Ask your most pressing questions related to faculty development for online education. Simply complete this form to ask our resident columnist, ADDIE, for advice.
Unlocking the Power of Quiz Analytics for Smarter Assessments (Issue 35)
Author: Dr. Jo Ann Smith, University of Central Florida Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, I’ve been using quizzes in my online course to assess student learning, but I’m not sure how to make the most of...
How Can K-12 Classroom Teachers Transition to Instructional Design Roles? (Issue 34)
Authors: Mackenzie Hill, M.A., University of Central Florida; Dr. Ashley Salter, University of Central Florida Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, I am a K-12 teacher looking to transition into an instructional design...
Multi-modal Learning Offerings and Expectations (Issue 33)
Author: Charlotte Jones-Roberts, University of Central Florida Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, As an online faculty member in higher education, I find myself grappling with the multitude of course modalities...
Considerations of Generative AI for Content Creation (Issue 32)
Author: Anastasia Bojanowski, University of Central Florida Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, Some of my colleagues are leveraging Generative AI for content creation. I have content that needs to be updated and...
Strategies for Mitigating Student Anxiety (Issue 31)
Author: Charlotte Jones-Roberts, University of Central Florida Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, In my recent classes, I’ve noticed students being more open about feeling anxious in an online classroom...
A “Weighty” Issue: Grading Schemes and Course Design (Issue 30)
Author and Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, Thanks for your responses to the issues we all share in Instructional Design. I’m an ID at FAU and work with some amazing faculty. Of course, the faculty member has...
Implementation of AI in Online Teaching and Learning (Issue 29)
Author: Dr. Jann Sutton, University of North Florida Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe, University of Central Florida Dear ADDIE, I am concerned! My colleagues are talking about the educational impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT. I see...
Cyberbullying: A Guide for Supporting Faculty Under Attack (Issue 28)
Author and Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, The faculty members at my institution are facing a unique challenge, especially since the extensive use of Zoom for class meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of our faculty have come under attack...
E-Readiness: The Key to Online Teaching Success (Issue 27)
Author & Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, My organization is facing a new challenge. We require online faculty to complete a faculty development program for online teaching that most consider phenomenal. However, it seems that some...
The “Great Unveiling”: A Peek Behind the Curtain of Ask ADDIE (Issue 26)
Author(s): Dr. Denise Lowe, Dr. Shelly Wyatt, & Dr. Kelvin Thompson Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Like many online content developers, the editors and contributing authors of TOPkit Digest have remained behind the curtain, their names and credentials...
Essential Work or Essential Workers: Who Can Tell? (Issue 25)
Author(s): Dr. Florence Williams Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) now requires that all online courses for which students may use Title IV funds (federal financial aid) include regular and substantive...
What’s the Objective Here?: Using Module-based Objectives for Student Success (Issue 24)
Author(s): Nicole Stahl Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, Are module objectives all that important to create? I don’t want to spend time creating something that students don’t read, but I always hear that establishing objectives are something...
Getting Started with Digital Badges (Issue 23)
Author(s): Dr. Beth Nettles Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, There’s been a lot of talk at my college about using digital badges in our online courses. I’m not sure I understand why or how our faculty would use them. We don’t have an...
Hyflex, Blendflex, Asynchronous, Synchronous: Decoding Modalities (Issue 22)
Author(s): Dr. Amanda Major Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, The shift to remote teaching during the ongoing pandemic has prompted faculty to deliver creative online experiences for their students, combining different modes of delivery and...
Getting Engaged: Marrying Together Faculty and Online Student Success (Issue 21)
Author(s): Dr. Jenny Sumner Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, Looking across the higher education landscape, I see a strong and growing focus on student success as a holistic approach by faculty and staff from across the campus. At my large...
Full Throttled Out: Running on Fumes for Fall Faculty Development Efforts (Issue 20)
Author(s): Dr. Amanda Major Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, Ever since the Spring, my colleagues and I have shifted gears to help faculty teach in a virtual or online format while working from home! The global pandemic has popularized...
The Road to Instructional Designer Credibility (Issue 19)
Author(s): Dr. Rohan Jowallah Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, I am new to the instructional design profession. I got this job–which I love–because I taught online, used flipped classroom strategies, and redesigned my course several...
Mergers & Acquisitions: Models of Curriculum Design Review (Issue 18)
Author(s): Sue Bauer, Trudian Trail-Constant Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, I’m an Instructional Designer at a R1 university where our teaching and learning center has recently merged with our Academic Technologies team. As part of this...
Foundations to Skyscrapers: Stages of Quality Design (Issue 17)
Author and Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, Our department is working on a foundational framework that will pull together various processes and guidelines faculty encounter when working on developing and implementing their courses and...
