Instructional Support

MAJORS, MINORS, & CERTIFICATES

ADOPTING THE UF ONLINE MODEL

Despite their demographic and (often) geographic differences, UF Online students academically are the same as residential students: they identify with the major, minor, or certificate program and the department that offers it. They enroll in your courses, seek help from your advisors, and look to you for mentoring and guidance! UF Online is here to facilitate their overall experience and provide above-and-beyond services, but ultimately their home base is within your program.

UF Online’s Academic Strategies team helps facilitate programs going through the process of adopting the fully-online undergraduate educational model. We serve as your liaisons in moving through UCC approvals and help create and support the infrastructure needed to enable your program to launch successfully. Learn more about the process.

How We Support Programs

As experts on online learning, our team can brainstorm and talk you through the considerations for bringing a new program into UF Online and help you map out a strategy for curriculum and course development, faculty support, infrastructure, student support, marketing and launch roll-outs, and so much more.

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:

• Facilitated and supported online course development and production.
• Stipends and other instructor incentives for course quality and faculty professional development.
• Fully funded academic advising support.
• Dedicated, centralized program recruitment and marketing funded by UF Online.
• In-depth data and analysis based on the program’s needs.
• Tuition-based revenue delivered to your program.
• Special request supports for teaching innovations, faculty hires, funding swaps, and more.

Talk to your college Associate Dean to learn more about the UF Online Funding Model.

Developing a UF Online course

Courses offered within UF Online are often developed in partnership between faculty and teams of instructional and media designers, at no cost.

To facilitate consistency in quality and student experience across a diverse spectrum of teaching approaches, we have compiled a list of baseline expectations for UF Online courses. When you work with instructional design experts, they will be aware of these expectations and UF’s quality standards and will help ensure your course meets or exceeds the guidelines.

How do I get started with instructional designers (IDs)?

Depending on your needs, location, time constraints, and other individual factors, we can help you identify instructional design and multimedia teams that will be most likely to provide you with the online course development experience that is right for you, at no cost to you or your department.

We are also expanding our network of embedded instructional designers within academic departments and colleges to enable just-in-time, localized support from individuals within your own unit.

Send us an instructional support request to talk to our team about getting help that works for you.

What if I want (or need) to develop a course on my own?

While we encourage all UF Online instructors to take advantage of the significant resources and support offered by instructional designers, we understand that needs and availability vary widely, and we’re happy to help you do-it-yourself if that is what works for you.* Use the “Get Support” button above to talk to us about how we can help.

Coming soon! Do-it-yourself templates and resources for Canvas that you can copy, borrow, modify, share, and use to help you jump start your course development using supportive frameworks.

Tell us about the kinds of that support are most helpful to instructors like you: Instructional Needs Survey

Adding a section of your existing course to UF Online

If you’d like to add a UF Online section to a course you already teach online, or are seeking approval for a UCC request for a new course, please reach out to our team at academics@ufonline.ufl.edu or use the “Get Support” button above.

For one-off or individual student requests, we will typically approve but do require notification. 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/or media team collaboration.*

Incentives for instructors

UF Online is piloting an expansion of our support and incentives for instructors designing and delivering high-quality learning experiences for students. In 2023, in collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence we are offering new investment in instructor professional development and course quality initiatives --- activities that provide sustained returns for instructors, courses, and which ultimately benefit students. These pilots will be evaluated for continued delivery.

Professional Development Activity	Stipend Amount
Developing a quality course for UF Online delivery*	$1000-6000 per course
Earning a Quality Online Course Designation	$1000 per course
Completing the Design a Great Online Course workshop	$500 per instructor
Completing the Build a Great Online Course workshop	$500 per instructor
Completing the Teach a Great Online Course workshop	$500 per instructor
Earning the Great Online Teaching Certificate	$500 per instructor
Other professional development for online teaching (non-UF; case-by-case basis)	up to $500 per year per instructor

*When you develop in partnership with instructional designers, your course will easily meet quality standards! Send us an instructional support request for help getting started.

More Details

• UF Online is funding and managing these incentives; please get in touch with us for assistance or questions. The Center for Teaching Excellence is not responsible for incentives and cannot assist with stipend payments.
• Stipends will be paid by UF Online directly to the instructor’s college not less than quarterly for disbursement to the individual. Stipend amounts may be reduced during UF payroll processing due to fringe and tax withholding.
• Instructors are not required to contact UF Online to request stipends for completing professional development activities. Upon completion of a CTE program or Quality Online Course Designation, our team will be informed and will notify the instructor and college contact of a pending distribution.
• These pilot incentives are expected, though not guaranteed, to continue through the active period of the Florida SUS 2025 Strategic Plan for Online Education.

Maintaining your UF Online course

All courses need maintenance over time as they are taught! This is even more important if more than one instructor is teaching in the same Canvas course.

Course Readiness Processes

If you’re teaching a UF Online section, you can expect to receive emails checking in on your Canvas 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 UF Online course at that time, reply to those emails and ask for assistance! Someone will be happy to help.

Course Quality Reviews

By 2025, 100% of online courses taught within the State University System--and here at UF---are expected to have received Online Course Quality Designations via an approved, standardized process per the Florida Board of Governors’ Strategic Plan for Online Education. As this date approaches, UF Online is mobilizing efforts in collaboration with the Center for Teaching Excellence to ensure instructors are engaging in professional development and online courses are reviewed using the UF+QM Standards rubric.

Two Year Maintenance Plan

Generally speaking, most courses will need a “refresh” every two years or so. 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 baseline expectations for UF Online and UF+QM Standards at least once every two years. UF Online is pleased to provide stipends for courses that earn a Quality Online Course Designation.

Student Feedback

In addition to mid-semester surveys delivered within Canvas, we conduct an annual Student Experience Survey that addresses course experiences and other aspects of their academic lives. We use this data and share relevant feedback with UF Online programs and faculty to help with continuous improvement processes.

Did you know? All instructors at UF who teach any online sections of courses are required to participate in:

1. professional development for online teaching through the Center for Teaching Excellence, and
2. the Online Course Quality Designation process.