Distance education is a growing field helping to meet the needs of our diverse students. Online courses allow us to welcome more students whose work or family schedules are obstacles to taking face-to-face classes, or whose learning styles thrive in the digital environment.
DVC offers instructors the following support materials to help prepare for online teaching:
Under our UF contract, instructors who teach online will need to take our district's Becoming an Effective Online Instructor course or submit evidence of an equivalent training. Learn more about our professional development pathways to online teaching.
Review our First Week Resources for Online Instruction for tips on beginning your online class successfully.
Online instructors typically email their students the week before classes begin to help students understand how to get started in their online course.
There are additional points to consider adding into your syllabus when teaching online, such as letting students know about any special requirements for technology and/or software.
Online classes may be offered with synchronous or asynchronous elements. Learn more about the pros and cons of synchronous and asynchronous instruction.
Consider offering office hour(s) online via Zoom to most closely replicate a face-to-face office hour. Video conference with students, share your screen, or have students share their screen.
DVC provides additional materials to help instructors design online courses:
We have many student support pages available for you to view and/or import into your Canvas sites:
Review our DVC Spring 2021 Online Semester Guide: Instructor Recommendations and Best Practices for a checklist of equitable practices in online instruction.