Jump to the Excellence in Online Course Design Award
Excellence in Online Teaching
This award recognizes course instructors who exemplify a high standard of teaching in one or more of Waterloo's fully-online undergraduate- or graduate-level course(s). Course instructors may be teaching an online course that they authored or one that was authored by another faculty member.
2023 - David Ha
David Ha from the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) has been selected as the winner of Waterloo's 2023 Online Teaching Award.
David has been a pioneer and leader in online learning at the School of Accounting and Finance (SAF) since 2015. Comments from his students indicate that he is able to create a strong rapport with them, is responsive to their needs, and finds many ways for them to engage with him, the course materials and other students.
David was nominated for his teaching in AFM 131: Introduction to Business in North America, a large first year course, which he also authored. Course development was supported by the Centre for Extended Learning team of Marie Lippens, Rachael Verbruggen, and Cristelle Rovedo.
Student comment:
"Professor Ha seemed interested in the course and his students which I have not experienced at all in the online courses I've taken recently."
David’s approach to teaching online and supporting the student experience embraces three principles:
- “Purposeful engagement and choice” – Flexibility and inclusive design are a priority, so regardless of where students are from or how they best learn, he provides various opportunities to interact and engage. They can read and watch materials independently, connect with David via Zoom sessions and meetings, take weekly quizzes, contribute to discussions and complete assignments.
- “An organized experience” – David helps first year students learn to self-manage through ongoing touch points with announcements, emails, and recorded check-in sessions. He also reaches out at key times throughout the term to see if students want to talk about concepts, activities, or issues they’re facing so they’re not spinning their wheels for too long.
- “Building connections in and out of class” - He encourages students to integrate existing knowledge and experiences (through past courses, part-time/co-op jobs) and promote new ways to further explore areas of business beyond the course and to further develop key skills to future-proof their careers
Another student remarked that:
"Professor Ha has developed excellent course content and reading materials, the course topics are relevant and clearly outlined, the assignments are of adequate difficulty and require a full application of the learned material. The online format of AFM 131 is very easy to navigate and enjoyable to use, Professor Ha's notes and additional materials are incredibly beneficial and clear."
He has long held a belief in the effectiveness of online learning. In a 2021 SAF interview David stated that “activities like online discussions… are such rich environments to share research and perspectives, make connections, and to teach and learn from each other.” It’s obvious from his nomination package that his Faculty and students agree that he has succeeded in creating a diverse and supporting learning environment.
Student comment:
"He was an amazing teacher that showed up for his students even when no one showed up for him. He clearly was passionate about what he was teaching and did so in the most engaging way possible for being an online course."
David continually tries to find ways to refine the course by taking student feedback into account and incorporating best practices in implementation and design to support the online learning experience.
When evaluating the nominations, evaluators commented that:
"David's approach to online teaching is best described as both purposeful and positive. He demonstrates a diverse approach to student engagement, as reflected in student feedback and letters of support."
and
"Feedback indicates that David is skilled at making course material engaging and at providing flexibility, all while meeting [professional curriculum and] accreditation requirements."
Blake Phillips, the Director, School of Accounting and Finance, had this to say in David’s nomination:
“Equally abundant in student comments are emphasis of excellent course organization, a strong
balance between rigor and attainability and perhaps most importantly, a sense that David
strongly cares about their well being and success. The online learning environment can be an
impersonal place in the absence of physical interaction with the instructor, overcoming this
barrier and truly connecting with one’s students reflects an exceptional instructor at the top of
his craft.”
Previous Online Teaching Award Winners
Excellence in Online Course Design
This award recognizes exemplary undergraduate- or graduate-level courses that meet or exceed the Quality Guidelines for University of Waterloo Online Courses. Author(s) worked collaboratively with CEL in the design and development.
2023 - Multimedia Storytelling (DEI 616)
DEI 616: Multimedia Storytelling, created by Daniel Harley of the Stratford School of Interaction Design and Business, has been selected as the recipient of this year’s Course Design award.
DEI 616 is one of two courses in the Master of Digital Experience Innovation (MDEI) program designed to explore emerging ideas and practices. It is structured to explore both historical and recent scholarship by examining a different subdiscipline each week.
When he began to design the course Daniel recognized that students in this program come from varying backgrounds and career aspirations. His goals with the course are to provide students with:
- a critical overview of storytelling practices and techniques across media; and
- practical and analytical orientations to storytelling that might transfer to their own disciplinary practices.
In keeping with the Teaching Effectiveness Framework:
- The course is structured in a logical and coherent order. Daniel, and a CEL team of Micheline Lang, Emilea Balkham and Francisco Moreno, designed the course so that “With slight variations, the modules follow a consistent structure: an introduction to the subject, followed by theoretical and/or analytical considerations, and ending with analyses of contemporary multimedia stories.”
- There is alignment between learning outcomes, content and assessments. The CEL team and Daniel ensured that “The course description and learning outcomes are clearly presented and the design of the course ensures that these outcomes are met based on deliberate links between module content and assignment deliverables.”
- It uses a variety of strategies, technology and teaching tools to promote student engagement. According to one student “A lot of the assignments pushed me out of my comfort zone and encouraged me to apply the theories and concepts in contexts I would not have been exposed to or would have considered otherwise.”
- Pacing allows for maximum learner flexibility. Daniel in his nomination package says “Although there is a suggested pacing to the course in its weekly structure, the entire course is available to students from the moment the course begins, and there is flexibility built into the design.”
- The course follows many Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles. Daniel and the CEL Team saw that the assignments are also an opportunity to apply UDL and User Experience Design for Learning (UXDL) principles, especially in terms of leveraging multimedia content that is delivered accessibly.
He also “wanted students to learn from one another and build community. After submitting each assignment, students see their peers’ work and give structured feedback to two other submissions.” Dr. Tobias Thielen, who taught the 2024 iteration of the course, says that “learning is further enabled through the integration of peer feedback discussions, helping to build a class community as students engage with each other’s work.”
Students were very supportive of Daniel and DEI 616 winning this award. Two commented that what them helped them learn were:
- "Weekly check-ins with the professor. Daniel engaged in thought-provoking discussions."
- “The modules were incredibly well written and thought provoking. Seldom did I feel like the content or writing was stale. Really great writing in addition to thoughtful reflection questions and a wide range of examples made it really easy for me to stay engaged and learn in this course.”
In a letter supporting his nomination, Jessica Thompson, Associate Professor and Director of the Stratford School wrote:
"[Daniel's} outstanding approach to design and accessibility creates engaging, pedagogically robust learning experiences within an asynchronous learning environment... This approach, combined with excellent course delivery, demonstrates his commitment to excellence in online education."
Previous Online Course Design Award Winners
If you have any questions about the awards please email Extended Learning.