The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction

Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting
Douglas Fisher - San Diego State University, USA
Nancy Frey - San Diego State University, USA
John T. Almarode - James Madison University, USA
John Hattie - The University of Melbourne, Australia
The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction
August 2020 | 200 pages | Corwin
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ISBN: 9781071838556
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ISBN: 9781071838679
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Description

First, let’s commend ourselves: how in the midst of a pandemic we faculty stepped up at record speed to teach in such a foreign learning environment. Try we did, adapt we did, and learn we did. But to be clear, and we already recognize this, this past spring was less about distance learning and more about crisis teaching.

This time around we have the opportunity to be much more purposeful and intentional, and that’s where The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction will prove absolutely indispensable.

Much more than a collection of cool tools and apps, The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction mobilizes decades of Visible Learning® research to reveal those evidence-based strategies that work best in an online environment. Supplemented by video footage and opportunities to self-assess and reflect, the book addresses every dynamic that must be in place for students to learn, even at a distance:

  • Faculty-student relationships from a distance
  •  Teacher credibility from a distance
  • Teacher clarity from a distance
  • Engaging tasks from a distance
  • Planning learning experiences from a distance
  • Feedback, assessment, and grading from a distance
  • Keeping the focus on learning, from a distance or otherwise

What does our post-COVID future hold? “We suspect,” Fisher, Frey, Almarode, and Hattie write, “it will include increased amounts of distance learning. In the meantime, let’s seize on what we have learned to improve post-secondary education in any format, whether face-to-face or from a distance.”

“We are all still active faculty members, committed to teaching, scholarship, and service. The unexpected transition to remote learning doesn’t mean we no longer know how to teach. We can still impact the lives of our students and know that we made a difference. The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction will show you how.”

~Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode, and John Hattie

Contents

List of Videos

List of Videos

Acknowledgments

  • Introduction
  • A Visible Learning® Primer
  • Visible Learning and Distance Learning
  • A Question of Equity
  • Module 1: Self-Care
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Conclusion
  • Module 2: The First Week of Classes
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Develop a Classroom Management Plan for Distance Learning
  • Establish Norms
  • Link Norms to Class Agreements
  • Identify Expectations for Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Develop and Teach Organizational and Procedural Routines
  • Design a Considerate Website
  • Your First Distance Classes
  • Learn Students’ Interests
  • Conclusion
  • Module 3: Faculty—Student Relationships From a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Characteristics of Faculty–Student Relationships
  • Judgment and Will, Not Just Knowledge and Ability
  • Peer-to-Peer Relationships Are Influenced, Too
  • A “Chilly” Classroom
  • Reaching the Hard to Teach
  • Increase Your Touchpoints With All Students
  • Conclusion
  • Module 4: Teacher Credibility at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Teacher Credibility Defined
  • Conclusion
  • Module 5: Teacher Clarity at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Start With the Standards and Competencies
  • Create a Flow of Learning: Planning for Class
  • Create Learning Intentions
  • Identify Success Criteria
  • Find the Relevance
  • Conclusion
  • Module 6: Engaging Tasks at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Think Functions of Engagement, Not Just Tools
  • Set the Conditions for Engagement and Learning
  • Select the Tools That Meet These Functions and Conditions
  • Design Tasks With Engagement in Mind
  • Design a Considerate Schedule to Promote Engagement
  • Conclusion
  • Module 7: Planning Learning Experiences at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Demonstrating
  • Collaborating
  • Coaching and Facilitating
  • Practicing
  • Conclusion
  • Module 8: Feedback, Assessment, and Grading
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Feedback to Students
  • The Socioemotional Links to Feedback
  • Feedback at a Distance
  • Formative Evaluation
  • Summative Evaluations
  • Competency-Based Grading
  • Conclusion
  • Module 9: Keeping the Focus on Learning, Distance or Otherwise
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Learning From Other Crises
  • Use Crisis Learning to Make Colleges and Universities Better
  • Make Learning Better for Students
  • Make Learning Better for Teachers
  • Conclusion

Appendix

Appendix

References

References

Index

Index

About the Authors

About the Authors

Additional materials

Description

First, let’s commend ourselves: how in the midst of a pandemic we faculty stepped up at record speed to teach in such a foreign learning environment. Try we did, adapt we did, and learn we did. But to be clear, and we already recognize this, this past spring was less about distance learning and more about crisis teaching.

This time around we have the opportunity to be much more purposeful and intentional, and that’s where The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction will prove absolutely indispensable.

