Design for Learning Institute

JMU faculty are invited to join a learning community of JMU experts, peers, and mentors as you develop or redesign a course. You’ll gain practical teaching tips and assessment strategies for a digital learning environment as you progress through this Canvas-based institute at your own pace, with instructional designers ready to meet with you for customized support. This asynchronous Design for Learning Institute evolved from the Institute for Online & Hybrid Learning.

Completion time: The average completion time is approximately 6 hours, not including course content creation.

New for fall 2024: This year, we’re offering two new sections in this institute:

Reflective learning with GoReact

Teaching & learning with Artificial Intelligence (AI)

To join this Institute, enroll yourself at any time! (Log in with your JMU credentials then select “Enroll in Course.”)

Benefits

This self-paced institute is ideal for instructors who want to:

Build a well-organized course with clear directions, scheduling, and navigation
Use videos and other media effectively, both inside and outside of class
Create clearly articulated assignments (with accompanying rubrics)
Enhance student engagement in large enrollment classes using group activities
Pursue technology solutions to streamline grading
Facilitate asynchronous and synchronous peer interaction

What faculty are saying:

“The institute took me from basic, surface knowledge to a place where I am creating and delivering high quality content in an efficient and organized way. In a world where resource lists hit our inboxes every day, I highly recommend the institute to get what you need in a tight, expertly curated course.” – Dr. Kristen Shrewsbury

What students are saying:

“This class by far has the most engagement out of all of my courses. I also feel the most connected to the other students and professor in this class because I communicate with them during class.” – McKenna Mitchell, senior

“Dr. Shrewsbury started the class with an introduction, setting clear and empathetic class expectations. It helped me and other students going into the class by alleviating anxiety and uncertainty surrounding school in general.” – Seri Bell Ha, senior

Objectives

After completing these asynchronous workshops, you will be able to:

Apply learning theories and instructional design principles to achieve student success in digital learning
Identify strategies and best practices that support interactivity and engagement in digital learning environments
Apply practical, research-based strategies for teaching and assessment in a digital learning environment