusive Teaching and Learning
Often, instructors deliver course material and assess students in similar methods by which they themselves were taught and tested in college, which do not always accommodate the learning needs of a diverse student population. Instructors can develop a more “inclusive” learning environment by offering adult student assignment options in online courses to increase their interest in the content, level of engagement, and success as they complete tasks. Incorporating Multiple Intelligence Theory (MI) when designing inclusive assignments and assessments helps faculty address not only students’ physical learning styles, but also their other areas of intelligence, such as cultural, spatial, interpersonal, realia, color learning style, etcetera.
Thanks for some good ideas for building a good class step by step. – Dr. Terry Lease
October 2019: Understanding the QM Rubric
In this QM rubric crash course, instructors will learn the underlying principles behind the QM Rubric and the critical elements of the QM quality assurance process.
It seems many courses would benefit from this! – Suzanne Koptur
November 2019: Re-imagining Video Lectures for Impactful Learning Experiences
We know that video for instructional content can be an incredible vector to deliver engaging lectures and pertinent course information. However, video hasn’t changed much since VHS first appeared in the 70’s. In this month’s webinar, instructors will learn how to harness the power of PlayPosit to develop interactive videos for asynchronous and synchronous instruction, construct engaging formative assessments, and create immersive learning experiences utilizing discussion forums, personalized learning paths, and embedded activities. Let’s get more out of your video content with PlayPosit.
Yay!!! Would love to create some of these! Great job!- Dr. Wendy Guess
February 2020: The Best of Both Worlds; Leading Edge Hybrid Courses
Teaching a hybrid course is much more than posting content online and following up with some in-person gems of wisdom. Hybrid courses represent a unique opportunity for faculty to leverage both the structure and technology of online learning and the engagement of the face-to-face classroom to create meaningful learning experiences. Join Amber Webber, PhD on a one-hour exploration of the best practices and leading-edge ideas for helping students get the most from your hybrid course.
This has been helpful, and I’d love to give some of these ideas deeper consideration-to give thought to how to implement this in my courses-hybrid or otherwise. – Dr. Erica D. Musser
April 2020: Chunk-a Chunk-a Burning Love for Knowledge
Do you ever feel like your time is limited? Do you wish your students could grasp harder-to-understand concepts on their time? Great news- you’ve come to the right place! This session will discuss a faculty and instructional designer’s partnership journey that tackled these two concepts by chunking a core engineering course into short, three-to-five minute narrated lecture videos that students raved about in their SPOTS comments. Please join us as we describe the journey of delivering complex concepts in a new fully online course to creating videos using programs such as Explain Everything and Learning Glass.
The Learning Glass seems fascinating. – Elio Arteaga
May 2020 Session 1: From-Scratch Course Design; Cooking Up a Fresh Online Course with Best-Practice Ingredients
A blank course shell, a course description, and maybe a textbook. What’s the best way to bring it all together online to serve up a hearty, balanced learning experience? Two parts organization, one part alignment, and a zest of innovation come together in a simple process of building an effective online course from scratch. Join Amber Webber, PhD in a look at the recipe and best-practice ingredients for pulling together a fresh and tasty online serving of learning!
This has all been helpful even though I have been teaching online for five years. – Lathan Austin
May 2020 Session 2: Creating Multi-Media from the Comfort of Your Home
We all know the power of multimedia for learning. There is a reason we may forget where we parked but vividly recall the scene and lines of our favorite movie. During this webinar, we will discuss how to create impactful, memorable, and quality learning experiences from home. We will cover the value of audio in a presentation, the best lighting for your home videos, leveraging everyday tools for high-quality synchronous activity, and relevant learning science on cognitive load. Come and discover how to elevate your multimedia production on a college student budget.
This was extremely informative! Fantastic! Glad I participated. – Dr. Amilcar Castellano Sanchez
May 2020 Session 3: Grading Made Easy (Repeat)
Closing your Canvas gradebook and submitting grades to Panthersoft can be an easy! In this webinar, we’ll show you how fast and easy grading can be with Canvas Gradebook. Learn how the “Treat Ungraded as 0” option works and how it affects student grades, as well as other cool things, like grading rules and calculations that will make your life simpler. Finally, we will go over grades submission to Panthersoft.