Much more than a collection of cool tools and apps, The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction mobilizes decades of Visible Learning® research to reveal those evidence-based strategies that work best in an online environment. Supplemented by video footage and opportunities to self-assess and reflect, the book addresses every dynamic that must be in place for students to learn, even at a distance:

  • Faculty-student relationships from a distance
  •  Teacher credibility from a distance
  • Teacher clarity from a distance
  • Engaging tasks from a distance
  • Planning learning experiences from a distance
  • Feedback, assessment, and grading from a distance
  • Keeping the focus on learning, from a distance or otherwise

What does our post-COVID future hold? “We suspect,” Fisher, Frey, Almarode, and Hattie write, “it will include increased amounts of distance learning. In the meantime, let’s seize on what we have learned to improve post-secondary education in any format, whether face-to-face or from a distance.”

“We are all still active faculty members, committed to teaching, scholarship, and service. The unexpected transition to remote learning doesn’t mean we no longer know how to teach. We can still impact the lives of our students and know that we made a difference. The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction will show you how.”

~Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode, and John Hattie

Contents

List of Videos

List of Videos

Acknowledgments

  • Introduction
  • A Visible Learning® Primer
  • Visible Learning and Distance Learning
  • A Question of Equity
  • Module 1: Self-Care
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Conclusion
  • Module 2: The First Week of Classes
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Develop a Classroom Management Plan for Distance Learning
  • Establish Norms
  • Link Norms to Class Agreements
  • Identify Expectations for Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Develop and Teach Organizational and Procedural Routines
  • Design a Considerate Website
  • Your First Distance Classes
  • Learn Students’ Interests
  • Conclusion
  • Module 3: Faculty—Student Relationships From a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Characteristics of Faculty–Student Relationships
  • Judgment and Will, Not Just Knowledge and Ability
  • Peer-to-Peer Relationships Are Influenced, Too
  • A “Chilly” Classroom
  • Reaching the Hard to Teach
  • Increase Your Touchpoints With All Students
  • Conclusion
  • Module 4: Teacher Credibility at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Teacher Credibility Defined
  • Conclusion
  • Module 5: Teacher Clarity at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Start With the Standards and Competencies
  • Create a Flow of Learning: Planning for Class
  • Create Learning Intentions
  • Identify Success Criteria
  • Find the Relevance
  • Conclusion
  • Module 6: Engaging Tasks at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Think Functions of Engagement, Not Just Tools
  • Set the Conditions for Engagement and Learning
  • Select the Tools That Meet These Functions and Conditions
  • Design Tasks With Engagement in Mind
  • Design a Considerate Schedule to Promote Engagement
  • Conclusion
  • Module 7: Planning Learning Experiences at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Demonstrating
  • Collaborating
  • Coaching and Facilitating
  • Practicing
  • Conclusion
  • Module 8: Feedback, Assessment, and Grading
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Feedback to Students
  • The Socioemotional Links to Feedback
  • Feedback at a Distance
  • Formative Evaluation
  • Summative Evaluations
  • Competency-Based Grading
  • Conclusion
  • Module 9: Keeping the Focus on Learning, Distance or Otherwise
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Learning From Other Crises
  • Use Crisis Learning to Make Colleges and Universities Better
  • Make Learning Better for Students
  • Make Learning Better for Teachers
  • Conclusion

Appendix

Appendix

References

References

Index

Index

About the Authors

About the Authors

Additional materials

SAGE Publishing Logo

The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction

Teaching for Engagement and Impact in Any Setting

Douglas Fisher , Nancy Frey , John T. Almarode , John Hattie
Cancel Print

August 2020 | 200 pages | Corwin

Format Published Date ISBN Price
Paperback 01/02/2026 9781071838679 $40.95
Lifetime 01/02/2026 9781071838556 $37.00

First, let’s commend ourselves: how in the midst of a pandemic we faculty stepped up at record speed to teach in such a foreign learning environment. Try we did, adapt we did, and learn we did. But to be clear, and we already recognize this, this past spring was less about distance learning and more about crisis teaching.

This time around we have the opportunity to be much more purposeful and intentional, and that’s where The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction will prove absolutely indispensable.

Much more than a collection of cool tools and apps, The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction mobilizes decades of Visible Learning® research to reveal those evidence-based strategies that work best in an online environment. Supplemented by video footage and opportunities to self-assess and reflect, the book addresses every dynamic that must be in place for students to learn, even at a distance:

  • Faculty-student relationships from a distance
  •  Teacher credibility from a distance
  • Teacher clarity from a distance
  • Engaging tasks from a distance
  • Planning learning experiences from a distance
  • Feedback, assessment, and grading from a distance
  • Keeping the focus on learning, from a distance or otherwise

What does our post-COVID future hold? “We suspect,” Fisher, Frey, Almarode, and Hattie write, “it will include increased amounts of distance learning. In the meantime, let’s seize on what we have learned to improve post-secondary education in any format, whether face-to-face or from a distance.”

