Resources and recommendations for designing quality online courses.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to provide information about how to identify appropriate application of the fair use factors.and apply copyright rules as it relates to designing an online module. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors cite instructional materials accordingly including graphics, textbooks, videos, websites, and publisher materials. Note, the guidelines mentioned here are specific to online course.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to demonstrate how to encourage your learners to be a community. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors provide a self-introduction to the instructor and teaching assistant and have students introduce themselves to the class.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to provide information about the accessibility of online courses and the tools can be used to make online courses accessible for your students. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors include instructions on how to obtain accommodations, provide alternatives to auditory and visual content, facilitate readability and minimize distractions, and accommodate assistive technologies.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to provide a framework on learning objectives. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors write course level objectives and module objectives, provide instructions on how to meet those objectives, and verify that learning objectives are appropriate.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to explain blended learning environments. Sometimes people associate other names to blended environments, such as hybrid courses, inverted classroom, or flipped classroom. Essentially, flipped classrooms are a blended learning environment, however not all blended courses are flipped classes. This article offers recommendations to blended courses based on instructional design research and knowledge of best practices.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to provide information about how to get your students started in your online course. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors include instructions on how to get started in the course, the purpose and structure of the course, guidelines for netiquette, course & institutional policies, technology requirements, prerequisite knowledge, and technical skills required.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to explain what should be included in assessments. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors include assessments that are aligned with learning objectives, sequenced, varied, and suited assessments, opportunities for students to track their progress, a statement on how assessments are graded, and a course grading policy.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to provide information about what to include in your course's learning activities. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors align course activities to learning objectives, provide interaction that supports active learning, state your response times for feedback, and state your expectations in successfully completing the assignment.
The purpose of this knowledge base article is to provide information about what should be included in your online course's support. Instructional design research and knowledge of best practices recommends that online instructors provide information on technical support, accessibility, academic support, and student services.