What is a Quality Online Course? (2017) by Center for Teaching, Learning, & Mentoring

Alexia Rebne

2017-09-06 17:36:27 UTC

Some thoughts I have regarding a quality online course would be that the course would include a large amount of active learning, and that the course would provide opportunities to build a variety of connections with those participating.

Sarah Zurawski

sazuraws — 2017-09-07 02:25:59 UTC

I believe a quality online course should be highly organized, provide clear explanations of processes and expectations, and should foster a sense of community.

Susan Smedema

2017-09-07 18:40:54 UTC

I believe a quality online course provides clear structure and direction to students, while being highly flexible and accessible to all types of learners.

A quality online course should be well organized, engaging, grabbing students' interest and attention from the start. Instructor should provide well organized and thought out material and assignments. Students should be challenged in the way they think.

2017-09-07 21:56:56 UTC

Nazan Gillie

Quality

anistranski — 2017-09-08 13:47:24 UTC

I think that a quality course has to be rooted in students' experiences of the Internet. It's quick, structured, and geared toward relatively fleeting interests. To me, this iteration of teaching is much less about content delivery than guided exploration.

Joe Anistranski

Ronnie Carda

2017-09-08 16:23:54 UTC

Quality of an online course, similar to a face-to-face has to consider the delivery of content. A challenge to the online, that seems to be more easily met in face-to-face, is the ability to deliver content in an easily understood method, that also convinces students that this is important and meaningful and not "busywork."

Bethany Glinsmann

2017-09-08 17:52:39 UTC

A quality online course should be well organized and should use the technology effectively. The course should flow seamlessly so students can focus on mastering the content rather than struggling with the software.

Chris Olsen

2017-09-08 17:55:49 UTC

I think a quality course needs the following: valid, up-to-state content; a structure that is clear and easy to navigate and able to be taken in "small bites;" a workload consistent with the credit load; an engaged and enthusiastic instructor; and, plenty of opportunities for student-student and student-instructor engagement.

Rick Keyser A quality online class should be well organized, with clear signposts to follow all the steps. There should be frequent methods of assessment and checking of progress. Finally, the online environment should direct students to the assigned reading texts and completing the writing assignments--these activities will be essentially similar to what one does in a traditional class.

2017-09-08 20:24:09 UTC

Jenny Braunginn

2017-09-08 21:45:16 UTC

Personal connection and real time communication are key to a quality online course. Students must not only understand the information presented, but understand the why and how of the subject. It must connect to the human experience of learning and all that goes with it, not just be a new or unique technological technique.

Jeanne Ferguson

2017-09-09 01:06:43 UTC

In the course I'm designing with Haley Kerkhoff (my guru and savior) I'm envisioning the course as a guided forum for student-led learning. I'll provide the stimulus for their exploration of both broad and specific topics, and they'll discover what they need to know, will share with each other, and I'll be there to prod, support, challenge, and be awed by their stimulating reactions and creative suggestions. That's my hope, and if I can achieve that, it will be quality time well spent. In my field, interactivity will be essential for evaluation and growth.

Laurie Brachman

lbrach1610 — 2017-09-09 18:46:34 UTC

a quality online course engrosses the student in a way that makes them want to compete the work just to see what is coming up next...

Barb Pinekenstein

2017-09-09 23:41:31 UTC

A quality online course is designed well so that it has good flow and excellent organization. It should use a variety of teaching/learning strategies to engage the students. Quality Matters has a set of standards that can be used to assess online courses. Students should be able to apply content and customize to their interest areas.

Ajay Sethi

2017-09-11 01:54:28 UTC

A quality online course is well organizing, visually appealing, and comprised of activities that make students feel enthusiastic about taking the class.

Taiya Bach

2017-09-11 01:55:05 UTC

A quality online course is one where it "feels" like being in the classroom. Obviously the material presented needs to be clear and concise and presented in a well-organized manner. However, I think adding personal touches as an instructor to the students is key in connecting with them, and getting getting their buy-in that your course is a course worth putting effort into.

Translation

dawg145 — 2017-09-11 21:06:45 UTC

While recognizing the important differences between the on-line and in-person learning environments, a quality on-line course should result in the same depth of learning and fostering of critical thinking skills as a traditional course.

