This course achieved the 1st Place SUNY Effective Online Practices Award at the 2024 SUNY Summit. The program collects, shares, and showcases the online best practices, strategies, and innovative online teaching and learning activities of exemplary SUNY online practitioners across the SUNY system.
Six-Week Training Course:
Optimizing Digital Learning Training Course
We are excited to announce the return of our award-winning “ODL” Optimizing Digital Learning training course, which will begin in early October. This comprehensive six-module course is designed for individuals approved to develop new online, hybrid, or hyflex courses, those interested in teaching in these modalities, and anyone looking to revise or refresh an existing course. You can also choose to attend individual sessions that interest you.
We highly encourage experienced faculty to participate and provide valuable feedback and mentorship to those new to these teaching modalities.
Each module includes a one-hour synchronous session and online activities to ensure you are well-prepared to develop and deliver high-quality courses that meet design and compliance standards. We utilize the SUNY Online OSCQR rubric as our benchmark. All sessions will be recorded and made available for later viewing.
This course follows the course development and design model through this faculty playbook, created and distributed by the Online Learning Consortium. The course is for faculty with all levels of experience. It will help you Design, Enhance, or Optimize any digital learning course, including Blended, Hybrid, Hyflex, or 100% Online.
Each live session is scheduled (TBA). The sessions will be recorded and shared.
- Mod 1: Getting Started: Design | Enhance | Optimize -10/20/25
(Mod 1 Recording/Mod 1 Slide Deck) - Mod 2: Universal Course Design | Designing for Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility -10/27/25
(Mod 2 Recording/Mod 2 Slide Deck) - Mod 3: Course Design: Instructional Design Principles and Strategies- 11/3/25
(Mod 3 Recording/Mod 3 Slide Deck) - Mod 4: Course Components: Digital Learning Tools, Course Materials, Library Services 11/17/25
(Mod 4 Recording/Mod 4 Slide Deck) - Mod 5: Interaction, Engagement, & Assessment- 11/24/25
(Mod 5 Recording/Mod 5 Slide Deck) - Mod 6: Humanizing your course| Establishing Teaching Presence| Course Management – 12/1/25
(Mod 6 Recording/Mod 6 Slide Deck)
Downloadable & Printable Version of Flyer
This online course is an introduction to the theory and best practices of online course development and delivery and will provide a thorough foundation of information and experiences to prepare you for any online instructional mode course design, development, and delivery.
Upon completion of this course, participants are able to identify the importance of learner-centered instruction, analyze the qualities of effective course design, and integrate these concepts into their teaching and/or instructional design strategies.
To Access the Course: Login into Brightspace and go into Online Teaching Academy Course and open the : Optimizing Digital Learning Module. This module contains the contents for completing the ODL course.