“We are all still active faculty members, committed to teaching, scholarship, and service. The unexpected transition to remote learning doesn’t mean we no longer know how to teach. We can still impact the lives of our students and know that we made a difference. The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction will show you how.”

~Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode, and John Hattie


Table Of Contents:

  • List of Videos
  • Acknowledgments
  • Introduction
  • A Visible Learning® Primer
  • Visible Learning and Distance Learning
  • A Question of Equity
  • Module 1: Self-Care
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Conclusion
  • Module 2: The First Week of Classes
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Develop a Classroom Management Plan for Distance Learning
  • Establish Norms
  • Link Norms to Class Agreements
  • Identify Expectations for Synchronous Distance Learning
  • Develop and Teach Organizational and Procedural Routines
  • Design a Considerate Website
  • Your First Distance Classes
  • Learn Students’ Interests
  • Conclusion
  • Module 3: Faculty—Student Relationships From a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Characteristics of Faculty–Student Relationships
  • Judgment and Will, Not Just Knowledge and Ability
  • Peer-to-Peer Relationships Are Influenced, Too
  • A “Chilly” Classroom
  • Reaching the Hard to Teach
  • Increase Your Touchpoints With All Students
  • Conclusion
  • Module 4: Teacher Credibility at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Teacher Credibility Defined
  • Conclusion
  • Module 5: Teacher Clarity at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Start With the Standards and Competencies
  • Create a Flow of Learning: Planning for Class
  • Create Learning Intentions
  • Identify Success Criteria
  • Find the Relevance
  • Conclusion
  • Module 6: Engaging Tasks at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Think Functions of Engagement, Not Just Tools
  • Set the Conditions for Engagement and Learning
  • Select the Tools That Meet These Functions and Conditions
  • Design Tasks With Engagement in Mind
  • Design a Considerate Schedule to Promote Engagement
  • Conclusion
  • Module 7: Planning Learning Experiences at a Distance
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Demonstrating
  • Collaborating
  • Coaching and Facilitating
  • Practicing
  • Conclusion
  • Module 8: Feedback, Assessment, and Grading
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Feedback to Students
  • The Socioemotional Links to Feedback
  • Feedback at a Distance
  • Formative Evaluation
  • Summative Evaluations
  • Competency-Based Grading
  • Conclusion
  • Module 9: Keeping the Focus on Learning, Distance or Otherwise
  • Learning Intentions and Success Criteria
  • Learning From Other Crises
  • Use Crisis Learning to Make Colleges and Universities Better
  • Make Learning Better for Students
  • Make Learning Better for Teachers
  • Conclusion
  • Appendix
  • References
  • Index
  • About the Authors

Recent Product Reviews:

This is an amazing book. While it is designed to build everyone’s capacity to teach in distance learning environments, it is truly a primer on effective teaching in postsecondary education. Educators who utilize these clear and practical suggestions will see their students achieve stronger learning outcomes. The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction should be a cornerstone of faculty professional development efforts.
Joseph F. Johnson Jr., PhD, Executive Director for the National Center for Urban School Transformation and Emeritus Dean and Professor of San Diego State University
The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction is a very useful guide to helping educators make the transition from onsite to online teaching. The highly respected authors skillfully demonstrate how teachers can apply evidence-based practices from more traditional learning environments to a rapidly evolving world of online learning. The result is a wonderful self-guided tour of extraordinary opportunities to close the distance for learners.
David W. Andrews, PhD, President of National University
The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction offers an innovative learner-centered approach to student achievement where self-care, social emotional learning, instructional clarity, and responsive leadership strategies converge to support faculty in facilitating learner experiences that continue to transition students from ‘passenger to active driver’ in all learning environments, including distance education.
Robert N. Corley III, PhD, Associate Vice-Provost for Academic Affairs of Virginia State University and Project Director for the Wallace Foundation UPPI
The Distance Learning Playbook for College and University Instruction by Douglas Fisher, Nancy Frey, John Almarode, and John Hattie is a timely and necessary addition to every faculty’s library. The authors’ considerate and experiential approach to distance learning provides a well-researched foundation, authentic vignettes of instructors’ experiences, easily accessible video and web links, and helpful techniques that can be used among most disciplines. Impressively, they envisage the distance learning environment beginning with the instructor and as an active, dynamic, and engaging space for learning and teaching.
Arlette Willis, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
These authors once again exceed expectations with this thought-provoking and very practical guide to distance learning. The timing could not be better. Higher education faculty and administrators will find it extremely useful–including a much-needed chapter on self-care, a topic often overlooked in the literature. The pointers on engaging and assessing students are particularly helpful, and the learning intentions and success criteria make this an indispensable resource for new and veteran online instructors alike.
James P. Frazee, EdD, Chief Academic Technology Officer and Associate Vice President for Learning Technologies & Environments, San Diego State University

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