The Faculty Center for Learning Innovation (FCLI) is pleased to invite you to join our Summer 2025 Book Club. The featured book, "Advancing Online Teaching: Creating Equity-Based Digital Learning Environments" by Kevin Kelly and Todd Zakrajsek, captured the interest of many ACC faculty who attended the Lilly Conference in Austin earlier this month. We hope you will consider joining your colleagues in the cohort that fits your summer schedule.
This book club focuses on topics introduced in the selected book relating to faculty perspectives on teaching and learning.
Cohort One: June 2nd - July 7th, 2025, Mondays from 12 pm - 2 pm (June 9, 16, 23)
Cohort Two: July 10th - August 7th, 2025, Fridays from 10 am - 12 pm (July 18, 25, Aug 1)
Cohort One and Two Conclusion and Fall Networking Social: September 11th from 3-5 pm
Registered participants will receive the meeting location and Zoom links through your ACC calendar. Please Add our FCLI events calendar to your schedule: FCLI Calendar of Events
Welcome to the Advancing Online Teaching Book Discussion Guide!
Whether you're an experienced online instructor or exploring digital teaching for the first time, this guide invites you to dive into the practical, equity-focused strategies shared by Kevin Kelly and Todd Zakrajsek.
What you’ll find in this guide:
Engaging Conversations
Join us as we explore the insights of Advancing Online Teaching. Share your ideas, reflect on your teaching experiences, and connect with colleagues across ACC who are reimagining what effective online learning can be.
Book Resources
Access curated materials related to Advancing Online Teaching—including podcast interviews, templates, and examples that help bring the book’s strategies to life in your own course design.
Book Club Toolkit
Get the tools you need to spark thoughtful conversations about online teaching. Use our discussion prompts, session guides, and activity suggestions to support your own group or enhance your participation in ours.
Todd Zakrajsek is an Associate Research Professor and Associate Director of the Faculty Development Fellowship in the Department of Family Medicine. Todd has served on many educationally related boards and work groups during his four decades of teaching and faculty development. He has also consulted with organizations such as The American Council on Education (ACE), Lenovo, Microsoft, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
His current academic work and publications pertain to faculty development, effective instructional strategies, student learning, and organizational leadership. His most recent publications include Teaching at Its Best, 5th ed. (co-authored with Linda Nilson, 2023); The New Science of Learning, 3rd ed, (2022); Teaching for Learning, 2nd ed. (co-authored with Claire Major and Michael Harris, 2021); Advancing Online Teaching (co-authored with Kevin Kelly, 2021); and Dynamic Lecturing (co-authored with Christine Harrington, 2017). Todd has given more than 400 campus workshops, visiting professorships, conference presentations, and keynote addresses in 49 states, 12 countries, and 4 continents.
Todd earned a B.S. in Psychology from Lake Superior State University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from Ohio University in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. He has been at UNC since 2008.
Kevin Kelly works with colleges and universities as a consultant to address challenges with teaching and learning with technology, especially in areas like distance education, educational technology, and organizational change. Kelly has published numerous peer-reviewed book chapters and journal articles related to teaching, learning, and technology. He is the author or co-author of several books: The Blended Course Design Workbook, 2nd edition, with Kathryn E. Linder (2024); Making College Courses Flexible (2024); Advancing Online Teaching with Todd Zakrajsek (2021); Going Alt-Ac with Katie Linder and Tom Tobin (2020); and Education for a Digital World 2.0 with Sandy Hirtz (2011).
Photo and bio from Association American of College and Universities’ website.
The goal of teaching online is fundamentally the same as teaching face-to-face: facilitating the learning of all students to the greatest extent possible. This book differs from other books on online teaching in that, in the process of offering guidance on course design and planning, developing outcomes and appropriate engaging activities, managing the workload and assessment, the authors pay explicit attention throughout to the distinct and diverse needs of students and offer effective strategies to accommodate them in a comprehensive and inclusive way by using the principles of Universal Design for Learning. By following those principles from the outset when planning a course, all students will benefit, and most particularly those whom the research shows have the greatest achievement gaps when taking online courses -- males, first generation and low income students, those from underrepresented minority groups, the academically underprepared, students with disabilities, and those with limited online access or lacking readiness for online learning. Beyond good planning and design, Kelly and Zakrajsek offer ideas for creating inclusive course environments and activities, such as using culturally appropriate content and making it accessible in multiple formats. They also share methods to foster faculty-learner interaction and increase personal connections with students, and among students, through group activities or learning communities, which are so critical to motivation and success. Faculty new to online teaching as well as more experienced readers will find a wealth of practical guidance on developing and honing both fully online and blended courses and, as importantly, a wealth of proven ideas to help the new generation of students with diverse needs to succeed.
.