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Strategies for Designing an Online Course

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Strategies for Designing an Online Course

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Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs

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Salena Rabidoux and Amy Rottmann, Amy Rottmann, Salena Rabidoux

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4 Expert Strategies for Designing an Online Course

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Steps for success include involving the learner, making collaboration work, devising a consistent structure and revising based on evaluation.

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An Online Tutorial for Faculty

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Learning assessment is more than testing students and assigning grades. It is a system that provides feedback about student learning. This tutorial introduces an assessment approach using the Revised Bloom's Taxonomy. Using the taxonomy can improve your assessment system and improve student learning by aligning course objectives, activities and assessments with each other.

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About the Objective Builder Objective Builder is a tool for faculty to create measurable learning objectives from three different learning domains. Features include: An example objective Links to theoretical learning domain research Step-by-step process Built-in explanations of educational terminology Easy to create multiple objectives in one sitting This tool was designed and created in a ...

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A Guide to Make Visual Content Accessible

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Last year, in its final annual report on online learning, the Babson Survey Research Group found that the number of U.S. higher education students taking at least one online course reached 5.8 million (nearly one half taking all their classes online). More than one quarter (28 percent) of all students enrolled in higher ed took at least one online course.

This is a continuation of the long-term trend that the survey has identified. With online education having gone mainstream, the report's authors no longer see the need to focus their resources on it. (The National Center for Education Statistics' Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System is now closely tracking online and distance education.)

As interesting as the numbers are, it's of equal importance to see that a significant majority of academic leaders (over 70 percent) believe that the learning outcomes achieved by online education are equivalent (if not superior) to those found in the face-to-face classroom.

The growth of online education, and the acknowledgement that it works, is heartening to those of us who recognize its importance in reaching non-traditional learners. However, there remain underlying questions about the uneven caliber of online courses.

Competing on Online Course Quality

Quality is starting to matter-and matter a lot. With almost 6 million learners taking online courses, there's a large and growing market of providers. Moreover, as students are presented with added options, the institutions are now competing on course quality.

All this is translating into colleges and universities taking course design extremely seriously, and making sure that they are providing a quality experience that's consistent, engaging, and accessible.

Essential steps to building high-quality online courses are numerous and expansive, but let's look at three crucial phases that can make a difference.

1. Upfront Analysis

When it comes to instructional design, one of the most important investments a designer can make is in the upfront analysis. Analysis should occur first at the institutional level - what is the institution's culture, history with online learning, timeline, and mandates? Then the analysis moves to the program and/or course level. This is the time to ask a lot of questions:

What are the accrediting outcomes that learners need to achieve?

Who are these learners? How have they been previously on-boarded to online?

What's the expectancy of time on task?

Where is the course content coming from? Is it to be transformed from a face-to-face course, does it draw on existing content contained in an LMS, or is it something completely new that's just now being developed? What technical or functional constraints exist in delivering this content?

Many designers, under pressure to begin producing courses immediately, tend to take face-to-face lecture notes and force them into an online format and neglect to spend time on this crucial analysis stage.

The key, however, is taking the time to get the upfront analysis accurate and work from it as everything else will be realized from it.

2. Framework Mapping

With analysis complete, the next step is to design and create the course framework, mapping the information derived from your analysis to the course itself. Here's an example of how the upfront analysis informs online course creation:

The source material is a three-credit lecture course that has been delivered, in one three-hour session, in a traditional classroom. This is often assumed that it is a week's worth of content; however, the online student may be a non-traditional learner or one who is perhaps taking the online course for the first time in an asynchronous delivery. With one session a week devoted to the course, the three-hour lecture may represent too much material to absorb in one sitting. The lecture and supporting materials need to be disaggregated and redeveloped iteratively against the sectional/modular objectives and learning outcomes.

This conceptual approach will alleviate the cognitive overload that could result and transform into a poor outcome, such as a disengaged learner who ultimately underperforms and disengages. Designers must think through the best ways to present the material so that it's understandable and digestible, without losing sight of the desired outcome.

If we've taken the time to understand the source material and the targeted user experience of the learner before we start designing, we're better prepared to make sure that we're providing the students with what they need in a sensible way.

