Whether you are a seasoned online instructor or a first-time digital professor, the SPS Preparation for Teaching Online (PTO) is designed as an opportunity for new faculty to explore with colleagues the pedagogical theories and technological skills essential to effective teaching at the School of Professional Studies. Designed to model best practices of course design and instruction in the asynchronous online modality as practiced at SPS, the PTO provides a practical common ground for all SPS faculty.

About the Workshop

The PTO is an 18-day, facilitated Blackboard workshop that covers best practices of online teaching while providing the experience of being a student in the asynchronous online modality—the experience of most SPS students. Topics include course design, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), communication and engagement, assessments and assignments, and significant learning—the type of learning that elicits meaningful and long-lasting change within your students. 

Throughout the workshop, you’ll be engaged in digital conversation, critique, and collaboration with colleagues while you process the course materials and apply in a lab setting the pedagogy we explore. While our focus is on the theory behind the choices you’ll make in these labs, you’ll also have access to step-by-step support to ensure that you are comfortable with a range of features in Blackboard and other digital tools that you’ll rely on throughout your time at SPS. This lab work can also be directly utilized in upcoming courses, saving you time in the long run.

The PTO is a key element in the range of supportive services for faculty at SPS, from our instructional design and multimedia services to our faculty peer mentoring program and faculty newsletters. These continued supports will not only help you sustain the quality of your instruction semester by semester, but they will ensure that you continue to grow along with your peers, providing our students consistency as they progress through their programs.

Sample Schedule

Every session, we update our PTO workshop based on previous participant feedback and emerging research, so no two workshops are identical. However, the schedule below can give you some sense of the investigations, assignments, and pacing you’ll experience during the course.

Module	Assignments
Start Here Days 1-2	Review syllabus and workshop information in Start Here section Introduce yourself in the VoiceThread in Start Here Mobile: Install the Blackboard app
Module I Understanding the Online Learning Environment Days 3-5	Review module materials Participate in Module I discussion Lab Assignment 1: Contact Card Sign up for the Group Activity Video Project: draft script and choose images for your video introduction in storyboard format (Due in Module II)
Module II Structuring the Online Learning Experience Days 6-8	Review module materials Participate in Module II discussion Lab Assignment 2: Announcement Video Project: Submit storyboard assignment Mobile: View the course content areas in the Blackboard app
Module III Communicating and Engaging Online Days 9-11	Review module materials Group Activity Lab Assignment 3: Create a graded discussion forum Video Project: Screencast-O-Matic video training Mobile: View communication tools in the Blackboard app
Module IV Effective Assessments and Assignments Days 12-15	Review module materials Participate in Module IV discussion Lab Assignment 4: Create and grade an assessment Video Project: Tech check Mobile: View assignments, the Tech Check survey, grades, and feedback in the Blackboard app
Module V Reinforcing Learning Days 16-17	Review module materials Video Project: Record and edit your introduction video, upload to Ensemble, and post in the Video Project discussion forum. Mobile: Ensure you have posted at least once in the Mobile Alert! discussion forum.
Wrap Up Day 18	Review wrap-up materials Reflection: Post a reflection on our blog Comment on at least one colleague’s reflection post Leave feedback for colleagues on their Intro Videos in the discussion forum (optional) Complete the workshop evaluation form—we appreciate your feedback!