Welcome to Texas Learn OER! Your learning includes a series of self-paced online learning modules. The first nine modules will serve as an introduction to open educational resources (OER) and as an opportunity for further exploration and discovery of open education practices. The tenth module serves as a final assessment of your learning. Throughout the modules there are opportunities for you to test your knowledge and further explore a concept. The modules allow you to learn at your own pace.

This infographic provides an overview of different rubrics and standards used to evaluate the quality of online programs and course design at universities. It lists 7 major rubrics/standards:Quality Matters Rubric - Widely used rubric to improve and certify quality of online courses.Anthology Exemplary Course Program Rubric - Rubric focused on student experience and outcomes.University of Illinois ION Professional Programs Rubric - Rubric tailored for evaluating professional development programs.SUNY Online Course Quality Review Rubric - Rubric used within SUNY system to review online courses.SHSU Online Course Design Rubrics - Custom rubrics used at Sam Houston State University.Cal State Online Course Rubrics - Custom rubrics used within California State University system.Penn State Online Course Design and Review Rubrics - Custom rubrics used at Penn State.The infographic provides a useful overview of the different standards used to evaluate online course and program quality.

Community engagement and a sense of belonging are pivotal elements in the realm of digital instruction, serving as the bedrock for enriched learning experiences and fostering a conducive learning environment. When learners feel integrated into a community, it acts as a catalyst, enhancing motivation, encouraging persistence, and providing a buffer against the isolation often associated with digital learning platforms. To facilitate the creation and nurturing of online communities and engagement, a meticulously crafted checklist is provided, offering practical tasks and steps. This checklist serves as a beacon, guiding educators and learners through the multifaceted process of building community engagement and fostering a sense of belonging.

Over the years, we've noticed several trends that affect the online learning experience, especially for students who are new to online courses. This resource is divided into two main sections: the first focuses on what faculty can do to prepare their students for online learning, and the second offers useful tips for students to consider. We hope you find this information helpful for setting your students on the path to success in your online course.

The SHSU Online Course Design Rubric is used to guide and inform the course development process, as well as evaluate the design of any course which contains online components. It can be used whether the course is fully or partially online, flipped or web‐assisted face‐to‐face.

The Rubric was developed by a team of instructional designers and course development practitioners based on nationally recognized, research‐based quality assurance standards related to the essential components of online course design. This includes...

- General course information
- Presentation of course content
- Collaboration & Communication
- Assessment Strategies
- Course Technology
- Learner Support, and
- Accessibility

Not only is the rubric the primary instrument utilized at SHSU for the development and evaluation of online courses, but the tool can also be used as a self‐assessment instrument by instructors as a means to receive constructive feedback on the design of a course, and a means to identify and document effective online course design.

The SHSU Online Course Design Rubric has also been vetted by faculty who are actively involved in online teaching for SHSU. Use of the rubric to inform the development of distance education courses leads to multiple benefits, including...

- Improved student learning
- Ease of navigation of the course environments
- Reduced ambiguity for faculty and students
- More appropriate use of technology

The Rubric for Hybrid/Blended Course Design with FEEDBACK is a fillable tool that can be used to evaluate the integration of pedagogy in a fully online course. This tool is a compliment to the SHSU Online Course Design Rubric, also located as Open Source in the OERTX. This tool can be used by various types of reviewers, from instructional designers, to peer faculty reviewers, to program assessment reviewers, or external reviewers.

Also check out the SHSU Online Course Design Rubrics for fully online courses, online-live courses, and hybrid/blended courses.

The SHSU Online Course Design Rubric is used to guide and inform the course development process, as well as evaluate the design of any course which contains online components. It can be used whether the course is fully or partially online, flipped or web‐assisted face‐to‐face.

The Rubric was developed by a team of instructional designers and course development practitioners based on nationally recognized, research‐based quality assurance standards related to the essential components of online course design. This includes...

- General course information
- Presentation of course content
- Collaboration & Communication
- Assessment Strategies
- Course Technology
- Learner Support, and
- Accessibility

Not only is the rubric the primary instrument utilized at SHSU for the development and evaluation of online courses, but the tool can also be used as a self‐assessment instrument by instructors as a means to receive constructive feedback on the design of a course, and a means to identify and document effective online course design.

The SHSU Online Course Design Rubric has also been vetted by faculty who are actively involved in online teaching for SHSU. Use of the rubric to inform the development of distance education courses leads to multiple benefits, including...

- Improved student learning
- Ease of navigation of the course environments
- Reduced ambiguity for faculty and students
- More appropriate use of technology

The Rubric for Online Course Design with FEEDBACK is a fillable tool that can be used to evaluate the integration of pedagogy in a fully online course. This tool is a compliment to the SHSU Online Course Design Rubric, also located as Open Source in the OERTX. This tool can be used by various types of reviewers, from instructional designers, to peer faculty reviewers, to program assessment reviewers, or external reviewers.

Also check out the SHSU Online Course Design Rubrics for fully online courses, online-live courses, and hybrid/blended courses.

