Teaching Online at Towson
Design and Evaluation
Planning
You can start with any of these resources below depending on your learning style. We suggest reading these options over and exploring those that speak most to your needs.
To assist with project planning, consider using the draft schedule
(in Word) for Fall online course delivery.
Faculty Development 101
Penn State created a self-paced online training course "Faculty
Development 101" for it's World Campus faculty.
Modules for Beginner and Intermediate Level Faculty
Maryland Faculty Online provides self-paced online training modules which are "designed by experienced faculty for faculty colleagues." "Each topic includes creative, interactive, useful, and motivational materials and activities. A user should be able to complete a topic in approximately 30-50 minutes."
These modules are geared to two audiences:
Beginner level for faculty who have not previously taught an online
course:
Intermediate level for faculty who are currently teaching an online course:
General Course Design Tutorials
If you're looking for course design that works regardless of the
format of a course see the two resources below.
The Teaching Goals
Inventory TGI was created to help you answer the question, "How
do you see your primary role as a teacher?" by helping you to
prioritize 52 teaching goals.
Lesson 4 and Lesson 5 of Dr. Gloria Holland's Instructional Design
Online Tutorials provide the basics of writing measurable objectives
and matching assessments.
Critical Issues
MarylandOnline's Faculty Fellows created a training program exploring
critical issues in online teaching:
Exemplary WebCT Course Design Project
Evaluating Online Courses with Quality Matters
What Elements Combine to Create a Quality Online Course?
Learning in an online environment can be a very different enterprise for both teachers and students. What does the research say about best practices in developing online courses? Is there a research-based tool that instructors and course developers can use to identify essential elements for online courses and to determine the effectiveness of their courses?
Maryland Online, a statewide consortium of 19 Maryland
community colleges and senior institutions, is working on
a grant-funded project named, Quality Matters (2005). One
of the outcomes of the project is a rubric for evaluating
online courses. The elements for evaluation are based on information
gleaned from an extensive review of the literature and research regarding
online learning. Eight areas (each with its own standards) have been
identified for evaluation. These areas are:
- Course Overview and Introductions
- Learning Outcomes
- Assessment and Measurement
- Resources and Materials
- Learner Interaction
- Course Technology
- Learner Support
- ADA Compliance
The rubric provides a general standard for each of the eight areas for review as well as specific, detailed standards within each area. Each specific standard is weighted according to research findings of whether it is an essential (14 standards at 3 points each), very important (12 standards at 2 points each), or important (14 standards at 1 point each) standard. There are 40 standards in all and 80 total points. For a course to be deemed as a quality course, all 14 essential standards must be present and the course must receive at least 68 points (85%).
There are several versions of the rubric available
(annotated version, demonstration version, and matrix including
summary of standards and associated research) online.
Below is a brief description and summary of the standards
for each area of review (QualityMatters, 2006).
Course Overview and Introductions
General Review Standard: The overall design of the course, navigational information, as well as course, instructor and student information are made transparent to the student at the beginning of the course.
Here are some questions to ask yourself about this course: Do students know what to do first to start the course? Do they know how to find the course resources, activities, and assignments? Look at the course from the student’s point of view. Are your instructions clear and obvious?
When designing courses, instructors and developers should include:
- Easy to understand navigational instructions
- A statement introducing students to the course and the structure for learning
- Information about netiquette expectations in the course
- An appropriate self-introduction for the instructor
- A way for students to introduce themselves
- Information about pre-requisites regarding technology requirements and skills, and background knowledge
Learning Outcomes
General Review Standard: Learning objectives are clearly defined and explained. They assist the student to focus learning activities.
Well-written learning objectives help instructors to develop aligned activities and assessments so that student progress can be measured accurately. They also help students to direct their own learning, by indicating the expected goals of their learning.
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that learning objectives:
- Describe outcomes that are measurable
- Address content mastery as well as critical thinking skills and core learning skills
- Are clearly stated and understandable to the students
- Have easy to understand instructions to students about how they can achieve them
- Are articulated and specified at the module/unit level.
