KU Center for Online and Distance Learning

05/20/2026

Curious about Regular and Substantive Interaction (RSI)? We have the details!

The US Department of Education has stipulated that online courses must provide a plan for how instructors will regularly and substantively interact with thei...

03/11/2026

Teaching Tip: Adding Live Sessions to Asynchronous Courses

Thinking about adding a few synchronous sessions to your asynchronous course? Research and student feedback suggest that occasional live sessions can strengthen instructor presence and help students clarify difficult concepts. The key is to keep them purposeful and flexible. Students tend to prefer sessions that are short (about 50 minutes or less), structured, and interactive, focusing on activities such as Q&A, guided discussion, or explanation of challenging assignments rather than additional lecture. Because many online learners also balance work and family responsibilities, it is also helpful to make sessions optional and provide recordings so all students can benefit.

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01/28/2026

Video Tips for Online Course Instructors

Did you know that adding lecture videos directly to Canvas is not a best practice?

Why? Canvas is not designed to function as a video server. Directly uploading video files to Canvas leads to issues with closed captioning and the ability to share the video with others outside the university. Uploading videos through the KU server (MediaHub) will allow for video sharing, captioning, and quick edits.

How should you add video to your Canvas class? Just upload your videos to your KU MediaHub account, or use the embedded uploader in Canvas. Doing so will reduce file sizes and caption videos automatically.

Below are helpful links for successfully uploading videos to your course.

Upload and share a video in MediaHub: https://mps.ku.edu/upload-and-share-video-mediahub

Adding Kaltura Media to your Canvas course: https://canvas.ku.edu/courses/385/pages/adding-kaltura-media-to-your-canvas-course

CODL’s Media Coordinators are available to help instructors create engaging, accessible content for online courses. Contact us at [email protected] or 785.864.1000 to learn more or schedule an appointment.

01/07/2026

PowerPoint is great for slides, but not for video. To create video content that is clear, engaging, and accessible, instructors are invited to contact CODL at 785-864-1000 or [email protected] and a Digital Media Coordinator will help you create professional online lecture videos.

1. PowerPoint Is Not a Video Editor
2. Animations Don’t Always Translate Well
3. Audio Sync Issues Are Common
4. Poor Compatibility Across Devices
5. Lack of Creative Flexibility
6. File Sizes Can Be Huge and Sluggish

11/24/2025

Thanksgiving break is on the horizon. 🥧

11/20/2025

Instructor Course Design Tip: Color!

Searching for color palettes for your courses, but don't know where to start? Check out https://coolors.co/ for color sets. To ensure that your selected colors meet accessibility standards, use a color checker on webaim.org, figma.com, or a similar resource.

Generate or browse beautiful color combinations for your designs.

10/29/2025

Happy Halloween from the frighteningly festive CODL crew!

09/10/2025

Congratulations to CODL instructional designer, Dr. Nicky Khattapan! Dr. Khattapan is the winner of the 2024-2025 KU Edwards Lecturer Teaching Excellence Award. We're proud of you, Nicky!

05/07/2025

We've all seen the green, yellow, or red icons next to our content in Canvas. What do they mean and how can they help us improve our materials to make learning easier for all students? These icons are part of the YuJa Panorama accessibility checking platform that's integrated into Canvas. This video will explain how this tool works and how it can help instructors make their courses more accessible. Reach out to CODL today for any accessibility assistance you may need.

04/16/2025