Faculty Onboarding

[For Librarians: The purpose of this set of resources is to guide faculty in the development of inclusive courses that follow standard best practices in instructional design.]

Good course design is foundational in engaging students in an effective learning experience. However, these are merely introductory resources, more thorough support should be sought as needed.

In this section, there are resources related to:

• Backward Course Design
• Bloom's Taxonomy
• Championing Student-Centered Design
• Designing Inclusive Courses
• Seven Principles for Good Practice in Education

Backward course design works through three stages to design an effective experience.

1. Identify desired results: Consider the learning objectives of the lesson(s).
2. Determine acceptable evidence. Consider a wide range of assessment methods to ensure students are assessed in alignment with the objectives. Misalignment can cause frustration for faculty and students.
3. Plan the learning experience. Design instructional strategies and learning activities that align with the learning objectives.

For more information, review the following resources:

• Backward Course Design by Andrea Bearman
• Backward Design by Power Learning Solutions

Bloom’s taxonomy is an effective tool to the development of learning objectives that are clear, measurable, and aligned to the level of the course. The learning objectives are important to establish in a pedagogical experience so that everyone knows the purpose of the experience.

• Organize the objectives to:
  • Plan and deliver appropriate instruction
  • Design valid assessment tasks/strategies
  • Ensure that instruction and assessment are aligned.
• Some pro-tips to ensure the best learning objectives for your course:
  • Avoid the use of verbs that are not easily measured, such as Understand.
  • Replace verbs that are assessments (ex: Discuss or Reflect) with more actionable verbs like Analyze or Compare.
  • Swap jargon-heavy language with easy-to-understand language, that anyone can interpret.
  • Keep the learning objectives succinct.

For more information, review the following resource:

• Understanding Bloom's Taxonomy by Patricia Lynne

To promote student success, a good strategy is student-centered design. This means that everything is clearly conveyed to the students to have the best experience.

1. Provide an introduction to students about the course, yourself, and institutional supports/policies.
2. Create measurable, clear learning objectives that are aligned to the level of the course.
3. Develop diverse assessments that align with the learning objectives, with clear expectations and timely feedback.
4. Provide learners with diverse learning materials that are meaningful, aligned with the learning objectives, and appeal to a range of learner preferences.
5. Promote learner interaction between students, as well as with the instructor and the learning materials.
6. Use technology that aligns with and enhances learning experience and interaction.
7. Design a course using templates or consistent structure to promote ease of use, accessibility, and student achievement.

Check out this bonus resource, linked below in PDF format: Six Steps to Success by Marsha Wilson Wood and Andrea Bearman

The Universal Design for Learning provides clear strategies for developing courses that are inclusive of different learners. Below are the essential guidelines with examples for each. 

1. Provide options for students to perceive information, including diverse perspectives. 
   1. Example: Podcast with transcripts; TED talks with interactive captions
2. Clarify language, promoting a shared understanding.
   1. Example: Address biases in language; clarify the meaning of symbols
3. Design options for building on students’ existing knowledge.
   1. Example: Highlight patterns, big ideas from previous courses or future work
4. Supply opportunities for students to have meaningful interactions in the course.
   1. Example: Vary methods for response options in a forum or assignment.
5. Encourage diverse and meaningful communication and expression.
   1. Example: Build fluencies in new forms of expression such as infographics.
6. Incorporate ways for students to monitor their progress.
   1. Example: Help students set SMART goals.
7. Design courses to promote choice, autonomy, joy, and relevance.
   1. Example: Design a service learning experience where students connect academics with community engagement.
8. Include instructional strategies that sustain effort and persistence.
   1. Example: Foster the creation of a meaningful learning community.
9. Consider options that increase emotional capacity.
   1. Example: Provide opportunities for students to reflect individually and collectively.

To review the full framework, navigate to this website: CAST: UDL Guidelines

Learn more about learner agency with this video (below) by Nicole Tucker-Smith, who was the co-chair on the development of the UDL 3.0 Guidelines (2024). 

Due to a change with digital accessibility law will begin going into effect April 2026 through April 2027, higher education institutions are required to comply with the updated regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act. This requires that all state and local government entities, including public universities, ensure that web content and mobile applications are accessible for people with disabilities, using the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard.

In addition to website and application content, this requirement also applies to all digital technologies and digitally provided content used in courses.

What Does this Change Mean for Me?

This change will help to make all digital content accessible for everyone. If you are responsible for creating and/or posting content on any university-related webpage, application, you will need to make content accessible before it is posted or uploaded as well as make accessible any existing online content still in use. If you are an instructor, you will need to make accessible any digital content (documents, videos, presentations, etc.) used for your course – including materials available on  your learning management system.

For more information on the law, including a summary of exceptions, please review this ADA Fact Sheet. For more information about what content is affected and how to make content accessible, please review the Frequently Asked Questions below.

What are WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards?

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards are a set of guidelines published to make content accessible for those with disabilities. These are considered the best practices for accessibility compliance, including by the ADA Title II rule. If you would like more information on WCAG 2.1 Level AA, please review their full guidelines: WCAG 2.1 Level AA

What aspects of my course or website need to comply?

All digital media are required to comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. This includes webpage content, documents, videos, images, assignments, quizzes, and forums. All course materials that are shared with students should be fully accessible, including when printed. This includes materials such as PowerPoint slides, Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, PDFs, hand-written resources, and all web-based tools.

What are the steps to make content accessible?

First, it may be beneficial to consider making content accessible before putting the content on Brightspace or another website. Please check out the guides for Word, PDF, Excel, PowerPoint, and more on [insert a link to your accessibility resources here]

Who do I ask for help with accessibility?

• For reporting a concern, contact the [example: Office of Civil Rights and Compliance for your institution].
• For support with accommodations or assistive technology, contact the [example: Disability Access Center].
• For support with accessible course design, connect with your instructional designers and technologists.
• For support with library specific resources, please connect with your subject librarian.

What are the consequences for inaccessible content?

The consequences of non-compliance include legal action and fines, both for the university and for the person responsible for making the content available.