OnRamps

OnRamps: Distance Learning for Educators

OnRamps is a program through the University of Texas Austin. As part of Kennedale ISD's participation in the OnRamps program there are free exclusive courses available to educators focusing on various distance learning skills to advance the quality and engagement in the virtual classroom.

Each course has an individual badge, and competition of all five courses earns a special OnRamps University of Texas Austin badge showcasing completion of the full pathway.

Register here to get started!

Cultivating Authentic Student-Teacher Relationships in Distance Learning

An educator's ability to connect with students is essential, but how do you break down barriers in a distance or hybrid learning environment? This training module provides strategies for cultivating authentic and impactful relationships with students regardless of instructional modality. Structured with ideas to build and enhance community year-round, the training offers the pedagogical foundations of relationship-building in education as well as direct-to-classroom activities you can apply from Day 1. Additionally, this module provides an overview of differences between authentic and aesthetic care, modeling openness to encourage community, and strategically employing team-building activities to promote classroom engagement.

Aligning to Synchronous and Asynchronous Experiences

In a distance learning classroom, it's important to balance synchronous meetings with asynchronous activities, which help supplement the learning that takes place in a live session and allow students to practice skills they're meant to master. Each learning experience should complement the other, and this training details best practices for aligning your course's synchronous and asynchronous activities. You can leverage the power of technology to support students' independent learning, embed scaffolded assignments to build upon skills students have acquired, and create a valuable learning experience for every student by appropriately balancing time spent with you and time spent on independent work or collaborative assignments. Finally, the training covers maintaining student motivation, which can feel fleeting in a distance learning environment but is critical for student retention and growth.

Learner-Centered Design

When designing a distance learning course, the best way to create a successful online learning experience for your students is to revolve the course around them. Using their needs, interests, skills, and goals to drive your course and activity design, you can help students in many different areas like intrinsic motivation, ongoing engagement, and community creation. This training will establish a working definition of "learner-centered" design as well as review strategies for getting to know your individual students' needs. These needs will shape the design of your course, allowing you to discover and embed activities and design elements best suited to meet them where they are. Learner-centered design also depends on a classroom environment where students feel safe to take risks, and this training will review the role that access and design consistency can have on a student's psychological safety.

Student-Driven Self-Monitoring within a Distance Learning Cycle

Students know they should study for assessments, but sometimes they're unsure where they stand in terms of content mastery or knowledge of what, precisely, they are supposed to know. In a distance learning environment, it's especially important for students to acquire the metacognitive skills to self-monitor and understand what they know and don't know. This training reviews strategies for helping students become effective self-monitors through metacognitive practices, increasing their chances of self-identifying areas they've mastered as well as where they need additional work. Users will focus on pacing to identify places to insert student reflection as well as choose and evaluate different assessments throughout the semester. You will also create a plan to use in your first unit to employ a learning mastery system as well as a student-driven self-monitoring system.

Facilitating Feedback at a Distance to Improve Students' Awareness of Learning Progress

You likely already know that peer feedback can be fundamental to breaking down educational barriers and promoting student success, but how do you facilitate those student-peer relationships over distance? This training will review best practices for creating a distance learning environment that celebrates peer-to-peer feedback as well as provides students with supportive structures for engaging in peer review. As a part of the training, you will be able to download and complete a framework for productive peer-to-peer feedback using assessment design, classroom norms, and grouping strategies. Additionally, you can prepare for any classroom environment by establishing clear expectations for yourself and for students using the training's interactive activities and direct-to-classroom application scenarios.

DISTANCE LEARNING FOR EDUCATORS

Advancing Quality & Engagement in the Virtual Classroom

Complete all five (5) courses to earn this badge.