Select a Plan, Build, or Teach guide below to explore field guide recommendations, resources, and reflection questions.
Start with the end in mind. Define meaningful learning outcomes and design a course experience that helps students achieve them.
Explore the Plan: Field Guide
Turn your course design into engaging online learning. Use content, activities, and media to focus attention on what matters most.
Open the Build: Field Guide
Create a supportive and engaging learning community. Use communication, feedback, and presence to guide learning.
Review the Teach: Field Guide
Choose your Path
Choose Your Path
Explore the Effective Instruction Field Guides through on-demand quick guides or a self-directed ICON course.
- Review the Plan, Build, and Teach guides on this site for concise, evidence-based recommendations and just-in-time support. Find reflection questions to spark new ideas!
- Enroll in the professional development course on ICON for a more structured learning experience. Leave with a toolkit of polished, ready-to-use resources!
Sign Up! Effective Instruction Course
Build foundational knowledge of effective online teaching through evidence-based resources, reflection activities, and practical application. Progress at your own pace while developing strategies you can immediately apply to your online courses.
- Guided learning - Use Plan | Build | Teach inventory reports to identify the most relevant course concepts and activities.
- AI-powered coaching - University-licensed Copilot Agents trained on course design frameworks offer secure, immediate guidance.
- Expert Feedback - Submit course design artifacts for individual review and actionable feedback.