Comment on Angela Cenina's post:

I agree with your comment. Critical thinking is such an important skill to have.

The old adage "Honesty is the best policy" definitely applies here. Disclose all the facts and let the potential student make up their own mind.

The four steps are important to be sure good design and consitency are incorporated into course development.  

The value of coure components and the organization of the syllabus are outlined.

As course designers, we are always looking for new strategies to improve the delivery of educational programming.

Solid engaging content combined with instructor interaction is key!

The Seven Principles of Good Practice are very helpful and the chart outlining faculty and student responsibilities.

Understanding user interface and comfort level with different platforms/tools/software is very important. I liked the idea of assessing user knowledge upfront and creating tutorials to assist students to get the most out of the technology tools.

The importance of effective communication is even more critical in the on-line learning environment than the F2F environment. Methods to expand, improve, and refine communication between students and instructor and students and students is an important focus of attention for an on-line instructor.

It is important to think about as many types of strategies for successful learning as possible when designing and implementing on-line learning. Tools and strategies that work for one student may not for another. I think the need for this is amplified in the on-line environment.