Instructional Design Series
The Instructional Design Series equips faculty with practical guidance for developing high-quality online and hybrid
courses. Each series explores a specific aspect of course design through short, focused
sessions packed with strategies you can apply right away. Whether you’re new to online
teaching or looking to enhance an existing course, these trainings will help you deliver
engaging, accessible, and well-aligned learning experiences.
Designing with Intention: Evolving Online Teaching at APSU (Fall 2026)
In this three-part, in-person series, we will explore how to meet today's online learners through intentional presence, meaningful engagement, and continuous improvement. Each session unpacks a challenge in online teaching and features APSU faculty sharing how they've approached it.
Reimagining Presence for Today's Learner
Facilitated by Senior Instructional Designer Loretia Duncan, this session will focus on defining what online presence means for today's student demographic at APSU. The following faculty will showcase their approaches and techniques to creating presence in their online classes:
| Dr. Charles Gonzalez, PhD | Dr. Adriane M.F. Sanders, PhD | Dr. Simon Rotzer, PhD |
|---|---|---|
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Teaching and Learning |
Psychological Science & Counseling |
Institute for National Security and Military Studies |
Date: September 17, 2026
Time: 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Central
Location: MUC 312
Overcoming the Hurdles to Online Engagement
Facilitated by Senior Instructional Designer Mike Olson, this session will focus on the real barriers to engagement students experience and explore ways to overcome them. The following faculty will showcase their approaches and techniques to creating meaningful engagement in their online classes:
| Dr. Terri Clark, EdD | Dr. Alex Adams, PhD | |
|---|---|---|
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Educational Specialties |
Health & Human Performance |
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Date: October 15, 2026
Time: 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Central
Location: MUC 312
Building Reflection and Feedback into Your Practice
Facilitated by Senior Instructional Designer Alexandra Rotzer, this session will explore ways faculty can engage in self-reflection and invite feedback to support the evolution of their course's design. A panel of invited guests, including faculty who have participated in AOQF and Quality Matters, will share their experiences and insights from participating in the course review process.
***Full list of panelists coming soon***
Date: November 12, 2026
Time: 12:45 – 1:45 p.m. Central
Location: MUC 310
Click here to register for any session
Accessibility Training Series (Fall 2025)
Join us for a four-part training series on digital accessibility basics. We will be covering the new ADA technical requirements that go into effect on April 24, 2026 and practical steps for making your digital course materials more accessible in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, Adobe Pro, and D2L.
Accessibility: What Faculty Need to Know
This session explains the new ADA requirements and why proactive accessibility matters. We will also look at Universal Design for Learning and provide a simple job aid to guide faculty in building a basic understanding of accessibility requirements.
Date: Friday, October 10, 2025
Time: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Central
Location: Zoom
Accessibility in Microsoft Word & PowerPoint
This session demonstrates how to create accessible documents and presentations in Word and PowerPoint, using tools and practices that support inclusive teaching.
Date: Friday, October 17, 2025
Time: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Central
Location: Zoom
Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
This session explores how to improve the accessibility of PDF documents and apply strategies to make course materials more usable for everyone.
Date: Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Central
Location: Zoom
Accessibility in D2L & HTML Pages
This session will help you discover how to strengthen the accessibility of online course content in D2L and HTML-based tools, ensuring materials are more inclusive for all students.
Date: October 31, 2025
Time: 11:15 AM – 12:00 PM Central
Location: Zoom
Click here to watch the full Digital Accessibility Basics series
Map Your Course Workshop (Fall 2025)
Ready to make your course easier to teach and more effective for students? This hands-on, four-part series shows you how to use a course map to redesign your course with purpose, whether you’re starting fresh or revamping a course you’ve taught for years. We’ll guide you through aligning objectives, materials, activities, and assessments so you leave with a clear, intentional plan to guide your design and instruction.
Mapping Success: Crafting Clear and Measurable Objectives. Registration is Closed.
Get familiar with the course map and how it drives alignment. Practice writing clear, measurable course and module objectives that anchor effective design.
Presenters
Loretia Duncan and Cassie Ellis
Date: September 9, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Central
Location: Zoom
From Objectives to Engagement: Selecting the Right Materials and Activities. Registration is Closed.
Learn how to use the course map to connect objectives with purposeful materials and learning activities, improving alignment and student engagement.
Presenters
Cassie Ellis and Mike Olson
Date: September 16, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Central
Location: Zoom
Measure What You Teach: Mapping Assessments to Learning Objectives. Registration is Closed.
In this session, you’ll evaluate whether assessments measure your learning objectives, explore ways to strengthen alignment, and learn why this step is a critical part of the course map.
Presenters
Loretia Duncan and Alexandra Rotzer
Date: September 23, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 11:45 AM Central
Location: Zoom
Putting It All Together: Build Your Course Map. Registration is closed.
A hands-on, in-person working lunch and learn. Bring your appetite, a draft course map, and get feedback from the instructional design team.
Date: October 7, 2025
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM Central
Location: MUC 312
Registration: By invitation only. You must attend all three sessions to participate in this lunch-and-learn hands-on training.