Presentation on designing online courses at the Building Learning Communities Conference July 2014

1. Designing Online Courses
Barbara Treacy
July 16, 2014

2. Today’s focus
 Identify key questions about online course design
 Discuss key elements and key challenges in online
course design
 Engage in hands-on exploration of online activities to
prepare online designers
 Explore courses to identify elements of effective
online design
 Share resources to support ongoing learning about
effective design
 Wrap-up

3. Key Questions
 What’s different about online design?
 How do we adapt face-to-face content for
online delivery?
 How is online content designed so it’s
interactive and engaging?
 How is learning in the online environment assessed?
 How do we keep the focus on content and pedagogy
and not on the technology?
 How are learning communities integrated into online
courses?
 Your questions? Discuss: What do you want to
learn about online design?

4. Key Resources for Online Course Design
 iNACOL Online Course Standards
 ETLO Online Course Criteria
 Online Course Consortium Quality Framework
 Quality Matters

5. Gary’s Social Media Count
http://www.personalizemedia.com/media/socmedcounter.swf

6. “The illiterate of the 21st
century will not be those
who cannot read and
write, but those who
cannot learn, unlearn,
and relearn.”
-Alvin Toffler

7. “Fast, easy, guaranteed ...pick none.
That's the work that's worth doing.”
-Seth Godin, author

8. Discuss
What are the elements of an
effective course – not specifically
online?

9. Elements

10. Course Design Elements and Criteria
 Course Structure and Design
 Content Organization, Session Organization, Main Page,
Navigation, Design Elements, Interactivity
 Course Content
 Overview, Goals, Course Requirements, Session
Introduction, Readings, Activities, Discussion,
Assessment
http://courses.edtechleaders.org/html_cores/trainingcores/ocd/docu
ments/online-course-elements.html

11. http://moodle.etlo.org Username and PW: blc
In small groups, explore the course and discuss:
1. What are the benefits of learning to design in the
online environment?
2. How does backwards design help in the process
of designing online?
3. What are the key differences in designing for f2f
vs. online or blended?
4. What did you find most important in the course?

12. Apply: Explore and apply criteria
1. Common Core courses (learning community)
http://moodle.etlo.org Username and PW: Webinar
or
2. Intel Easy Steps Tech Literacy course (self-
paced)
http://dev.ezsteps.edc.org/home
Username: btreacy@edc.org PW: blcblc
Discuss: How do you see the Design Criteria applied?

13. Summary: What’s Different in Online Design
 Content: different structure and pedagogical approaches
 Technology: increasing choice and capability of tools and
multi-media to support learning
 Technology: accessibility must be addressed;
technical glitches occur regularly (a challenge)
 Social dynamic: different interaction methods and
pacing to address cohort and individual needs
 Discussion: new facilitation strategies needed; importance of
written communication
 Assessment: new tools available and new strategies needed

14. “The change we are in the middle
of isn’t minor and isn’t optional”
-Clay Shirky, Author and
Professor, NYU

15. Thank you!
Barbara Treacy btreacy@edc.org
EdTech Leaders Online http://edtechleaders.org
Education Development Center http://edc.org