I'm writing in response to Bobbe, who writes "assessments always along the way to see if you have straddlers".
I find this is hard because when testing a student on line, how do I know that they are not just sitting in front of a computer with their notes. If they are late straddlers is it because they prostrated, have life that gets in the way, are not good with the computer, or they do not know the material?
I can tell somewhat from the discussion boards what the level of understanding is within the course. Are there tools you or someone else uses to help confirm a student's knowledge?
Having authored an online course myself, what I believe are the three most important things to consider are:
What do I want my students to learn?
How can I teach the subject so that it reaches students who have a wide variety of learning styles?
How can I best assess that they have learned the material?
I believe the three most important things to consider when authoring your own online course are:
1. The types of learners and their specific learning styles
2. The content of the course in terms of the relevance of the material to real world applications,
3. And how the material is presented - making sure it is provided is various formats to fit the various learning styles represented by the learners
That is a very god idea. A baseline will help me determine what to expect. I am looking at also teaching back on grounds. I will make it a point to try this on the students.
Antonio,
Knowing your audience is important in all situations - good point. And, you are right. There are many different learning levels and learning styles. I typically do a pre-test in my class to see what the students know/don't know and that helps me understand what content I can cover quickly or what material I may have to provide supplemental informatiion for. Thanks for your input.
First would be the audience. I have to take in consideration the level of the students. I have seen many of my past students (on ground) that would have struggled in the same environment I learned from. It is not geared for them. I am not trying to be mean, but there are levels to take into consideration.
Second, relative content. I am in he computer field. Many times, information is no longer applicable or is seriously outdated.
Third would have to be delivery of content. Too much information in a section might be overwhelming. It must be spaced out properly.
Kristin,
Right on! Knowing your audience in any situation is important, but knowing your students is essential. Motivating students can be difficult, but again, the better you know your students, the more you know what motiviates them. Providing content in a variety of ways is beneficial for your students as well. Nice job. Thanks!
1. Identify my audience - It's important to consider not only what I need my students to learn to satisfy the course objectives but to also explore how they will translate what that they learn in the classroom to their professional and personal lives and goals beyond the classroom. Does the course and its content enable them to do this effectively?
2. Identify the motivations of my students. Why are they here? How will this class satisfy their longterm personal and professional goals? And utilize their language to describe and explain individual modules as well as the course objectives in greater depth.
3. Provide both consistency and options. As student learning styles vary widely within the adult classroom, its crucial to provide options and multiple learning objects to explore a subject or lesson in multiple ways. Video, online chats, text and images can be used in conjunction to provide students with multiple ways to enter and engage the objectives of the course and the module.
Diane,
It's hard to narrow it to three things, but you did a great job. Understanding where the students are coming from and providing content in a variety of ways are important. Being organized and thorough in your delivery is also necessary. Nice job. Thanks!
The three most important things to consider when authoring an online course is know what the students need to know, remember that all students do not learn the same way, and that your class has to be through.
Esther,
These three things go hand in hand. You have to understand your students and help them achieve the learning outcomes through appropriate content and activities. Nice job.
Alejandro,
Yes, I always do some type of diagnostic assessment the first week of class so that I understand what the students know and where they are coming from. This helps with choosing the appropriate material, planning the course more effectively and delivering the content. Keeping the students engaged and building on their knowledge is essential. Thank you for your input.
Stephen & Robert,
Thanks for continuing the communication in this forum. The learning outcomes are essential and the students must understand what they are so they know "where they are going." Thanks again.
Stephen,
Very nice. Knowing your students and where they are coming from helps you complete your planning to provide a better format/fit for the students. You are right that improving the course is a continual process. Getting feedback form the students in a formative and summative fashion is important. Thanks again for your input.
The three most important things to remember are:
1. Your audience
2. Your course goals
3. Your course content
The first important thing to consider when authoring my own online course is the base knowledge level of my students. I need to know where they are in order to decide where I will take them next. The second important thing to consider is how I will deliver the material so the student's experience is stimulating, interactive, and fun. The last important thing to consider when authoring my own online course is the types of assessments I will use so it is clear to me that my students have gained the knowledge they were promised, as outlined in the syllabus' course learning objectives.
Hello Robert,
I agree with you on your three important things, especially the consideration of learning objectives. I always list the course objectives in my live chats and continually point them out to the students.
The Stephen Covey habit you mentioned was very appropriate. The 'end in mind' ties in with the course objectives.
Stephen W. Volz
I believe three important things to consider when authoring an online course include:
1) Understanding the students - This is more difficult in many online courses due to not being in the same physical classroom. But reading online profiles of the students, using the introductory discussion postings, and asking questions during presentations will help instructors become familiar with the students.
2) Planning - I always take the time to plan online course creation. I have to conduct hour-long live chats with PowerPoint presentations so I want to make sure I am ready for the courses when they begin.
3) Continually improving - This involves always reviewing the information in your courses and making revisions as needed to improve the learning experience for the students.
Stephen W. Volz, DBA
Lisa & Claireann,
Thanks for continuing the conversation. Many people discuss learning styles and whether or not students really have different learning styles. The key point is to provide information to students so that they see it, hear it, watch it, try it, etc. in a variety of ways. Thanks!
Lisa,
You are right. Three is a bit of a narrow focus, but we just wanted to start the discussion somewhere. ;-) You are right on target. Thank you.
