Professional Development

The best way to become better equipped to teach online is by taking the Online Teaching Courses (OTC) offered by OOL.

• Online Teaching Fundamentals - Debuting Fall 2023, this will be a unified, 6-module course that prepares Loyola instructors to create and deliver engaging, high-quality online courses using the Loyola suite of technologies. The course can be completed entirely asynchronously and in line with each particpant's schedule within one semester.
  

• OTC: Innovate - In OTC: Innovate, instructors will work closely with OOL Instructional Designers and their peers to redesign their online course (or portion of their course) using innovative teaching methods that better engage students and drive success and satisfaction. Instructors set the agenda for much of the work and are provide detailed feedback, custom resources, and guidance for their chosen course development.

Instructors may take either of these courses to suit their needs, but should check with their departments or programs to see which courses may be required as a prerequisite to teaching online. To learn more and to register, visit our Online teaching courses page.

OOL regularly offers live webinars, workshops, and seminars on a variety of fundamental and advanced teahcing and learning topics. Visit our home page for more information about our upcoming sessions.

Interested in learning more about online teaching, but can't make it to our live sessions? We also offer a broad range of on-demand, asynchronous resources for your reference. Visit our Faculty Resources page to learn more about instructional strategies, course planning, Sakai site design, accessibility, and more.

For programs interested in offering courses online, OOL can provide custom workshops for groups of faculty. Whether a program is simply interested in exploring the possibilities of online learning or would like their faculty to know more about a specific aspect of the online course experience, OOL can create unique workshops for delivery on any campus. Please contact us at online@luc.edu to discuss workshop opportunities.

For those interested in connecting with online teaching colleagues at Loyola, consider joinging the Online Teaching Professional Learning Community (PLC). Led by instructors and hosted by OOL, the Online Teaching PLC provides all Loyola educators with a dedicated space to share their experiences with online teaching, connect with colleagues about best practices and teaching strategies, and learn new methods for strengthening their online courses. All Loyola instructors who teach online are welcome to join, including faculty instructors (tenure-track, NTT, and adjunct), graduate students (TAs and instructors), and staff educators. Visit the Online Teaching PLC page to sign up and learn more.

ITRS provides a number of support services and professional development opportunities for learning more about the technology that drives online learning at Loyola. Visit the ITRS support page to learn about all of their services.

The Faculty Center for Ignatian Pedagogy (FCIP) offers several opportunities for faculty to learn more about teaching strategies in general. Visit the FCIP faculty development page to learn more.