Online Teaching Resources
UF Online is here to support faculty and programs developing, delivering, and innovating online education.
We care about the same things you do: offering rigorous and high quality academic programs, supporting the instructors who develop and deliver online courses, and ensuring students have enriching and supported experiences at UF. For this reason, our team is focused on several areas of support for UF Online students, faculty, and our partner programs across campus.
UF Online courses are typically developed in partnership between faculty and teams of instructional and media designers. These courses are engaging, flexible, innovative, accessible, inclusive, and held to UF standards of quality and academic integrity.
- Take a look at some of the online courses designed through partnerships between faculty and instructional designers at COIP: promo videos and spotlights.
- Check out the UF Online Demo Course to explore an example similar to a typical UF Online course.
- UF Online courses receive Exemplary Online Awards recognizing innovation in online teaching and course production in a variety of categories.
Connect with Us
Ask a question, share your story, or get support from UF Online. Email listserv also available.
Visit the ForumUpgrade Your Course
Partner with instructional designers at COIP for online course development.
Submit a RequestRobust student learning is the backbone of our mission. We cultivate an approach to teaching and learning online that prioritizes high quality course delivery and engaged learning communities.
Develop Your Course
Courses offered within UF Online are developed and maintained in partnership between faculty and teams of instructional and media designers, at no cost. In fact, UF Online funds a multi-million dollar unit dedicated to supporting faculty with course development and production: the Center for Online Innovation & Production (COIP).
Faculty partnering with COIP for course development or improvement may be eligible for stipends of up to $5000 per course – see details under Development Stipends.
About Course Production
Development (“production”) typically happens on a condensed, single semester schedule but can be customized to your needs. There are also several types of online course production ranging from full development to minor enhancements.
You can submit a request for UF Online course development, maintenance, enhancement, or support directly through COIP.
Teach Your Course
As you teach your UF Online course, you may find you need just-in-time support or advice for yourself or your students. We’re here for it!
- Your instructional design team is always available to help you with technical or course design needs. Reach out to them anytime.
- UF Online is here if you need support for your students or questions about online teaching and learning in general.
Course Readiness
You can expect to receive emails from COIP checking in on your UF Online course starting about a month before classes begin each semester. These emails will verify the basic requirements of the course, including that the instructor is listed in the UF Schedule of Courses and that course contents are uploaded, published, and available to students on a specific timeline. If you need help with any aspects of your course at that time, reply to those emails and ask for assistance.
Strengthen Your Skills
We seek to empower instructors to develop and teach high quality online courses through collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence (CTE) team, who provide instructors with professional development for online teaching that will continue to support their instructional efforts.
You can also explore workshops, study groups, faculty learning communities, customized professional development, and more.
Development Stipends
Regardless of stipend eligibility, instructors may submit COIP course production intakes as often as needed and for as many courses as needed.
| Activity | Amount |
|---|---|
| UF Online full course development | $5000 per 3 years* |
| UF Online partial development/course enhancement | $2500 per 2 years* |
| *More information |
Get Involved
There are many ways to get involved with UF Online beyond designing and teaching high quality courses. Every other month, we host a UF Online Forum campuswide, open invitation meeting and we’d love to hear from you. You can join the Forum in Teams or request to be added to our listserv at info@ufonline.ufl.edu.
- Faculty who are interested in doing research related to online teaching, learning, and/or course design are invited to partner with UF Online educational researchers for collaborative academic publication.
- We are looking for instructors who can provide regular feedback and input into UF Online academic operations. If you are interested in joining the network of instructors who help guide our work and the support we provide to you, please raise your hand and let us know!
- What are you reading? Let’s get together and talk about it! Instructor-led book clubs are a great way to get involved in a learning community around specific areas of interest. Reach out if you have a book suggestion or want to join our next cohort.
Helpful Guidance
Add Your Program to UF Online
Undergraduate majors and certificate programs are eligible to seek adoption of the UF Online delivery model.