Not a Magician Spock, Just an Old Country Instructional Designer (Issue 16)
Author and Editor: Dr. Denise Lowe Dear ADDIE, I’m in our on-boarding meeting and I can see it in my subject matter expert’s eyes. The telltale signs of upcoming resistance – eyes not meeting mine, arms crossed, and lots of silent sighs. They are...
Becoming a More Proactive Faculty Whisperer (Issue 15)
Author(s): Karen Tinsley-Kim, Dr. Shelly Wyatt Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, As an instructional designer, how could I improve buy-in or motivate my faculty to be more proactive in their approach to accessibility and Universal Design for...
Happily Ever After: Positive Working Relationships Between Instructional Designers and Faculty (Issue 14)
Author(s): Charlotte Jones-Roberts Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, I am new to the instructional design profession. I took this job– which I love– because I taught online, used flipped classroom strategies, and redesigned my course...
Same Music, Different Rhythm: Missing the Beat in Project Management (Issue 13)
Author(s): Dr. Amanda Major, Sue Bauer Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, I am an instructional designer (ID) at a large university who works on a large team of instructional designers (15+); we collaborative on a variety of projects that I mostly...
More than Meets the Eye: Helping Faculty Understand the ID Role (Issue 12)
Author(s): Dr. Anchalee Ngampornchai, Dr. Shelly Wyatt Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, I am an instructional designer at a small community college, but I am experiencing a problem that will probably resonate with other instructional designers:...
Running on Empty: Injecting Instructional Power into Narrated PowerPoints (Issue 11)
Author(s): Karen Tinsley-Kim, Dr. Shelly Wyatt Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Narrated PowerPoints – how my faculty love them! ADDIE, I have an issue that I suspect is one that is facing instructional designers and faculty developers all across...
Don’t Wait to Go Deeper: Cultivating Higher Thinking in Beginning Classes (Issue 10)
Author and Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, I am an instructional designer at a large southern university and I recently had coffee with a faculty member (“Jesse”) who posed this challenging question to me: In upper-level classes, it can be...
Right Foot, Right Steps: Collaborating on a "New" New Faculty Orientation (Issue 9)
Author and Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, I am a senior instructional designer at a small liberal arts college in the South. I have been asked to head-up a somewhat daunting project: to transform our institution’s new faculty orientation (NFO)...
Mining for Gold in Your Own Backyard: Faculty Sharing and Working Across Departments (Issue 8)
Author and Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE, I’m an instructional designer at a large public institution, working on a team that supports hundreds of online instructors within dozens of departments. As we work across disciplines, we see creative...
Looking to “Up” my ADA Game (Issue 7)
Author and Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE: I am an instructional designer who feels very comfortable with just about all of the various parts of my job: working with faculty to develop high-quality online courses, staying on top of new...
Revving Up Online Courses Without Getting Off Track (Issue 6)
Author and Editor: Dr. Shelly Wyatt Dear ADDIE: In many ways, I have a happy problem: the faculty at my institution have embraced online teaching and recognize its benefits to their students, the university, and themselves. As they gain...
Second-Hand Courses But NOT Second-Rate Instructors (Issue 5)
Author and Editor: Dr. Kelvin Thompson Dear ADDIE: Perhaps you can help us. My colleagues and I are noticing a pattern. In some cases, the instructors who created online courses are no longer the ones teaching them. I’ve personally spoken with a...
The “Quickest Route” Isn’t Always (Issue 4)
Author and Editor: Dr. Kelvin Thompson Dear ADDIE: As instructional designers we are sometimes frustrated to see our faculty use publisher materials as the basis for their online courses. While it is possible to integrate these kinds of materials...
Experience (with Great Engagement) Really Can Be the Best Teacher (Issue 3)
Author and Editor: Dr. Kelvin Thompson Dear ADDIE: My faculty clients are struggling with meaningfully engaging their students online. Some question the value of online discussions entirely while others recognize the value of student engagement but...
You’ll Get the Keys When You Pass Your Driver’s Test! (Issue 2)
Author and Editor: Dr. Kelvin Thompson Dear ADDIE:We have quite the quandary here. Just as at most institutions, use of the learning management system has become integral to our delivery of instruction, regardless of modality. This means...
Quick Questions
Posting of brief questions is invited here. “ADDIE” will reply periodically, but community replies are welcomed also. Navigate to our TOPkit community on LinkedIn! to ask a question!...
I Heard it through the Grapevine… They’re Forgetting! (Issue 1)
Author and Editor: Dr. Kelvin Thompson Dear ADDIE:We provide our faculty with an array of training options, from full “programs” to become an online instructor, developer or peer reviewer, to short courses which include topics like using YouTube...