Principles

This is already common practice: Don’t panic. You will already be doing most of this. This document is simply outlines the key feature of good practice in online course design.
Active Blended Learning: Modules should encourage student interaction and engagement. Please refer to ‘Active Blended Learning as a response to Covid-19.’
Consistency: Variation in how online modules look and feel can overload students. It is therefore important that programme teams offer a degree of consistency in their online modules through canvas course design, as well as the format learning course materials.
Scaffolding Learning: Build resilience in learners early on through explicitly structured tasks. These should articulate expectations, provide clear instructions and indicate realistic time-on-task. This help students to become more independent as their learning progresses.
Engagement and Analytics: Reviewing the Canvas Analytics Dashboards will provide an overview of students’ activity and engagement. This will help in the design of future learning materials as well as the identification of students who are struggling.
Where do I start with online learning?

Module Information

Communication: Regular communication helps to keep students engaged in their learning. Module leaders should accompany new information or materials with a relevant announcement.
Key information: this is a new feature in canvas that uses data from the module proforma to pre-populate key information. It also offers links to relevant student-facing professional services. Please check this to see that information is accurate.
Assessment Information: details of assessment (including referral/deferral activity assessment information) must be uploaded to this designated area of Canvas.
Reading List: These should be created using the KeyLinks Reading List Management System. Each course in Canvas has a blank reading list that you will populate and publish. Read more information on Reading lists.

Timely Canvas Course Access: The module leader should ‘publish’ the Canvas Course before the first day of teaching to allow students to access any learning materials and prepare for the first teaching session.
Additional staff: Any academics who contribute to the module can easily add themselves through ‘My Canvas Admin’.
External Examiner Access: The relevant external examiner is automatically added to your Canvas course. Examiners can review teaching materials and any student online submissions.
Please be mindful of Mobile: Install the Canvas app to check how your courses are viewed on a mobile device.

Core Content Materials: Learning materials that directly support scheduled teaching sessions should be uploaded to Canvas at least 24 hours before the scheduled session.
An Active Learning Approach: To support active blended learning, each session should include a task or activity that encourages interaction (Need link to quick tips here).
Scheduling: Scheduled online learning indicates to students how long they are expected to spend on structured learning activities. This includes both synchronous (real -time) and asynchronous learning activities. Although the latter will be undertaken at a time that is convenient to the learner, such activities should be available for the learner at the scheduled time.
Live lecture delivery: Live lectures should be delivered at the scheduled time. They should also be recorded so that students who are unable to attend have the opportunity to access all materials used. (link to quick tips on live lectures).
Educational Video and Audio Resources: In addition to video material that you may create using Panopto, please consider materials from external sources. Box of Broadcasts offers a wide selection of educational materials.

Online Submission Policy: this must be followed to allow students to submit appropriate assignments through canvas. Online marking should use the Canvas based feedback tools such as Speedgrader. E-Submission policy can be viewed from the policy centre, under the Academic-Teaching and Learning Policy Section.
Example Assessment Submissions: Canvas courses should contain graded examples of summative assessment tasks and/or examination
model answers to aid students’ understanding of the anticipated level of the work required and help them avoid making common mistakes.
Please make a Canvas Assignment for each of the module’s assessments (including referrals) on your Canvas course with the correct title, details of the assessment in the description area for that Canvas assignment, and deadline date in that assignment’s deadline date setting. Here is a guide to create assignments.
Turnitin: Turnitin should only be used for plagiarism detection and assessments created using Canvas and the Turnitin framework. Turnitin should not be used as a submission, marking, or feedback tool. Turnitin policy can be viewed from the policy centre, under the Link to the Turnitin policy Academic-Teaching and Learning Policy Section.

Provide clear instruction on what is being assessed and how to complete the task
Are accurately scheduled
Are correctly set up for submission