Designing Online Courses
Teaching and facilitating learners in an online, web-based environment is significantly different than teaching in a face-to-face classroom. Just because an instructor was successful in one environment does not mean that they will be equally successful in a different environment. The focus must be on each learner in ways that are much different than in traditional face-to-face classes, or any other form of organized learning heretofore.
Courses must be specifically and properly designed for online web-based delivery, and the faculty must be trained in how to facilitate this new environment that has the focus on the learner. Without both of these two activities happening, history has shown that learners will drop out of even their first course and will not come back for additional online courses. With them happening however, there are very high levels of instructional quality and consistency, and a high student retention rate.
Some of the Elements that are important are:
- Learner Centered
- Learning Styles
- Instructor Styles
- Performance Based Learning Experiences
- Learner expectations
- Analyze and evaluate learning
- Flexibility of learner interaction and communication with faculty, peers, and the course
- Attention to detail in the course and its materials
- Attention to detail in the web design
- Detailed faculty communication to learners
- Clear timelines and due dates
- Creating a sense of collaborative teamwork and 'groupness'
- Ingredients of good design.
- Oftentimes less is more.
- Consistency.
- "Don't waste the user's time."
Things to Avoid:
- Conduct regular checks of the links to ensure that the referenced URL is still viable.
- Being locked out of a site.
- Avoid large graphics files and items that are slow to download.
- Don't bury learner work in an obscure link.