Lisa,
The first three weeks are very important for the instructor to be involved as it has been researched that is when the biggest drop of students happen.
Shelly Crider
Shelly, for online course delivery, there is the aspect of the aesthetic appeal, but the integrity of the course should be maintained. For example, an online opening page should focus on a logical arrangement of information and links, but the graphics should not be overpowering in appearance. With the increase of bandwidth and innovative software, it is possible to imbed audio, video, and animation in course design. In addition, graphics can also be used to illustrate points. However, with each of these teaching tools, the design must be considered in terms of the ease of navigation and access to the course content. The look and feel of an online course is important; however, the delivery of information, interaction, discussion, and submission portals should not be sacrificed. The design elements should facilitate students being able to fulfill the terminal course outcomes. The look of the course design should be visually appealing but not overwhelming.
The look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart. Do you agree or disagree? Explain your answer.
Yes I agree
To keep the Students focused and interested
There are lots of Visual Learners
The culture of a group in an online course can provide students with the momentum they need to stay engaged in the course. I find that by being extremely active in the first few weeks of the course (answering questions quickly, etc.), students begin to feel a high level of security and comfort and start to feel free to discuss course concepts at a high level and in a more authentic manner.
Fred,
Different platforms will allow for different permissions for the instructor. You may be able to change the class a little to make it your own.
Shelly Crider
Sean ,
Good point....if it is not understandable...who will read?
Shelly Crider
Carol,
There must be student participation. This is soft skills that are needed in the work force.
Shelly Crider
Carol,
Having the same information in different sources is a great idea. This will reinforce learning and allow for different types of learning styles.
Shelly Crider
Sarah
Some students have trouble taking online courses. I have taught mathematics and programming courses online. These courses are very difficult to teach. Some students have difficulty taking these types of courses.
Have you taught these type of courses??
Thanks
Fred K
Yes I agree with this statement.
I have used eCollege, Blackboard and the system for AIU online courses. eCollege and Blackboard provides a better look and feel. They are easier to navigate and they provide a better knowledge and learning experience than the AIU online system.
Thanks
Fred K
I agree the look and feel of an online course is important. It goes without saying that the content is extremely important but if the content is not presented in a user friendly way it is worthless. I find power point is good as long as it has animation and is interactive. An interactive presentation is much more enjoyable for the student and enhances learning.
I agree that the online course should not be considered an easy out of classes. Availabilty of instructor discussion along with questions/answers should be readily available along with objectives that are to be met daily in a classroom setting. The online course is meant to bring the classroom into the home to assist students that have a time management issue. This classroom even though it is online must have classroom feel, encourage student participation and thoughtand equal depth.
This is good information to know about Microsoft Office Powerpoint 2010. This feature could be very helpful for foreign language courses as well as a drug classification course where pronouncing the words correctly is critical in a pharmacy environment.
yes it is important that the online course look and feel send the right knowledge and skills because now with online course you can get the presentations from different sources but it will still be the same info and would be good.
Kristin,
I am sure there is research out there on this topic, I do not have any at the tips of my fingers. I highly recommend checking in the educational journals.
Shelly Crider
Michelle,
good point.....first impression is chaos, the rest of the class will be chaos for that student.
Shelly Crider
Dr. Henrietta,
Yes!! We do want high, realistic expectations. Expect a lot....get a lot!
Shelly Crider
Jennifer,
This is true! iPads, iPhones....we have to have iCourses!!
Shelly Crider
Wow, this is the longest discussion thread I have ever seen...It's nice to see so many people participating. While I would say the look and feel is definitely important, I wouldn't say it is important as the knowledge and skills. I think we can all agree that the final goal of any course is to impart the knowledge and skills of that subject onto the student and it is our duty to utilize the best means available to us to do that. That of course would mean that we would attempt to create a course with excellent look and feel, but I would argue that effective learning can take place without that. We have all had those really dry textbooks that just gave you the facts in a very utilitarian manner, and even though we didn't like it, we were still able to learn. That being said I do think that learning is more effective when the learning platform is engaging and if we are able to improve the look and feel we should.
Does anyone know of any research that correlates improved learning with the quality of platform on which it was delivered?
When the appearance of the online format is overwhelming, confusing or distracting it will give the impression the course content will be the same.
E-learning can be intimidating for many and you want to enstil with in your students from day one they can complete the course. Start the online platform simple and user friendly.
Michelle Smith
