Higher Education

We welcome you as fellow colleagues; faculty, lecturers, instructors, instructional designers, and administrators in post-secondary and higher education. These resources are offered to support moving to alternative forms of education delivery in the emergent move to remote or distance delivery. They have been verified by experts in the field of technology-enabled learning as valuable references for the current situation and beyond. These resources can guide you in any situation where distance, online, and/or digital education delivery is needed or desired. We wish you the very best in this endeavour. 

Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

• Blended Learning Practice (open course) is an introduction to blending technology and distance education teaching strategies with traditional, in-person classroom activities. This course is open to teachers and other educational professionals considering implementing blended learning practice into their own classrooms or programs. You can register in this free course at any point during its run time. Check the website for more information and next offering dates.
• Learning to Learn Online MOOC (open course, Athabasca University) is recommended to both students and teachers who are looking to understand how learning works in an online space. LTLO explores the fundamentals of the learning process and various models of online courses to determine your learning preferences and which forms of online learning are best for you. Activities will address common misconceptions, frustrations, and fears about online learning, and introduce techniques to help overcome such obstacles and gain confidence as a learner. Check the website for more information and next offering dates.
• Technology-Enabled Learning MOOC (open course) is primarily aimed towards teachers who want to build on their knowledge and practice in teaching and learning with technology.  Designed to accommodate teachers’ busy schedules, the course offers flexibility with options for learning the content. You will learn from readings, videos, discussions with other participants and instructors, meaningful exercises, quizzes and short assignments. You can register in this free course at any point during its run time. Check the website for more information and next offering dates.
• Pivoting to teaching online (open course) is a free, 6-week EdX course on moving teaching online based on research and practice
• Commonwealth Of Learning: Online Learning (webinars)

Professional Development for Credit/Audit

• Blended and Online Learning and Teaching (PD modules) helps teachers develop blended and online teaching skills.

Online Conferences and Workshops

• 2020 Learning Revolution (online conference) is free to register in and runs in April and May 2020.
• Moving your course online (virtual workshop, Macewan University)
• Digital Wellness Primer for Educators (Zoom webinar series, Athabasca University) hosted by Dr. Aga Palalas, Dr. Anna Lomanowska and Joe Ganci. According to Angèle D’Alessio, mental health promoter with the Canadian Mental Health Association, mental health is a significant issue as a result of Covid-19. Educators have experienced the pressures of a rush into emergency remote teaching. As classes and educational activities move online, mental health support for educators is available to reduce the impact of the current coronavirus threat and the additional work and stress.

Tips & Guides

• How to be a better online teacher (guide, The Chronicle of Higher Education)
• Online learning in a hurry (article, University of Windsor)
• 4 lessons from moving a face-to-face course online (article, Grand View University)
• Priority steps to transitioning your class online (article, Indiana University)
• Practical guidelines for adapting courses for online learning (article, John Hopkins University)
• Moving to Online Learning (site, The Open University at UK)
• The Quick Technology Guide (Google doc) can help to support moving to an Online Class or Conference
• What makes a successful online learner? (article, Minnesota State CareerWise)
• Understanding the difference between emergency remote teaching and online learning (article, EduCause)
• Teaching and Learning Online Communication, Community, and Assessment Handbook for Faculty (PDF, UMass)
• QM Emergency Remote Instruction Checklist for Higher Ed. (Google doc) is a tiered list of considerations, tips, and actionable strategies to enact during an institutional move to temporary remote instruction of classroom-based courses.
• Transfer your content to the Canvas learning management system and begin teaching remotely (article, University of Maryland)
• Survey of Higher Education faculty transition to online learning (article, Royal Roads University)
• Creating an online learning game plan (article / video, Athabasca University)
• Guidelines on Distance Education during COVID-19 (pdf, Commonwealth of Learning). Many countries and institutions have pivoted directly to online education delivery in the face of campus and school closures. Given that available technology is uneven within and across countries, “online learning cannot be seen as the only solution for remote, rural and resource-poor communities.” Over the last fifty years, Athabasca Univerity has “shown that quality teaching and learning can be offered at a distance using a range of technologies – print, radio, television, computer and the Internet.” Remote, technologically-mediated teaching delivery must be tailored to specific contexts with attention to available information and communication technologies. The attached guidebook provides information, direction, and examples that will support those arranging for remote, distance, and online education.
• 12 Key Ideas for Moving to Online Learning (blog). Lessons from practitioners moving to online teaching.
• Five Key Lessons from Faculty and Instructors Moving Courses Online (blog, Contact North).

Connect & Collaborate

• Ask an expert for advice about moving education online and receive a response within 2 days from Contact North! (Ask an expert)
• The Community of Inquiry (blog): The CoI framework represents a process of creating a deep and meaningful (collaborative-constructivist) learning experience through the development of three interdependent elements: social, cognitive and teaching presence.

Curated Educational Resources

• The Society of Teaching and Technology in Higher Education (database, STTHE) provides curated resources to support: Teaching and Assessing, Wellbeing, Institutional Level Resources, & Free Webinars.
• Keeping the doors of learning open COVID-19 (hub, Commonwealth of Learning) contains an OER  collection from around the world that supports all levels of learners and educators.
• The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning (IRRODL) (journal database) is a refereed, open access, online journal that disseminates original research, theory, and best practices in open and distributed learning.
• Kyte Learning (hub) is an online library of educational technology training videos for  K-12 teachers and administrators. It provides teachers with instructional videos on how to use and incorporate technology into their lessons and classroom. Kyte Learning offers a free subscription for a basic profile and access to free content.
• Canada’s Contact North (website) is a long-standing, valued supporter of online and blended education. They offer strategies where post-secondary instructors can “find the latest trends, best practices, training opportunities, and teaching resources in online and distance learning.”

Open Textbooks

• BC Open Textbooks (website, BC Campus) provides searchable access to hundreds of open textbooks for Higher Ed courses.
• OpenStax Open Textbooks (website, OpenStax) provides access to hundreds of open textbooks.

Scholarly Articles

• Beetham, H., & Sharpe, R. (Eds.). (2019). Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age: Principles and Practices of Design. Routledge. (book)
• Cleveland-Innes, M., & Wilton, D. (2018). Guide to blended learning. (book)
• Vaughan, N. D., Cleveland-Innes, M., & Garrison, D. R. (2013). Teaching in blended learning environments: Creating and sustaining communities of inquiry. Athabasca University Press. (book)
• Yu, S., Ally, M., & Tsinakos, A. (Eds.) (2020) Emerging Technologies and Pedagogies in the Curriculum. (book)