For some departments, online may be a completely new approach to instruction while other departments may have more experience.  For example, the College of Liberal Arts is encouraging its faculty members to consider online courses in J-term or Summer term.  How is your college or department participating in eUNH?  It is a conversation worth exploring among your colleagues. 

Some of the best advice for evaluating whether or not you will teach online will come from your colleagues.  Consider those in your department or in a related department who may have experienced teaching an online or hybrid course.  Would they do it again?  What was different about engaging with online learners?  Did it cause them to think about their teaching in new ways?

There are many resources and training aids for teaching online and even more are in development.  The Academic Technology Instructional Development Center (IDC) consults with faculty to help them develop their courses and teach online.   If you would like to brainstorm ideas for an online or hybrid course, consider appropriate technologies, or find other instructors who have had the experience of teaching online, contact the IDC at https://itsupport.unh.edu/help or call 603.862.4242 to schedule an appointment.

Starting with existing materials may shorten the timeline for course development, but you will still need to consider carefully how the content and learning objectives translate to an online medium.  Give yourself enough time to plan for revising or creating new content AND thinking through the types of interactions and assignments you’ll use in your online or hybrid course.  Plan on a semester, at least. 

J-term, Summer term, or during the regular academic year?  Should it be fully online or is hybrid more appropriate?  How imperative is it to see your students face-to-face for at least some part of the course?  What if you got to know your students through chat, an online discussion, or a video interface only?  Could course enrollments increase if students have the opportunity to avoid traveling to campus?  All of these are questions you may want to consider.

Blackboard is the learning management system used at UNH.  Like many technologies, the opinions of users vary.  Some are fans, some are frustrated, and some choose not to think about it at all.  It is important to know that eUNH relies heavily on Blackboard as the medium through which instructors and students interact for online and hybrid courses.  To teach your course well, you should be confident in your understanding of the tools, features, and yes, quirks of Blackboard.  Get started with an introductory session or schedule some time with a member of the Academic Technology team by calling 603-862-4242.  Consider these Quick Start or on-demand tutorials to develop your Blackboard skills.

• Quick Start course
• On-demand Tutorials

Lecture capture is an umbrella term describing any technology that allows instructors to digitally record a lecture (using audio/video, screen captures or PowerPoint slides) and make it available for students to see.  At UNH, Lecture Capture takes 3 forms – Personal Capture (Faculty recording audio/video from their office or home;) Walk-in Studio Lecture Capture (Small rooms with persistent recording equipment that allow faculty to walk in and record audio/video;) Traditional Classroom Lecture Capture (Specially outfitted classrooms with persistent recording equipment that allow faculty to record audio/video.)  Visit the Lecture Capture self-service site to get started or phone 603-862-4242 to schedule an appointment with an instructional designer.