How CSU supports more online learners
Online education continues to advance in quality, accessibility, and popularity at CSU.
The many people responsible for this advancement – faculty, administrators, and staff – work across multiple colleges, schools, and departments (on and off campus) to support both CSU’s programs and the students enrolled in them.
And CSU recently hit a big milestone.
In the spring of 2023, Colorado State University celebrated its largest graduating class of online and distance students ever, highlighting CSU’s longstanding commitment to delivering high-quality distance education with a growing number of online and hybrid degree options.
“The population of online learners is growing, and students are finding they can complete their entire education without having to disrupt their lives,” said Alysha Tarantino, Director of CSU Online. “CSU’s commitment to accessible education for all learners is reflected in the remarkable achievements of our graduates.”
What great online courses look like today
CSU has been helping distance learners achieve their dreams of earning a degree or graduate certificate for more than four decades, a mission that first began with CSU’s Division of Continuing Education (now CSU Online).
While lecture capture and narrated PowerPoint presentations are still widely used, the modern online educator has many more resources at their fingertips to provide an engaging experience for students.
Tools like discussion boards, virtual whiteboards, video conferencing, and instant messaging make it much easier for students to connect with faculty and each other during collaborative online learning.
With the help of instructional designers like those working for CSU Online and The Institute for Learning and Teaching (TILT), instructors can also access an array of supports to build dynamic course content with elements such as:
- short video lessons and lectures,
- interactive digital presentations,
- articles, case studies, and whitepapers,
- infographics and data visualizations,
- virtual labs,
- and other digital learning content.
Today’s online CSU students collaborate more, often building long-lasting relationships with peers and gaining valuable communication skills as they learn – all without ever meeting in person (although some do meet at graduation on campus).
For faculty and instructional designers, scalable quality assurance systems like Quality Matters help ensure that new online courses can achieve increased learner engagement, retention, satisfaction, and success.
Other benefits of modern online learning include:
- Smaller class sizes and virtual office hours give students regular access to instructors.
- Instructors and students have access to user-friendly communication and collaboration tools.
- Students can experience better learning retention thanks to modern courses that boost engagement.
Together, faculty and instructional designers create a better experience
As experts in both modern pedagogy and technology, instructional designers work closely with faculty to develop new online courses or transform face-to-face curricula into user-friendly virtual lesson plans. Instructional designers can incorporate videos, motion graphics and animations, charts, graphs, interactive quizzes, learning games, and other media to create a challenging but engaging learning experience for students.
They also work to ensure courses meet crucial accessibility guidelines.
“We collaborate with faculty to develop engaging, interactive content using technology and e-learning tools, to guide students towards achieving their academic goals,” explained Megan Hauser, an Instructional Designer. “We create high-quality, active-learning experiences that include current content, professional videos, authentic assessments, and research-based best practices. Every course is thoroughly reviewed before being released to ensure accessibility and quality, in service to the CSU community.”
Students expect more, and CSU strives to deliver
Not surprisingly, many of today’s students are much more selective when choosing an online degree, certificate, or course. Adult learners, especially those in the workforce, value the flexibility and autonomy of asynchronous online learning.
Faculty at CSU prioritize academic rigor and high-quality instruction, whether online or on campus. The mission of CSU Online is to strike a balance between rigor, quality, accessibility, and flexibility.
The student recruitment staff at CSU Online also prioritizes the best interests of prospective students, working to ensure students find a program that fits with their career goals and life.
“Navigating the university application process can be tricky,” explained Conor McLean, Manager of Recruitment for CSU Online. “Our team builds relationships with prospective students. We learn about their goals and challenges so we can provide better support. This might include connecting them with financial aid info, checking on transcript status, or just answering questions about a program.”
“Most importantly,” he continued, “we want to make sure our programs are a good fit. Our team is committed to offering tailored assistance to students and hopefully providing a smooth transition into the CSU Ram Family.”
Resources for instructors
Instructors and faculty interested in learning more about online course development, accessibility, and instructional design best practices should visit TILT or contact CSU Online for more information.