Instructors have many options when creating materials for students. They may have various operating systems, productivity suites, and media creation applications on their devices. Students may not have the same devices and applications installed on their computers and devices as their instructors have. As a result, students may not be able to open files that Read More
The names given to chunks can contribute to the ease of navigating your online classroom. By giving chunks meaningful and descriptive names, instructors both make it easier to find materials and introduce organizing themes to the course. Consider these names that could be applied to a course in which students are learning to use various Read More
Backwards design is intended to both support the organization of course chunks and also to ensure the chunks are aligned. Alignment refers to the connection between the goals, the assignments by which students will demonstrate new learning, and the lessons by which they will learn what they are expected. The fundamental assumption of education is Read More
Ease of use refers to the effort participants must expand to navigate your course, see and hear the materials, and complete the work you assign. Students are more likely to learn the curriculum if the classroom is easy to use. A related idea, which further supports the importance of easy to use classrooms, is cognitive Read More
Storytime… About 20 years ago, I was looking to refocus my career. I had an interest in library science, so I found an online program and singed up for two courses with the intent of matriculating in the master’s program before the deadline during which I was to study. The two courses were interesting. I Read More
What exactly is a high-quality online course is a question that has held the attention of researchers, practitioners, and entrepreneurs for decades. Many schools have adopted their own set of guidelines, perhaps even templates other methods of making sure instructors have in place what the school leaders believe to be effective practices. Some schools have Read More
Your experiences in the field will serve you well as you teach. Your examples and stories will help your students understand the context of the ideas they study, see connections, and they will make your class more engaging and effective. Your experiences will limit you, also. We all adapt to the culture in which we Read More
Instructors create information for their students. In some cases, the material is original, for example they may create presentations or documents, or the material may originate from publishers or open education resource providers and instructors revise them for their specific needs. Many instructors find the ability to share documents they make is one of the benefits of Read More
Early in the history of computing, no one could predict the degree to which digital information and devices were going to affect communication. Early in the 21st century, it was common to quantify the speed at which humans communicate and the vastness of the information available, but those comparisons are no longer relevant. With the Read More
Every instructor can expect their college will provide a course shell on the learning management system they support. The shell may be largely empty, or it may be completely filled with the materials for the course, or it may be partially filled. Student are likely to be enrolled in your course shell without the instructor’s Read More