The Teaching Commons provides a wide range of support to help members of the York community with applying evidence-based pedagogy and leading practices to design and build effective learning environments that promote student learning. Our dedicated team of educational developers and instructional designer support our colleagues’ efforts in
- Designing fully online/blended courses
- Designing learning objects
- Identifying and adopting York-supported technical tools for instructional purposes
- Building learning objects on the eClass platform
- Designing mechanism to collect student feedback for further improvement
Enhance your expertise in the pedagogy of online teaching and learning with this certificate, delivered wholly online. By completing five of the ten courses below in any order within a four year period and an additional summative project (see below), you will earn a Certificate of Proficiency in Teaching for eLearning from the Teaching Commons at York University. All courses are delivered entirely online and are highly participatory, with active facilitation by Teaching Commons staff. On average, each course requires roughly 6-8 hours of time - for more information, see the details for each course.
By the end of this certificate, you will be able to:
- Feel comfortable using York University’s learning management system, eClass, and preferred videoconferencing technology, Zoom.
- Design and facilitate effective online discussion forums.
- Create and share course content online.
- Develop online assignments that engage students in deep learning.
- Assess learning online in a variety of ways.
- Apply pedagogical principles to the practice of teaching online.
- Create and apply context-specific strategies to enhance student engagement and motivation.
- Integrate principles of accessibility and equity in online courses.
These courses can be taken in any order, and can also be taken as stand-alone offerings. Note that all courses are offered every 2 years, so if a course you are interested in is not currently available, you can expect it to run the subsequent year.
Summative Project:
In addition to completing 5 online courses, to earn the certificate participants must also create and share an overview of their online course with the Teaching Commons community (through a course syllabus, a short 10-15 min video tour, a blog post, or other means). Want to see what York U faculty have been doing in their online courses? Check out the database of summative projects by self-enrolling in this eClass.
To receive the certificate:
Simply register for and participate actively in each of the courses above, keeping a record of the dates for each course. When you have completed all five courses, please fill out this form and we will be in touch to discuss completion of the final summative project.
For questions about the certificate, contact Robin Sutherland-Harris, Educational Developer, at robinsh@yorku.ca
eLearning Certificate Courses:
Courses that can count towards this certificate are listed below with links to registration or information about future course dates. You can also access upcoming certificate courses through our web calendar.
Access and Equity in Online Teaching
As educators, ensuring that we create and support learning environments that are both accessible and equitable is crucial. However, access and equity in eLearning environments can present a unique set of challenges, whether we are creating and sharing course content digitally, engaging students in "hot topics" through discussion forums, or deciding how best to administer high stakes online assessments. In this fully online course, participants will learn by doing through ongoing participation in weekly learning activities. Together we will test out strategies for using online technology to enhance access and support equity, explore relevant principles and frameworks to inform our online teaching, and troubleshoot common challenges.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to enhance the accessibility and equity of their online courses in a variety of pedagogically informed ways by:
- Effectively selecting and integrating digital strategies to support student access and equity online
- Creating course components that actively speak to and support access and equity in the online learning environment
- Facilitating online learning activities that embrace key principles of access and equity
- Recognizing the strengths and challenges of various approaches to online assessment when viewed from a perspective of access and equity
This course is typically offered in the Fall semester
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
Engagement Strategies for Teaching Remotely
Student engagement is a common goal whether you are teaching in a classroom, or online. There are, however, added complexities to engaging students in the remote and online environment. In this course, we will explore the challenges and barriers to engaging students remotely. You will be introduced to the TEC-VARIETY framework, which offers evidenced-based solutions. You will explore this framework on your own, and collaboratively with a small group of your peers, to discover how you can add some TEC-VARIETY to your online or remote course(s) to make them engaging, and to motivate your learners.
By the end of this course, participants will have:
- Identified challenges for engaging students in a remote environment
- Used the TEC-VARIETY framework to categorize a chosen challenge and describe a strategy that can be used to address this challenge
- Discussed various challenges and solutions with peers to build a repository of ideas for engaging students in a remote environment
This course is typically offered in the Fall semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
Reboot Your Final: Alternative Approaches to Online Tests and Exams
Looking to rethink your tests and exams for the online environment? Interested in exploring alternative assessments that might replace a traditional final? Join us for a fully online course in the practical pedagogy of alternative assessment strategies for eLearning. Participants will learn by doing as they workshop their own current assessment plans in light of best practices for online and remote teaching. This course is actively facilitated by a Teaching Commons instructor, and participants will be able to ask questions and access further support and resources by email, in online office hours, or through the course eClass site at any point.