This webinar was so helpful! – Dr. Brook Buckman
May 2020 Session 4: The Best of Both Worlds; Leading Edge Hybrid Courses (Repeat)
Teaching a hybrid course is much more than posting content online and following up with some in-person gems of wisdom. Hybrid courses represent a unique opportunity to leverage both the technology of online learning and the engagement of the face-to-face classroom to create meaningful learning experiences. Join Amber Webber, PhD in an exploration of the best practices and leading-edge ideas for helping students get the most from your hybrid course.
Thank you so much! I truly enjoyed it! – Astrid Arraras
June 2020: Zoom, it’s more than just Facetime
So you are using Zoom to teach – how can you get the best out of it? In this webinar, we will review interactive strategies for teaching remotely with Zoom. We will cover features in Zoom that allow you to simulate many of the elements used in a face-to-face class to engage students and allow participation. We will also show how utilizing additional tools can enhance your Zoom sessions.
Thanks for this workshop Aisha and Matthew! -Dr. Uma Swamy
June 2020: Cozy Up Your Course; The Non-Designer’s Guide to Visual Elements for Online Teaching
Online instructors face the dual challenge of providing engaging learning experiences and creating an effective learning environment. Are you looking for a simple way to create a strong first impression, underscore expectations of attention-to-detail, and orient learners’ focus on the right things in your online course? RSVP for this session to attend a one-hour tour through the best practices and common pitfalls of boosting the visual elements of the Canvas classroom. We will discuss tips for using graphics and color, structure, icons and visual cues, and other top ideas for enhancing the look and feel of your online classroom.
Thank you so much. Great information. – Dr. Carolyn Meeker
July 2020: Re-imagining Video for Impactful Learning with PlayPosit (Repeat)
We know that video for instructional content can be an incredible vector to deliver engaging lectures and pertinent course information. However, video hasn’t changed much since VHS first appeared in the 1970’s. During this webinar, instructors will learn how to harness the power of PlayPosit to develop interactive videos for asynchronous and synchronous instruction, construct engaging formative assessments, and create immersive learning experiences utilizing discussion forums, personalized learning paths, and embedded activities. Let’s get more out of your video content with PlayPosit.
This is so awesome. Thanks for this! – Dr. Kathleen Rein
July 2020: Organizing Online Learning; Small Details to Avoid Big Fireworks
“Fall behind for a minute, and a hundred student emails will bloom.” —Every Online Instructor Ever. Each term, online instructors must tackle a revolving list of tasks related to keeping their content updated, their expectations clear, the list of assignments to grade down, and the number of confused (or angry) student emails at a minimum. Thankfully, the world of virtual teaching also offers a wide variety of resources for staying ahead of this demanding and detailed list. Join Amber Webber, PhD on a tour through a few tools and techniques for organizing your online course, leaving yourself the room to really teach and your learners with a truly engaging learning experience, term after term.
Indeed, you’ve done a very complete explanation!- Jennifer Ivey
July 2020: Effective Teaching and Learning Online: An Infusion of Pedagogical and Andragogical Teaching Styles
We know that teaching and learning are two essential pillars in education that involve actively engaging the student in learner-centered experiences. During this webinar we will discuss the importance of acquiring skills in both pedagogical and andragogical styles of teaching. Please join us as we uncover strategies that ignite student’s curiosity about online learning, and engage students through a self-discovery blended pedagogical and andragogical process.
Thank you – this has been very interesting- Dr. Erik Fenkl
August 2020: Collaborate to Comply: Supporting Students with Disabilities
This webinar will highlight the importance of the shared responsibility between subject matter experts and instructional designers in curating accessible online content for all learners. Join, Jessica Rodriguez, Online Quality Manager at FIU Online, to discover new instructional strategies and how to leverage inclusive design to provide the best possible online learning experience for your students
September 2020: Rubrics that Rock
Leonard Bernstien once said, “To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time.” While he was talking about music, virtual teaching holds the same challenge: a plan of content and activities, but never enough time to really be sure we’ve made our points. What if there was a tool that helped communicate priorities in our assignments, set the bar for performance, made grading easier, and made feedback more effective? Enter the rubric. Join Amber Webber, PhD on a tour of rubrics that rock: versatile tools for setting standards, focusing student effort, expediting feedback, making the most of the Canvas Speedgrader, and truly assessing learning outcomes in your course.
