Principles of Effective Principles of Effective

Online Course DesignOnline Course Design

Whitney KilgoreWhitney KilgoreWhitney KilgoreWhitney Kilgore

Rapid Prototyping with the QM RubricRapid Prototyping with the QM Rubric

Consistent Architecture

• Design consistency across program• Organization of content consistent• Modularize Content - Weekly

New Pedagogies

• Not just a change in delivery of face to face course

• Learner Centered Pedagogical Shift • Connectivist• Social Constructivist• NOT Lecture driven like face to face

Assessment Types

• Formative, peer evaluation, self assessment, and summative- multiple forms of assessment

Example of assessment types in Education program

Fosters a Robust Intellectual Community

Social Presence is “the ability of participants to identify with the community (e.g., course of study), communicate purposefully in a trusting environment, and develop inter-personal relationships by way of projecting their individual personalities.” (Garrison, 2009)Teaching Presence is the design, facilitation, and direction of cognitive and social processes for the purpose of realizing personally meaningful and educationally worthwhile learning outcomes (Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2001).Cognitive Presence is the extent to which learners are able to construct and confirm meaning through sustained reflection and discourse (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001). Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.

Encourage Active Learning

• Connect content to Life/Work• Application based assignments• Group Work• Student created content presentations

“Learning is an active process. We learn by doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.”

-Dale Carnegie

Promote Reflection

• Peer Review• Discussion – Reflection posts• Content Connections- writing assignments• Article/Book reviews

• Reflection can aim at enhancing the effectiveness of learning and/or promoting metacognition or similar notions such as “learning to learn” or “self-regulation,” all considered as essential skills for knowledge workers.

Provides Prompt and Meaningful Feedback

• Set clear expectations for feedback• Quality personalized feedback

Use Digital Technologies to Support & Enhance Learning

• Technology must be transparent• Make sure learning outcomes are aligned to the

technology tools utilized

Abbreviations:AP: Academic Partnerships QM: Quality Matters Sloan-C QS: Sloan-C Quality Scorecard NILOA: National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment

Anatomy of aQUALITY COURSE

A prominent Start Here button shows students where to begin the course. Alternatively, a Start Here area could be included in the navigation menu (QM Standard 1.1).

Link to the syllabus and course schedule in a prominent location to ensure students can easily find important information when they need it (QM Standard 6.3).

A clean navigation allows students to easily access course components and helps prevent them from getting lost in the course. Keep menus as short as possible and provide clear, well-described links to different areas of the course (QM Standard 6.3).

The Home Page

Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE

Getting Started

A well-organized “start here” area helps students get off to a good start in the course. Consider providing students with step-by-step instructions that walk them through essential information and areas of the course (QM Standards 1.1 & 6.3).

Students in online courses can feel disconnected, but by including a short welcome video, you help students get to know you and feel connected in the course (QM Standard 1.7).

By linking to student and academic support services, you allow students to easily access university resources they may need during your course (QM Standards 7.3 & 7.4).

To begin building community in your course, ask students to introduce themselves to you and the class (QM Standard 1.8).

Communicating online is much different than in person. Provide students with information about online etiquette, or “netiquette”, to help them get off to a good start (QM Standard 1.3).

Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE

Welcome Letter

Provide a welcome letter and self-introduction to help students identify with you as an individual and to set the tone for the course (QM Standard 1.7).

Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSETechnical Requirements

Online students need to know what technologies and technical skills they need to be successful in the course (QM Standard 1.6).

Technologies should be current and easily accessible for students, such as through a download or by purchase at the institution’s bookstore (QM Standards 6.4 & 6.5).

Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE

Modules

Create module structures that are easily navigable, and then keep them consistent throughout the course. Use the same language and structure to identify course components (e.g. “Module One” vs. “Module 1”). Consistently naming things (e.g. “assignment” vs. “activity”) also helps to eliminate confusion (QM Standard 6.3).

Provide an easily located transcript for any video or audio that you use within the course. This is helpful for accessibility purposes and for learners who prefer accessing information in a text format (QM Standard 8.2).

Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE

Modules

When using any type of multimedia (e.g., video, audio), provide optional access in a format accessible to students who are sight or hearing impaired (QM Standard 8.2 and 8.4).

This example shows a SlideShare presentation within the course. Because this tool is not accessible, a PowerPoint version of the presentation has been made available as well (QM Standards 8.2 and 8.4).

This example shows a video within the course. A Word document with the text of the audio portion of the video has been made available (QM Standards 8.2 and 8.4).

Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE

Course Alignment

Strong alignment is the heart of a quality course.