Introducing WolfSNAPS

Article by Christine Cranford, DELTA Faculty Fellow and senior lecturer, and Rebecca Sanchez, lead instructional designer.

DELTA has developed a new asynchronous training opportunity –– WolfSNAPS: Online Course Design begins in July. 

Faculty or graduate students interested in short, focused, flexible asynchronous training in best practices for online course design will have a new resource beginning this summer. 

The Short Nimble Asynchronous Pedagogy Series (known as WolfSNAPS) consists of trainings that can be accessed at any time and completed in 30-90 minutes. WolfSNAPS will kick off with an Online Course Design series that comprises seven quick trainings designed to provide instructors with information, templates and resources that will help them incorporate best practices in fully online or hybrid (also known as blended or mixed-mode) course design. Many of the concepts can also be applied in face-to-face courses. 

Each asynchronous quick training will take about 30-90 minutes to complete and will focus on a unified concept in best practices for online course design. Other offerings in the WolfSNAPS Online Course Design Series will be released one training at a time in summer and fall of 2021 and will contribute to the mastery of the following competencies:

1. Setting Up for Success: Include course design elements that help students get started and understand how to be successful in the course.
2. Online Learning Activities: Learn tips for converting in-person activities online and building in active learning to keep your students engaged. 
3. Textbooks and Beyond: Explore different ways to convey the most relevant learning materials to your students. 
4. Clarifying What You Want Students to Learn: Create clear learning objectives so your students know what they should be getting out of your course. 
5. Measuring Learning: Find out how to make sure you’re assessing what students should be learning, and investigate alternatives to traditional assessments.
6. The Right Tool for the Job: Get familiar with a number of technologies available to you and when each is appropriate to use. 
7. Reaching all Learners: Build your course to meet the needs of all of your students. 

Flexibility is a crucial component of the WolfSNAPS. Instructors may choose the best approach for their needs:

1. As an instructor at NC State, you are welcome to use any of the resources from any of the Quick training Series, whether or not you complete the short assessment at the end of the training.
2. If you decide to submit the assessment, you’ll create a product you can use in your online or blended course, receive feedback from a member of DELTA’s Course Quality Program team and earn a certificate of completion. 
3. If you submit an assessment for each of the seven quick trainings in the series, you will have created course-ready content that reflects best practices in online and blended course design, and you’ll receive a digital credential and a letter to your department head noting your accomplishment and dedication to quality online course design.

Additional WolfSNAPS outside this training series are also in development.

Wolf SNAPS: Setting Up for Success 

Setting Up for Success, the first training in the series, is designed to provide instructors with information, templates, and resources to help students get started and understand how to be successful in a course. This training includes reviewing materials and completing short activities and an optional assessment. 

Time

The estimated time for the completion of this training is 30-90 minutes. 

When

WolfSNAPS: Setting Up for Success will be released in July.

Where

Sign up for WolfSNAPS: Setting Up for Success through REPORTER.