By the end of this course, participants will have:
- (Re)aligned course goals and learning outcomes with summative and formative assessments
- Explored a range of online assessment strategies
- Applied pedagogical best practices to the (re)design of online assessments
- Practiced building online assessment tools using eClass
This course is typically offered in the Fall semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
The Art of Online Conversation: Designing, Facilitating, and Teaching with Online Discussion Forums
Whether we teach in a traditional face-to-face classroom, a blended environment, or a fully online course, many of us make use of online forums to enhance student learning. Achieving an engaging online discussion, however, is easier said than done! In this fully online course, participants will learn by doing through ongoing participation in weekly discussion forums. We will explore strategies for creating effective prompts, apply best practices for facilitating vibrant and enriching online conversations of all types, and troubleshoot common challenges. We will explore how one’s approach to online discussion changes over the span of a semester- or year-long course, and integrate scholarship on eLearning into our understanding of effective online conversations.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to design and facilitate effective, pedagogically informed online discussion forums by:
- Integrating forums meaningfully into online assessment strategies and/or learning activities
- Applying strategies to support community building and/or communication
- Encouraging deeper learning through instructor participation in online forums
- Creating opportunities for students to practice self-directed learning through discussion forums
This course is typically offered in the Winter semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
Assessing Learning Online: Grading, Evaluation, and Feedback
Research suggests that frequent feedback on learning progress is key to student success in online learning. However, assessing student learning remotely can also be challenging, whether you are looking to give weekly graded feedback or are grappling with how best to ensure academic integrity for a final exam. In this fully online course, participants will learn by doing through ongoing participation in weekly learning activities. Together we will test out strategies for maximizing feedback to students while keeping the workload manageable, explore principles and tools to streamline grading, apply best practices for designing online assessments, and troubleshoot common challenges.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to effectively assess learning online in a variety of pedagogically informed ways by:
- Effectively selecting and integrating eClass assessment tools to ensure regular updates on student learning and to balance instructor workload
- Creating opportunities both for providing students with effective feedback and for receiving feedback that will help enhance online teaching and learning
- Selecting, designing, and using rubrics effectively and appropriately for the online context
- Recognizing when and why to make use of self and/or peer assessment
This course is typically offered in the Winter semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
Creative Course Content: Instructional Strategies for Online Learning
Communicating course content to students is one of the biggest differences between teaching online and in a face-to-face classroom. While the lecture is a mainstay of the traditional classroom, the online environment presents several challenges to this approach, ranging from the technical (inconsistent internet access for students) to the cognitive (student attention dropping during a standard lecture). In this fully online course, participants will learn by doing through ongoing participation in weekly learning activities. Together we will model alternatives to the “standard” lecture, practice creative and efficient ways to convey content to students, apply best practices for designing online instruction of all types, and troubleshoot common challenges.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to effectively create and share course content online by:
- Distinguishing between essential core content and supplementary “nice-to-have” content
- Identifying a range of alternatives to the traditional face-to-face lecture
- Recognizing the advantages and disadvantages of synchronous vs asynchronous approaches, and when to use each
- Taking into account accessibility, privacy, copyright, and intellectual property considerations when creating and sharing course content online
This course is typically offered in the Winter semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
Caring to Teach: Supporting Student Transitions between Teaching and Learning Environments
This course will focus on helping students make a successful transition between online and face-to-face teaching and learning environments by focusing on caring teaching practices. It will begin by introducing the concept of a Pedagogy of Care in relation to both students and instructors. We will consider challenges and strategies to help make the transition between teaching and learning environments as smooth as possible, while also focusing on the well-being of instructional staff and students. Using this framework of care, the course will also invite participants to reflect on their teaching practices and consider the ways in which these practices might lead to a more flexible course in the future. In this fully online course, participants will learn by doing through ongoing participation in weekly learning activities.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to effectively support students in adapting to new teaching and learning environments by:
- Critically evaluating a Pedagogy of Care to meaningfully support the well-being of both students and instructors in their own teaching context
- Proactively and reflectively planning for flexibility across teaching and learning environments
This course is typically offered in the Spring/Summer semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
Online Assignments: Deep Learning through Engaging Assignments
While some assignments adapt relatively easily to the online environment, others present more challenges, ranging from the technical (managing group presentations online) to the pedagogical (ensuring students get timely and effective support). Rethinking assignments for online learning is a great opportunity to experiment with new approaches, streamline and polish assignment design, and consider how to use assignments to nudge student learning to the next level. In this fully online course, participants will learn by doing through ongoing participation in weekly mini-assignments. Together we will practice creative and efficient approaches to assignment design, apply best practices and pedagogical theory, and troubleshoot common challenges.