Dane Cook

Jill Jacklitz

jjacklitz — 2017-09-12 13:54:03 UTC

+Organized around a set of clear and achievable learning objectives. +Creates the sense of a classroom community when you step into the course each time. +Maintains the same level of academic rigor
and quality expected from in-person courses.
+Allows for meaningful student interaction.
+ Utilizes a mix of teaching strategies supported by technology

Shannon Sparks

2017-09-12 15:35:18 UTC

A quality online course should ...
- Clearly communicate course objectives, trajectory, and learning outcomes.
- Navigate students through the course content, activities, and assignments in an intuitive manner.
- Utilize a variety of engagement tools and assignments.
- Provide opportunities for meaningful and deep engagement with course instructors and other students.

C. Shawn Green

2017-09-13 00:16:33 UTC

In many ways, I feel like most of the things that make a quality online course are the same fundamental things that make a quality in person course - in terms of striving toward the best practices in the science of learning/science of instruction (e.g., distributed practice, retrieval-based/active rehearsal, scaffolding, motivated effort, etc). What differentiates a quality online course from a quality in-person course then is in the actual instantiation of those principles. And frankly, the online medium presents a whole host of opportunities for instantiating some of those principles in better ways than what I can accomplish in my large in-person lecture class.

John Gillett

2017-09-13 05:47:28 UTC

I think a good online course requires almost complete advance teacher preparation, frequent deadlines, regular meaningful feedback, and convenient opportunities for student-teacher interaction.

Verda Blythe

verda_blythe — 2017-09-13 13:02:11 UTC

A quality online course should provide students with the same quality of planning and delivery, learning, and engagement/community as a face to face course, albeit using different approaches and tools that facilitate the online experience.

Dave Dwyer

2017-09-13 13:47:44 UTC

An online course demands the same rigor as F2F, yet offers the flex needed by adult learners and workers to advance educational goals. Online courses must have clear directions and expectations from the first session. Online courses must also take advantage of the online format and not simply copy the F2F syllabus, which...I believe...is a recipe for failure.

Sara Paris

2017-09-13 14:07:55 UTC

A quality online course should have clear course objectives, frequent deadlines and feedback, and build a sense of community.

Anna Rue

2017-09-13 14:56:19 UTC

A quality online course requires clear communication in terms of objectives, instructions, and content. It requires a lot more advanced work for instructors and functions best when as much of the course has been laid out before the course gets underway. Then the instructor's time can be spent on things like providing personalized feedback and community building.

John Martin

2017-09-13 15:04:08 UTC

     A QOC inspires me to go far beyond the course space, into the corners of the Internet, into physical and online communities, to connect with and apply my own knowledge and that of others.

It is guided, but largely self-directed. It sends me out but keeps me coming back and helps me stay on track.
It is not top-down prescriptive but bottom-up generative.

Sara Elfering

2017-09-13 15:31:28 UTC

A quality online course is one that is effective in terms of delivery, responsiveness to learner needs, and is maintains clear and constant communication through various modalities.

Choose your own adventure...

2017-09-13 19:03:45 UTC

Many of you have already covered the basics of a quality on-line course so I will simply add what I view as the main advantage of an on-line course over F2F. It has the potential to become a very personalized learning experience for a student - adding or skipping over modules depending on quiz or assignment results, etc. On-line courses can be customized to the learner in the moment!

Kathy Prem

Kyle Stiegert

kwstiegert — 2017-09-14 02:27:29 UTC

A quality on-line course should spark creative and critical thinking on the part of each student. To achieve this, the class will have to be well organized with intentional plans to engage students, draw them into the course material and help them interact with other students.

Peter van Kan

2017-09-14 15:43:46 UTC

A quality online course 1) promotes critical thinking, 2) motivates students to engage with course materials by providing opportunities to relate course materials and objectives to their own educational, professional, or personal experiences, 3) facilitates and promotes interpersonal interactions and collaborative problem solving.

Jean Patz

jpatz — 2017-10-02 21:43:43 UTC

A quality online course for me is easy to navigate, includes clear/current/evidence based content, uses multiple forms of learning formats to accommodate learner's styles, engages students, is highly organized, allows flexibility, meaningful to the student and is culturally sensitive.