Hi Anne,
In what way would this document be beneficial to the developer? to the instructor?
Thanks :)
Jane
A thoroughly thought-out Design Specification would provide a list of requirements and expectations for the vendor. It would also provide all text, media, instructions and presentation strategies for the developer to follow as they prepare the platform.
The Design Specification would also serve as a checklist for me to compare the new course materials to the original vision of the program. Any deviations or problems with the original Spec versus what was developed could be assessed and remedied in the Evaluation phase.
Anthony,
The Design Specification document would certainly do all that you outlined. It would be a very valuable tool for any course designer.
Unfortunately, the preparation of this document is very time consuming. As an alternative, many designers start with a prototype, which they upgrade after evaluation. Their improvements are reflected in versions. (isn't this how Bill Gates got rich?)
Do you think the benefits of the design specification outweigh the costs of the time invested?
:)
Jane
I think when designing courses it is important that the quality and quanity be a high priority, however individuality also needs to be considered. Not all courses are alike therefore each one needs to have an individual design to it. Such as medical terminology and anatomy and physiology. Since medical terms deals with word parts, prefixes and suffixes, these are not all that interesting so time needs to be put into finding ways to design an interesting course. Whereas A&P deals with parts of the body, there are tons of picures and animation that could be used.
Jan O'Donnell
Online course design specification serves as a blueprint.
It contains a set of precise requirements that can be used by the web design team.
It would offer an organized plan of action so that your developer and you would have an overview of what needed to be done to create your course. It would make the communication between you easier because it could be the skeleton each of you develop from to create the "finished" product (though a good online course can be dynamic, adapting according to the feedback and needs of the students enrolled).
The course design specification is sort of like an out of focus or pixellated image: Here will be figures accompanied by narration; Here will be mouse-over strategies; Here will be a glossary. Gradually, as the course materializes, each component will crystallize into the finished product.
Thank you for all the ideas and information. Developing an on-line course does not seem so overwhelming. I have a starting point--CDS. As we progress through the course devevelopment we can use the CDS as a checklist. Prototypes without A "blueprint" have been frustrating, inefficient, time-costly, and money-costly to our company. Perhaps the CDS will helps us with a more reliable and less-costly prototype. Any suggests?
By following the Course Design Specifications, the vendor would have a clear blueprint to work from. they would know what objectives you were wanted to teach and be able to devlopment the course to meet those objectives.
That's easy, all should benefit economically. Design has to be separated from implantation of the course. Two or more minds working toward the same goal is always a better alterative.
George:
Let's classify the Course Design Specifications as the blueprint of the course. Let's further assume that you are the content expert. You have defined the learning outcomes and have created a content outline that reflects adequate content to support the learning outcomes. Moreover you have specified assessment measures that are adequate measures of the competencies being measured. In addition, you have specified the media and interactive strategies to support the instructional content. Finally, your blueprint specifies the order in which the instructional transactions will take place.
As the person outsourcing the development of the course, how would you benefit from providing such a blueprint to the vendor? How would the vendor benefit from the blueprint?
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.
Pamela:
Curriculum Design and Devellopment is indeed an intensive task especially when one has to consider factors that influence online delivery. How do you think you would benefit by adopting a Course Design Specification in the Design Phase?
Satrohan
I am considering development of on-line coursework for a book I have written. I am interested gaining vendor contact information. My course content would involve a mix of video conferencing, review/response segments, and on-line testing. Anyone have suggestions for a promising vendor?
Cheryl:
Unfortunately, I do not have any information on vendors. I defer this to other students in this foum for any supportthey can provide.
Satrohan
I would benefit from the least amount of time needing to be spent on revisions. The more specific I can be with my vendor will create more of what I need for my course. So hopefully with clear consise information we both can spend less time developing and revising the course design.
Debra:
Definitely theCourse Design Specifications would minimize the revisions to the "final" version of the course. It would also serve as a means to guide the vendor to develop the course to fulfill your stated expectations as well as the standard by which you judge whether the course was designed to your specifications.
Satrohan
Creating a Course Design Specification is a fantastic idea & should be done, especially when an on-the-ground Instructor is attempting to create its online equivalent. As an Instructor, I understand the skill set and competencies required of the courses but am not as computer/technology savvy as I would like to be. I will have to work closely with our IT Department in order to upload and implement the most effective & efficient media. The substantive part of the course is what we need to get out there but the WAY we present it will determine the success of the course.
Belinda:
The most effecient way to produce a quality online course is through team effort; especially when there are time constraints. I also am not a technology expert; so I serve the role of an Instructional Designer, and I enlist the help ofGraphics Designers, Flash Amimation Specialists, Multimedia Developers and HTML Programmers.
Satrohan
As any communication tool, a Design Specification Document should be as clear as possible. I don't have experience with vendors of this type, however I believe that, this Design Specification Document should have a way to be reviewed periodically, in order to maintain its relevance and importance.
Agreed Fernando. I believe it will be unrealistic for anyone to expect that they would capture all of the course elements the first time around. More elements are likely to evolve as the proceed with content development. The Course Design Specifications must be modified to reflect this. New elements that cannot be completed the first time around because of time or budgetary constraints are thus recorded, and can be attended to before the course is offered another session.
Satrohan
