First- Size up the situation.
Next - Put the course together.
Follow this simplified course design guide to develop your first online course. State the rational for your online course (e.g. you want to reach a wider audience, to assist your current, training your staff, etc.) State your course’s aims and objectives, Identify 3-5 general goals for the course. Prepare a more specific list of learning out come. This will help you define the course content and type of activities. You should write the course content now, start by listing the key subject headings and expand on it as you develop the course further. You can use the same headings to build the course format. Keep the number of topics to around 8 to 12. Each topic has to deliver part of the syllabus and satisfy the relevant learning outcome. Start assigning the learning resources, activities, and assignments to each topic.
Define the following for your course syllabus (first draft)
1- Design Your Course: (For more reading follow the link at the bottom of the page.)
2- Rationale: Why does this course exist? How does it fit in with the learner’s needs?
3- Course Aims: Thinking from the prospective students’ point of view, what general outcome is the course designed to achieve? How will it contribute to them professionally?
4- Specific Learning Outcome: By the end of this course, students will:
- List as specifically as possible the learning outcomes the course is intended to produce.
- Think about the kinds of evidence you will need to assess these outcomes.
A schedule of work and topics, along with a reading list. Open a Sample Curriculum5- Write the course content:
Decide on the course structure and how will it be carried out? I suggest you structure your course based on the number of topics (between 8 to 12 learning chunks periods). Rather than weeks, this will be more flexible. Also you have to establish your expectations from the learners, such as; attendance, participation, course work, assessment… Download Content Management Form6- Course Format:
Develop your teaching strategies to achieve the course goals:
- Determine the specific learning recourses for the course. (Video clip, voice over slide shows, instructional notes, sequence of reading, links to articles….)
- Determine the specific learning activities for the course. (Writing assignments, multiple-choice exams, individual and group projects, class discussion, participation in wiki pages…)
- Determine how you will assess student learning and achievement. (Most course activities can address one or more of the learning outcomes listed in your course, and formal assessments can be set to cover the remaining goals set by the course.)
7- You can write the syllabus now:
Consider the following items as a foundation for a syllabus that helps students understand a teacher’s expectations as well as basic course information. Use this checklist as a guide for what might be included in your course syllabus.
Syllabus Checklist.
- A brief statement of overall course objective that introduces students to the outcome of a course. Consider the personal tone set here as an important aspect of this statement.
- A few words about course format, so the students understand how the course will be delivered.
- A brief statement of expectations in terms of student responsibilities, clearly stating what the program expects (such as participation and the level of work).
- A statement of what assessment techniques will be used to evaluate students, including information on grading policies.
- A schedule of work and topics, along with week-by-week reading assignments.
- Due dates for papers, exams, projects, and so on, including any policies about late assignments.
- Any pertinent information about academic policies and procedures (such as class attendance, making up assignments, and institution wide policies).
8- De-bugging the design: Plan an evaluation of the course itself and test each element as you are building it. You can get your students and colleagues to evaluate your course material and give you feed back (prepare a feed back form).
For More Design Techniques click on the titles.
Product Design Technique
Mind Map Design Technique
Syllabus Checklist
Syllabus Checklist
Recommended Requirements (Course Design)
1- Course title 2- Course designator, provider, department… 3- Course number (optional) 4- Number and type of credits (To indicates the level and weight of the course) 5- Day, time, and place of class meetings (can use chat rooms, video conferencing, etc) 6- Instructor’s name 7- Office location (website, Skype, virtual office) 8- Office hours (contact hours) 9- At least one method of contacting you (phone, email, fax, twitter, Blog, Facebook, etc.) 10- A brief description of the course 11- Required and recommended materials and the location of the materials 12- Course goals, objectives, and expectations 13- Course prerequisites 14- Schedule of assignments, papers, projects, etc. 15- Criteria for grading and grading standards 16- Make-up exam policy 17- Statement on classroom conduct 18- Statement on academic misconduct 19- Statement on penalties for late work
For Further Reading, click on the titles.
Planning Your Course (highly recommended reading)Quick Guide to Course Design (highly recommended reading) Designing courses for adult learners (recommended reading) Course Outline Guide Syllabus design How to Motivate Adult learners You can always visit The Educators Academy and study our courses.
