Yes agree. Students want to know they are learning from a well established institute, college or university. The look and feel of an online course sets a standard for the class.
I agree, the format of his home page should give him a feeling of direction and there is some logical method to the learning process. A link to the syllabus should be present on his home page as well as links to various modules. Each module should contain objectives, assignments, assessments, presentations,discussion links and a checklist that outlines requirements for completing the module.The checklist should define required text materials, tools and any special applications needed for the course.
I agree that the look and feel of an online course is important to help facilitate learning. If there are too many objects or disorganize content on the page, it is confusing to students, it wastes time trying to navigate through the items, and can result with misunderstanding the material or reduced levels of learning.
I believe the "feel" of online content is important because if it communicates a sense of negativity, confusion, or anxiety it can overwhelm the student and result with them giving up on the course. It is helpful to have the material convey a sense of inclusion to different cultural interests as online learners can be in many different countries, different age groups, or different cultural backgrounds.
Yes, absolutely! If an online course has small font or lack of color it is very demotivating to work on. I like an online course to be warm and inviting with welcoming font and pics if possible. A personal welcome and some directional and navigational help is a powerful tool to make students feel more comfortable.
I agree that look and feel is important because if the student becomes frustrated with the layout and content, then they will fail.
Geoffrey,
dull and dreary does not get the student involved in the content.
Shelly Crider
Hector,
You are right, you really need to have a good balance. Content is the utmost importance, however, we need to engage the student to view the content!
Shelly Crider
Michael,
We must promote critical thinking in our classes. This seems to be missing quite a bit in today's society.
Shelly Crider
I agree that easily digested "fun" material, or material that students already have some knowledge of, and are eager to gain more knowledge about is more easily taught. The fun part for me is getting them engaged with the material they thought they had
no prior knowledge about, but by applying common sense and life examples, they find they do have more knowledge than they previously thought. Then I get them eager to learn even more on those applied topics.
Angel Brown CPhT
CIDMA Instructor
Hi gang…
Our question here is the following:
“Is the look and feel of an online course as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart?â€
And my answer would be an unequivocal “yes†- absolutely. As course designers, we can rely on Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) to create both content and questions and summaries (information) that teaches, focuses, and tests students on the critical aspect of what is being taught. However, if the content that has been validated is unorganized, presented in difficult to access ways, and/or doesn’t take into account the learners “entire course experience†then it’s very possible that you’ll have a “good plan†that’s gone bad.
That is, students may not learn in an optimized way, and certain information that is presented earlier may confuse later information if not properly addressed, discussed, reviewed, and tested. There’s also an issue of just one modality - text - and if you are not using other multimedia opportunities to present information, you may “dull†your student to a dreary failure.
So…if you have excellent content for your course you’re half way there. The next half - and sometimes the most challenging and fun task - lies in front of you.
Thanks for allowing me to contribute to the discussion and have a great day.
Geoff Hacker
Tampa, Florida
I completely agree with this statement.
An online course needs to have structural integrity as discussed in the first module of this training to allow students and facilitator the opportunity to present course content in a logical sequence and build upon new concepts, new information that is being presented to the students throughout the course.
It is also important to make the course easy to navigate as to minimize frustration and optimize the time that we spend online completing course assignments, reviewing content, lectures, etc. Both the design of the course and the content of the course are important and should be carefully addressed.
I disagree in that should be as important as the knowledge and skills, but feel a though the look and feel of the online course is paramount to the success of learning. They are environmental condition which make major contributions to imparting knowledge, a means to which students can easily grasp, understand, process, and engage with the material. The look and feel is a vehicle which critical thinking drives, and critical thinking itself should be considered the top priority.
ILEANA,
Seeing is believing! Seeing your instructor do anything gives you a better feel that you have an actual real instructor!
Shelly Crider
Jeffrey,
Too much of a good thing is just that, too much! We have to find a happy middle.
Shelly Crider
Darlene,
The instructor can make or break a class as quickly as the look and feel. Good point!
Shelly Crider
I think both the visual aspect of an online course and the content are important in creating an online course. I can't say they are equally important, nonetheless if the student isn't attracted to the content then the acquiring of knowledge may suffer.
I like adding short videos to presentations to spice things up. I took an online course in which the instructor was seen as he read and elaborated on the PowerPoint presentation, it kept my attention more than just reading a plain PowerPoint.
I agree. The integrity of the information and interaction level of the student should correlate with the manner in how the course imparts information. The reason for this is that learners use various methods to absorb information. Something that is more visually appealing will typically cause the student engage in the material more effectively, learn more easily, and navigate the information more efficiently. Therefore, the look of the online course becomes a critical component of the level of interaction and learning. In addition, an online course that is organized and simple to navigate helps student to understand what is expected and nagivate the course so that they do not miss anything.
I do not agree that the look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impart.
I am involved in quantitative analysis. Sounds dry but it is actually quite exciting. Virtually every discipline requires an understanding and utilization of the concepts, theories and applications covered in my courses. It is important to keep the content flowing, to illustrate the concepts and to provide a step by step example of the application of the concept in typical environments.
Animations, videos, artwork, etc. can be useful, but nothing actually compares with the students learning by doing, setting up and solving problems.
I totally agree. The instructor helps create the feel, just as our teaching/learning style are implemented in the online course.
The basic information is given to the student, but it is up to the instructor to help create that ambience. Nice word to use with an online course! But it is so true.
I agre the look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is besigned to impart because most students are visula learners. Appeasing their visual palette grabs the students attention and keeps them interested. Image is everything.
