The Center for Online Learning & Innovation offers a five-week mini-course for Canisius College faculty, that prepares professors to teach online and hybrid courses. This course provides many practical tips for teaching online, but more importantly, helps faculty explore new pedagogies for active learning, social presence, and community building in courses on the internet. The core of COLI's approach to online teaching and learning is that the professor is the single most important element in successful student learning, and the OFDC helps professors achieve a strong teaching presence within their online and hybrid courses. The OFDC also simulates a quality online course, so participating faculty get a sense of what it's like to be an online student.
All Canisius College faculty are eligible to participate in the OFDC. Whether you plan to teach an online or hybrid course in the future, aren’t yet sure you’ll teach online, or would just like to know more about online courses and coursework, this is an excellent opportunity. Check the COLI website, at canisius.edu/coli, to see when the next OFDC is happening. Then enroll by contacting coli@canisius.edu.
COLI strongly urges all faculty who plan to teach online or hybrid courses to complete the OFDC, where participants are members of an active learning community. However, the COLI Guide to Teaching Online, that serves as the OFDC course "text," is available separately.
