West Chester University’s RN to BSN program is fully online and I teach the introductory seven-week course for the program. We know that some of our incoming students do not have previous experience with high quality online learning. For this reason, clear guidance is crucial to ensure their success. To enhance my skills in teaching online courses, I had the privilege to participate in the ACUE Certification in Effective Online Teaching during the spring 2025 and fall 2025 semesters. One tip from that certification I now use in my online teaching is to establish a rhythm for participation.
In my course this starts with the weekly course module opening to students on Monday at midnight. Then students receive a course announcement through D2L that is delivered at 8am Monday morning. This announcement summarizes key takeaways from the previous weeks’ assignments and introduces the content and learning activities for the current week. Students are directed to view short assignment overview videos that provide a step-by-step overview of how to complete the weekly assignment, along with the assignment rubric. The videos are kept short to stay focused on the task and capture the attention of the viewer.
The assignment overview videos require practice and often need to be re-recorded each semester to reflect content or assignment updates. I am most familiar with using Zoom for recording. I will share my D2L page, rubrics, or other documents as a visual as I record. I will then upload to Panopto and edit the captions. Once the videos are added to the D2L modules, I can track student views to determine engagement.
Announcements are created prior to the start of the session and scheduled to be released at set times during the week. Additional announcements are incorporated as needed during the session to clarify assignment questions or concepts. I wrap up each weekly module with a course announcement delivered to students on Friday at 8am. This written announcement provides a reminder of the assignment due on Sunday, summarizes what was covered this week, and provides a glimpse into what to expect next week.
The final element of the consistent rhythm I strive to provide is that students can expect assignment feedback within 24 hours of due dates, to prepare for upcoming coursework. This is done in an intentional manner to provide a clear routine for students to be successful in their course work as assignments progress from simple to complex over the 7-week session.
In conclusion, the ACUE Certification in Effective Online Teaching reinforced the importance of establishing patterns and consistency. By providing a uniform design each week including announcements and overview videos, students can shift their cognitive processing away from trying to understand the nature and structure of the course towards engaging in the course materials and activities. Additionally, this consistent rhythm has enabled me, as an instructor, to deliver learning activities in a structured and cohesive manner.
