Have you ever opened your online course and felt your own enthusiasm as an instructor drop?
Maybe you feel less connected to your students than you do in person. Maybe discussion boards feel like a chore, technology questions eat up your time, and the “anytime, anywhere” flexibility has slowly turned into “online 24/7.”
That was my experience too when I first started teaching online. I loved my subject and my students, but teaching in the learning management system (LMS) felt more draining than energizing.
The good news: Joy does not have to be the price of teaching online. When we design intentionally for our learners, our presence and our workload, online courses can become spaces where both students and educators feel more connected, more confident and yes, more joyful.
Joyful online teaching, intentional and quality design, and learner support and connection are all encompassed in the High-Impact Design for Online Courses (HIDOC) model. Free downloads available at hidocmodel.com and you can explore a free mini-course on D2L Brightspace.
Why Joy Slips Away in Online Teaching
Joy doesn’t usually disappear because we do not care enough. It tends to fade for very practical reasons:
- we feel disconnected from students we rarely see or hear
- engagement and interaction don’t happen on their own in asynchronous spaces
- we spend more time troubleshooting technology than teaching
- our workday blurs into nights and weekends, creating burnout
When these “joy zappers” pile up, it is easy to slip into survival mode. We post content, update due dates and respond to questions, but we don’t have the time or structure to reimagine the experience.
That is where a clear, online-specific design model can help.
Why We Built a New Design Model for Online Learning
There are many strong course design models already in use. The challenge is that most were not built with the unique considerations of online modalities at the center.
Online courses have unique needs:
- a web-based structure that makes sense in the LMS
- intentional technology use to support aligned outcomes and activities
- embedded online learner support and clear navigation
- attention to instructor workload and presence over time
When we simply “move” a face-to-face course into an LMS, these needs often go unmet. The result is an online class that may have good content but still feels confusing, isolating or exhausting.
So my co-authors and I developed HIDOC, an eight-step model purpose-built for online learning. HIDOC guides you through designing or redesigning an online course with learners at the center— and joy as a realistic outcome.
HIDOC in a Nutshell: Eight Steps, One Joyful Goal
Here’s a quick overview of the HIDOC model that underpins the new D2L on-demand course:
Step 1: Learner Analysis– Start with your students, not your content
Who are your likely online learners? What strengths, constraints and lived experiences do they bring? What might get in the way of their learning or sense of belonging? HIDOC encourages you to move beyond basic demographics and really design with those learners in mind.
Step 2: Learning Outcomes— Define the destination clearly
What should students be able to do by the end of the course, and why does it matter to them? Step 2 focuses on clear, measurable outcomes that connect to real-world relevance. When students can see the “why,” engagement and motivation rise.
Step 3: Course Structure— Map the learning path
In online learning, structure is part of the pedagogy. Step 3 helps you translate your big ideas and outcomes into a week-by-week or module-by-module learning path that makes sense in Brightspace. The goal is to create a logical flow that supports learning, not just a collection of files and links.
Step 4: Assessments and Activities— Focus on Application
Joy grows when students can use what they are learning. Step 4 helps you balance summative assessments (the big projects or exams), formative assessments (checkpoints with feedback) and low-stakes learning activities (practice and exploration). Prioritize authentic learning through meaningful, real-world application and design for student voice and choice, so learners can show what they know in ways that align with the outcomes, honor their context and make the relevance of their work clear and compelling.
Step 5: Instructional Materials— Provide Content Learners Actually Use
Instead of content overload, Step 5 focuses on the materials students truly need to succeed. That might include short, targeted videos, guided readings, interactive media or demonstrations. Consider workload from the learner’s perspective and build in accessibility so all students can participate fully.
Step 6: Technology and Tools—Choose Tools That Support Learning
Here, technology serves the pedagogy, not the other way around. Step 6 helps you select and set up tools in Brightspace that directly support your outcomes and activities. It also encourages low-stakes sandbox spaces so students can get comfortable with new tools before they are graded on them.
Step 7: Online Learner Support— Proactively Engage and Support
Online learners can’t just raise a hand to ask what they missed. Step 7 focuses on clear module overviews, transparent assignment instructions and proactive nudges that anticipate where students might struggle. This kind of design improves the learner experience and reduces the number of panicked late-night emails in your inbox.
Step 8: Continuous Improvement— Treat Your Course as a Living Design
An online course is never really “done.” Step 8 supports you in creating a simple revision roadmap so you can capture ideas, fixes and student feedback while you teach, then refine the design between offerings. Over time, your course becomes more aligned, more inclusive and more joyful for both you and your learners.
Bringing HIDOC to Life in Brightspace
In partnership with D2L, we have translated the HIDOC model into a self-paced Brightspace course for K–20 educators. The course walks you through each step and provides opportunities to apply the ideas directly to your own course using the free, downloadable templates.
A few ways educators are using the HIDOC course include:
- designing a brand-new online or blended course from the ground up
- decluttering an existing course that has grown messy over time
- aligning course design across a program or grade-level team
- supporting new online instructors with a shared language and process
To make HIDOC as accessible as possible, we have also created free companion tools you can download, including:
- step-by-step design documents with prompts and space to think on paper
- a course blueprint (alignment map) that bridges design work into your LMS build
- sample student feedback questions you can adapt for your own course development docs to improve your online assignment prompts and help you rethink your slide decks into engaging media built for the online classroom
- a full bonus chapter about online teaching that gives even seasoned instructors fresh strategies for connection and “just-in-time” learner support
These are all available on our HIDOC website and they integrate naturally with your Brightspace design work.
Re-Claiming Joy as an Online Educator
Joy in online teaching is not about making everything easy or entertaining. It is about:
- feeling confident that your course is set up to support real learning
- seeing students engage, connect and persist because the design works for them
- having structures in place that protect your own time and energy
The HIDOC model was built to help you get there—step by step.
If you have been feeling that your teaching sparkle is fading in the online space, I invite you to explore the HIDOC Brightspace course and the accompanying free resources. Start with one step, one module or one course. Notice how small design shifts create more ease, connection, and meaningful learning.
When we design with online learners at the center, and with our own well-being in view, joy is not an accident. It becomes part of how we teach.
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