By the end of this course, participants will be able to effectively develop online assignments that engage students in deep learning by:
- Applying knowledge about engaging and motivating online learners to the design of course assignments
- Selecting an appropriate approach to course assignments from a range of options
- Creating opportunities to leverage peer-based learning through effective online group work
- Ensuring that assignments are both authentic & relevant assignments for students as well as for the course
This course is typically offered in the Spring/Summer semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: TBD
eLearning Foundations: Designing your Blueprint
In search of some hands-on time for taking the next step with the online elements of your teaching? This comprehensive online course invites you to roll up your sleeves and dive deep into the architecture of effective eLearning. Together we'll lay the foundation, frame the structure, and detail the design of your own eLearning blueprint, covering core principles and best practices for supporting learning online. Participants will learn by doing as they apply course learning to their own course(s) and teaching contexts. Whether you are updating or revamping an existing online course, moving a face-to-face course online for the first time, or experimenting with blended or hy-flex learning, this course is your scaffold to constructing a resilient and pedagogically sound learning environment on eClass and beyond, tailored to your unique educational landscape. This course is actively facilitated by a Teaching Commons instructor, and participants will have the opportunity to raise questions, seek personalized support, and access a wealth of resources via email, online office hours, or the course's eClass platform, ensuring your blueprint evolves from concept to concrete reality.
By the end of this course, participants will have:
• Made significant and meaningful changes to an existing course for enhanced online learning
• Explored a range of online learning activities from the student and instructor perspectives
• Applied pedagogical best practices to the design of online learning
• Practiced building online learning environments using eClass
This course is typically offered in the Spring/Summer semester.
Upcoming Course Dates: Dates TBD
AI and Education: A Hands-On Workshop for Course Transformation
Looking to get some hands-on time as you respond to ChatGPT and other generative AI tools in your teaching? Join us for a fully online course in the practical pedagogy of technology-enhanced teaching in the age of artificial intelligence. We will explore a range of topics and resources to determine what this new technology will mean for your course policies, your assessments, and your teaching strategies. Participants will learn by doing as they apply course learning to make changes to their own course(s) – whether you are new to generative AI or already using it in your classroom, this course will support you in developing a robust and pedagogically informed approach to its many facets and implications.
This course is offered both as a 10-day intensive or at a more relaxed pace over the course of 5 weeks. Participants can expect to spend a total of approximately 4-8 hours engaging with course content and activities in total. The course is designed asynchronously, meaning that while there are internal deadlines, participants can complete each module's tasks at any time that is convenient to them. This course is open to all course directors at York and no previous experience with generative AI is required.
By the end of this course, participants will have:
• Made significant and meaningful changes to an existing course for enhanced learning in the age of artificial intelligence
• Explored multiple aspects of course delivery and design that may be influenced by ChatGPT and similar technologies
• Given and received feedback on concrete strategies for responding to generative AI in postsecondary education
Note: Participants are welcome to re-take the course if so desired, but should be aware that some course structure and content will be familiar to them. Resources and course materials will be updated to reflect changes in the rapidly moving generative AI landscape.
Upcoming Course Dates: Fall 2025 TBD
BOLD (Blended and Online Learning Development) Open Session
The BOLD Institute OPEN Session is virtually identical to Teaching Commons' regular eight-week, fully online BOLD Institute (Blended and Online Learning Development) course, but it has been modified for autonomous study and/or review purposes. It offers an opportunity to gain theoretical understanding, practical examples, and a whole host of highly useful resources for the pedagogy, planning, and hands-on production involved in designing, creating, and assessing eLearning activities in fully online or blended courses. BOLD OPEN is freely available to everybody, and contains the exact same content as the regular sessions, but without assignments, synchronous meetings, instructor assistance, or other obligations. All members of the York University community are welcome to check it out; access is granted automatically based on self-registration (followed by agreeing to a consent agreement).
Self-enroll in the eClass course
Teaching Commons Webinar Recordings
As part of the Teaching Commons' support for remote teaching, we offered a series of webinars where York faculty members with experience in online teaching and learning shared their expertise with the community. The menu below collects the recordings of these sessions. In order to view the webinar recordings, you may need to sign in to Zoom (https://yorku.zoom.us) using SSO with domain yorku and then your Passport York username and password. If you have any difficulty accessing the recordings, please contact teaching@yorku.ca