The UpOnline Course Consultation program is a faculty support initiative of the
Office of Distance Education, USC Upstate. The Office of DE partners with other campus services such as the
Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning,
Learning Technologies,
Media Services and the Media Lab, the
Library, and the
Student Success Center to provide a comprehensive support system for faculty teaching in the online and distance education environments. Here is what your colleagues have to say about the UpOCC program and courses:
What faculty are saying:
"Teaching
online has already forever changed how I run my seated classes.
I always
distribute all readings AND listening assignments through Blackboard,
and I use
blackboard for ALL assignment submissions and quiz and test administration."
Dr. Griffin Woodworth, Assistant Professor of Music. Fine Arts and Communications Studies.
"I just got my teaching evaluations back from fall semester, and I
was very nervous about my first fully online course, but the evaluations were
terrific! Thank you both for supporting my efforts to become savvy at digital
pedagogy. I am still a work in progress in that regard, but I'm so incredibly
relieved at this positive feedback."
Dr. Merri Lisa Johnson, Director & Professor of Women's & Gender Studies.
"I
just finished teaching 'Introduction to American Studies' (AMST 101) as
a half-term online course this fall. It went well, and the
information I gained from the certification course last spring was quite
useful."
Dr. Andrew Myers, Professor of Amerian Studies. History, Political Science, Philosophy and American Studies.
"This was a very useful course (Certification) and should ideally be required for
all instructors."
Dr. Renu Pariyadath, Communications Full Time Faculty, Fine Arts and Communication Studies
"I appreciated the opportunity to learn more
about the tools, resources, and techniques discussed in the course. I’m looking
forward to reviewing it all over the summer when I’m building some new content
into courses for the future.” – (Hybrid Course
Design).
Dr. Kyle Turner, George Dean Johnson, Jr. College of Business and Economics
The Concierge Model of Course Development Upstate Online and the Office of Distance Education are committed to honoring the individuality of the faculty, interacting with various elements of the teaching and learning experience online. The Course is our unit of evaluation and assessment. We expect faculty development and improvement through the efforts of good instructional and androgogic design in the academic courses of the curriculum. The link at the bottom of this page is to a document used in the program by the faculty development support team; CETL, Learning Technologies, the Library, Media Services, and Distance Education.
The
Concierge Model of Course Development, developed by Dr. McCurry, was inspired by Wes Anderson's film "The Grand Budapest Hotel" (2014), based on the short novels and essays by Stefan Zweig (1881-1942). In the film, Anderson imagines a network of knowledgeable concierge, completely dedicated to the service of hotel patrons. Dr. McCurry in turn imagined that the role of an Instructional Designer is likened to that of a good concierge; someone who applies broad knowledge of course design and teaching and learning to the unique needs of an individual faculty member. You can, in your turn, imagine your course as a destination, with the concierge services we provide designed to help get you there in the most professional and courteous manner possible. You are the guest, with a clear idea of the destination of your course journey. The concierge intimately knows the terrain, the shortcuts, the pitfalls, and can help steer you in the best direction. Consulting a textbook on being a good hotel concierge, we learn that the more the concierge knows about your individual and unique needs, the better she or he may serve you.
