Course Design for Non-Designers

Course Design for Non-Designers
SLATE
June 17, 2009
College of Lake County
Paul Heydenburg, Northeastern Illinois University
Ken Sadowski, University of Chicago
Michael Sukowski, Concordia University Chicago

Ground Rules for Course Design
Provide introduction to explain the learning
All module elements presented to learner within wider context of course
Tell users the learning objectives

Ground Rules continued
Explain how the course or unit is organized
Vital that students know key elements in any module
Help students make selections about what is really critical

Information chunking
Group like information
Autonomy and unique identity
Manageable units
Short sentences, direct/succinct
Web-friendly punctuation
Generous paragraph breaks
Bullets and numbering

Develop interesting presentations to explain key points
Use:
Graphics
Animations
Sound
Video
Etc.

Accommodate variety of learning styles
Text for those who like to read
Images for visual learners
Interactions for kinesthetic learners
Make the most of what the medium has to offer

Allow users to engage constructively with materials:
Problem-solving with real world examples
Make learning come alive
Transform your lectures
You cannot simply move notes to screen
Materials must work as hard as you do when you teach

Review and provide summary tests
At end of each chunk of learning
Provide review materials
Allow student to reflect on what they learned
Provide assessment

Ensure access for all users
Visually impaired
Hearing impaired
E-Learning: Building the Ramp for Equal Accesshttp://people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/2002/04/httpwww_09.html

2 Key Elements in Online Learning
Student Engagement in Course
Teacher Presence

Student Engagement in Course
Instructor
Student
Student
Content

To ensure student engagement
Define learning objects
A learning objective is a statement to clarify the nature of a learning area
Indicates how the acquisition of the related skills and knowledge is measured

Learning Objects
Essentially a stand-alone piece of learning
Can take about 5-10 minutes to master
Might be:
Section of text
Short video/audio clip
Media elements organized together into a short coherent group

Learning Objects Help Us:
Clarify the learning for students
Analyze important information
Audit learning for reuse
Through the use of LMS/CMS, learning objects are reusable

Get Students Interested
Adopt new strategies to gain attention
Follow up learning objective with key or exciting fact
Keep students engaged with:
Content
Each other
Instructor
Teacher presence is a must

Teacher Presence
Interaction between learners, content, facilitator
Use LMS/CMS tools to provide:
Rich feedback
Timely feedback
Guide through content
Encourage higher level thinking
Explore resources
Encourage reflection
Respond with feedback

Teacher Presence
Be enthusiastic and encouraging
Be yourself

Practical Suggestions
When creating online, hybrid, web-enhanced courses:
Excessive text causes poor acceptance of screen contents
Use graphics
Have copyright clearance
Use animations
Audio/video
Follow sound graphic design principles

Activities/Discussions
Motivating
Engaging
Purposeful
Based on:
Interaction between learners through written communication
Led by someone with training in the special qualities for successful group learning

Encourage students to explore resources
Reflect on resource
Post contribution to group
Instructor responds with feedback

Discussions are:
Core element to production of content
Relatively quick to devise
Engage students effectively in learning
Make the most of your teaching skills

Interactive elements such as:
Quizzes
Games
When in doubt:
Obtain training
Work with colleagues

Ensuring Quality Course Design
Quality Assurance Guidelines
Higher Education
SLOAN-C Pillars of Quality
Quality Matters Rubric
Concord Model
Schrum’s Qualities of Successful Students
Robley and Wiencke’s Rubric for Quality Interaction

SLOAN-C’s Five Pillars of Quality Online Education
Learning effectiveness
Access
Cost-effectiveness and institutional commitment
Faculty satisfaction
Student satisfaction

Quality Matters Rubric
Set of 40 elements
Distributed across eight broad standards
Course Overview and Introduction
Learning Objectives
Assessment and Measurement
Resources and Materials
Learner Engagement
Course Technology
Learner Support
Accessibility

Quality in K-12 Online Learning
Resources
Chapman, D.W, Garrett, A. & Mahlck, L.O. (2004). The role of technology in school improvement. In: Adapting Technology for School Improvement: A Global Perspective (pp.19-37). Paris: UNESCO, International Institute for Educational Planning.

Resources
Herrington, A., Herrington, J., Oliver, R., Stoney, S., & Willis, J. (2001). Quality guidelines for online courses: The development of an instrument to audit online units. Paper presented at the ASCILITE 2001, Melbourne.

Resources
Southern Regional Education Board. (2006). Standards for Quality Online Teaching. Retrieved October 18, 2006 from http://www.sreb.org/programs/EdTech/pubs/2006Pubs/StandardsQualityOnlineCourses.asp

Resources
Current and Future Classroom and Online Technologies Utilized in Higher Education, Hanover Research Council, www.hanoverresearch.com
E-Learning: Building the Ramp for Equal Access,http://people.uis.edu/rschr1/onlinelearning/2002/04/httpwww_09.html

Resources continued
Roblyer, M. D., & Wiencke, W. R. (2003). Design and use of a rubric to assess and encourage interactive qualities in distance courses. The American Journal Of Distance Education, 17(2), 77 - 98.

Resources continued
Schrum, L. (2002). Dimensions and strategies for online success: Voices from experienced educators. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 6(1), 57 -67.

Resources continued
Tinker, R. (2001). E-Learning quality: The Concord Model for learning from a distance. NASSP, 85(628), 36 - 46.

Resources continued
http://oms.educ.msu.edu/ctt/index.php?title=Quality_Assurance_in_Online_Learning
http://www.sloan-c.org
http://www.qualitymatters.org/