1. Course objectives
2. Class format: strictly online or hybrid
3. Accreditation requirements
I believe the content is very important. What is the student suppose to learn from this course. I truly love to see various interactive material. I also want to see plenty of discussion questions that are just not yes or no questions but are detailed in nature.
It's important to consider the learner (student); the content (curriculum/layout); the supplemental online resources (chat, bibligraphy/weblinks), and the communication strategies for giving/receiving feedback.
:-) Ruby
In my point of view, the three most important things about designing an online course are:
What are the objectives of the course?
What is the best method to teach what is needed (how to delivery)?
What is the best way to assess whether students have learned?
The answer of these three questions is the starting point for the building of any course of any degree of complexity, not only the online courses.
Terri,
Good point. When you can provide interactive content for the students to learn, the engagement may be higher. Thanks!
Dr. Ruby,
You are right. The student, content, communication and resources are all important components of an effective online course. Thanks!
Camila,
Yes, and everything can be tied back to the objectives. That's important to consider. Thanks for your input.
Paul,
Ah - glad you brought up the accreditation point of view. It's so important to consider this throughout the development and teaching of an online course.
I believe that when starting a course - I either ask myself or the subject matter expert what the take-a-ways from the course should be. What do you really want students to understand when they finish the course? From that information you can start to build assessments. From assessments come objectives. That being said, you can take those objectives and figure out how to best instruct them based on who your audience is. Once you figure out the audience the goal is linking it to either the students past knowledge or discussing/convincing them why it's important for them to learn what you are teaching.
I think first and most important is to know what the objectives are for the class itself. Then I think the layout..is it user friendly is important
The three most important things to consider when authoring an online course are, course content, assessment, and deliver platform. Creating a framework for who your audience is helps with creating the course content for what the learner needs to know and assessing their knowledge.
Kristina,
Take-a-ways is a good way to look at it.
Thanks!
Valaire,
Objectives are the center of all things in the course.
Nice job.
Rakisha,
Good list. It's great that you are looking at this as a framework.
Thanks!
When authoring you own online course it is important to make sure that the material helps to meet the course objectives. Making sure that the material is easily accessible to the student and the instructions are clear, as to not cause the student confusion are also important things to consider when authoring your online course.
KIM,
Yes, the course outcomes are essential. We have to make sure we are connecting all elements to those outcomes. Thanks!
It is important to consider the course objectives, the students' knowledge base (is this the first course in a sequence, the second, etc.), and the students' learning needs.
When I am developing a course, for in-classroom or online, I believe it is important to consider:
1. Audience. I am fortunate to teach at a military university and can collect some basic information about each student (education level/background/etc). It allows me to understand the needs of the students in the class and how I can meet those needs.
2. Material. What are the course objectives? How best to cover the applicable material? Will books, journal articles, case studies, group projects be the best way?
3. Core/Elective. Is this a core course or elective? How does this material relate to other courses the students will be taking? This ensures the appropriate overlap but avoids duplication of material found in other essential courses.
When creating an online course, I think it is important to consider (1) final course objectives, (2) the level of knowledge of the potential learners for the course, and (3) the best method for assessing knowledge for the course. Once you understand the course objectives and the learner audience for a course, you can best develop the course and its assessment methods.
I like to think about the real world application of the key course objectives as a starting point when developing a course. Then, I consider the skill sets of my students as they begin the course and the key "take aways" that I want the students to have once the course is completed. In other words, I want the students to leave my course with true, usable knowledge and not theoretical details.