3. Learner Experience

While determining how the course materials are presented is fundamental to creating a successful, high-quality online course, it's also equally important to pay attention to the overall learner experience.

Many online learners are already facing challenges when they enter the arena. We don't want them to be burdened with additional challenges when it comes to navigation, sequencing of materials, course expectations and assessment requirements, or even where and when they can elicit outreach to instructors or peers.

Too often learners are stopped in their tracks trying to figure out how to get from Point A to Point B. They may not know how to interact with one class in isolation, with their full course load, and with their overall experience as a learner within the online institution. Simplistic bridges that are designed purposefully can alleviate most of these gaps and provide an intuitive, insightful understanding.

There's no reason why the online learning experience can't be as seamless as that enjoyed by traditional students in an on-campus setting. In some ways-such as supporting the needs of those with diverse learning styles-online provides an even better medium than in-person. We need to design an experience that considers the multiple interactions that online learning requires (interactions that we take for granted in the face-to-face environment), including:

Learner to learner

Learner to curriculum

Learner to instructor

All three of these interaction types must be incorporated in online course design and development.

By analyzing the situation ahead of time, by using that analysis to carefully chart the course, and by never losing sight of the fact that what matters most is the quality of the overall learner experience, course designers can create the kinds of courses that engage and retain students.

There are too many students looking for online learning opportunities-and too many institutions competing to meet their needs-to ignore the fact that, now more than ever, the quality of the online learning experience matters.

For further reading, download our case study titled Course Quality and Compliance: Drexel University Online.

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3 Musts for Creating a High-Quality Online Course

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Last year, in its final annual report on online learning , the Babson Survey Research Group found that the number of U.S. higher education students taking at least one online course reached 5.8 million (nearly one half taking all their classes online).

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The University of Florida provides a comprehensive information on different types of assessments, integrity, alignment and rubrics.

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Assessments " Center for Instructional Technology & Training " University of Florida

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In education, the term assessment traditionally conjures the thought of a final exam. However, it can also be applied to other assignment activities such as a discussion board or performance-based assignments (aka authentic assessment). In each instance though, the assessment is thoughtfully prepared to measure specific student learning objectives.

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UDL On Campus: Using LMS Data to Inform Course Design

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Much of the data that is available to instructors through LMS systems has yet to attain the full potential of the related field of learning analytics, such as the prediction of student behaviors and outcomes and the recommendation of instructional actions.

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Blackboard Analytics for Learn | Blackboard

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Blackboard Analytics for LearnTM (A4L) is the most powerful, flexible & comprehensive learning analytics solution on the market today.

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A recent participant from the Narrative Techniques Study, Barbara Barrett M.S.Ed., lecturer in the Intensive English Program, transformed a presentation assignment in her course, ' Level 4 Oral Communication' (IEP142) into a student generated media assignment.

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Case Study in Brief

Course(s): Nonviolent Citizen Activism (POL 391)
Instructor: Dr. Elton Skendaj
Number of Students: 22

Purpose

As part of his work on the Faculty Learning Community, Elton Skendaj wanted students in his Nonviolent Movements course to create a public mixed media overview of one nonviolent movement. This assignment would challenge his students to rethink of their topic with various lenses: First, through a historical lens that breaks down the most significant events that led to and impacted the movement; Next through the chronological lens that pieces those events into a coherent timeline or infographic story. By displaying this information in a public course portfolio, students are now able to showcase their skills in analyzing historical movements while evaluating the causes and effects of these movements. Lastly, they will have practiced digital literacy skills in modeling good research practices and sourcing of information. These efforts are displayed publicly and can be shared with future employers or linked to a personal portfolio.

Target Skills

Critical Thinking: Analyze the historical and political significance of a nonviolent movement.

Digital Literacy: Evaluate sources of information, its reliability, and the relevance to the nonviolent movements.

Reflect: Reflecting on the impact of the movement in order to assess its effectiveness.

Technology

Guidance on the following implementation of these technologies was provided by Academic Technoloiges and the Digital Media Lab.

