Cathleen,
Yes, assessing your students knowledge and building from there is important. You have provided a lot of good tips in a few sentences. Nice job.
Matt,
Nice job. Delivering the content in a variety of ways and engaging the students is important. I also like that you make your assignments with closed and open ended questions. It sounds as though you are doing some great activities with your students as well. Thanks!
I believe that the answers could vary depending upon the subject; however the three most important things to consider for me are:
1. My target audience
2. The course objectives
3. The outcomes
I think the most important things to consider are:
1) Know the level of my students. It is important to assess the knowledge and skills that they bring to the course.
2) Assess my own knowlege of the subject matter. Bone up on the subject if I have not taught it in a while.
3) Be responsive to my students' needs. Constantly evaluate and revise, if necessary.
For me (as the SME), I deliver the content and others manipulate it into the online platform for I approach it thinking of these things:
1) Subject Material - What class am I writing, what level is the class, intro, intermediate, advanced??
What do I know already exists and what new material do I need to prepare?
2) How can I write to allow for others to make it interactive, sure I can just simply write material but that means I am writing a book, not an online class, how to my subtopics and the content translate to an online environment. One thing we have recently implemented is an activity. In addition to my raw knowledge material I generate I also create some sort of activity to demonstrate the material.
3) How do I give the students an opportunity to practice/show that the know the material. This is where assignments come into play. I try to make my assignments based on closed and open ended questions. I try not to have them simply give definitions but try to have them apply the topics and create from it.
-- Matt
Joel,
Definitely! Knowing the learnig outcomes and making sure students understand them as well is essential. Providing a course in which students can see what they are learning applies to the whole curriculum and other courses is important as well. Thanks for your input.
When authoring online courses three things I consider are:
1) Understand the goals/objectives of the course material
2) Recognize how the course fits into the overall curriculum
3)Create clear direction and flow
Nia,
Right on. It is important to determine what the students should learn (objectives) and make sure they understand the expectations. As you provide the information to students in a variety of ways, they can all be successful. Thanks!
The three most important things to consider when authoring an online course are:
1) the learning objectives of the course
2) my ability/ knowledge of the subject
3) course content delivery.
I feel you must have a complete, achievable list of learning objectives before you can even begin to design a course. You must know what you need the students to accomplish once the course is complete. My knowledge in the subject is important because I cannot begin to design what information should be included in the course if I do not know enough about the topic being taught. Lastly, how the content will be delivered is important because this information allows you to add structure and organization to the material being taught.
Ginny,
I like your system of the 5Ws. When I teach my business communication course I tell the students to use the 6 Standing Soldiers which a previous colleagues used to use. They are who, what, when, why, where, and how. The 5Ws or 6 Standing Soldiers all help you think about what you're doing and how you're providing information to the students. Nice job.
Hi Dr. Crews,
In the development and authoring of a course I like to consider the 5W's.
Who? The student-learning styles-age-knowledge, etc.
What? The content-my knowledge-my ability, etc.
Where? The setting-asynchronous-synchronous,etc.
When? Time constraints-optimum learning time, etc.
Why? The objective-what students should learn.
Thanks,
Ginny Anderson~Klasen
Margaret,
You are both correct. Each audience is different and we provide content in a variety of ways to help all learners. Thanks!
Margaret,
Thanks for you input. These are important considerations. Communicating is also essential. Nice job.
William, I agree with you on these points. This must be the most difficult task of all- hitting the target audience - as the needs of each individual are, of course, different. I suppose it is all about clarity, clarity, clarity!
When authoring an online course, I believe three important things to consider are:
(1)Creating and testing a course module template that is consistent and one that students can access easily
(2) Use online tools ,not just lectures, to assist students
(3) Use a lot of detail(syllabus) in giving instructions to students so they can create good learning scaffolding.
Gary,
You bring up several good points. Thanks for your input. Providing information to students so that as many senses are used as possible, is effective. We may face some challenges in doing this, but it's important to do as much as we can as instructors. Nice job.
According to this particular section, the three most important things are
1. How will content be delivered?
2. How will students receive the content?
3. How will students be accessed in their
knowledge of the content?
a. What do students know?
b. What can students do?
Generally speaking, students learn best by using multiple senses. On-line courses severely restrict access to multiple-sensory learning experiences. Touch, taste, and smell are not practical for on-line courses. Audio senses can be used in a limited fashion, however, most students (and people in general) have a much less developed auditory sense than visual sense (the last of the five primary senses).
Therefore it is logical to base most of the content delivery on video, powerpoint, and reading. Student assessment should be continuous and ongoing, flexibility in the on-line course should be reflective of the assessments as the instructor becomes familiar with the students strengths and learning abilities.
Jeanette,
Thanks for your input. The weekly learning modules helps students stay on task. When you offer frequent, consistent and meaningful tips and feedback, the students will be reminded to work more efficiently as well. Thanks.
When creating and managing an online course, I strive to do the following:
Create weekly learning modules with consistent features, such as the order of the presentation of weekly class materials. When students know what to expect each week, they feel more at ease in the classroom.
Feature class announcements prominently on the page where students log into the classroom. In these annoucements, I offer tips and reminders to keep students on track. Frequent messages to students help me maintain an active presence in the classroom, which is reassuring to students.
The online classroom should be orderly and easy to navigate. I really pay attention to student feedback. When a student reports that he/she doesn't know how to find something, it helps me to revise my course or my directions to students to ensure that the classroom is well organized and my instructions are clear.
I look forward to learning about more ways to effectively author my online courses in EL103. Thank you.
Brian,
Good answers, Sequence is importnat
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
