Online Course Development: Five Easy Steps to Course and File Structures

Introduction to Development Online courses must successfully mediate the following teaching-learning activities: 4 Assimilation of course materials (course content)

Introduction to Development Online courses must successfully mediate the following teaching-learning activities: 4 Assimilation of course materials (course content) 4 Discourse, discussion, interaction (student-student and instructor-student)

Introduction to Development Online courses must successfully mediate the following teaching-learning activities: 4 Assimilation of course materials (course content) 4 Discourse, discussion, interaction (student-student and instructor-student) 4 Progress assessment

Introduction to Development 4 Good course development preserves individuality of instructors teaching style.

Introduction to Development Points to consider 4 Good course development preserves individuality of instructors teaching style. 4 A perfect online course is a process, not a goal.

Introduction to Development Points to consider 4 Good course development preserves individuality of instructors teaching style. 4 A perfect online course is a process, not a goal. 4 Design and build spontaneity into your course.

Introduction to Development Points to consider 4 Good course development preserves individuality of instructors teaching style. 4 A perfect online course is a process, not a goal. 4 Design and build spontaneity into your course. 4 Reach out and touch your students often (virtually of course).

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity The developmental process in a first-order cut: 4 Design, storyboarding, templating.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity The developmental process in a first-order cut: 4 Design, storyboarding, templating. 4 Building the course.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity The developmental process in a first-order cut: 4 Design, storyboarding, templating. 4 Building the course. 4 Running the pilot semester.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity The developmental process in a first-order cut: 4 Design, storyboarding, templating. 4 Building the course. 4 Running the pilot semester. 4 Tweaking the course.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps: 4 Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps: 4 Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. 4 Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for achieving these goals.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps: 4 Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. 4 Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for achieving these goals. 4 Step 3: Prioritize technologies.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps: 4 Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. 4 Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for achieving these goals. 4 Step 3: Prioritize technologies. 4 Step 4: Structure design.

OLAs 5 Steps to Online Sanity A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps: 4 Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. 4 Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for achieving these goals. 4 Step 3: Prioritize technologies. 4 Step 4: Structure design. 4 Step 5: Design Page layout.

Step 1: Develop List of Goals Working with a partner, answer the following questions: 4 What are the perennial problems with your course? (in terms of discipline/content) 4 What are the strong points of your class? 4 What is on your wish list for the class? 4 Develop a list of goals addressing problems, highlighting positives.

Step 2: Identify Technologies For each goal identified in Step 1, perform the following tasks: 4 List possible non-Web-based methods for achieving goal. 4 List possible Web-based methods. 4 Rule out any obviously non-feasible methods.

Step 3: Prioritize Technologies For each method/approach, complete the following quantitative assessment (scale 0 = bad, 10 = good): Benefits Hardware requirements Software requirements Network requirements Staff requirements Student requirements TOTAL

Step 4: Structure Design Some initial points to consider: 4 Attract Visitors: appropriate and appealing designs create sticky audiences, increase enrollments.

Step 4: Structure Design Some initial points to consider: 4 Attract Visitors: appropriate and appealing designs create sticky audiences, increase enrollments. 4 Retain Interest: Good design makes navigation/utilization transparent.

Step 4: Structure and Design Some initial design points to consider: 4 Attract Visitors: appropriate and appealing designs create sticky audiences, increase enrollments. 4 Retain Interest: Good design makes navigation/utilization transparent. 4 Prevent student transubstantiation: confusing site without regular learning benchmarks loses students. 4 Maximize efficiency: design to minimize your efforts. 4 Facilitate expansion: design scalability factors into course.

Step 4: Structure and Design Some initial structure points to consider: 4 File Storage/management structure should mirror presentation/navigational structure.

Step 4: Structure and Design Some initial structure points to consider: 4 File Storage/management structure should mirror presentation/navigational structure. 4 Three main navigational structures are: –Hierarchical –Sequential –Hypermedia

Step 4: Structure and Design Hierarchical Structure Home General Info Assessment area Course content Ancillary materials About Professor Grading Policy Assignments Tests Module 1 Module 2 Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Step 4: Structure and Design Sequential Structure 4 Cycles though pages as if in book 4 Good for laying out ordered operations

Step 4: Structure and Design Hypermedia Structure 4 Allows individual to access a multitude of pages

Step 4: Structure and Design More good design points 4 Group related elements

Step 4: Structure and Design More good design points 4 Group related elements 4 Provide multiple access methods: use links to allow for alternate entries to areas.

Step 4: Structure and Design More good design points 4 Group related elements 4 Provide multiple access methods: use links to allow for alternate entries to areas. 4 Five element rule: Dont have more than 5 major elements on a page.

Step 4: Structure and Design More good design points 4 Group related elements 4 Provide multiple access methods: use links to allow for alternate entries to areas. 4 Five element rule: Dont have more than 5 major elements on a page. 4 Balance breadth/depth: Dont have any information more than 3 clicks away.

Step 4: Structure and Design Step 4: 4 Develop task list available from web 4 Sort items on list into similar functionalities 4 Label each functional group. 4 Structure the groups hierarchically, sequentially, hypermedially, or a mixture of the three.

Step 5: Create a Template Consider the following factors when designing your template: 4 Identify all the page types 4 Identify and group page elements on each page type. 4 Identify feel, theme, of web site. 4 Combine elements and theme