October 2020: The More You Know: Using Learning Analytics to Cultivate, Substantiate, and Innovate
We all have heard at some point in our lives that knowledge is power. However, in no other field is that statement more relevant than in teaching and learning. We use data to curate information, truth find, analyze doctrine, and scaffold ideas. Yet, we rarely use data to look inward and grow our instructional process. Join Honors College faculty, Maikel Alendy, as we explore the tools and data you have access to, and what you can do with them, to support and develop effective and engaging learning experiences in your course.
November 2020: #QualityGoals: HIIT- High Impact Imperative Techniques for Online Quality Course Design
This webinar will review the 2025 Online Education Strategic Plan as it relates to online course quality reviews and the goal of achieving 100% of new and substantively revised online courses meeting the Florida standards following the Quality Matters (QM) rubric. Having already applied the Quality Matters rubric as our quality assessment program in our course design process for some time now (adopted the program in Fall 2011), FIU is ahead of the game; so to better channel our existing advances towards the new SUS quality mandate, FIU Online launched the Achieving Panther Quality Initiative in Fall 2018 to better support faculty. Join FIU Online’s Quality Assurance Team, as we review the Panther Quality Initiative, the underlying principles behind the QM Rubric and the critical elements of the QM quality assurance process.
December 2020: Lessons Learned: An FIU Online Faculty Panel on Teaching During a Global Pandemic
A candid discussion about the challenges faced by our very own FIU Faculty after the University’s abrupt shift to remote learning, and their creative solutions to ensuring seamless academic continuity and positive learning experiences for their students during these unprecedented times. Faculty panel participants include Dr. Martha Meyer Barantovich, Dr. Uma Swamy and Dr. José F. Rodríguez.
May 2021: Engage and Activate! Learning Tools for Active Learning
Uncover the ways active learning can turn students into dynamic participants to enhance their learning experience. Active learning techniques can re-energize and refocus a class. During this webinar, we will discuss active learning techniques and educational tools instructors can use in their classes to engage their students.
June 2021: This Semester Will be Different: Practical Habits for Great Online Teaching
What does excellence in online teaching look like? According to Aristotle, excellence is not an act, but a habit. Join Amber Webber, PhD on an exploration of the habits and practices that lead to great student experiences, less hassle in course administration, and more satisfaction in teaching online.
July 2021: Chicken Noodle Soup for your Gradebook: Assignments You’ll Enjoy Grading
If you have ever found yourself saying “there has got to be a better way to evaluate student learning!” then you are in good company. Join Honors College faculty fellow, Maikel Alendy, as we explore 6 non-traditional learning activities and the process used to imagine them, that will help you create assignments you look forward to grading.
September 2021: Is Your Content Stale? H5P Can Help!
As educators we know that engaging students in the learning process increases their attention and focus and motivates them to practice higher-level critical thinking skills. However, the challenge of applying this truth to instructional material has always seemed out of reach until now. Join FIU Online’s Learning Design Innovation Manager, Maikel Alendy, and discover how you can use H5P to create effective, impactful, and engaging instructional material.
September 2021: To Read or Not to Read? With Perusall, that’s no longer a question.
Whether a course is being taught online or face-to-face reading is essential for meaningful learning. Join FIU Online’s Learning Design Innovation Manager, Maikel Alendy, as we outline the potential for Perusall to improve and completely revamp your students attitudes towards reading instructional material.
October 2021: Understanding the QM Rubric
Join FIU Online’s Quality Assurance Team, as we review the Panther Quality Initiative, the underlying principles behind the QM Rubric and the critical elements of the QM quality assurance process.
November 2021: It’s More than a Mandate: An FIU Online Faculty Panel on certifying courses with the Quality Matters Program.
A candid discussion about the QM certification process as experienced by our very own FIU Faculty and their creative solutions on how to successfully adopt the standards to provide learners with all the tools and resources needed for a meaningful learning experience.
Future Instructor Webinars
We are working on developing additional webinars for the 2021 academic year, so be on the look out for future email campaigns from the FIU Online team. If you have any ideas for future webinar topics, we’d love to hear them! Contact Christina Schettini (cschetti@fiu.edu) to share your ideas for future webinar topics.