The SHSU Online Course Design Rubric is used to guide and inform the course development process, as well as evaluate the design of any course which contains online components. It can be used whether the course is fully or partially online, flipped or web‐assisted face‐to‐face.

The Rubric was developed by a team of instructional designers and course development practitioners based on nationally recognized, research‐based quality assurance standards related to the essential components of online course design. This includes...

- General course information
- Presentation of course content
- Collaboration & Communication
- Assessment Strategies
- Course Technology
- Learner Support, and
- Accessibility

Not only is the rubric the primary instrument utilized at SHSU for the development and evaluation of online courses, but the tool can also be used as a self‐assessment instrument by instructors as a means to receive constructive feedback on the design of a course, and a means to identify and document effective online course design.

The SHSU Online Course Design Rubric has also been vetted by faculty who are actively involved in online teaching for SHSU. Use of the rubric to inform the development of distance education courses leads to multiple benefits, including...

- Improved student learning
- Ease of navigation of the course environments
- Reduced ambiguity for faculty and students
- More appropriate use of technology

Definition Online Live Course: 100% of instruction (lectures) and course contact hours occurring synchronously (live) online. An online live course is defined at SHSU as an online course with 100% of instruction (lectures) and course contact hours occurring synchronously (live) online. Students enrolled in an online-live course are required to participate in synchronous, online instruction and other course activities in real-time during scheduled class meeting times. Course materials, activities, and instructional assets will be stored in the learning management system.

The Rubric for Online-Live Course Design with FEEDBACK is a fillable tool that can be used to evaluate the integration of pedagogy in a fully online course. This tool is a compliment to the SHSU Online Course Design Rubric, also located as Open Source in the OERTX. This tool can be used by various types of reviewers, from instructional designers, to peer faculty reviewers, to program assessment reviewers, or external reviewers.

Also check out the SHSU Online Course Design Rubrics for fully online courses, online-live courses, and hybrid/blended courses.

The Sam Houston State University Online Web Accessibility Guide serves as a resource for faculty and staff as you implement accessibility into online spaces. The practices illustrated throughout this guide prioritize learners' needs, reduce barriers to instruction, and are imperative to each student's success. There are countless numbers of low- or no-cost digital educational materials available that may alleviate out-of-pocket expenses but cannot guarantee access to all students unless it meets certain Web Accessibility standards. These basic practices are intended to increase faculty awareness of digital accessibility on campus and learn to make low-effort, high-impact adjustments to create materials that support a variety of learners. Used in conjunction with Blackboard ALLY, learners can instantaneously engage with course content in alternate formats without the need for accommodations or slow turnaround times for third-party remediation. In addition, faculty can be confident in providing this flexibility of use to their learners and know their materials are compatible with assistive technology software and devices, such as screen readers. We hope that faculty and staff will reference this guide when creating or editing course materials in the future. These practices illustrated will create a more accessible classroom for all learners and promote an inclusive institution—a mission we here at Sam Houston State University are dedicated to exemplifying.

This “School Leader Digital Learning Guide” is a resource to help you consider, plan, fund, implement, maintain, and adapt learning programs that meet the unique needs and requirements of the students and teachers that you serve.

Supplemental Instruction is a program designed to support students in their learning process. The program consists of advanced students supervising new students, where the purpose is to improve students' performance and reduce the risk of interruption of studies. Supplemental Instruction was established almost 50 years ago and is used today in universities around the world. This book is about the role, use and place of digital technologies in supplemental Instruction, which includes why we need Supplemental Instruction, teacher’s integration of technology experience with lecture capture and more. The book is aimed at anyone who is concerned about study quality in higher education. The contributors are researchers and lecturers at various universities from several countries. This book is the first of a trilogy on Supplemental Instruction, where the themes for the other books are " Student Learning Processes" and “Organization and Leadership”. The editors of the trilogy are Abbas Strømmen-Bakhtiar (Professor), Roger Helde (Associate Professor) and Elisabeth Suzen (Associate Professor), all three at Nord University, Norway.

A comprehensive infographic for educators, students, and anyone interested in understanding the fundamental differences between synchronous and asynchronous learning models. It provides a detailed breakdown of the advantages and disadvantages associated with each approach, enabling readers to make informed decisions about the most suitable learning method for their needs.

This guide is designed to provide important resources and recommendations to support teacher implementation of digital learning.

The book examines the underlying principles that guide effective teaching in an age when all of us, and in particular the students we are teaching, are using technology. A framework for making decisions about your teaching is provided, while understanding that every subject is different, and every instructor has something unique and special to bring to their teaching.

The book enables teachers and instructors to help students develop the knowledge and skills they will need in a digital age: not so much the IT skills, but the thinking and attitudes to learning that will bring them success.

Book release date (final version): 1 April 2015

A list of student tips for balancing life, work, and school. Suggestions include creating a dedicated study space, being intentional with scheduling, building a support system, and setting achievable goals.

VALUE rubrics are open educational resources (OER) that enable educators to assess students’ original work. AAC&U offers a proven methodology for applying the VALUE rubrics to evaluate student performance reliably and verifiably across 16 broad, cross-cutting learning outcomes.