It’s no secret that the internet has changed the way the world works. It opens up opportunities, makes information accessible like never before, and also presents new challenges in forging real connections between people, even while making those connections more available than ever. These challenges are part of the education world as well, where an entire class of dedicated professionals works to ensure that nothing is lost in the translation from the face-to-face classroom to the digital world.

Over the past several years, URI has seen its offerings in online education grow substantially. The spring 2015 semester showed record enrollment in online courses, with over 2,500 students, largely undergraduates, taking an online course. The University offers online courses in over 20 undergraduate and graduate subjects, with new offerings continually in development.

Currently, the typical online student at URI is not whom you might expect: a non-traditional student or working adult. The majority of students in online classes are 18–22-year-old residential students, looking to harness the flexibility of online learning to graduate more quickly or ease up a full schedule.

Marc DiFalco ’15 tells a common story: “During my final semester, I needed to take five high-level business courses to finish my degree, and I also needed one more general elective in order to graduate on time. Taking an online course made this easier for me, as I was able to do it in the evening when I had some down time. It helped me graduate on time.” He was surprised at how much interaction he was able to have with other students, through discussion boards that allowed them to debate topics and hear from all members of the class, instead of just one or two students at a time. “I got a lot out of hearing so many different views, and overall, the online class was a great experience. It definitely helped toward my degree progress.”

This flexibility is also a game changer for students who are juggling other responsibilities with their course work. Carlita Alves ’17 is a mother of four working towards a communications degree part-time while she raises her family. So far, she’s been able to complete nine courses online, saving herself the commute from Providence to Kingston and the time away from her family. “Having the ability to take classes online and be home with my family has been a huge advantage,” she says. “I was able to have my new baby and continue with my course work without skipping a beat.”

While convenience and efficiency may be the biggest sell to those considering online education, the backbone of success for students is the investment URI has made in ensuring that its online offerings are quality education. The Office of Online Education exists to pave the way for both faculty and students. “We want to create the highest quality educational experience,” says Diane Goldsmith, director of the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. “We want these courses to be highly interactive, to be engaging for our students and intellectually stimulating.”

The office works to ensure this by offering multiple faculty development and training opportunities, as well as providing resources for students to adapt to the virtual environment. “Being trained in how to teach online and understanding that there’s a different pedagogy attached to online teaching makes it a better experience for everyone,” says Kathleen Torrens, one of the assistant directors of online education. “We offer basic competency trainings in the tools that are available to teach online, as well as two online pedagogy courses for faculty to take. They get to be students in an online class and have a firsthand experience of what it’s like.” Courses for faculty focus on topics like blended teaching, which is a combination of face-to-face instruction and online work; how to engage with students virtually and foster their investment in the class; and, of course, the nuts and bolts of successful course design for the virtual world.

In addition to trying out online education firsthand, faculty are able to consult individually with assistant director Joannah Portman-Daley, an instructional design specialist, as they design their courses. She is also one of the six peer mentors at URI who are qualified to implement the best practices rubric of Quality Matters, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to quality online education. “We are able to review an online course and be that other pair of eyes to look at it,” she says. “The rubric looks at course design, things like how easy it is to navigate the course, if it’s accessible, if the assessments are aligned with the course objectives and outcomes.” The peer mentors review a course to ensure that it meets these national standards. If it doesn’t, they provide recommendations to improve the design. The faculty is then able to revise the online course until it meets standards by at least 85 percent.

Rachel DiCioccio, associate professor of communication studies, has been teaching online since 2009 and was quick to take advantage of the training the University offered. “The online context changes the way you need to think about instruction. You can’t just upload the notes from your face-to-face class and expect to teach students in the same way,” she says. Through the training she received, DiCioccio was able to utilize the tools available to create a course that fostered student interaction and engagement, surprising even herself at how invested students become when they have the opportunity to be more self-directed or feel less inhibited to speak openly than they might in a face-to-face class. She credits assistance from the Office of Online Education in helping her create an open and inviting virtual atmosphere. “The mentoring I received was really the most important aspect,” she adds. “I still go back to them for support.” So far, over 245 faculty have completed training in online pedagogy.

URI is pressing forward in developing more options for students and expanding offerings to provide more post-baccalaureate opportunities. Several new programs have been launched over the past year or are in the works for the near future. Each one seeks to target an audience in need of a stellar educational experience in a fast-paced world. Find out more about online education at URI at uri.edu/learningonline. •