UMB Goes Online and Crushes It–teachonline.umb.edu

Over the past several years, online courses and degree
programs have been achieving more and more popularity. Today, most institutions offer programs in both online
and on-campus modalities, UMass Boston included. The university
began offering online courses in the mid-2000s, and in 2018, hired
Mya Mangawang as Vice Provost for Strategic Initiatives, to aid
in the growth of the university’s online programs and tap into the
global marketplace.

Initially, Mangawang worked with the Web Services team to build the student facing “Online” website (online.umb.edu). The site brought together all online programs and courses under one umbrella. This website made it easier for students to enroll in online courses, however, to grow the number of programs, it proved necessary to develop a robust training program for faculty to teach online. As the training program developed, it was decided that a site dedicated to teaching online should be built; and thus, teachonline.umb.edu was born.

For faculty, teaching a fully online course can present a unique set of
challenges. With teachonline.umb.edu, UMass Boston’s best practices for teaching online are all located in one place. The site provides faculty with online course design
guidance, all while providing the university with a way to promote the adoption of teaching an online course to faculty members.

“I think the site is a way for us to broadcast our message about best practices, course design, engagement, assessment, and accessibility, all in one easy-to-use site”

Rrezarta Hyseni, Senior Instructional Designer and eLearning

“In designing the site architecture, we had to decide what would best serve the needs of the end users, in this case the faculty, in regard to how they research, how they learn, and how they’re going to be able to better teach their students,” said Lisa Berelson, Senior Web Designer and Developer and a leader on this project. In addition to aiding faculty in online course design, the site also makes information regarding teaching a fully online course available to everyone in the UMass Boston community. So, those who are curious about teaching a fully online course can always visit the site. The site also reinforces the university’s high standards for teaching online courses at UMass Boston.

In working on this project, Berelson consulted with other members of the Web Services team, including Director of ITWeb Services Jim Wyse, and team members Kevin Gerich and Peter Tattlebaum. On the other side ofthis project is the content; enter the eLearning and instructional design team, specifically Rrezarta Hyseni, Senior Instructional Designer and eLearning representative on the project. Apurva Mehta, Associate CIO, provided feedback and oversaw the project.“

I would say just the number ofpeople involved in bringing this project to fruition has been one of the highlights,” said Mehta. “Lisa and the Web Team, Rrezarta and the eLearning team, and the Provost Office all came together.” The site is mobile-friendly, responsive, and accessible to those who have visual or hearing impairments. At the time of writing, it is set to be live and ready for use at the beginning ofthe Fall 2021 semester.“

I think the site is a way for us to broadcast our message about best practices, course design, engagement, assessment, and accessibility, all in one easy-to-use site,” said Hyseni.