Hi Kristin,
You make an excellent point about considering the internal motivations of the students who will be one of the audiences for the class. I had not thought of that concept before.
Frank Nolan
The three most important things that I believe should be considered when authoring a course are the learning objectives of the course as it relates to the particular academic program of study, the level of the course in the program of study and the intended course content that will be used for the course. It is important to understand not only the audience (students) that will be taking the class, but also the learning objectives of the program of study for the university as well as the desired course content that the students will be required to understand and demonstrate proficiency by the end of the course.
Tammara,
Knowing your audience is essential in any situation, but especially in teaching. Keeping the audience on track to meet the learning outcomes by engaging them in the content is a must. Thanks for your input.
Garry,
Content and connection - that's the key. Know your content and connect it to the real-world and the learning outcomes. Nice job.
Garry,
Right on. Keeping all of these factors in mind when thinking out the development of your course is essential. And, it's OK to be redundant! Ha! Thanks for your input.
1. You must know your student audience
2. You must know the Objectives and Goals of the course
3. You must know the Course material and be able to teach it to others
Agreed Breezy. Understanding the subject matter that we're teaching would seem like a given, but I fear it's not in the current environment.
We need an intense and accurate understanding of our subject to author a course well. It seems as though we too often have an internet understanding of the subject matter.
The three major considerations that I have when authoring an online course are the subject, audience, and the outcomes.
The subject should be thoroughly mastered and understood so that one can elaborate when appropriate, and eliminate when necessary. Knowledge of the subject matter gives one an ability to discern between crucial and arbitrary information.
The audience should be keenly considered as well. different audiences will respond in various ways to information and teaching style. They require adjustments in teaching styles even. This is true in all aspects of life from politics to marketing. (Oh wait, that's redundant.)
Finally, the desired outcomes of a given course must be considered. The question, "What should the student be able to do or know when the course is complete?" should be ever present when authoring a course.
Rubiela,
Spelling. . .content of hte moudce? Not sure what moudce is - new online word. ;=) But, content, students and course revisions are essential. Thanks!
Eric,
Everyone responding to this forum is right on track. Audience/learners, curriculum and content. Thanks!
Eric,
Audience, outcomes, curriculum. They key components of developing and teaching in the online (or any) environment. Thanks for your input.
Garry,
Yes sir! Knowing your audience is important in any situation and when you students are your audience, you have to connect the course content to learning outcomes. This provides for a more successful learning environment. Thank you.
Carol,
Connecting the learning outcomes to the content is essential. When everyone is clear on the expectations and understands how they will be assessed, the course runs more smoothly. Thanks for your input.
I believe that when I am authoring my online course I need to consider among others: content of hte moudce and ways to delivered it, how my students will assessed the information and an ongoing adjustment for any changes needed.
Greetings.
1. Know your learners. Knowing your learners will help you to craft the appropriate educational experience.
2. Know how the course fits into the curriculum. For example, is this a gateway course (students first course) or other?
3. Know the subject matter. It is important to be able to communicate the required course information in a user friendly manner that will help learners to learn the subject matter.
Best, Eric Freeman
Greetings.
1. Know your learners. Knowing your learners will help you to craft the appropriate educational experience.
2. Know how the course fits into the curriculum. For example, is this a gateway course (students first course) or other?
3. Know the subject matter. It is important to be able to communicate the required course information in a user friendly manner that will help learners to learn the subject matter.
Best, Eric Freeman
When authoring any course, online or otherwise, the three most important things to consider are the subject, the audience, and the outcomes of the course.
An intimate and extensive knowledge of the subject matter is in order. This is necessary to not only cover correct material, but to elaborate on poignant information of particular note or importance.
Different people learn in different ways. As a result, it's best if we understand who our audience is and how to reach them effectively.
The expected results of a given course are equally important to consider. One must have a clear concept of what and excellent result of the course would look like. The knowledge and skills that should be evident in the successful student have to be known in advance.
Hmmm. Well Obviously the objectives of the course. I wouldn't want the students to feel cheated that they didn't learn what was intended and needed. Then of course there's the various needs of the diverse learner. But I think the one I worry about most is the clarity of the tasks being asked. Most of my online courses were just superb in every aspect: the objectives were clear, the tasks were outlined so that we knew what was being asked, resources were available and well published and the instructor was readily available where and when there were some gliches. THEN I've had a few that were not. And those were horrible and the most frustrating time ever. So I worry that when I'm an author of an online course that I might be one of those horrible experience for someone.
I think the three most important things to consider is the audience that will be the recipient of your material. Then comes the material itself and what it is that you are trying to convey. And lastly the format in which the material will be delivered. You need to look at your course as a constant work in progress... something which is never finished. You will always be working on it and tweaking it to make it better for your students.
Rebecca,
One thing I do is make sure the course objectives are listed on the rubrics I use. This helps students connect assignments to the course outcomes. I also have a muddiest point discussion board forum where students can post questions or thing they do not yet understand (hence they are "muddy" on). This is particularly helpful before tests so that I can reiterate content they do not yet have a good grasp of. Hope this is helpful.
