Online courses are becoming more and more commonplace in higher education as well as secondary education settings. Unlike the students that I now teach, I did not have the opportunity to take any online courses while in high school. During my masters program, the extent of the online component of my courses was uploading an assignment to Blackboard or engaging in a discussion board with classmates. Now, at the end of my Ed.S. program, I've taken a total of ten completely online courses as well as some experience with course design.
I've been lucky to have great experiences with online courses which is a driving force in my wanting to teach online courses one day. Effective and enjoyable courses have several common aspects. These courses typically include an introductory activity that eases you into the course while allowing the student the opportunity to share some personal and professional information about their self. Effective courses are set up in modules that simulate a unit of study. There are various assignments and activities that keep the student engaged, motivated and curious. Additionally, there is always timely communication and feedback from the professor. Furthermore, interaction between classmates is encouraged and required throughout the course so the student never feels isolated in their learning.
The components of the effective and enjoyable online courses described above owe credit to good instructional design. According to Moore and Kearsley (2012), Instructional Systems Design (ISD) emerged after World War II with its beginnings in "the origins in the pressure for designing training more efficiently during the war" (p. 97). One of the well-known models for creating instructional design is ADDIE, which stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implement and Evaluation (Moore & Kearsley, 2012, p. 98). Planning is strongly emphasized in both models and is crucial to designing an effective online course. One of the most integral parts of an online course is the interaction of learners; interaction between learner and the material as well as interactions among learners. According to Moore and Kearsley (2012) one of the most prominent elements in a designer's mind must be the extent of student participation (p. 113). Alternatively, online courses that are not effective or enjoyable lack timely feedback from the professor, various assignments and activities, and very little interaction between classmates.
Tips for creating a successful online course:
5 Must Have Elements
How NOT to Design an Online Course
NEA: Guide to Teaching Online Courses
I've been lucky to have great experiences with online courses which is a driving force in my wanting to teach online courses one day. Effective and enjoyable courses have several common aspects. These courses typically include an introductory activity that eases you into the course while allowing the student the opportunity to share some personal and professional information about their self. Effective courses are set up in modules that simulate a unit of study. There are various assignments and activities that keep the student engaged, motivated and curious. Additionally, there is always timely communication and feedback from the professor. Furthermore, interaction between classmates is encouraged and required throughout the course so the student never feels isolated in their learning.
The components of the effective and enjoyable online courses described above owe credit to good instructional design. According to Moore and Kearsley (2012), Instructional Systems Design (ISD) emerged after World War II with its beginnings in "the origins in the pressure for designing training more efficiently during the war" (p. 97). One of the well-known models for creating instructional design is ADDIE, which stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implement and Evaluation (Moore & Kearsley, 2012, p. 98). Planning is strongly emphasized in both models and is crucial to designing an effective online course. One of the most integral parts of an online course is the interaction of learners; interaction between learner and the material as well as interactions among learners. According to Moore and Kearsley (2012) one of the most prominent elements in a designer's mind must be the extent of student participation (p. 113). Alternatively, online courses that are not effective or enjoyable lack timely feedback from the professor, various assignments and activities, and very little interaction between classmates.
Tips for creating a successful online course:
5 Must Have Elements
How NOT to Design an Online Course
NEA: Guide to Teaching Online Courses
References
Image retrieved from: http://cognitiveperformancegroup.com/tag/addie-model/
Moore, M. & Kearsley, G. (2012). Distance Education. Wadsworth Cengage Learning: Belmont, CA.
Moore and Kearsley (2012) explain that distance educators must think about how to combine media and technology for maximum effectiveness. Online educators who are successful use a variety of instructional tools to deliver content in meaningful ways. My favorite "getting to know you" assignment included utilizing Pinterest to share items that were important to us. This allowed students, some who could have been new to Pinterest, the opportunity to engage in an web application in a whole new way.
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