Instructor's Perspective

Early on in the Faculty Learning Community sessions, Dr. Elton Skendaj was eager to employ digital portfolios as a method for sharing and community building within his course. He already had a framework for an essay assignment from the previous semester. Turning this assignment from an essay into a visual and mixed media project was a logical next step. Before choosing which platform or digital tools to use, he explored various options of e-portfolios, finally deciding on Weebly. He also wanted to incorporate a timeline or infographic to visually summarize the data on these social movements.

Planning was essential. Using the help of an Instructional Designer, he began planning what the logistics of this project would entail. His students would need to propose their topics early on, the website needed to have a template for students to easily work on, and access to the course website needed to be granted early enough as to give students enough time to post their assets to the website. He also wanted to make time for students to work on their projects in class, using up one full class day for workshops and hands-on work.

In addition to preparing for the technical requirements of this project, the academic areas of the project also needed to be scaffolded. This ensured the project would be completed on time and will gave him plenty of time to provide feedback to students as they worked.

Student Perspective

Students enjoyed working on their projects, feeling more acquainted with the subject matter than in past terms when employing solely essay assignments. One of key benefits was students learning from each other's work. Many said they enjoyed learning a new skill and the tools had relatively low learning curves. During live workshop days, he witnessed students providing feedback on design elements, such as font use or colors on their pages. From this course assignment, one student decided to apply for a PhD in political science in order to researh nonviolent movements.

Student Artifacts

Recipe

The following steps detail how to turn an essay based assignment into a mixed media course website assignment.

1. Contact Academic Technologies to discuss your idea for the course and examine your existing syllabus and resources.

2. Provide students instructions and rubric guidelines for their projects. Make sure project milestones are scaffolded throughout the term.

3. Students submit a one-page proposal on their research question early on in the semester.

4. Next, students complete their research and summarize key elements through a timeline or infographic. Soon after, a reflection is due. These items should be due more than halfway through the term.

5. Students start compiling their assets into the course website, choosing the right design to present their information. At this point, you may host an in-class workshop to allow students time to work together and ask for feedback to their peers.

6. Set a due date for website revisions, then revoke access after the deadline.

7. Finally, have students present their webpages in class (optional).

Consider that some students will not want to display their name publicly on a website due to privacy concerns. The proposal at the beginning of the term can help determine student submissions when it is time to grade.

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Course(s): Nonviolent Citizen Activism (POL 391) Instructor: Dr. Elton Skendaj Number of Students: 22 As part of his work on the Faculty Learning Community, Elton Skendaj wanted students in his Nonviolent Movements course to create a public mixed media overview of one nonviolent movement.

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course blogging platform, within her undergraduate course,WordPress.com as single course blog, students became authors and used the medium to actively analyse, sythesize and post on current events on immigrant or health issues. A course blogging platform provided the opportunity for students to critically reflect and foster discussion opportunities for in-class sessions.

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The objective of implementing a multimodal project design into any course aims to strengthen both critical thinking and writing communication skills. By using such an approach, students are exposed to both low stakes and high stakes.

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Narrative techniques, also known as storytelling, create a learning situation that allows our minds to reach beyond our prior experiences and problem-solve in a creative way. This instructional technique allows us to identify with a theme and/or character of a story and see their way of thinking. This process lends itself to reflection, where we can realize our own errors in thinking. When executed correctly narrative techniques are powerful tools that empower learners, increase retention and synthesis of the information being taught.

The concept of narrative learning is nothing new, we use it every day when someone asks you "how your day was", or "what you did this weekend". So how do we apply these concepts we so naturally leverage in our day-to-day to an e-learning environment?

Well, luckily online learning provides us with a unique medium; stories, simulations and case studies can be integrated seamlessly, allowing us to take complex information and align the concepts to real world circumstances.

Types of Narrative Techniques

With so many different approaches to online storytelling, which method is right for you? Well, the answer is "it depends"; it depends on the content, learning objectives, and the learners involved. That said, we will try to simplify the selection process by providing examples that will help you decide how to best approach your particular needs.

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DLI Narrative Techniques | Distance Learning Institute | University of Miami

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Narrative techniques, also known as storytelling, create a learning situation that allows our minds to reach beyond our prior experiences and problem-solve in a creative way. This instructional technique allows us to identify with a theme and/or character of a story and see their way of thinking.

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Direct Measures of Student Learning (Summary #2)