Online Learning Services
How We Support You
As college and faculty leaders, you can leverage our expertise to support high-impact growth initiatives from online graduate certificates or course-based master's to high-enrollment courses and micro-credentials. Our award-winning Online Learning team provides the expertise and support you need to develop high-quality online courses, generate new revenue streams, and expand your student reach.
Online learning is in high demand, offering flexibility and access for students to thrive. Explore insights from the Prospective Online Student Survey.
Ready to move online?
Contact Kristin Mulligan, Director of Online Learning, k.mulligan@ualberta.ca, to get started.
Our Approach
Our team will collaborate with you to design engaging and accessible online courses using research and evidence-based practices. Together, we create dynamic online learning courses and programs that foster student agency, improve learning outcomes, and meet the unique needs of your program.
What Services We Provide
Our experienced team of project managers, instructional designers, learning experience developers, and trusted vendor network, partners with faculties and colleges to develop high-priority online courses, from fully asynchronous, bichronous, to hyflex. Learn what these terms mean below »
Our comprehensive suite of services ensures that your online initiatives are successful.
Planning and discovery
Understand your goals, define outcomes, map course and program structure, and develop learner personas.
Project management
Ensure projects stay on track, on time and on budget, maintaining clear communication with everyone involved.
Instructional design
Collaborate with subject matter experts to transform your course content into engaging, learner-centred experiences.
Multimedia production
Create multimedia elements and course materials that enhance learning outcomes and boost student engagement.
Launch support
Support faculties in their first offering (course or program) to ensure instructor readiness and a smooth launch.
Online quality reviews
Optimize existing online courses with expert quality reviews providing recommendations on structure, engagement, accessibility and more.
Join the Community of Practice for Online Learning (CoPOL)!
Co-led with the Centre for Teaching and Learning, the CoPOL is a space to share ideas, challenges, and best practices in online learning. We hold regular meetings throughout the year and provide a co-curricular space in Canvas to stay connected asynchronously.
All engaged in delivering or creating online learning at the U of A are welcome! Fill out this online form to join.
Spotlight: Award-Winning Online Course
ECON 102 (Online)
ECON 102 (Online) is an innovative, first-year undergraduate course. Its asynchronous format accommodates high enrollment, designed to serve nearly 1,000 students annually. The course features a mobile-friendly design, interactive graphs, custom videos and audio segments, and real-world data for students to explore and play.
ECON 102 (Online)
Online Learning was the recipient of the Online Learning Consortium (OLC) Innovate 2025 awards, recognizing outstanding contributions to online, blended and digital learning. The Excellence in Design Practice award recognizes innovative approaches to course design that transform the learning experience.
Through a dynamic collaboration between academic experts, Teaching Professor, Alex Gainer, and the Online Learning team, Economics 102 reimagines a traditionally theoretical subject into an engaging, interactive asynchronous course, that empowers students to deeply engage with macroeconomic concepts, equipping them to analyze global economic events and the policies shaping today’s world.
“I appreciate the visuals and different ways concepts are communicated from this course. It helps me to understand content much easier. I've heard from my friends from other classes that are struggling due to lack of these materials.” ~ECON 102 Student.
Online Learning Defined
- Asynchronous: The course is 100% online with no set schedule to connect
- Synchronous: The course is 100% online with the instructor and students connecting virtually on a set schedule
- Bichronous: The course is 100% online with students engaging in both asynchronous and synchronous learning throughout
- Hybrid: The course includes a mix of online and on-campus components and students must participate in both
- Hyflex: The course is available online and on-campus — students have the option to choose how they attend and can move between both modes