1. Virtual Classrooms: Designing e-learning Courseware Carolyn Staudt Concord Consortium/KidSolve™, Inc. carolyn@concord.org Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. The Concord Consortium is a nonprofit educational research and development organization based in Concord, Massachusetts. We create interactive materials that exploit the power of information technologies. Our primary goal in all our work is digital equity -- improving learning opportunities for all students. http://www.concord.org Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

3. Online Learning -- Democratizing education with anytime, anywhere learning Modeling Tools -- Enabling students to visualize the unobservable Probeware -- Developing new tools for data collection and analysis Handhelds -- Moving closer to the promise of ubiquitous computing Sustainable Development -- Confronting global issues with decision-making tools Assessment Research -- Improving methods for measuring deep learning in science

4. Where is the value added? Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. High-quality materials Purposeful Virtual Spaces Community Building

5. Questions to Ask Yourself... Why do you want to create and teach an online course? Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Can you envision what it would feel like to teach in the online environment? Do you have any qualities that you think would be an obstacle to your being a good online teacher (e.g., easy frustration when technical problems arise)? Will you be able to provide administrative and logistical support for your course (e.g., registration, password support)?

6. How do I Start? Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Step One: Prepare for Your Online Course Step Two: Design for Your Online Course Step Three: Teach Your Online Course

7. Prepare for Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Element I: Prepare to teach online ~ Take an online course Element II: Build a course outline ~ Develop course objectives & outline Element III: Create a course schedule with clear deadlines ~ Choose your basic time unit and course length Element IV: Plan for ongoing quality assurance ~ Request anonymous evaluations Element V: Ensure support from your administration ~ Provide organizational services Element VI: Provide technical support ~ Walk in your student’s shoes

8. What is your Platform? Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Select a platform that: meets the needs of your students is supported by your technology

9. Design Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Element VII: Format your course so that students can focus on the content ~ Adopt a consistent, sensible layout Element VIII: Design a learning community that is collaborative, engaging, and inclusive ~ Start with orientation exercises Element IX: Find and Use appropriate course materials and resources ~ Research “good” online resources Element X: Develop rich, relevant activities to support your learning objectives ~ Select “small pieces”

10. Prepare for Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

11. Design Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Create a template is or has: visual pleasing pop-up windows animations/ simulations easy navigational tools small distinct pieces http://blackboard.imt.uwm.edu

12. Design Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

13. Design Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Element XI: Balanced mixture (individual& group) activities ~ Make it collaborative Element XII: Recognize different pacing in an online course ~ Schedule for asynchronicity/ Learning Support Agreement Element XIII: Provide equal accessibility to all students ~ The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) http://www.w3.org/WAI

14. Teach Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Element XIV: Provide a comprehensive set of informational materials ~ Post an course information packet Element XV: Facilitate discussion in a way that keeps students on-task and encourages peer collaboration ~ Encourage participation throughout the week/ no lurking Element XVI: Engage your students without over-engaging ~ Remove yourself from the middle of the discussion - short, descriptive comment titles - encourage posting at the beginning of the week - interesting anecdotal examples Element XVII: Assess student work and provide feedback ~ Post evaluations (in a private space)/ quote your students

15. Teach Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. http://inquiryworks.kidsolve.com

16. Teach Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. Teach Your Online Course Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

18. Suggested References Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. Why Don't Face-to-Face Teaching Strategies Work In the Virtual Classroom? How to Avoid the "Question Mill” by Sarah Haavind http://www.concord.org/newsletter/2000fall/face2face.html Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators by George Collison, Bonnie Elbaum, Sarah Haavind, Bob Tinker Atwood Publishing http://www.atwoodpublishing.comhttp://www.atwoodpublishing.com Online Courses That Work... and Some That Don't Not all online courses are created equal by Sarah Haavind, Raymond Rose, Alvaro Galvis, and Robert Tinker http://www.concord.org/newsletter/2002winter/online_courses.html

19. While preparing your online did you think of the BIG picture…policies, objectives, learning cycles, assessments? While designing your online course did you gather appropriate online resources? Are you prepared to step “out of the middle” and promote peer collaboration? Online and face-to-face teaching require different skills... Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved. The bottom line is…

20. Virtual Classrooms: Designing e-learning Courseware Carolyn Staudt Concord Consortium/KidSolve™, Inc. carolyn@concord.org Register Now: Online Courses Learn from the Experts Online Learning Services @The Concord Consortium http://www.concord.org/courses/ Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.