This site will provide you with research based principles and methods for developing a quality course for any learning environment.
There is no 'one size fits all' formula for creating a sucessful course, however all great courses begin with proper planning and design. Planning includes consideration for the subject matter, the course objectives, and tools available to instructors and students.
Where Do I Begin?
You may be asking yourself this question right now, especially if this is your first time teaching online or are only familiar with face-to-face teaching. Regardless of your prior experiences, it is important to keep in mind the overall goal of any course; pass knowledge or skills from teacher to student for future use. This is true for teaching an learning in any learning environment.
Instructional designers consider two major differences between face-to-face and online learning; instructional tool availability and student engagement with the instructor and other students. In other words, how do we accomplish the same learning objectives using different tools?
The objective for this site is to help you to create your own successful online course by providing information that guides you through the design process. Evidence of successful completion of this will be:
What is eLearning?
eLearning involves the skillful and purposeful use of instructional technology to achieve learning goals for students. eLearning tools provide greater opportunities for individualized instruction and greater time for collaboration and group activity. Effective use of eLearning tools involves rethinking how you present material, engage learners, and evaluate understanding.
The information contained in this site will provide you with strategies and solutions to develop courses your students will love!
There is no 'one size fits all' formula for creating a sucessful course, however all great courses begin with proper planning and design. Planning includes consideration for the subject matter, the course objectives, and tools available to instructors and students.
Where Do I Begin?
You may be asking yourself this question right now, especially if this is your first time teaching online or are only familiar with face-to-face teaching. Regardless of your prior experiences, it is important to keep in mind the overall goal of any course; pass knowledge or skills from teacher to student for future use. This is true for teaching an learning in any learning environment.
Instructional designers consider two major differences between face-to-face and online learning; instructional tool availability and student engagement with the instructor and other students. In other words, how do we accomplish the same learning objectives using different tools?
The objective for this site is to help you to create your own successful online course by providing information that guides you through the design process. Evidence of successful completion of this will be:
- Learners will recognize characteristics of quality course design by identifying elements that contribute to student engagement and provide high level questioning.
- Learners will recognize effective structure and flow of courses.
- Learners will identify instructional purposes or strategies for various digital tools.
- Learners will apply an understanding of these characteristics, strategies and tools to construct their own course.
What is eLearning?
eLearning involves the skillful and purposeful use of instructional technology to achieve learning goals for students. eLearning tools provide greater opportunities for individualized instruction and greater time for collaboration and group activity. Effective use of eLearning tools involves rethinking how you present material, engage learners, and evaluate understanding.
The information contained in this site will provide you with strategies and solutions to develop courses your students will love!
Throughout this site are opportunities to submit feedback or participate in a community forum. See the dark button at the bottom of each section to take you to the "Discussions" section of this site. These discussions are a great place to share ideas and learn from each other.
Users who interact with this website will gain the following understandings:
Those who gain these understandings will be able to do the following:
Users who interact with this website will gain the following understandings:
- Developing a course requires one to step back and look at their course from different perspectives.
- Learning goals/objectives drive instructional and selection of instructional tools. Not the other way around.
- Instructional technology is not a one-size-fits-all answer to designing quality courses
- Instructional technology should be used when necessary, not simply for the sake of using them.
- Instructions, assessments, and activities must align to one or more course learning goals.
- Identifying student’s prior knowledge helps instructors develop realistic learning goals for students throughout the course.
- Identify instructional design theories and understand their impact on cognitive load for students.
- Identify different types of goals and understand their importance or impact on motivation.
- Apply knowledge of motivation to explain the importance of positive expectations and fostering a supportive environment.
- Specific, immediate feedback can be a powerful teaching tool and can come from an instructor, a peer, one’s self, or a digital learning tool.
Those who gain these understandings will be able to do the following:
- Identify instructional design elements of existing courses and evaluate how they align with design principles.
- Apply instructional design theory and principles to improve existing courses.
- Identify appropriate learning goals and evaluate alignment between goals, instructional materials, and assessments.
- Investigate new learning tools and determine how they could be used to meet course objectives.
- Prescribe appropriate digital learning tools to specific learning tasks.
- Develop rubrics that clarify expectations for a student learning outcome
