Online teaching is challenging, rewarding, and very unlike teaching in the classroom. Imagine teaching your classroom course, and your students are in the next room. How can you answer their questions? How can you observe their engagement with the course materials? On this page, you will find resources to assist you as you create your online course.
Asynchronous Online Course Development
In the online classroom, your role becomes more of a facilitator and guide. Lectures are different in that they may be lectures you record, text-based, slide decks, or other resources. Students engage with the course materials asynchronously when convenient for them but are guided by a well-structured and detailed course schedule.
This page contains a variety of resources to help you in developing, updating, or revising your asynchronous online course. Many of the resources will also be relevant to other course modalities such as hybrid, synchronous online, and hyflex.
Online Learning Compliance and Basic Expectations
Recently, members of the Distance Learning team in Extended Learning created a guide to assist faculty when developing, updating, or revising an asynchronous online course. The provost and college deans reviewed this document and it has been distributed on campus.
Online Learning Compliance and Basic Expectations at SUNY Oswego
Regular and Substantive Interaction
In September 2020, the U.S. Department of Education issued Final Rules on Distance Education and Innovation which took effect July 1, 2021. The new regulations updated and better defined the differences between distance education and correspondence courses. As part of this regulation, the U.S. Department of Education requires that all online courses in which students use Title IV funds (federal financial aid) include regular and substantive interaction (RSI) between students and instructors. RSI is a key element in distinguishing distance education from correspondence education.
Below are links to several documents that provide more information and guidance for regular and substantive interaction.
Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI): An Overview explains the three characteristics of RSI.
Recommendations for Promoting Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI) provides ideas and suggestions for incorporating RSI into your asynchronous online courses.
Oswego's OSCQR for Online Course Review
OSCQR, the Open SUNY Course Quality Rubric, was developed through the collaboration of campuses in the SUNY system. The Instructional Design team at SUNY Oswego has adapted two customized versions of the rubric. One that is used by the team for full course reviews for asynchronous online, hybrid, hyflex, and synchronous online courses. A second, shorter version to assist faculty in determining if their asynchronous online, hybrid, hyflex, or synchronous online course aligns with best practices. Faculty teaching in any modality may find this rubric helpful.