citt.hccfl.educitt.hccfl.edu/lectora/canvas/onlinecourseplanningguide.docx · web viewonline course...

Online Course Development Guide

Planning is essential to developing an effective, engaging, and student-centered online course. The materials provided in this Guide are designed to assist faculty with online course development.

CITT Instruction DesignerBrenda Watkins: [email protected]. Instructional designers are available for one-on-one assistance.

Step 1: Blackboard TrainingCITT Faculty Professional Development offers the MyHCC Assistance Center as a one-stop-shop for everything related to online learning at HCC. In the Assistance Center you will find:

Self-paced Blackboard training Course design materials for hybrid and online courses Rubrics for evaluating the effectiveness of web-enhanced, hybrid, and online courses Required forms for teaching online at HCC Additional resources and reports for online learning

All faculty are encouraged to register for access to the Assistance Center. You may register at http://citt.hccfl.edu/register/register.cfm. You will receive access to the Assistance Center as well as receive a Practice Course Shell to experiment with Blackboard and its tools.

NOTE: You can complete Blackboard training while you are building the components of your course. You do not need complete familiarity with Blackboard in order to begin the course planning process.

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http://citt.hccfl.edu/register/register.cfm

mailto:[email protected]

Step 2: Planning Course ComponentsPrior to building the online components in Blackboard, it is necessary to identify specific learning goals. To do this:

Break the course down by topic, chapter, or other means to identify content Create specific and measureable learning objectives for each week/unit of instruction (or by topic, chapter, etc.) Create a Weekly/Unit topic/chapter structure Per week/unit and by topic/chapter, identify what you and the students will do in the online component that week/unit.

A template is provided on the next pages that will assist you with breaking down course content and creating a schedule.

In addition, the following questions will assist with planning online components.

a. How are students oriented to the online course?

b. How are course expectations clearly articulated?

c. How are students informed of important assignment and test dates?

d. How is student-to-student interaction encouraged in the online course? What specific activities do students engage in that require them to interact with each other?

e. How is student-to-instructor interaction encouraged in the online course? In what ways does the instructor interact with students?

f. How often does the instructor provide general feedback and one-on-one feedback in the online course?

g. What structure is in place if students encounter technical problems in the online course?

h. How often and in what formats is student performance evaluated in the online course?

i. List the course events that develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. (Examples: Discussions that center on questions without a single correct a, case studies, critique of classmates’ assignments, collaborative exercises, integration of digital media, etc.)

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Creating Specific and Measureable Learning Objectives

Many course outcomes included on syllabi are mandated by the state or college. For online and courses, each unit of instruction should contain specific and measurable learning objectives that directly align with course outcomes. Use the learning objectives to identify the weekly/unit activities and graded events.

Create unit learning objectives that are specific and measurable by including 1) a condition, 2) an action verb, and 3) criterion of performance for each objective.

Sample Unit ObjectiveGiven a ten-sentence paragraph, the student will be able to identify the rules of grammar which are used in its construction.

Condition: Given a 10-sentence paragraph

Action verb: identify

Criterion: rules of grammar which are used in its construction

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Use this template to broadly identify what you and the students will be doing in the on-campus component and the online component for each week. Weekly components must align with the learning objectives for that week.

Week 1

Topic/Chapter Learning Objectives1.2.3.4.

Online Activities/Assignments

Week 2



Week 3



Week 4



4

Week 5



Week 6



Week 7



Week 8



Week 95



Week 10



Week 11



Week 12



Week 136



Week 14



Week 15



Week 16



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Step 3: Identifying Course Materials Needs

Use this template to broadly identify existing course materials and needed course materials (to be developed).

Please contact Brenda Watkins at [email protected] if you would like assistance with beginning this process.

Week 1

Existing Materials Needed Materials (to purchase or develop) Timeline for materials purchase/development

Week 2


Week 3


Week 4


Week 5


Week 68

mailto:[email protected]


Week 7


Week 8


Week 9


Week 10


Week 11


Week 129


Week 13


Week 14


Week 15


Week 16


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Step 4: Build the Online Component (after all course materials are purchased/developed)

This checklist is designed to be used during the course building process. Note that each component of this checklist includes annotations and examples, a status checklist to use when components have been met, and a section for instructors to make notes.

Component 1: Course Home Page

Component Status(Yes/No)

Examples Instructor Notes

a. Course home page selection a. Home page format options

1. Module Page – this is the default home page type provided by IT and provides access to the modules included in the Bbd LMS.

2. Content Area – is recommended if the home page is going to be used as a means to access course content

3. Blank Page – the most simplified home page option; designed to provide initial instructions; all content is accessed via the left navigation menu. Using a blank page as a home page allows you to post announcements directly to the home page.

4. Tool – a specific Bbd tool can be used as the home page; the most common tool option for home page use is Announcements.

