A look at how to evaluate content and select the appropriate delivery device for an online module.

1. Content Choice and Arrangement

2. So many choices…
• Blackboard tools are numerous and diverse
– Opportunity to diversify your content
• Different just to be different?
– Purpose-based content delivery choices

4. Delivery is driven by content
• Evaluate a “chunk” of content
• Determine best opportunities for delivery
– Tools in Blackboard
• Evaluate:
– Content difficulty level
– Delivery opportunities

5. Evaluating content: determining difficulty
Content
Chunk
Novelty: How new is
the information
being presented to
the audience?
Relation: How
connected is the
content to
information
previously
presented?
Complexity: Is the
information simple
or complex relative
to the
module/course as a
whole?
Concrete: Is the
information
presented more
abstract or concrete
in nature?

6. Evaluating content: delivery opportunities
Does it contain
sequential
information that
can be presented
as a list or table?
Content
Chunk
Does it lend itself
to natural visual
opportunities?
(ex.
microorganism)
Does it need
explanation?
Audio/video
opportunity
Would examples
and cases
strengthen the
content?

7. Content matching
• After evaluating content
– Look at Blackboard tool choices
– Select a tool that:
• Best matches the content
• Helps meet the objective of the module
• Is realistic
– Do not stretch beyond your skillset and sacrifice quality

8. Conclusion
• Each chunk should be developed individually
– Within the context of the whole module
• Provide as much support as needed
– Context
– Examples
– Review
• Select tools that match the instructor,
audience, and content