The past few years have seen significant growth in the development of online learning in both K-12 and higher education settings. With an estimated four million college students taking at least one online course this year, and forty-four states (including Virginia) now having significant online programs in their K-12 systems, many university faculty are beginning to explore the use of online instruction in their programs and courses. In response to this growing trend and VCU faculty interest, the members of the CTE have developed the Online Teaching and Learning Resource Guide.

This resource guide is designed to help faculty who are seeking to transition their courses from a traditional face-to-face class to one delivered either partially or fully online. It reflects the foundation established in our White Paper from last May entitled "Building from Content to Community: [Re]Thinking the Transition to Online Teaching and Learning." Teaching and learning online is different from traditional forms of education, requiring new practices. This guide will help faculty members reconceptualize their instructional approaches for the online environment.

In "Getting Started", we explore how the web is changing education, what research suggests about online teaching and learning, and how to determine one's readiness to teach online, as well as students' readiness to learn online.

"Course Design" provides resources for translating goals and learning objectives specific to one's course into designs that work online. Specific attention is paid to customizing Blackboard to serve one's learning needs.

In "Teaching Practices," we explore how the role of faculty changes online, the dimension of social presence for both faculty and students, and principles of good practice to meet instructional needs.

"Managing Online Class" covers a variety of administrative areas, such as time management, online routines, icebreakers, academic integrity, accessibility, and support services such as libraries and help desks.

The "Teaching Online Toolbox" explores a wide variety of web-based tools to facilitate instruction, such as blogs, wikis, discussion boards, screencasts, podcasts, and social media. The intent of this section is to help one integrate the right technology that enhances instruction for one's specific discipline.

In "Online Assessment," we look at multiple ways in which student learning can be assessed, both formatively and summatively. Techniques such as concept mapping, active learning, journaling, and testing are covered, as well as specific support applications such as LON-CAPA, Respondus, and StudyMate.

The final section provides additional resources, such as journals and online teaching websites. Faculty can also request additional consultation via a convenient online form in this section.

In this resource guide, we have assembled research-based resources and background articles on each topic, as well as "how-to" processes and best practices covering a range of topics. We hope that the resource can provide VCU faculty with a solid starting point for thinking through the challenges and possibilities of online teaching and learning.

This article is part of the CTE's Monthly article series. In this article, the authors Matthew Koehler and Punya Mishra, from Michigan State University, introduce the concept of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPCK). Building on Lee Shulman's original notion, they offer a framework to guide the integration of technology in teaching.

You can access the article here.

Copyright 2009 by the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). [http://www.aace.org] Included here by permission.

The Center for Teaching Excellence's Small Grants Program is currently accepting applications. The purpose of this Small Grants Program is to supply the faculty with necessary resources to support their own development as a learning-centered teacher. Especially encouraged are proposals that can demonstrate how the funding will be used to grow a larger project. Applications are due October 30, 2009. For information and to apply, visit here.

The CTE is offering 14 workshops and 5 brown bag sessions during October. Workshops are an opportunity for faculty to both explore topics and share practices across disciplines. Our Friday Brown Bags provide an opportunity for a more informal conversation to take place between faculty on subjects of topical interest.

Read more below about our October workshops in the areas of Learning-Centered Teaching, Enhancing Teaching with Technology, and Teaching with Blackboard, as well as our upcoming Brown Bags.

For more information and registration, check out our CTE Workshop Calendar.

This article is a part of our "Monthly Article Series." Each fall, Beloit College publishes a "Mindset List" which helps us identify the worldview of the entering freshman class. The creators of this list, Beloit's Keefer Professor of the Humanities Tom McBride and Emeritus Public Affairs Director Ron Nief, remind us of rapidly changing cultural references for our current generation (http://www.beloit.edu/mindset/2013.php).

This year's "Mindset List" can be found here.