Virtual Classrooms: Designing e-learning Courseware Carolyn Staudt Concord Consortium/KidSolve™, Inc. [email protected] Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc

Virtual Classrooms: Designing e-learning

CoursewareCarolyn StaudtConcord Consortium/KidSolve™, [email protected]

Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc. All rights reserved.

• 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



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

Where is the value added?


High-quality materials

Purposeful Virtual Spaces

Community Building

Questions to Ask Yourself...• Why do you want to create and teach

an online course?


• 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)?

How do I Start?


Step One: Prepare for Your Online Course

Step Two: Design for Your Online Course

Step Three: Teach Your Online Course

Prepare for Your Online Course


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 servicesElement VI: Provide technical support

~ Walk in your student’s shoes

What is your Platform?


Select a platform that:• meets the needs of your students• is supported by your

technology

Design Your Online Course


Element VII: Format your course so that studentscan 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 materialsand resources

~ Research “good” online resources

Element X: Develop rich, relevant activities to support your learning objectives

~ Select “small pieces”

Prepare for Your Online Course




Create a template is or has:• visual pleasing• pop-up windows• animations/ simulations• easy navigational tools• small distinct pieces

http://blackboard.imt.uwm.edu





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

Teach Your Online Course


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



http://inquiryworks.kidsolve.com





Suggested References


• Why Don't Face-to-Face Teaching Strategies WorkIn the Virtual Classroom? How to Avoid the "Question Mill”by Sarah Haavindhttp://www.concord.org/newsletter/2000fall/face2face.html

• Facilitating Online Learning: Effective Strategies for Moderators

by George Collison, Bonnie Elbaum, Sarah Haavind, Bob TinkerAtwood Publishing http://www.atwoodpublishing.com

• Online Courses That Work . . . and Some That Don'tNot all online courses are created equalby Sarah Haavind, Raymond Rose, Alvaro Galvis, and Robert Tinkerhttp://www.concord.org/newsletter/2002winter/online_courses.html

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...


The bottom line is…

Virtual Classrooms: Designing e-learning

CoursewareCarolyn StaudtConcord Consortium/KidSolve™, [email protected] Now: Online CoursesLearn from the ExpertsOnline Learning Services @The Concord Consortium

http://www.concord.org/courses/


Documents

Virtual Classrooms: Designing e-learning Courseware Carolyn Staudt Concord Consortium/KidSolve™, Inc. [email protected] Copyright © 2003 KidSolve™, Inc