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Component 2: Course Navigation Menu



a. Design and create the left navigation menu

a. Navigation Menu1. Home page2. Start Here3. Syllabus4. Course Schedule5. How will students access:

a. course contentb. discussionsc. assignmentsd. assessments (tests, quizzes)e. other course components

6. How will students access grades?7. How will students communicate with the

instructor?8. Help Desk

NOTEBest practice suggests that all content-related items, included graded events, be included in one centralized location for each unit of instruction vs. separate navigation links for content, discussions, assignments, and assessments.

Content organization information is outlined in the next section.

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Component 3: Content Organization



a. Determine the structure for content organization

b. Determine the format for content organization

a. Content Organization Structure1. Folders2. Learning Modules3. Other

Content Organization Format1. Chapter2. Date3. Topic4. Combination5. Other

b.

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Component 4: Course Introduction



a. There are clear and explicit instructions for students regarding how to begin the course

b. There is information provided to students on how the course is structured and navigated

c. Course communication expectations are clearly stated in the course overview

d. Course policies are clearly stated (include institutional policies via URL link to College web site)

e. Expectations for students’ technical skills are clearly stated in the course overview

f. The instructor has included an introduction and/or bio

g. Students are provided with an introduction activity that allows them to introduce themselves to the class and immediately interact with other course participants

a. Some of these items may be included in the course syllabus. Other examples include: Course overview and navigation

o Introduction Video (course tour)o Introduction PowerPoint

presentation (course tour)o Text-based instructions for starting

and navigating the course An introductory quiz or activity (scavenger

hunt) that requires students to explore the course structure, format, and navigation

Meet the Instructoro Instructor introduction/bio videoo Instructor curriculum vitae (text-

based) URL links to institutional policies that impact

the student (from the College web site)

Recommendation1. Include a “Getting Started” or “Start Here”

link in the navigation menu. Put all introduction and orientation materials in this location.

2. Create an introductory activity using the discussion forum

3. Include the course syllabus as a separate link in the navigation menu

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

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Component 5: Learning Outcomes and Objectives (from Step 2)



a. Learning outcomes are included in the course syllabus and are broad statements of learning expectations

b. Each module/unit of instruction in the course includes learning objectives, aligned with course outcomes, which are specific and measurable.

c. Students are provided with clear instructions for meeting all learning objectives within each unit of instruction

a. Many course outcomes included on syllabi are mandated by the state or College. For online and hybrid courses, each unit of instruction should contain specific and measurable learning objectives that directly align with course outcomes.

Recommendations1. Create unit learning objectives that are

specific and measurable by including 1) a condition, 2) an action verb, and 3) criterion of performance for each objective.

Sample Unit ObjectiveGiven a ten-sentence paragraph, the student will be able to identify the rules of grammar which are used in its construction.

Condition: Given a 10-sentence paragraph

Action verb: identify

Criterion: rules of grammar which are used in its construction

b.

c.

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Component 6: Assessment of Student Learning



a. Assessment activities align with unit objectives to effectively measure student performance

b. Course grading policy is clearly stated (syllabus)

c. Descriptive criteria (rubrics) are provided to students and correlate with the stated grading policy

d. A variety of assessment strategies are used and are appropriate for the student performance being measured

e. Students are provided with opportunities to evaluate their own learning

a. Examples Specific problems provided for students to

solve that demonstrate the ability to use mathematical or scientific formulas for problem solving

A multiple choice or short response quiz to confirm knowledge of vocabulary

A structured writing assignment to confirm grammar and spelling skills

A grading policy that includes each graded activity or graded category that leads to the students’ final grades

If a weighted grading scheme is used, an explanation statement of how the weights are used to calculate the final course grade

Use of rubrics and checklists The use of traditional quizzes/tests,

demonstrations, written papers, critical thinking questions, group work, etc.

Examples that do not meet Best Practices An objective for writing a persuasive

essay but the assessment is multiple choice

All course assessments are one format Assessment types include skills that have

not been covered in the course (research)

A time frame greater than 2-weeks between assessments

b.

c.

d.

e.

Component 7: Instructional Materials (from Step 3)16



a. The instructional materials align with stated unit objectives leading to the achievement of the objectives

b. The purpose of the materials is clearly explained to the students

c. How students are supposed to use each of the materials is clearly stated

d. All materials used reflect current content and research

e. If there is a delineation of required and optional materials, the difference is clearly stated to the students

a. The focus of this example is the alignment of instructional materials with course objectives and does not make content quality-related judgments about the materials. URL links to external websites include a

purpose and instructions for usage The function of all multimedia content items

include a text-based description and instructions for usage

The relationships between content items is clearly explained

A variety of content types is used (text, images, graphs, charts, video, animations, websites, etc.)

