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DOTS II Overview

DePaul Online Teaching Series II (DOTS II) is a sister program to DOTS.  It focuses on the delivery of the online course, not the design.  Faculty will learn and apply pedagogical strategies of effective online teaching. Topics may include moderation of online discussion, appropriate ways to give students feedback, synchronous technologies, web 2.0 tools and time management strategies, among others.

DOTS II is offered 100% online.  Participants will experience being an online student, which will allow them to experience group activities, online discussion, and online learning activities from a student perspective. Additionally, participants will have the opportunity to interact with peers who have a shared commitment to online learning and enable them to develop a sustainable network of online-ready instructors.

DOTS II is intended for faculty who:

• are teaching online for the first time or are interested in expanding and improving their online teaching skills
• are either full-time or adjunct
• are teaching a course they designed or was designed by a colleague

DOTS II is comprised of two tracks: Building Community and Making the Most of Synchronous Tools (Wimba).  Based on their needs, faculty may choose to participate in one or both programs.

DOTS II: Building Community

>> Register for DOTS II: Building Community

This short course is designed to provide you, the online instructor, with some basic tips and best practices for teaching online.  Each module has a short practical assignment that will allow you to develop your online teaching tool kit. This course is designed for any faculty member who is new to teaching online.

There are four modules to this course. Each module is arranged into sections which provide you information about what to do, how to do it, why to do it, and a chance to practice. The practical exercises are designed to allow you to prepare elements for your upcoming class including a welcome letter, introductions conference, discussion facilitation plan, and an assessment/feedback rubric.

Note that there are no face to face meetings for this course and that the course runs approximately 2 weeks. You must have consistent access to the Internet during the duration of the course and be willing/able to log in and participate on a daily basis and commit a total of about 14hrs.

DOTS II: Making the Most of Synchronous Tools (Wimba)

>> Register for DOTS II: Making the Most of Synchronous Tools (Wimba)

This online-delivered course is designed to guide the online instructor through the process of minimizing technical distractions and maximizing student engagement during synchronous class sessions using Wimba.   Having all students present at the same time – even if present in a virtual space – is a uniquely challenging opportunity for learning.  How can instructors make the most of this student presence?  This online-delivered series lasts one week and includes some reading and asynchronous discussion along with three synchronous meetings.  This workshop is designed for full- or part-time faculty interested in using Wimba for their online or hybrid courses.  Topics include student preparation, web cam use, application sharing, creating polls, encouraging discussion, breakout rooms, and providing presenter status to students and guest speakers; skills practice is built into the course.

Note that there are no face to face meetings for this course and that the course runs approximately 1 week. You must have consistent access to the Internet during the duration of the course and be willing/able to log in and participate on a daily basis and commit a total of about 14hrs with 5 hours of that time in three Wimba sessions. 

This program is coordinated by Instructional Design and Development (IDD) with funding from the office of the AVP of Academic Technology and Distance Learning.