CDIL offers a number of professional development opportunities that support faculty in designing and teaching effective online courses at Boston College
Principles of Online Course Design (POCD)
The Principles of Online Course Design (POCD) is designed to assist participants in taking the first steps in designing an online course in collaboration with their Course Development Team.
Participants gain the experience of being an online learner and the opportunity to explore the kinds of learning experiences that are possible to create in an online course at Boston College.
The focus of the course is to guide faculty in the use of the Community of Inquiry Framework to develop their online courses. As participants learn and put into practice the principles of online course design that will be covered, they will reflect on their experience in this course as a learner and how they want their students to experience their course. These insights will form the basis of their initial ideas that faculty will bring to their Course Development Team in the beginning stages of the course development process.
Participants can expect to average 3-4 participation hours per week in this 4-week asynchronous course.
Orientation to Teaching Online (OTTO)
The Orientation to Teaching Online (OTTO) course is designed to empower instructors with the necessary skills and knowledge to excel in the virtual classroom. Through a dynamic and interactive learning experience, participants will explore best practices in online teaching, enabling them to identify areas for growth and self-assess their online teaching skills.
The course will cover essential technical aspects, including basic proficiency with Canvas, Zoom, and other academic technological tools, ensuring faculty members feel confident navigating virtual learning environments.
Instructors will also develop effective communication strategies to engage with students, fostering an inclusive and participative learning atmosphere. Emphasis will be placed on facilitating student collaborations in online settings, promoting active learning and meaningful interactions.
As a culmination of their learning journey, participants will be encouraged to reflect on their practice of online teaching, facilitating continuous improvement and enriching the learning experience for both instructors and students.
Join us on this transformative educational expedition, and unlock your full potential as a skilled and confident online educator at Boston College.
Woods College Courses
Woods Online Course Development (WOCD)
The Woods Online Course Development professional development program is designed for instructors teaching graduate courses at Woods College. They will typically be required to take this course at the early stages of working one-on-one with a Learning Designer who will partner with them in the course development process.
The primary goal of the WOCD course is to help faculty write a complete syllabus that fulfills the pedagogical expectations Woods College has for digital learning. Instructors will specifically have the opportunity to develop their ability to write effective learning outcomes and align their content and assessment strategies to help students achieve these outcomes in a digital context.
WDCDT (Woods Undergrad)
This professional development course prepares instructors to design and teach an effective online or hybrid digital undergraduate course at Boston College’s Woods College of Advancing Studies (WCAS).
With the support of the Center for Digital Innovation in Learning at Boston College, this course guides faculty in the primary deliverables that Woods College expects of faculty during the development of their course:
- A complete syllabus that fulfills the pedagogical expectations Woods College has for digital learning.
- A Canvas site that meets the quality standards and style guide for Woods courses, with the aid of Canvas site templates.
Along the way, instructors will have the opportunity to experiment with new types of content or assignments, practice the principles of effective digital course design, and gain new skills that will improve the digital learning experience for themselves and their students.