Checklist for Teaching an Online Course

As an online instructor, you'll guide students through course materials & assignments, maintain regular communication, and provide timely feedback. We'll share a checklist of online course milestones to keep you on track throughout the academic term.

  • Enable your courses in Blackboard. Do this after you’ve reviewed the course and prior to the first day of class.
    1. Sign into myOleMiss.
    2. Click on Faculty, then Course Administration.
    3. Click Class Rolls and Grades, then select Semester.
    4. Set Blackboard Options→ Enable→ Submit.
  • Add teaching assistants to your Blackboard class.
    1. In your course in Blackboard Ultra, under the right-hand roster, click on View everyone in your course.
    2. Click the “+” in the upper right-hand corner to enroll people.
    3. Enter the name or username of your teaching assistant.
    4. Click on their name, and set their role in the drop down as “Teaching Assistant.”
    5. Click save. The TA’s name should now appear in your class list.
  • Review course content.
    Double check that the schedule, assignments, and dates listed on your syllabus, course schedule, modules, content folders, and gradebook are the same.
  • Schedule Proctored Testing.
    If you select proctored testing for assessments, the Distance Education Testing Lab (DETL) provides online testing services. Look for an email from DETL or contact them at detl@olemiss.edu. Do not share test passwords with students.
  • Preview the Student View.
    Open your course in student view to make sure it appears the way you intended and that the students have access to everything they’ll need on the first day of the semester.
  • Ensure that you have a Get Started module.
  • Check links to make sure content is still available.
    Sometimes content is removed from sites such as YouTube or moved to a different URL. Check web links regularly to be sure they are working and content is still active. 
  • Ensure course is available to students
    In the top right of the Blackboard course, click to change from Closed to Open.
  • Verify student attendance.
    You will need to verify student attendance in your online class by providing an active participation activity. Make sure you have an active participation activity planned before an add period ends.

    Check student activities and report student attendance up to the last day to add a course for that term.

    Resource: Attendance Policy for Online Education
  • Follow enrollment deadlines.
    You may allow students to be enrolled in an online course with instructor permission up to the last day to add according to the UM Academic Calendar.

    Forward requests to: Amy Saxton in Academic Outreach, amysax@olemiss.edu, if needed.

  • Maintain regular student communication.
    Monitor emails, and hold regular office hours so students can ask questions about content or course structure and receive support navigating the course.
  • Track student activity.
    Contact students who are not attending or participating through Course Activity to find and track students.
  • Grade assignments and collect & post feedback.
  • Be present.
    Regularly communicate with students and encourage participation. Provide constructive and timely feedback to individual students and to the entire class.
  • Remind students to save any work they would like to keep.
  • Review the Gradebook.
  • Submit Student Grades on myOleMiss per the date provided by the Registrar’s Office typically 1-2 days after final exams.
  • Review and revise course for next offerings.