Teaching with FIU Online

FIU Online collaborates with many of the University's Colleges to offer distance learning courses. Each College coordinates and selects qualified motivated faculty. An FIU Online Instructional Designer is appointed to each faculty member to collaborate in the design and development of distance learning courses which are hosted on FIU Online's learning management system.

If your Department Chair has selected you to teach a distance learning course with FIU Online, you will be contacted by one of our Program Managers who will assign you to an Instructional Designer. As part of this communication, you will receive a biography detailing the experience and expertise possessed by your Instructional Designer. Your Instructional Designer will follow up with you thereafter to set up an initial design and development meeting. We suggest signing up for Faculty hands on trainings that FIU Online is continuously offering. To learn more about these trainings and register please click here.

Definition of a Distance Learning/Online Course
A course is considered online when at least 80% of the class meetings that would be held for a standard classroom course are replaced by online activities. The remaining 20% of class meetings may be held on campus at the faculty's discretion. The attendances for these on campus meetings are not required therefore; accommodations must be made for students who are unable to attend such meetings. Please click here for more information.

What is an Instructional Designer?
Instructional Designers assist faculty members in the design and development of online courses. They work directly with faculty members to create/enhance courses. They manage course projects from inception to completion. Instructional Designers aim to make instructional materials more engaging, effective and efficient for learning.

Instructional Designer Expectations

• Help faculty transition from traditional to technology enabled courses.

• Research emerging technologies to provide enhancements to web-based courses.

• Investigate cases of academic misconduct as per faculty's request.

• Provide suggestions for appropriate learning strategies.

• Provide support to faculty for course related questions and issues.

• Suggest strategies to engage students in interactive discussion.

• Suggest ways and means of building integrity into the course during development.

• Provide guidance of instructional design and the University's best practices.

• Convert course materials into a standard web-based format to enhance accessibility.

• Be available for a face to face meeting as time and workload permit.

Faculty Expectations

• Establish guideline as to how the course will be administered which include, but not limited to, communication, assessments/assignments and grading.

• Meet with the ID during off peak season to revise or enhance your courses.

• Faculty members are responsible for any course related questions pertaining to the subject being taught.

• Notify your Instructional Designer immediately of any technical problem within the course.

• Faculty must respond to student's concerns in the discussion forum or course mail.

• Meet with your Instructional Designer to discuss your goals and objectives for your fully online course(s).

• Attend FIU Online's Blackboard and QM workshops.

• Faculties are solely responsible for evaluating student's performance and as such they are ultimately responsible for the outcome and reporting of the student's grades.

Disclaimers

• To ensure that courses will be ready on time, it is important that Faculty members send course materials by the designated deadline. Any material received past the deadline will be available as work load and time permit. For example, syllabus received a week before classes start may not be available for the first day of class.

• During the first 2 weeks of the semester course development requests may take longer than usual to be completed.

• In compliance with FIU's integrity policies, the Instructional Designer does not input or adjust grades.

• In case of an emergency or a student problem, faculty members should contact our Support Services.