Recent Posts

Step-by-Step Online Course Space Creation Guide

This guide conveys our recommended approach to setting up a basic course in Moodle at NC State. These suggestions and resources will help you incorporate...

Supporting Neurodiverse Students Through Course Design

You’ve doubtless heard the expression “Great minds think alike,” but the reality is that great minds work in countless different ways. There is no “right”...

Hybrid Teaching: Best Practices

Overview 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...

HyFlex Teaching: Best Practices

Overview 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...

Cognitive Load Essentials for Effective Instructional Videos

An effective instructional video effectively communicates information and knowledge to its audience in a clear and engaging manner. There are several key elements that can...

Creating Student Learning Communities Online

For all its advantages, sometimes “online learning can be a lonely experience” (Kaufmann & Vallade, 2020). Building community in an online course can combat this...

Step-by-Step Online Course Creation Guide

This guide conveys our recommended approach to setting up a basic course in Moodle at NC State. These suggestions and resources will help you incorporate...

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...

Commonly Used Instructional Design Models

Instructional design (ID) models provide structure to learning goals. The models are based on various learning theories in the realms of behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism...

Current Virtual Reality Best Practices for the Classroom

Virtual Reality (VR) allows students to experience a world that does not have a physical form (Sapp, 2015b). This technology provides numerous learning benefits, including...

Rubric Best Practices, Examples, and Templates

Workshop Links: A rubric is a scoring tool that identifies the different criteria relevant to an assignment, assessment, or learning outcome and states the possible...

Types of Assessment

How do I give an exam online? Will students be more likely to cheat? What makes for an effective assessment in the online learning environment?...

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...

Providing Effective Feedback

Instructor and peer feedback have a profound effect on the quality of student learning. When teaching online, it is important to foster both learner-instructor interaction...

Netiquette—Or Best Practices for Interacting Online

Netiquette is the term used to describe the special set of rules for online communication. Because students in the online learning environment are unable to...

Best Practices For Creating Learning Objectives

Learning objectives help to clarify the purpose of a course for both students and faculty. The learning objectives state what the learner is expected to...

Best Practices for Creating Multiple-Choice Questions

When teaching online, instructors often turn to multiple-choice quizzes and exams to assess student learning. This option provides many benefits, including instantaneous feedback to students...

Discussion Forum Best Practices

Discussion Forums can play a key role in online learning. When used effectively, they can provide many learning benefits including: enhanced critical thinking, more thoughtful...