Well-Planned instruction
Having a well-planned instructional design is critical for online learning. I, personally, have found the more prepared I am for online students, the better the course runs. A study noted that the main mark of success for online learners was the design of the online instruction (Changiz, Haghani, & Nowroozi, 2013).
Reference
Changiz, T., Haghani, F., & Nowroozi, N. (2013). Are postgraduate students in distance medical education program ready for e-learning? A survey in Iran. J Educ Health Promot. 30;2:61. doi: 10.4103/2277-9531.120862.
Ranee,
Well planned courses can head off a lot of issues throughout the course with students and their understanding of the course expectations.
Herbert Brown III
I agree with you, I've recently started a on-line class and because it is outlined simply I am not having any trouble navigating through.
Having a well planned course is critical, I have learned that it is important to "over" plan each session because if you have low attendance and few or no questions you can deliver the content much faster than intended.
It's a good idea to have 10 minutes of filler in case this happens!
Heidi,
Great, the more detail you can provide the students to help guide them the better off the students will be.
Herbert Brown III
Thank you. Yes, I do indeed offer schedules and guides via the rubrics.
John ,
Simplicity is good to help them navigate the curriculum. Do you use any other things like work guides, schedules, or specific guided learning outlines that also ensure they stay on track?
Herbert Brown III
When it comes to on-line usage, keeping it simple to navigate through the curriculum makes all the difference.
