My favorite topic so far as I HAVE designed an online course. Actually, I have designed two. Studying articles and other material connected to topic 4 Design for online and blended learning, I am pleased at how much I got right. Because yes – there is a difference between teaching a course on campus and teaching one online. When I put together my first online course – a language course teaching Swedish to beginners, I did not have to invent the wheel. A well thought out campus-based course teaching Swedish to beginners already excited and my job was to transfer it to an online environment – to turn it into a distance course. I understood quickly that to just “move” it would be a mistake. It is necessary to adapt and transform any campus-based course if it is going to be successful as an online course.
Since this blog is an opportunity to reflect, I figured I would share some of the things I have learned over the years and back it up with what I have read these past two weeks. What are some things to think about when designing an online course?
In the webinar hosted by Dr. Martha Cleveland-Innes she emphasized that the students of tomorrow are no longer eighteen-year olds dedicating a number of years to full-time studies and who, after they graduate, we do not see again. The students of the future have a lifelong relationship with the university, they return mid-career to learn and to develop new skills. This is very true for the online learners that I have encountered. Many choose to study online because they work at the same time – because they have a new born – whatever reason – and they try to fit the course around their other obligations. I believe that one way to ensure higher student retention on an online course is to cater for the learners’ flexibility. Maybe there in no need for regular obligatory meetings – maybe there can be regular obligatory assignments instead making use of the digital tools available to us today.
You also need to ensure that assessment and course content is congruent with intended learning outcomes – the I of van Ameijde, Weller and Cross’s ICEBERG (2018). In a language course, the learner obviously needs to be given the opportunity to use said language actively throughout the course. To keep the flexibility, design for both asynchronous and synchronous communication and vary how the learner is asked to communicate. I, for one, love incorporating film in my courses and have the learners record and upload short films on different topics.
Chyung, Winiecki and Fenner (1999) lists several reasons why students drop out of distance education, including: dissatisfaction with the learning environment, low confidence in distance learning, lack of competence utilizing distance education software and feeling overwhelmed by the amount of knowledge and information. You can prevent students dropping out by making it clear to the students what they are supposed to do and how they are supposed to do it. Give them time to familiarize themselves with the online environment and the tools they will be using. Here, I think, ONL 181 set an excellent example, having assigned two weeks simply for the participants familiarizing themselves with the course environment and set-up. During the first weeks we were not asked to demonstrate what we have learned or to “perform” in any way. Instead, we were asked to introduce ourselves and say hello to each other etc., giving us a chance to get to know each other and the environment in which we would be active for the next couple of months. Furthermore, to design a successful course, aim for intuitive navigation (Pappas, 2016). You need to put a lot of thought into how you organize the learning environment. Try to make it as simple as possible – self-explanatory. Remember that online learning in many ways, is a solitary experience and the learner is to a large extent left to his/her own devices. You don’t want students to drop out because they don’t understand the course set up. Try to keep everything in one place or at least as few places as possible. Use links if students have tasks to solve elsewhere. If several teachers are involved in a course, make sure you work in the same way when it comes to for example contacting students and sharing material.
Make sure your course is engaging – keep the students interested, challenged and enthusiastic – the E of van Ameijde, Weller and Cross’s ICEBERG (2018). Vary the course activities – make sure you are visible to the students – they need to know you are there. Send them motivational messages and offer them regular online meetings. I also believe it is important to avoid text-heavy learning environments. Why not make use of creative commons and incorporate pictures that illustrate and complement the words? And expand the recorded material to not only include recorded lectures but also instructional films and films introducing different topics and areas. I used to record everything myself but really there is no need, as there is so much material out there which can be easily embedded in most learning platforms. Also, as interactivity is key – keep the learner engaged with quizzes and other interactive material. This also helps the learner reflect on his/her learning AND get a better idea of his/her progression. One practice mentioned in the article Online Facilitation technique (2016) is to restrict access to future learning resources on the condition of completion. I like this idea as the learner’s progression becomes clearly visible to both the learner and teacher. It also ensures that the learner stays on the intended path laid by the course designer.
I want to finish off by saying that yes – sometimes you can’t do all the amazing things you would like to because you are restricted by the learning platform or tools provided by your educational institution. But usually there is a way around it… Usually, if you familiarize yourself with the tool/system/platform, you can figure out a way to do what you would like to do. Talk to others and see what they have done. Or let the tools/systems/platforms guide you. What can they do and could that it any way be incorporated into your course?
Good luck to all you aspiring course designers out there!
References:
City University London. (2016). “Online Facilitation Techniques”.
Chyung, Y., Winiecki, D.,& Fenner, J. A. (1999). “Evaluation of effective interventions to solve the dropout problem in adult distance education”. Proceedings of EdMedia 1999, 51-55. Seattle, WA
Pappas, C. (2016). “10 Instructional Design Elements To Include In EVERY eLearning Course”. https://elearningindustry.com/instructional-design-elements-include-every-elearning-course
Van Ameijde, J., Weller, M. and Cross, S. (2018). “Learning Design for Student Retention”. Journal of Perspectives in Applied Academic Practice, Vol 6 | Issue 2 | pp.41-50. PDF