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.

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.