Online Teaching as an Act of Design

Abstract

Online education has grown rapidly in recent decades. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the ubiquity of online learning to new levels, alongside renewed recognition of the need for high-quality online pedagogy. In an uncertain world, educators must be prepared to teach online and potentially shift modalities as needed. While this can be daunting, it helps to remember that online teaching emerges from the same teaching principles that exist in any setting—that good teaching is an act of design. This sense of pedagogical design is foregrounded in the need for careful front-end design of online learning spaces. In this chapter, I discuss keyframing points for online instructors to use in designing online learning. This includes practical information on designing for learning goals, including design-based projects, assessment strategies, and community building tips and ideas.