Alysha Brown

I believe the three most important things to consider are:

1)course objectives- we need to fully understand what we want the student to learn and be able to do at the end of the module. It is important to narrow down the content of the course and make sure it is an appropriate amount for the student learn in the allotted time.

2)Course design-establishing a simple yet effective design is important for student comfort.

3)students learning needs-making sure that your course addresses all learning styles ensuring that all students are needs are being addressed.

Elizabeth Auer

I agree with your comments, Alysha. Also, I think we need to keep in mind that an online course may be accessed oftentimes by learners of many different educational levels. So, I believe if the audience is not well-defined or pre-determined, this MUST be kept in mind. A course might be accessed by learners ranging from brilliant doctors to those working on their G.E.D.

Rebecca Coleman

When authoring an online course, I think the three most important things to consider are
1. The course objectives
2. The best content to accomplish the objectives
3. The most appropriate delivery system.

Tena Crews

Alysha,

Nice job. You bring up very good points. Without course objectives/learning outcomes being measurable, how do we know the students have learned anything. The course design is especially important as the students must know where the content/learning objects reside and how to use them. And, providing content in a variety of ways for a variety of learning styles is essential whether teaching F2F or online.

Thanks!

Tena Crews

Elizabeth,

Yes, we should never assume what eductional level students may have. This is why I typically ask students to complete a short survey (even if it has 2-3 questions) at the beginning of the course to help determine their level.

For example, if you were teaching an online course based on Microsoft Excel, you may ask students to rate themselves as a beginner, intermediate learner or expert in Excel. Or you may give a pre-test with Excel questions/forumlas to guage their beginning point in learning.

Thanks!

Tena Crews

Rebecca,

I think I agree, but can you elaborate?

Thanks!

Rebecca Coleman

Dr. Crews

I believe that one of the three most important considerations authoring an online course is the course objectives. These objectives are an indication of the learning that should take place in the class. It is important to know where students need to be at the end of the course to be able to know how to get them to that point.

A second consideration should be what content needs to be presented to reach those objectives. When it is determined where the class needs to be at the end of the course, it is important to decide what information needs to be presented to bring the students to that point.

Finally, once the first two items are determined, the delivery system must be decided. This involves the form in which the information can best be delivered to the students.

Tena Crews

Excellent. Thank you for your ellaboration.

Betty Taylor

For me the 3 most important things I would want to consider are:
1. course objectives: what is the purpose of the course and what things do we want the students to be able to know, do, understand, etc.
2. course presentation: how can we best meet the objective we have established? what format should be used? what types of resources do we need to incorporate into the class to meet the needs of a diverse student population?
3. course evaluation: what vehicle should we establish to ensure our students have met or mastered the course objectives?

I have never had to create or author my own course, but I think it would be a fascinating endeavor.
Betty Taylor

Billie Ertel

I would agree that course objectives must be one of the three most important things to consider with authoring a course. The course objectives are the outcomes that are desired for the students completing the course.
A second consideration would have to be how the chosen content would be deliverd to the students because different learning styles are even harder to address in the online environment.
An appropriate venue for the assessment of students at the end of the course would be another important element because we need to ensure that students understand and can untilize this new found knowledge.

Toni Bond

Hello Betty,

I have not had to create my own course either and wished I shared your enthusiasm for such - however, I did want to add that I liked your elaboration on the 2nd item: Course Presentation. I believe this is a very important element in course design. I think it is important, as you stated, to not only look at - but also "meet" the needs of the ever-changing and diverse population of students we serve.

Respectfully,

Toni Bond

Toni Bond

Hello Billie,

I think you make an excellent point that needs to be taken into consideration - the delivery of information to the students based on learning styles. I agree - we need to address the various needs of our students and different learning styles and that can be a challenge in the online classroom environment.

Respectfully,

Toni Bond

Tena Crews

Betty & Toni,

Yes, you bring up great points. The coruse presentation, delivery of content, is extremely important. If you have to design your own content one day, this is an essential component.

There are many aspect in developing your own course and they must match your teaching style along with the course content objectives.

Thanks to both of you for your input.

Tena Crews

Billie & Toni,

Course objectives/outcomes and connecting them to the content and ensuring that students understand what is expected is essential. To address students learning styles, make sure the content is provided in a variety of ways. You can use short video clips, text, discussion board, etc. The content can also be emphasized through the assessment process.

Thanks for adding to the conversation.

Sarah Hengstler

I believe three important things to consider when authoring a course are:

1. Course Objectives: Creating course questions

2. Curriculum mapping: Ensuring the curriculum maps back to the core questions.

3. Course design: Ensuring the design has elements to accommodate different learning styles.

Tena Crews

Sarah,

Good info. Thanks for adding to this discussion. I like (in particular) the note about curriculum mapping. So essential!

Thanks!

Kim Houck

Dr. Crews:

I believe the three most important things to consider when authoring an online course are"

1. Meeting Course Objectives- Can the delivery method being used meet particular course objectives or does a variety of delivery options need to be used to do this?

2. Deliver Method: How can an Online course meet various learning styles including auditory and visual learners? Should various technologies be invested in that assist in the delivery method of each course to allow a College to reach a broader audience?

3. Evaluation tools- What type of tools should be used in an Online environment? Would it be best to allow students to take a quiz multiple times or should they only be allowed to take a quiz once? Should exams included various evaluation tools including short answer, multiple choice, essays or are projects a good evaluation tool?

Kim Houck

Kim Houck

Hi Toni:

I have designed courses before but were given course cartridges from the publisher that allowed us to pick and choose various components that would meet the course objectives.

The downfall is that every section of a course was varied based on how the course was developed by a particular instructor but also did show which instructors made use of all technological tools in the classroom.

Kim

Kim Houck

Hi Sarah:

I also agree that design elements need to accommodate the various learning styles that are intermixed within an Online course.

Visual and auditory learners can sometimes be left behind when those components are not added within the course.

Kim