INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN IS A DISCIPLINE

Our UM Instructional Designers partner with subject matter experts, such as faculty members, to design the best teaching strategies to achieve your courses target outcomes. 

Need a thought partner or assistance with your courses? 

Contact your designated Instructional Designer for a consultation, partake in ID office hours, or even self-enroll in some of our self-paced courses designed just for faculty members. Our Instructional Designers can even create a customize workshop for you and your colleagues.

Take a look at our upcoming trainings on GrizHub!

Instructional Designer Office Hours

UMOnline Instructional Designers have office hours sign-ups for one-on-one assistance via Zoom. Instructional designers can also be contacted by emailing the UMOnline ID Team. 

Online Tutorials and Support for Faculty

UMOnline Moodle Basics for Faculty

Self-enroll in this 10-module online tutorial, designed for Faculty to learn the basics and some advanced features of Moodle, University of Montana's Learning Management System (LMS). This course also includes a module on the basics of using Zoom, a web conferencing program for virtual class meetings and recordings. Faculty can view the modules in any order.

All courses will automatically have a Moodle shell created, eliminating the need for faculty to request shells (supplements). To access Moodle, log in using a Net ID and find courses listed along the left under My Courses.

By default, Moodle shells are not visible to students in the course until the instructor makes it visible. Once the course shell is ready for student viewing, faculty need to select the Administration menu (gear icon in the upper right corner), choose Edit Settings, change the Visibility setting to “Show” and save the changes. For questions about accessing Moodle shells, please complete the Moodle Help Request form, or contact the IT Help Desk at (406) 243-HELP (4357).

UMOnline Course Development Tutorial

The UMOnline Course Development Tutorial guides instructors through the online and distance course development process including; quality standards, accessible content, organization and layout, video production, active student engagement tools and grade management.

Instructors can use these strategies and resources to build robust Moodle shell supplements. Moodle Basics for Faculty and Engaging Teaching Practices online tutorials complement the content in the Course Development Tutorial.

UMOnline Engaging Teaching Practices

The Engaging Teaching Practices self-enrollable, online tutorial provides an introduction to research on how students learn, features clear guidelines for making your courses accessible to all students, and demonstrates practical strategies for engaging students. Faculty can read any of the topics they choose and complete the entire course for a certificate of completion.

Additional Faculty Development Support

• Faculty discussion groups: on moving large courses online and teaching hybrid or hyflex courses.
• Videos from UM faculty: such as how to approach key elements of hybrid and hyflex teaching (backward design, active learning assignments online, formative assessments, hybrid/hyflex teaching, creating community online and using learning assistants in remote instruction.
• Online Instruction Webinars from Acue: Join experts in online teaching and learning for virtual discussion on best practices to ensure quality online instruction. 

Open Education Resources (OER)

It's always a good time to look into Open Education Resources (OER) for your courses. OER eliminates copyright issues related to course materials used for remote instruction and provides students with access to course materials at no cost.

Check out the Mansfield Library Guide to OER for more information about OER, OER repositories and resources including free OER webinars.

Want a Customized Workshop?

If your department or a small group of colleagues would like a customized workshop on a specific topic, please contact the UMOnline Instructional Design and Development team and we will be happy to work with you to provide a workshop that meets your needs.

Workshops on Moodle Basics and Moodle Gradebook are scheduled throughout the semester. Additional special topics or customized workshops can be offered by request.

Please contact Nancy Clouse to set up a meeting. Please allow for a two-week lead time for requests.