Recommendations1. Supplement instructional materials provided

by the publisher with customized or additional content located and/or created by the instructor

2. Incorporate a variety of content formats3. Provide multiple opportunities for students

to interact with content within each course unit

4. Check all URL links to external websites prior to the beginning of each semester

5. Continuously explore new resources

b.

c.

d.

e.

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Component 8: Interaction, Engagement, and Active Learning



a. The learning activities are aligned with stated learning objectives for each course unit

b. Learning activities provide multiple opportunities for students to interact with course content, the instructor, and other students, thus supporting active learning

c. The instructor’s policy for feedback and responses is clearly stated (syllabus)

d. The requirements for student-student and student-instructor interactions are clearly stated (within the activity instructions and via the syllabus)

a. The purpose of learning activities is to help students achieve the stated learning objectives. Learning activities differ from assessments by traditionally being formative in nature with inherent learning value. Think of learning activities in the context of students’ practice efforts. These activities are usually ungraded. If the learning objective uses the action

verb, demonstrate, then students must have the opportunity to practice demonstration

Provide multiple formats for activities (not just viewing a video in every unit, or not an animation in every unit)

Styles of learning and learner preferences should be considered when creating learning activities

If publisher resources are being used, supplement the resources with customized and/or instructor created activities that allow for interaction between student-instructor and student-student

Recommendation1. Use a variety of activity types including:

reading presentations labs discussions case studies simulation exercises

b.

c.

d.

Component 9: Course Technology and Multimedia18



a. The selected technology tools and multimedia support achievement of the stated learning objectives within each course unit

b. Selected technology tools provide opportunities for students to interact with the course content and with each other, thus leading to active learning

c. Instructions for navigating the technology and using each tech tool are provided

d. Students can easily access all required technologies and multimedia included in the course

e. The course uses current, discipline-specific technology that students will find in their workplaces

a. Technology used in an online or hybrid course may be tools housed within the learning management system or may be external to the system.

discussion forum blog (internal or external) wiki (internal or external) games simulations and animations video audio (podcasts) chat room synchronous web conferencing grade center

Recommendations1. Select the 2 – 3 technologies that work best

with your course. Don’t overwhelm students with too many technologies designed for one type of task (discussion forum, journal, blog, wiki, chat) all within the same course designed to facilitate communication.

2. Provide clear instructions for using each technology

3. Provide a clear purpose for using each technology

4. If specific media players are required to access certain multimedia, provide a URL link to the media player download

b.

c.

d.

e.

Component 10: Support Services

Component Status Examples Instructor Notes19

(Yes/No)a. There is a direct link or

instructions for students to access technical support

b. There is a direct link or instructions for students to access disability services

c. There is a direct link or instructions for using academic support services (tutoring, test center, etc.)

d. There is a direct link or instructions for using student support services (advising, financial aid, etc.)

NOTE: It is possible that some of this information is provided in the syllabus.

a. Access to a variety of support services is a critical component for students to be successful.

Recommendations1. On the left navigation menu, provide a

direct link to HCC Live (technical support)2. Use the course syllabus for providing

information on how to access the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities and/or a direct link to the Office web site

3. Create a “Student Support” link on the left navigation menu and include web site links to the tutoring center, the testing center, the writing center, or other academic resources students can use in your course

4. In the “Student Support” section, provide a web site link to the Student Services office for your campus

b.

c.

d.

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Component 11: ADA and Accessibility



a. The course provides clear instructions for students to contact the appropriate office(s) to receive accommodations

b. There are alternative formats for all video and audio content

c. Course navigation is streamlined with minimal animations or opportunities for distraction

d. Course content and design works well with assistive technology devices

a. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is federal law that requires learning institutions to make reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities. Text-based transcripts for all video and

audio content Captioning of all video Text-based descriptions for all images,

charts, graphs, etc. Simple course navigation

Recommendations1. When creating customized video, write a

script prior to recording. Use the script as a print transcript. Or, if recording in Camtasia, use the captioning feature and create captions for each video.

2. Minimize flash animations3. Review all publisher content for ADA

compliance4. Test the course using assistive technology

prior to deploying the course for students (contact CITT)

b.

c.

d.

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Step 5: Create a Course Alignment Document

Provide faculty member with the sample alignment document for an entire course.

This is an example of the alignment of one course outcome with specific unit objectives and activities/assignments.

Outcomes(Mandated, Syllabus)

Objectives(Instructor, Course Units)

Activities/Assignments

4. Identify and utilize campus and community resources

Unit 2 Unit 2 Textbook Reading: Chap 1 (2.2) Unit 2 Quiz (2.2) Assignment 1 (2.1, 2.2, 2.3) Assignment 2 (2.2)

Unit 5 Success Strategy Video 3 (2.1, 2.2,

2.3)

Step 6: Revise Course as Needed (using Alignment results)

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