The Office of Open Learning is offering its five-day course, “Introduction to Teaching Online,” July 6 to 10.

Part of its work to support the transition to web-based teaching and learning, the course consists of live sessions on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, with Tuesday and Thursday reserved for self-paced activities.

Originally intended for those completely new to the world of online teaching, sessions to date have seen participation even from those with a lot of experience, says Ashlyne O’Neil, one of the course facilitators.

“A few weeks ago, we had a participant who had been teaching online for 20 years. She still learned a lot and found the course to be a valuable experience,” O’Neil says. “One of the reasons for that, I think, is that we really focus on the conceptual differences between teaching online and teaching face-to-face. It’s not really a technology problem, but more about the fundamental differences in the way we teach, learn, engage, and communicate in this new environment.”

Mark Lubrick, who co-facilitates the course, says he is pleased with the level of engagement from instructors and staff across campus.

“We try to make the course work for folks from various backgrounds, disciplines, and concurrent responsibilities, providing opportunities for participants to engage synchronously and asynchronously,” he says.

The team plans to offer “Introduction to Teaching Online” at least four more times this summer: July 6 to 10, July 20 to 24, Aug. 10 to 14, and Aug. 24 to 28.

Register for this course and other workshops on the Office of Open Learning website: https://ctl2.uwindsor.ca/openlearning/workshops/23/.