Our team helps programs through the process of adopting the fully online undergraduate educational model at the University of Florida. We serve as your liaisons in moving through UF approvals and help you create and support the infrastructure needed for your program to launch successfully.
As experts in online learning, our team can talk you through the proposal process and considerations for bringing a new program into UF Online. We will help you map out a strategy for curriculum and course development, faculty support, infrastructure, student support, marketing and launch roll-outs, and more.
> Download a copy of the Proposal Template
When an academic program is “adopted” into the UF Online delivery model, a range of new supports are provided to the college and academic unit:
- Funded online course development and production.
- Funded academic advising support.
- Funded and centralized program recruitment and marketing.
- In-depth data and analysis based on the program’s needs.
- Tuition-based revenue delivered to your program.
Discuss with UF Online or submit a new program proposal for review here.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you’d like to add a UF Online section to a course you already teach online, or are seeking approval for an official number for a UF Online course, please get in touch with our team.
Individual student requests for UFO sections are typically approved as a one-time offering. If you’d like to continue offering your course to UF Online students, we will meet with you to discuss how we can support you with instructional design and multimedia teams.
Most courses will need a “refresh” every two to three years. While we hope you are keeping up with maintenance each time you offer your course, it’s a good idea to review how well your course aligns with UF quality standards and how your objectives and content align internally (objectives and content) at least every few years.
You may submit a request to redevelop, maintain, or review your course with help from COIP instructional designers as often as you need to!
All UF Online instructors should take advantage of the significant resources and support offered by the fully funded team of instructional and media designers at COIP.
If you have time or other constraints that prevent you from partnering with IDs now, but still need to revise or improve your online course, you have options to bridge the gap. Request development support for a future semester and in the meantime, here are a few things you can do:
- Review UF Online course guidelines.
- Register for course design training with the Center for Teaching Excellence.
- Check out the UF Online Demo Course to explore an example similar to a typical UF Online course.
- Access pre-designed page and assignment templates for Canvas.
- Start a self-review for online course quality to get helpful feedback on where your existing course might need help with UF quality standards.
Eligibility for a course production stipend is determined based on your submitted, and approved, request. The total allocated instructor/developer stipend for your course production is included in your approval email and is based on the expectations and criteria listed below.
- The UF Online course will be developed in partnership with The Center for Online Innovation and Production (COIP), using a planned framework and employing best practices for online teaching and learning.
- The UF Online course will meet UF quality standards following completed production.
Stipend Determination Criteria
Full Re-/Design Stipend, $5000:
- The most recent development stipend for this course was awarded three or more years prior to the approved development semester.
Course Enhancement Stipend, $2500:
- The most recent development stipend for this course was awarded two or more years prior to the approved development semester.
- The scope of requested course development efforts includes only partial (re-)development.
If the course does not meet the eligibility criteria noted above, you may still receive development support and assistance without a stipend, at any time and as often as needed.
Tell Us What You Need
One of the reasons UF Online has been highly ranked for many years in a row is because since 2014, we have supported faculty in honing strategies and best practices for teaching online that facilitate students’ ability to learn wherever and whenever they are. You—UF faculty—are a critical part of this endeavor and we want to hear from and collaborate with you.
About UF Online Students
Many residential UF students enroll in online courses, but only a fraction of the online courses offered by UF are UF Online courses. UF Online is an admission-only enrollment path specific to majors that have been approved for UF Online delivery. Courses outside of these majors may offer UF Online sections to fulfill general education or elective opportunities, but UF Online students do not enroll in non-UF Online sections.
UF Online students intentionally applied to join UF Online programs, meeting the same admissions criteria as residential students. These students may have full-time jobs, caregiving responsibilities, and other obligations that make learning just one of many priorities in their lives.
UF Online Student: Pommary KemConnect with Students
Students in UF Online choose to be part of a fully online educational experience, whether out of necessity or personal preference. Join the UF Online Plaza to engage, mentor, and support your students outside of the classroom.
