Course Design

AI Fluency: Course Design

Using AI can support instructors in their course design by brainstorming ideas, drafting materials, and organizing content. While these capabilities do not replace human expertise...

AI Fluency: Prompting Basics

Prompting is one of the most practical skills instructors can develop when using generative AI. For educators, effective prompting is not about mastering a technical...

AI Fluency: 101 For Instructors

Generative AI tools such as Gemini and ChatGPT can support teaching and learning by helping instructors plan, organize, and create materials more efficiently. When used...

Spruce Up Your Moodle

Sometimes instructors and course designers would like to add more visual interest to their Moodle content or amp up the style a bit beyond adding...

Using AI to Assist With Course Design

Designing a well-structured and engaging course takes time, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Whether you’re developing a new course or refreshing an existing...

Large Course Redesign Best Practices

Large courses offer a unique experience, both for teachers and students. NC State would consider the courses that are among the top 5% in enrollment...

Introduction to Regular & Substantive Interaction (RSI)

Table of Contents In distance education, regular and substantive interaction (RSI) is required for all courses and refers to consistent, quality engagement between instructors and...

Tips and Strategies for Successful Group Work

Planning an assignment or project to be completed by a group of students can raise lots of questions: How should I form the groups? How...

Step-by-Step Moodle Course Creation Guide

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to creating a basic Moodle course at NC State. It walks you through planning, structuring, and building your course—from...

Make Your Course More Mobile-Friendly

With more students using smartphones and tablets to access their courses through the NC State Moodle mobile app, it’s crucial to design your content with...

Designing an effective Moodle Course

What does a well-designed course look like in Moodle?

Why Gamify Your Moodle Course?

Gamification is the practice of introducing principles and design concepts from games into non-game environments to increase participation, engagement, and performance. The Gamification Plugin for...

Supporting Neurodiverse Students Through Course Design

You’ve doubtless heard the expression “Great minds think alike.” In reality, great minds work in countless different ways, with no “right” or “wrong” way to...

Hybrid Teaching: Best Practices

At NC State, there are a number of course modalities offered, including in-person (aka face to face), hybrid (a mix of online and in-person instruction),...

HyFlex Teaching: Best Practices

HyFlex courses are those that provide a multimodal approach to learning, combining online and in-person students within the same course (Beatty, 2019). The term stems...

Boost Motivation with Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guides the design of learning experiences that present as few obstacles to success as possible. To learn more about the...

Designing Online Training

Training should be an ongoing process and shouldn’t stop with onboarding. Employees who receive continuous online training are more likely to be satisfied with their...

Reaching All Students with Universal Design for Learning

Universal Design for Learning recognizes that variability exists in student populations along many spectra. It guides the design of learning experiences with the goal of...

Use an Online Learning Expectations Template

Providing online learning expectations will clearly communicate your expectations for behavior and participation in your online course.  An online learning expectations document describes what is...

Use a Syllabus Template

A clear and complete syllabus for your online course is the most important document you can provide for your students. This syllabus template provides example...

Use a Course Map Template

A course map is a document that is helpful in planning the structure of your course before you start to organize it in Moodle. A...

Use a Welcome Letter Template

Sending a welcome letter that gives students necessary information and resources to get started,  to students before class begins will help build a sense of...

Use a Course Overview Template

Providing a course overview can help your students orient themselves to your course and connect with you as an instructor. A course overview provides details...

Tips for Organizing Your Moodle Course

How can you organize the layout of your Moodle course so that students can focus their energy on learning?

Example Courses

Have you ever wondered what a really well-designed course looks like? These NC State courses have undergone a rigorous external review process and have been...

Engagement in Synchronous and Asynchronous Environments

Students must engage in their courses in order to learn. But what, exactly, do we mean by “student engagement?” And what teaching practices and strategies...

Helping Students Get Started in an Online Class

First impressions make a big difference in the online classroom. How can you ensure online learners feel welcome in the class and have all the...

Course Design

Do you need to create an online course? Are you looking to improve the design of your Moodle course? Check out these guides, resources, and...

Online Course Best Practices

There are numerous ways to teach an engaging, effective online course. By following basic best practices, instructors can optimize the online learning experience. There are...

Writing Learning Objectives: Measurable and Mighty

Well-written learning objectives are foundational for effective course design as they state what the learner will achieve by the end of the class. Learning objectives...