Professional Development

Improve your teaching practice

Find best practices in online teaching and learning and a wealth of resources to help you build engaging, inclusive learning environments. Sign up for a professional development workshop or browse through available content.

Online Course Elements

What makes a great online course? Orient students to the course material, expectations, and structure. Provide context for learning and intentionally cultivate an inclusive course community.

Review Key Course Elements

DOE Online Course Sample Site

What does an online course look like? How can you design a more effective online learning environment? This site is both a sample online course and a guide. Layered into the content of this course is additional research, tools, and information to help instructors make the most of the online learning environment.

Explore Sample Site

Online Course Models

Developed and shared by IOWA instructors, online course models demonstrate different ways to integrate effective instructional practices within an online course. Hear directly from your peers as they describe strategies they have applied and found successful within their teaching practice.

Explore Course Models

Effective Instruction Guide

Review our practical guide to help you planbuild, and teach a more effective, engaging online course. *Includes highlights from our 3-year research study of online students at Iowa.

View the Guide

AI and Education

Are you considering integrating ChatGPT or other AI tools within your curriculum?  Take a peek at this practical OER resource created for educators, by educators.
Note: Don't forget security considerations.

ChatGPT Assignments To Use In Your Classroom Today

Teaching Online Preparation Course

This self-enroll, self-paced introductory-level training course is a useful tool for new or experienced instructors and is available for you now in ICON. 

Enroll Now

Design4Online

Design4Online (D4O) is a comprehensive faculty development program.  Instructors work with peers to apply effective instructional strategies to the design of their online courses.

About Design 4 Online

Monthly newsletter: online teaching and learning

March 2024

Monday, March 4, 2024
Explore student-centered instructional strategies and discover best practices for integrating AR/VR content in your course.

February 2024

Friday, February 2, 2024
Explore AI-informed teaching strategies, multimodal course design, and inclusive assessment strategies that target grading for growth.

December 2023

Friday, December 8, 2023
Find strategies to encourage participation and maximize learner engagement. Look through the full list of resources and upcoming events.

Accessibility and Usability the Online Classroom

Monday, November 27, 2023
Free online Quality Matters course assists you in addressing key accessibility and usability concerns.

November 2023

Friday, November 3, 2023
Find strategies to promote student success through accessible course materials, universal design for learning, building inclusive learning environments, and more.

October 2023

Wednesday, October 4, 2023
Learn how to build engagement in synchronous class sessions through active learning, integrate AR and VR materials in your course, and address accessibility through good course design.

September 2023

Friday, August 25, 2023
Assessment strategies, building instructor presence, AI in the classroom, and best practices for visuals in course design. CHLOE 8 Report is now available.

August 2023

Tuesday, August 15, 2023
Engagement, inclusion, and learner support strategies in online teaching and learning. Synchronous teaching strategies workshop. Access the CHLOE 8 Report.

July 2023

Friday, June 23, 2023
Inclusive assessment strategies, accessibility, universal design for learning, and holistic self-care practices round out this month's professional development offerings.

May 2023

Wednesday, May 3, 2023
How will AI tools like ChatGPT and Bard impact digital, blended, and online education? Sign up for a panel discussion hosted by the Online Learning Consortium to hear more. Digital accessibility and synchronous online learning strategies round out this May's professional development offerings.

April 2023

Monday, April 3, 2023
Learn how to create and use rubrics to foster intentional feedback practices and evaluate learning in your courses in the Rubric Design for Effective Assessment workshop. Look through the full list of upcoming events this month.

March 2023

Tuesday, February 28, 2023
Create meaningful learning experiences in asynchronous, online learning environments using Fink's taxonomy of significant learning. Join the free webinar to learn more.

February 2023

Monday, January 30, 2023
Rethink asynchronous discussion activities to foster deep reflection, collaboration, and engagement. Sign up for a 2-part workshop series applying neuro, cognitive and learning sciences to a current or future course.

January 2023

Thursday, January 19, 2023
Get 2023 off to a good start with core professional development offerings of Online Teaching Essentials and Student Engagement.

December 2022

Monday, December 12, 2022
Catch up on 2022 Quality Matters and Online Learning Consortium content. Recorded content available to view now on-demand.

November 2022

Thursday, November 3, 2022
Sign up for a 7-day workshop to build your skills, or access recordings of past webinars on your schedule.

Sept 2022

Saturday, September 3, 2022
In September, register for early-bird access to the OLC Accelerate conference, access recordings of past webinars on your schedule, or sign up for fee-based workshop offerings.

Professional Video Lectures Make a Difference for Online Students

Monday, June 6, 2022
Kang Pyo Lee, Visiting Assistant Professor of Business Analytics in Tippie College of Business, used Distance and Online Education media studios to help build instructor presence in his online course.

Getting Started with Microcredentials

Tuesday, November 7, 2023
Understand the key considerations for designing and integrating microcredentials.

August 2022

Wednesday, August 3, 2022
In August, find digital resources, webinars and workshops aimed toward inclusive teaching practices. Looking for more online instructor PD? Access recordings of past webinars on your schedule, or sign up for fee-based workshop offerings.

June 2022 - Online Learning Consortium (OLC)

Monday, June 6, 2022
In June, sign up for a free webinar on Blended Learning. Looking for more online instructor PD? Access recordings of past webinars on your schedule, or sign up for fee-based workshop offerings.

May 2022 - Online Learning Consortium (OLC)

Friday, May 6, 2022
In May, sign up for a free webinar on designing neuroinclusive learning environments for Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD). Looking for more online instructor PD? Access recordings of past webinars on your schedule, including the OLC Digital Literacy series.

May 2022 - Quality Matters (QM)

Thursday, May 5, 2022
Register for a free webinar on course design considerations for inclusion and representation. Ready to add a Quality Matters (QM) Teaching Online Certificate to your CV? Sign up for fee-based workshops and certifications at a reduced cost.

April 2022 - Online Learning Consortium (OLC)

Tuesday, April 5, 2022
New for April is a free data analytics and adaptive learning workshop. Learn about OLC presenter services, and find more professional development events and resources from the Online learning Consortium (OLC).

March 2022 - Quality Matters (QM)

Tuesday, March 15, 2022
Quality Matters Teaching Online Certificate (TOC) is a 7-workshop series for effective online teaching. Attend a webinar on inclusive course design considerations to support all learners.

March 2022 - Online Learning Consortium (OLC)

Friday, March 4, 2022
March includes a new Online Essentials workshop and research on supporting adjunct faculty. Professional development events and resources from the Online learning Consortium (OLC).

Quick Start Guide

Access FREE and MEMEBER resources from Quality Matters (QM) and the Online Learning Consortium (OLC), provided through our institutional access. Get started now with the downloadable quick-start guide.

Quality Matters (QM) - create your free account

* Select University of Iowa Division of Continuing Education

Through our institutional membership, you gain access to many free live and on-demand resources, and discounted pricing on QM working sessions and conferences. *Check with your department for sponsorship of paid opportunities.

Create your QM account

Online Learning Consortium (OLC) - create your free account

Through our institutional membership, you gain access to many free live and on-demand resources, as well as discounted pricing on OLC working sessions and conferences. *Check with your department for sponsorship of paid opportunities.

Create your OLC account

Quality Online Instruction

Talk with us to learn more about how to integrate a new idea or approach to teaching and learning in your online classroom.