William,
Excellent. We have to make sure the learning outcomes are connected to the course content and assignments. We want to make sure students clearly understand those learning outcomes as well.
Thanks.
When developing an online class, you first have to determine the objective of the class and what you are attempting to teach. The student must be able to successfully complete the learning objectives in a measurable context. This measurement can be in the form of hands on project, written report or a test.
Scott,
Why argue? Ha! Just kidding. You are right on target. Your #1 deals with the learning outcomes and you have a grasp on the fact that we have to provided the content in a variety of ways to "hit" all students. Thanks for your input.
Hello,
I would argue that the three most important things to consider are:
1. What do I want the students to know once they leave the class.
2. How can I best deliver instruction to reach different learning styles.
3. How can I best create a course that flows logically but still inspires creative thought.
Scott
Donna,
Yes, if you teach a course that is not required, students may have a variety of reasons for taking the course. It's a great way to start the conversation. Thanks for the great list of ways to engage students.
First, consider your students' purpose for enrolling in the course - this can guide your discussion, and might lead the class to a richer learning environment. Second, ascertain your students' expectations of the course content and material. Last, consider how you will build in strategies for student engagement - group work, discussion boards, blogs, wikis, and/or journals so students will become an integral part of the course.
Helen,
You are right on target. The navigation has to be on point and without working links, students will not be able to access resources or assignees.
Thanks for your input.
Karen,
I do prefer the blended environment in which student meet F2F and online throughout the semester. It alleviated a lot if questions and reduces email/frequent questions/etc. Even when I teach pure online courses that are totally asynchronous, I still offer F2F opportunities for supplemental help for anyone who can attend but don't make it mandatory as students could be anywhere around the world. Hope this helps.
When authoring my online course the three most important things to consider are 1. Course material 2. Layout 3. Working links or videos.
HBS
Dr. Crews: Do you find that having more "live" time is helpful? I am referring to having a time during the week that the students can see the professor and ask questions live.
Karen,
You are so right. Creativity is a great ability to have. The more creative we are the more we "hit" different learning styles by creating various projects/assignments/etc. Nice job.
Dr. Crews: As you mentioned in the first part of this course, what does the student need and what do we want the student to do. Trying to keep the students engaged is also important and more difficult than in the "classroom". It takes more creativity I think.
David,
Yes - we need to set the expectations up front with learning outcomes and course goals and through effective, meaningful assessment and feedback we should be able to determine that they did learn the content and achieve the learning outcomes. Thanks!
1. Determining the knowledge and experience I want to pass along.
2. Understanding the audience and their capacity to understand the knowledge and experience I want to pass along to them.
3. Being able to test what the audience learned (hopefully, it's the knowledge and experience I wanted them to know) from taking the course.
Kimberly,
Thanks for adding to the conversation. You are bringing to our attention that we really need to think about how we provide content to the students to help them achieve the set learning outcomes. Thanks!
1. How will content be delivered?
2. How will students receive the content?
3. How will students be assessed in their knowledge of the content?
Jeremy,
Excellent. We do need to make sure students understand the expectations and we deliver the content so that they can reach the set goals. Thanks for your input in this forum.
Cherise,
Thanks for asking these as questions. It gives us all things to think about.
Thanks again.
When authoring your online course, I believe the following three questions are the most important things to consider:
1. What is the overall goal of the course? Meaning, what do I want you to know and understand at the end of the course.
2. How many weeks do I have to break up the information so that I can keep everyone engaged and NOT overwhelmed?
3. How do I create different styles of lessons so that I cover all the different type of learners so that the material stays fresh and doesn't feel like the same thing each week?
If I can successfully answer these questions using different and interesting resources, engagement with forums and interactive assignments/quizzes, as well as any other type of material...then I believe that I will have a successful course.
How will I deliver the information?
What do I want the students to learn?
Will the course stimulate learning?
