What to Consider When Building an Online Course

“The secret of education lies in respecting the pupil.”

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

The preparation and dedication you put towards establishing content for an online course is paramount to the success of your students. As an educator, you have the great responsibility to provide a world of exciting possibilities for those looking to further their education and experiences.

Course Design:

It is imperative to create content that potential students are seeking out. Once you’ve provided the content, you need to specify the learning objective and deliver the content most effectively to the student.

Organization:

Provide an outline of the coursework expectations on participation and give feedback regularly. Make sure to schedule enough time for participants to complete assignments, lectures and exams. Create a course and learning environment that is attractive to students.

Clearly outline the course objectives:

Define what you expect from your participants and what they should expect from their administrator. Provide a road map of the lesson plan ,or modules, so students can visualize the course path. Each unit or topic they tackle should bring them one step closer to completing the final course objective. These objectives will make it easy to align the rest of your course, and will serve to communicate learning expectations to your students.

Interaction:

Create a course that is rich in opportunities for students to engage with the classes, other students and the administrator. Interaction in learning environments leads to improved learning outcomes and increased student satisfaction

Assessment:

Monitor participants progress as they make their way through the coursework. The most common forms of assessment are projects, quizzes and tests. Providing regular assessments helps participants measure their own progress as they go through the content.

Technology:

The technology should be selected based on the needs and objectives of the online programs, and it must be user friendly, reliable, accessible and affordable for the student.

On this day – (1861) 1st Civil War land battle-Union defeats Confederacy at Philippi, WV