About Our Online Courses

At LIM College, fully online courses are taught asynchronously meaning there are no required scheduled meetings. This allows our online program students, who are typically working full time and have other commitments, to fit their learning into the schedule that works best for them.

As a faculty members, we want to provide you with as much information so that you may teach effectively in this modality. Below you'll find information about how the courses are set up, general administrative expectations and teaching expectations.

Online Learning Consortium

LIM College is a member of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC). The OLC works with the online community "to achieve excellence in digital learning through innovative programs, research, events, evaluation tools, and professional development designed for diverse roles and contexts."

We encourage you to register for an account. It will provide you with access to the latest research and discounts on professional development opportunities.

Course Design

Almost all fully online program courses, except career and internship courses, are offered in the 7-week asynchronous format. We refer to these as "sessions" to differentiate from the 15-week semester. Typically, online students take two 3-credit courses each session. Most of these classes are as rigorous as their main campus counter parts.

Nearly all 7-week fully online courses are developed in advance with the Office of Learning Innovation. These courses are designed with the backwards design process. We identify the module learning objectives first, the assessments next, then select materials to support the completion of the assessments.  All assessments and materials are aligned with both the module and course learning objectives. And all learning objectives have been designed with the Blooms Taxonomy framework in mind. If you are invited to teach a fully online course, you can request access to the "Blueprint" or "Master" course so that you can review content in advance of teaching.

Administrative Expectations

The following is a list of expectations for faculty teaching in this modality:

• Unlocked Modules: All course modules should remain unlocked. Our online students are often balancing work, life, and school responsibilities, and it's important that they have flexible access to course materials. We want to support their success—not penalize them—for working ahead.
• Attendance: Attendance is submitted to Sonis on Mondays. In this modality, attendance can include submitting assignments, posting to the discussion boards, or taking a exam.
• Assignment Deadlines: All assignments must have due dates and must be available to students. Please do not set "availability dates" unless assignments are scaffolded, build on each other like research projects/presentations.
• Posting Grades: Grades must be posted by end of day on Tuesday each week. The  course is accelerated so it's important for students to have a good sense of their course grade throughout the 7-week period. If you are behind, please let your students know.
• Communication: Office hours are not required but you are expected to respond to student emails/Teams messages within 24-48 hours.

Regular and Substantive Interaction

We often communicate less with our fully online students than with those on campus, which can lead to feelings of isolation. It's essential to be present and engaged in fully online classes so students feel that the experience is real and valuable. Below, we've outlined key expectations and teaching tips to help you support your fully online students effectively.

In accordance with federal regulations, we expect all fully online faculty to have regular and substantive interactions (RSI) with their students. In the Code of Federal Regulations substantive interaction is defined as "engaging students in teaching, learning, and assessment, consistent with the content under discussion, and also includes at least two of the following—

• (i) Providing direct instruction;

• (ii) Assessing or providing feedback on a student's coursework;

• (iii) Providing information or responding to questions about the content of a course or competency;

• (iv) Facilitating a group discussion regarding the content of a course or competency; or

• (v) Other instructional activities approved by the institution's or program's accrediting agency."

LIM College is also required to ensure "regular interaction between a student and an instructor or instructors by, prior to the student's completion of a course or competency" in fully online courses. This includes:

• "(i) Providing the opportunity for substantive interactions with the student on a predictable and scheduled basis commensurate with the length of time and the amount of content in the course or competency; and

• (ii) Monitoring the student's academic engagement and success and ensuring that an instructor is responsible for promptly and proactively engaging in substantive interaction with the student when needed on the basis of such monitoring, or upon request by the student.

Online Teaching Expectations

1. Be present in the discussions. Regular and Substantive Interaction with your online students is required by federal law. Set aside time weekly to read through the initial discussion posts. Ask students follow-up questions that prompt deeper thinking about the topic. Again, use their names when acknowledging their contributions and connect their ideas to course content to show you're actively involved.
2. Monitor and Address Misunderstandings Promptly: Keep an eye out for common or consistent misunderstandings in the discussion boards, quizzes, and/or assignments. Use announcements or create short video to help clarify tricky concepts quickly.
3. Provide Personalized Feedback: In the Canvas Speedgrader, give comments by referencing specific parts of students' work. A quick personalized video or audio message can also make feedback feel more engaging and human. (If feedback is relevant to all students, definitely post that in the announcements or in the discussion boards.
4. Encourage Peer Learning: Even though the online courses are pre-built, you can update some assignments to reflect a different kind of collaboration. For example, you can assign peer review tasks with clear guidelines to help students learn from each other. You can also create multiple versions of the discussion boards for small group interactions. This not only reinforces content but also builds a sense of community.
5. Be Present and Approachable: A consistent, friendly presence helps students feel supported and connected. Log in a few times a week to respond to questions. Post weekly announcements summarizing key points and what's coming up.

Online Teaching Essentials Video

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Humanizing the Learning Experience

When you teach asynchronously, it's more challenging for you and your students. It's often just names on a screen, no personalities. Take some simple steps to humanize your and make it feel less like an old-school correspondence course.

1. Survey Your Students: Before the class officially begins or even on the first day, send a "Get to Know You" survey to your students. Ask questions that will help you learn more about each student. This can help you provide individualized support from time to time.
2. Use Students’ Names and Pronouns: When replying to students in Discussion Boards or giving feedback in SpeedGrader, be sure to use their names and correct pronouns. This small step helps foster a sense of connection and personal engagement.
3. Video/Audio Feedback: While written comments in the Grade Center are helpful and actionable. Consider using video or audio feedback whenever possible. Hearing your voice—or seeing your face—can make your feedback feel more personal and supportive. It helps students feel seen and valued, and it can clarify tone and intention in ways that text sometimes cannot. Even a short message can go a long way in building rapport and encouraging student engagement.
4. Video Introductions and Announcements: Another effective way to humanize your course is by recording short weekly videos. You can recap the previous week, introduce upcoming content, or share thoughts on current events related to the course topic. Your videos don’t have to be long or perfect—just authentic. The goal is to help students get a sense of who you are and what you’re like as an instructor. Again, your personality, tone, and enthusiasm can come through in ways that the written word just can't.  This should help make the online learning experience feel more connected and engaging.

You can learn more about How and Why to Humanize your Online Course through this article on the California Virtual Campus of Online Network of Educators website.