Lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic: a practical guide for designing synchronous online teaching in higher education

Purpose This paper aims to present a practical guide for designing effective synchronous online teaching to support student engagement. Design/methodology/approach This practical guide was developed by drawing insights from literature and our own practical experiences. Findings This paper developed BEST principles (i.e., Building positive relationships, Engage through interactions, Scaffold collaborative learning, and Timely feedback) as a practical framework for guiding the design of synchronous online teaching. This paper also discussed the pedagogical roles digital tools can play in supporting online teaching and the various design considerations. Practical implications This guide can serve multiple purposes: a practical framework for guiding the design of online teaching, a reflective instrument to evaluate the effectiveness of online teaching, and a resource for teacher professional development training in online teaching. It also has implications for the design of learning in other modalities (e.g. face-to-face and hybrid learning). Originality/value While some prior research has put forth principles and instructional strategies for designing online teaching, they tend to be more conceptual, and few have integrated principles with empirical evidence and technological solutions. This paper creates a comprehensive guide that integrates learning principles, technology and design considerations for effective online teaching.