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

Online Course Development:

Five Easy Stepsto

Course and File Structures

Introduction to Development

Online courses must successfully mediate the following teaching-learning activities:

Assimilation of course materials (course content)

Introduction to Development

Online courses must successfully mediate the following teaching-learning activities:

Assimilation of course materials (course content)

Discourse, discussion, interaction (student-student and instructor-

student)

Introduction to Development

Online courses must successfully mediate the following teaching-learning activities:

Assimilation of course materials (course content)

Discourse, discussion, interaction (student-student and instructor-student)

Progress assessment

Introduction to Development

Good course development preserves individuality of instructor’s teaching style.

Introduction to DevelopmentPoints to consider

Good course development preserves individuality of instructor’s teaching style.

A perfect online course is a process, not a goal.

Introduction to DevelopmentPoints to consider

Good course development preserves individuality of instructor’s teaching style.

A perfect online course is a process, not a goal.

Design and build spontaneity into your course.

Introduction to DevelopmentPoints to consider

Good course development preserves individuality of instructor’s teaching style.

A perfect online course is a process, not a goal.

Design and build spontaneity into your course.

Reach out and touch your students often (virtually of course).

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

The developmental process in a first-order cut:

Design, storyboarding, templating.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

The developmental process in a first-order cut:

Design, storyboarding, templating. Building the course.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

The developmental process in a first-order cut:

Design, storyboarding, templating. Building the course. Running the pilot semester.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

The developmental process in a first-order cut:

Design, storyboarding, templating. Building the course. Running the pilot semester. “Tweaking” the course.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps:

Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps:

Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for

achieving these goals.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps:

Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for

achieving these goals. Step 3: Prioritize technologies.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps:

Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for

achieving these goals. Step 3: Prioritize technologies. Step 4: Structure design.

OLA’s 5 Steps to Online Sanity

A second-order cut of the storyboarding/ designing process yields our 5 steps:

Step 1: Develop a list of educational goals. Step 2: Identify optimal technologies for

achieving these goals. Step 3: Prioritize technologies. Step 4: Structure design. Step 5: Design Page layout.

Step 1: Develop List of Goals

Working with a partner, answer the following questions:

What are the perennial problems with your course? (in terms of discipline/content)

What are the strong points of your class? What is on your wish list for the class? Develop a list of goals addressing problems,

highlighting positives.

Step 2: Identify Technologies

For each goal identified in Step 1, perform the following tasks:

List possible non-Web-based methods for achieving goal.

List possible Web-based methods. 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: Attract Visitors: appropriate and appealing designs

create “sticky” audiences, increase enrollments.

Step 4: Structure Design

Some initial points to consider: Attract Visitors: appropriate and appealing designs

create “sticky” audiences, increase enrollments. Retain Interest: Good design makes

navigation/utilization transparent.

Step 4: Structure and Design

Some initial design points to consider: Attract Visitors: appropriate and appealing designs

create “sticky” audiences, increase enrollments. Retain Interest: Good design makes

navigation/utilization transparent. Prevent student “transubstantiation”: confusing site

without regular learning benchmarks loses students. Maximize efficiency: design to minimize your efforts. Facilitate expansion: design scalability factors into

course.

Step 4: Structure and Design

Some initial structure points to consider: File Storage/management structure should mirror

presentation/navigational structure.

Step 4: Structure and Design

Some initial structure points to consider: File Storage/management structure should mirror

presentation/navigational structure. 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 Cycles though pages as if in book Good for laying out ordered operations

Step 4: Structure and Design

Hypermedia Structure Allows individual to access a multitude of pages

Step 4: Structure and Design

More good design points Group related elements

Step 4: Structure and Design

More good design points Group related elements Provide multiple access methods: use links to allow for

alternate entries to areas.

Step 4: Structure and Design

More good design points Group related elements Provide multiple access methods: use links to allow for

alternate entries to areas. Five element rule: Don’t have more than 5 major

elements on a page.

Step 4: Structure and Design

More good design points Group related elements Provide multiple access methods: use links to allow for

alternate entries to areas. Five element rule: Don’t have more than 5 major

elements on a page. Balance breadth/depth: Don’t have any information

more than 3 clicks away.

Step 4: Structure and Design

Step 4: Develop task list available from web Sort items on list into similar functionalities Label each functional group. 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:

Identify all the page types Identify and group page elements on each page

type. Identify “feel,” theme, of web site. Combine elements and theme