Caroline,
If the development of the course is outsourced, the design specification document would be provided to the development company and would contain all of the requirements of that course. This document should be complete and clearly written so that development can go smoothly and the instructor, or institution, would have a course that meets their needs.
Make sense?
Let me know if you have any questions. It was nice having you in this class.
:)
Jane
I will soon be in the process of designing an online curriculum, so this course has been invaluable. Thank you for your input and responses to my previous posts. As for the current question regarding CDS, I believe that completing a course design specification would give me a thorough understanding of what information needs to be implemented into the course, and how that course should be designed. The CDS would also be beneficial to the vendor because it would lessen the liklihood of miscommunication, and hopefully allow the vendor to properly develop the online course.
John,
I am pleased that your found this course helpful. Best of luck to you in designing your online curriculum.
:)
Jane
The CDS would work much like an outline setting forth the primary objectives and goal. In any project (much like this class) there should be a clearly established intention, followed by a proposed structure, funtion, and end goal to be achieved. Being prepared and establishing clear communication alleviates misunderstanding and miscommunication and produces structural integrity most efficiently.
I agree with you... preparation and communication are crucial to the structural integrity of any online course.
:)
Jane
I too will be working with a team to design an on-line curriculum. This course has really helped me understand the basics. There is a tremendous amount of work involved in putting the program together but this has helped me to see the whole picture. And although it is by no means crystal clear, it sure has given me a sense of direction.
I don't see how anyone could NOT use a CDS in order to develop an on-line program. No one knows the course and the desired results better than the instructor. I agree hiring a company to assist in the layout is a big help....but they can only put the program together by the information that is contributed by the course developer.
Mary,
My bit of advice to you is this...
When designing a course, keep the students' needs in mind at all times. What works online is what works in the traditional classroom; good teaching. Make your courses user-friendly and create an environment where students can feel comfortable and be motivated to learn.
Best of luck to you!
Jane
Carrie,
You are absolutely correct that a course design specification is an excellent tool for communicating the needs of the designer to the developer. This process, however, is often time-consuming so quicker methods are employed in order to get a course up and running. What ends up being created is actually a prototype of of the course rather than the course itself. Through iterations (versions), the course eventually becomes what the designer (instructor) had in mind.
Course development is a dynamic environment where cost vs. benefit, student needs vs. institutional needs, etc. must be considered. And, besides, isn't "versions" how Bill Gates got rich :)
Thanks for your input and have a terrific New Year!!
Jane
The CDS would allow me to see content, direction and perform evaluation all at the same time. The time taken here will make the entire development of the course more efficient.You can make corrections and can fine tune the course early in the development. Also it will allow you to see potential pitfalls that can be dealt with early in the process. You will still need to evaluate once the course is implemented but the CDS will allow to hit the ground running.
Very thorough answer!! Thanks for your input :)
Jane
It would outline exactly what our approach is going to be. This will aid the outsourcing firm in it's analysis as to what might need to be designed or what would fit into a template that they may already use. Since your shooting for a streamlined process the more steps that can be shorted lessons the amount of work involved as long as it doesn't mean sacrificing content.
The course design spec would allow me to fine tune the course and allow me time to make changes to the course. I can either add information or move information around the different lessons as they are presented to me. This helps the vendor know what the expections are in evaluating the overall course.
Jason,
You bring up a good point that the design specification document is a somewhat like a syllabus for the vendor. It guides the development team through the development process.
I always like to know where I am going to end up when taking on a project, don't you?
Thanks,
Jane
John,
I believe you have hit on the true purpose of the design specification document; to streamline the development process.
Also, you make a good point that the content of the course must not be sacrificed in the streamlining process. Balance is the key.
:)
Jane
I agree with Dave that templates (ISD model) will be essential for my success in developing online courses. This will be our first attempt at this, and it is important to standardize the process as we have four schools that will participate.
Sherri
Sherri,
I agree... trying to coordinate the input from four schools will require an effective course management tool. Best of luck to you!
:)
Jane
I agree that having a Course Design Specification list helps communicate my needs to the prospective developer. Listing the course's needs to meet the students needs to achieve the desired learning outcome also plays a role and is included in my design. It helps to decrease error, costs and time needed to have it all laid out.
Marcia,
A course design specification could decrease errors but I wonder if it would actually save time and costs. The alternative would be to work with the developer directly, with sketchy information, to have a prototype developed. By tweaking the prototype, rather than putting time into preparing a detailed design specification document, perhaps the process would go more quickly; thus saving money also.
What do you think?
:)
Jane
There is need for a design specification document - have to start somewhere. Working closely with a developer to tweak it is where I was headed. If you are sure of what you do want in the design it does eliminate some time, thus money spent and hours worked.
