Behind the Scenes of UC Online Courses: Beth Carter, Instructional Design

Many components go into designing a college course. Beyond the material being taught, an effective course is also easy to navigate. Students should be able to locate course content, complete their assignments, and submit them without confusion. 

Instructional designers like Beth Carter are the experts behind these decisions. They make sure that students at the University of Cincinnati get the most out of their online coursework.  

Instructional design is the process by which courses are thoughtfully designed with student learning in mind. Every detail of a course impacts how you learn and retain information—from how assignment instructions are written to how user-friendly a course’s online portal is. If a course is poorly designed, students spend more time attempting to navigate the course than they do learning.

"We are the learning and teaching experts,” Beth said. With a background in education, she brings a wealth of knowledge to the backend of online courses. Many instructional designers bring K-12 teaching experience to their work at UC as well.  

Beth’s work always begins in partnership with professors. They discuss what the course is about and what the professor hopes their students will take away from it. From there, Beth’s team designs a course that prioritizes these goals while making the learning experience as intuitive as possible. 

There are some questions Beth typically asks herself when designing a course: “If I were a student, what would make this course better? How can this course be so that I'm focused on the content, and I'm not having to spend my mental energy focusing on how to find the content, or how to work through the content, or how to do the content?” 

Student focus groups are a crucial part of the instructional design process. Along with helping Beth’s team do their jobs, it also helps create an open dialogue between students, faculty, and program directors.

However, Beth says the most important takeaway from the focus groups is getting to hear student voices. “It helps us to know how to go back to instructors, how to talk to them about what’s in their courses, to let them know what students are looking for.” This feedback often goes beyond specific courses and can help improve degree programs as a whole.  

“Sometimes we go back to the program directors and say, across the program, this is what we're hearing from students,” Beth added. “This is how we think we can make changes within the course so that they can have more success in what they’re doing.”

A common concern for online learners is how it will differ from on-campus learning, especially if they’ve previously taken in-person courses. Some worry about what gets lost in translation, or that online courses aren’t as rigorous. Beth and the Instructional Design team work to dispel these concerns.  

For one thing, online and in-person courses are taught by the same faculty. As a result, online learners have the same experience with instructor presence and interaction that they would get if they were on campus.  

Whether you're watching video lectures or interacting via Zoom, as an online UC student you will “feel that the instructor is present,” Beth said. “Even though they might not be present in the room with you, you’re going to feel like they’re talking to you.” 

Online students don't always realize how many resources they have access to, without ever setting foot on campus. Beth and her team do their part to make sure students can find these resources easily, in the same place where they access their courses. 

“When we build the UC online courses—within every course that our instruction team touches—we have a resources module,” Beth explained.  

As soon as a student opens a course, they’re presented with information on how to connect with various UC offices, such as mental health services, the library, veteran services, and financial aid. This is just another example of how instructional designers create a positive experience for online learners. 

When asked for her parting thoughts, Beth shared: 

“You're going to find that you're being supported by the UC Online team. You're going to be supported by your professors who are working with the instructional designers. You're going to find a class that values you as a student, that allows you to interact with people, and that helps you along the way as you go.”  

If you’d like to hear more, you can watch our full conversation with Beth below. Alongside the entire Instructional Design team, Beth is making an enormous contribution to online education at UC. 

Still not sure if an online degree is right for you? Whether you’re transitioning careers or returning to school after a break, UC can help you reach your goals. Online, at your own pace.  

Our dedicated online staff can help you take the first step and explore your options. Connect with your Enrollment Services Advisor today—your online learning journey starts now!