Our department assists faculty by providing methods of best practices while teaching in various online formats such as Hybrid, Hyflex, and fully Online learning. In addition, we are available for training on instructional practices that assist faculty in transferring on-campus knowledge and experience to the facilitated online teaching structure.

Our faculty have access to one-to-one training via our online learning helpdesk, and they have access to our online faculty resources center that includes multiple training videos, many completed by our faculty champions. In addition, we have access to the Online Learning Consortium's vast knowledge of online learning, many changes, and enormous growth over the years. We include training for digital tools such as Zoom, Blackboard, and Panopto. We are dedicated to a supportive and open dialogue with our faculty and students.

Technology is changing the foundation of higher education. Our department researches new tools and technologies to support our faculty and students in this ever-changing instructive process. We search for digital teaching and learning tools that provide sound instructional formats, accessibility, and user-friendly models for all users. Using technology in our virtual classrooms may improve education and the ability to align outcomes and standardize quality educational content. We can use pre-recorded lessons developed by our prestigious faculty, practice assessments to assist student learning, video tutorials, and asynchronous and synchronous discussions in encouraging engagement. As a team, we look forward to new digital tools that will be useful for our faculty and provide a quality learning experience for our students.

Our team is interested in researching several trends that have expanded over the past few years. We ask, "what is happening in the vast field of distance education?". Today, we are learning more about Micro learning and credentials, mobile applications, assistive and adaptive technology, Game-based learning, artificial intelligence and augmented reality, and virtual reality. As a team, we understand that technology and change go hand in hand. We are ready for the changes and challenges we face within all forms of distance education.

La Sierra University offers online and on-campus micro-credentials designed to provide learners with in-demand skills and practical experiences that will prepare them for future-proof jobs or help them to upskill or make a career change. These micro-credentials are taught by our experienced faculty and can provide a pathway to a certificate or a full degree.

The Online Learning department helps the campus community generate data and reports that cover a wide range of online learning and teaching services at La Sierra University. Upon leadership request, our Learning Management System (LMS) can generate reports on student and faculty engagement and performance, faculty course tools usage, LMS usage, and course accessibility rates. Our department support faculty by providing training to generate course-by-course reports related to students' performance that help them identify and assist at-risk students. We also help provide reports and data related to lecture capture usage and academic video content management services regarding students' engagement, usage rates, and completion rates both on the institutional and the course-by-course levels. Similarly, we provide reports and data related to the usage of our synchronous and virtual course meeting services regarding usage rates and level of activity. Our team analyzes and evaluates data from our service desk so that we can provide efficient and effective service and support to our students and faculty.
 

Blackboard has many teaching and learning tools built into the platform, but we can add new functions and tools as needed. We work with department leadership,  faculty, and staff to review and activate new tools within Blackboard. The addition of third-party tools allows instructors and students to experience a variety of ways to present content and encourage user engagement.
Blackboard users can contact us via our helpdesk ticket system to start the process of review for teaching tool options.

The online learning department offers the Univerity assistance with course analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of all types of distance learning courses and programs. Our trained personnel will work alongside faculty to get them through the planning, assessment, and outcomes stages and the overall aesthetics of distance learning courses. We create master courses and assist with individualized faculty-run courses and micro-credential modules or courses. We use best practices for distance education and online learning for all ideas that come to us and step forward with a student-learner-centered modality.

The Online Learning Help Desk offers options for requesting aid using Blackboard and other online services. If you have issues with or questions about Blackboard, Zoom, or Panopto, you can quickly and easily create a help ticket that is explicitly targeted to your subject and problem. Should you need to add one or more teaching assistants (s) to your courses, we have a specific help ticket choice. Make sure to have your TA’s name and email when you create the help ticket. If you have a software tool outside of Blackboard that you would like integrated into the LMS, we have a help ticket choice for that as well. This choice usually requires approval from the chair of your department, so be prepared that this option may require a few days to complete. One of our staff of specialists will get back to you as soon as possible after your help ticket is entered into the system, so keep an eye on your La Sierra email inbox... In your help ticket, it’s a good idea to give us some days and times that work for you to meet on Zoom so that we can arrange a time to meet with you if we need more information or have questions that we can’t answer via email. Faculty and students can reach our help desk at https://lasierra.atlassian.net/servicedesk.