Course Framework
I have never built an online class from scratch but I am looking at developing one and so the information on the three main questions before getting started will definately help me. They were:
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?
a. What do students know?
b. What can students do?
Does anyone else have any suggestion on how to approach getting start with a new course. It feels a bit overwhelming a the moment.
Robert,
We do everything from scratch as well. It must be done in steps. It's important to complete one module, test it thoroughly and then proceed with the other modules, courses, etc. Thanks for the "baby steps" comment.
I find the suggestion of "taking baby steps" to be not only very helpful...but accurate. At my school we did design and implement online curriculum from scratch. Keep in mind that whatever you design can and must be reevaluated constantly and consistently. Realizing that whatever I created wasn't going to wind up on the face of Mt. Rushmore helped to get the ball rolling.
Sarah and Jodi,
Thanks for continuing uthe conversation. It is good to see you sharing ideas. This learning object file is an excellent idea many can use. Thanks again.
Jodi,
I have designed courses before but never one for on-line delivery from scratch. However, I have revised previously developed courses to better meet the needs of my students. To me, the most important question is "what do I want the students to know and be able to do?" Keeping that in mind throughout the course revision or development should keep us on track. If a student texts me asking, "why do we have to do this," I want to make sure that I know how the questioned activity fits into building the students' understanding, knowledge and skills. I had one experience that reinforced this idea for me. I used a writing assignment in one of my courses that I really liked--it produced interesting student responses and was entertaining for me. However, when I viewed the activity within the context of the goals of the course, I saw that it really did not fit. I put it in my "learning object file," although I didn't have a name for it!
I agree that trying to get a handle on all the aspects of developing an on-line course is rather daunting. I like the suggestion of taking "baby steps" and testing each module as you move forward. The on-going and cyclical nature of planning is important because each module should connect on multiple levels with the others. Just revising my course took me two sessions to get something workable and it is still changing.
Jodi,
Good questions. You do need to investigate what the students know, decide how you will deliver the content appropriately and effectively assess the students. You may want to start with baby steps. Set one module/chapter up first, test it and then move on with module 2.
