aect-effective online course

Developing Effective Online Courses
Short Description:

This session will discuss the variety of elements and skills needed in the development of an effective online course at every level. Assessment and measurement techniques will be covered as well as multiple ways to utilize technology to allow for use of higher order thinking skills in the online environment. Effective ways to develop and encourage interaction in a remote environment will also be highlighted.
Abstract: (Click here to view other format again)

In today’s internet based environment, more and more schools at every level are working towards providing students with online learning opportunities. In some cases there seems to be a movement to take a traditional class and place it online with little or no modification. Often times this is seen as the responsibility of an individual teacher who is familiar with the course. This is a serious mistake that can lead to ineffective classroom learning and frustration on the part of the students and teachers alike.Development of online classes needs to be a team effort. There are 4 sets of skills needed to develop an effective learning environment online. The team needs a subject matter expert (SME) usually the teacher, an instructional designer, an expert in the field of assessment and measurement, and a technology expert to build the online environment.Online classes need to be developed with specific goals in mind. The particular audience that is being anticipated for a class will guide the development of those goals. Once the audience and goals are identified, a team is needed to work through the steps of an instructional design process to choose the curriculum content to be covered, the best methods of presentation, the best methods of interaction, what student assignments should be and how to assess the learning that has taken place. An additional factor to be considered is how to meet all of the student’s needs when they are located far from campus.Each of these elements will be discussed in detail. Starting with the choice of courses to be offered online and the degree of remoteness anticipated. Is this course best suited to the hybrid classroom, the blended program, or a completely remote situation? What audience will you be seeking with your program: traditional students, non-traditional students, military personnel, international students, a combination?Once the audience and degree of remoteness has been identified, we need to identify the content to be taught, the skills to be developed, and the long term goals to be achieved. This should include not just content, skills and goals for the subject matter but should also consider technological ones as well.After developing a comprehensive list of content, skills and goals the development team needs to move into identifying specific behavioral objectives and the means of assessing the mastery of these objectives. The objectives must be set for each unit to be covered and must lead to the achievement of the goals set for the class.Then the instructional design specialist goes to work with the SME to design the presentations, activities, and assignments of the class. The assessment and measurement specialist can also work with this team to design effective assessment techniques for the assignments and the learning that is taking place. A team discussion of the background needed for this virtual class is of utmost importance. Depending on the level of remoteness, more or less student help will be needed. For a student taking an online class in a completely remote environment, many important elements of a learning community must be incorporated into the class background or virtual campus to allow for the emotional and social needs of the students to be met. Also since the student has no access to a campus, services and support materials must also be provided in an extended online environment. Since few instructors are likely to have the skills needed to develop a highly interactive virtual campus to meet these needs, a technology expert will need to work with the team to develop an appropriate virtual campus. Here again we need to go back and consider the intended audience. If we are expecting to work with traditional students straight out of secondary school, we can assume they have basic computer skills and internet familiarity. However if we are looking for the nontraditional, older learner we may need to provide additional instructional assistance in software use and internet searching.Finally, the team needs to work on an evaluation plan to identify weaknesses in the program and develop revisions to improve the courses. This is pretty much a never ending cycle. As the job skills needed in the field change, and as new technologies emerge, we need to constantly update our online courses, as well as our traditional courses to prepare our students for a career in the real world of work.This presentation will cover all of these elements and discuss specifics of each: What to look for, How to evaluate their importance and their effectiveness, and how to improve what you have.