There is a lot to keep in mind when designing an online course. This infographic from e-LearningInfographics.com outlines 10 mistakes which you should avoid. Below are tips which provide alternative suggestions to counter these mistakes.
- Audience – Be sure to teach to your students and to not only teach the subject.
- Layout – Just like a published book has proper formatting, be sure to present text in a readable manner.
- Navigation – Students must be told how to navigate the course. Ideally, the navigation should be intuitive.
- Relatable – Make sure that the course content is relatable to the students’ lives.
- Narration – If there are any audial aspects of the course, make sure that the narration adds something which the students would not gain simply through reading text.
- Need-to-know – The course should be focused and thought through. Avoid including extra information which might confuse the students.
- Tools – There are many tools available which professors can use to help with the course design. Be sure to choose tools which you know how to use and are truly assets, not hindrances, to the course.
- Grammar – This is an academic setting. Just like students are asked to complete their work with proper grammar, be sure that you do too.
- Learning Objectives – To keep students on track, the course must be based on effective learning objectives which are explained clearly to the students.
- Appropriate Assessments – It is important to invest thought in creating assessments which will most present the most accurate picture of a student’s accomplishments.
Do you have any tips to share?