FUNDAMENTALS of Online language teaching

Next offering: TBD

Fundamentals of Online Language Teaching is a fully online course designed for experienced classroom instructors who want to master online pedagogy and boost their ability to deliver quality instruction in an online setting. While each participant will bring his/her own pedagogical background, the course presupposes a task-based, proficiency-oriented view of language instruction. Course participants will gain an understanding of key criteria and conceptual frameworks used to describe online pedagogy, and will develop expertise in the areas of course quality and design, accessibility, and media. 

The online nature of the course exposes participants to all of the affordances and constraints of an online environment for language teaching and learning, allowing them to experience a student’s perspective firsthand. This includes engaging in a variety of tasks and discussions, which are meant to be a non-comprehensive sampling of the possibilities of online learning. Participants will receive feedback from the instructor and, by the end of the course, will have developed a principled plan for developing an online course at their own institution. For more information, see the course outline below. 

Course Details

  • Length: 6 weeks
  • Weekly expected workload: 6-8 hours (asynchronous)
  • Small, seminar-style cohort-focused curriculum similar to what you’d find in a graduate course, with extensive and personalized instructor feedback and interaction
  • Learning Platform: D2L (MSU’s Learning Management System)
  • No required materials other than those provided within the learning platform
  • Technology Requirements: computer with stable internet connection; webcam and microphone; mobile device (recommended)
  • Not for credit; a certificate will be provided to participants upon successful completion of the course. 
  • Please note: we reserve the right to cancel or postpone a course session if the minimum enrollment number is not met.

Course outline

  • Week 1: Getting Started: Instructor Readiness
  • Week 2: Course Design Basics + Presence and Communication
  • Week 3: Quality, Accessibility, and Media
  • Week 4: Language Learning Tasks
  • Week 5: Learning Environment Design + Workload Management
  • Week 6: Preparing a Course Snapshot

Application Requirements

While the course is designed for higher education professionals, language educators from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Because space is very limited, participants will be selected on a first come, first served basis. Previous online teaching experience is not required, although everyday fluency in the use of web tools (email, collaborative tools, content sharing, etc.) as well as a basic ability to use a Learning Management System (e.g., Canvas, Moodle, Blackboard, etc.) is presupposed.