Responsive, Technology-Enhanced Teaching Short Courses for Faculty

The Technology-Enhanced Teaching Short Courses are one-week, research-informed offerings at the University of British Columbia designed to help faculty rapidly build practical skills for blended, online, and AI-enhanced teaching. Delivered in a blended format combining synchronous or in-person sessions with structured online activities, the courses respond directly to major technological shifts in higher education. All offerings are co-led by faculty and professional staff, interdisciplinary in design, and focused on practical application rather than abstract training.

The short courses were implemented as agile, one-week professional learning experiences designed to respond to immediate instructional needs. Each course followed a blended format, combining synchronous or in-person sessions with structured online activities, and emphasised hands-on practice and direct application to participants’ own teaching contexts.

Course 1: Teaching in a Blended Learning Environment

Offered over three years with more than 100 faculty participants. This course supported instructors designing or teaching blended courses, focusing on structuring learning across modalities, selecting digital tools that complement in-person teaching, and creating coherent learning experiences for students.

Course 2: Transition to Teaching Online

Delivered over two years with approximately 160 participants. Developed in response to the rapid shift to remote instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, this course supported faculty in transitioning their teaching online, with emphasis on effective online presence, activity redesign, and maintaining student engagement in fully digital contexts.

Course 3: Teaching and Learning with Generative AI

Completed by 70 faculty and staff participants. This intensive offering introduced emerging generative AI tools, examined pedagogical opportunities and risks, and supported participants in identifying responsible and context-appropriate uses of AI within their courses, with attention to academic integrity and critical digital literacy.

Impact was evaluated using Kirkpatrick’s Levels 1 and 2, focusing on faculty reactions and learning outcomes. Primary evidence was collected through end-of-course satisfaction surveys, supplemented by a follow-up focus group for one course to capture deeper insights into instructional application.

Findings from the Transition to Online Teaching (TOT) course highlighted four key impact areas:

• Access to technology-rich support, including one-on-one assistance and modeled uses of Zoom and Canvas, which reduced anxiety and increased confidence.
• A task-oriented structure that enabled faculty to make immediate progress on authentic teaching needs, such as syllabus redesign and activity planning.
• Experiential learning, with participants engaging as online learners to better understand effective digital pedagogy.
• Strong relational support, with faculty emphasizing the value of peer interaction, shared problem-solving, and feeling supported during a period of rapid change.

The evaluation of this course was later published in collaboration with a faculty facilitator, providing external validation of the approach: https://www.centerforengagedlearning.org/books/online-open-and-equitable-education/section-2/chapter-9/

• Faculty and staff co-leadership
• Interdisciplinary learning cohorts
• Blended delivery formats
• Research-informed course design
• Agile response to technological and institutional change