Assessment and Measurement
General Review Standard: Assessment strategies use established ways to measure effective learning, assess student progress by reference to stated learning objectives, and are designed as essential to the learning process.
Research shows that students need frequent and meaningful feedback to help them learn. Provide a variety of methods for students to gauge their progress and feel that the instructor is actively involved in their learning process.
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that:
- The assessments chosen measure the stated learning objectives of the course and are consistent with course activities and resources
- The grading policy is easy to understand
- Assessments and measurement strategies provide feedback to students
- Assessments and submission strategies are appropriate for distance education environments
- Practice and self-check activities are included for quick student feedback
Resources and Materials
General Review Standard: Instructional materials are sufficiently comprehensive to achieve announced objectives and learning outcomes and are prepared by qualified persons competent in their fields (Materials, other than standard textbooks produced by recognized publishers, are prepared by the instructor or distance educators skilled in preparing materials for distance learning.)
Multiple means of presenting content (PowerPoint presentations, lecture notes, textbooks, study guides, outlines, multimedia, websites, etc.) can help to reach students with diverse learning styles as well as to reinforce important aspects of course content. Research has shown that simply converting paper-based materials and making them available in an on-line format, does not foster learning. Interaction, engagement, and breadth of content are important elements in fostering student learning (Zhang 2005).
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that instructional materials:
- Support the course learning objectives and have sufficient breadth and depth for the student to learn the subject
- Are presented in a format appropriate to the online environment and are easily accessible to and usable by students
- Have a clear purpose in helping students learn
- Are appropriately cited
Learner Interaction
General Review Standard: The effective design of instructor-student interaction, meaningful student cooperation, and student-content interaction is essential to student motivation, intellectual commitment and personal development.
Activities and interaction should prepare students to successfully complete assessments and demonstrate their learning. Some examples of activities that can be designed to incorporate interactivity include: case studies, simulations, essays, graphic organizers, summaries, role plays, term papers, asynchronous discussions, group investigations (jigsaws), practice quizzes, tests, and essays.
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that:
- Learning activities (LA’s) promote the achievement of stated objectives and outcomes
- LA’s foster instructor-student, content-student, and when appropriate to the course, student-student interaction
- Clear standards are set for instructor response and availability (including turn-around time for email, grade posting, etc.)
- The requirements for course interaction are clearly explained
- The course design prompts the instructor to be present, active, and engaged with students
Course Technology
General Review Standard: To enhance student learning, course technology enriches instruction and fosters student interactivity.
It is important to make sure that the technologies used correspond to the level of learning of your course, are accessible to learners, and at the same time support the desired learning outcomes of your course.
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that the tools and media:
- Support the learning objectives and are integrated with texts and lesson assignments
- Enhance student interactivity and guide the student to become a more active learner
- Required are either provided or easily downloadable and accessible
- Have clear instructions about how to access them at a distance
Learner Support
General Review Standard: Courses are effectively supported for students through fully accessible modes of delivery, resources, and student support.
Course syllabi and resource tabs within the course management system are good locations to gather and post links to student support resources. If instructors encounter students who are struggling, they can refer them to the appropriate institutional resources that can address the issues.
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that course instructions either explain or link to a clear description or explanation of:
- Technical support offered
- How the institution’s academic and student support systems can assist the student in effectively using the resources provided
- Tutorials and resources that answer basic questions related to research, writing, technology, etc.
ADA Compliance
General Review Standard: The Course is accessible to all students
Courses should be offered using software that is ADA compliant such as WebCT or Blackboard. Developers should include a brief statement that clearly explains to students how to access disability services at their institution.
When designing courses, instructors and developers should check that:
- Courses acknowledge the importance of ADA requirements
- Web pages provide equivalent alternatives to auditory and visual content
- Web pages have links that are self describing and meaningful
- The course demonstrates sensitivity to readability issues
Summary
The research-based Quality Matters rubric is an effective tool that faculty developers can use to understand the elements that combine to create a quality online course. By understanding these elements and incorporating the standards into course design, faculty can improve their efforts to create effective learning environments for their students.
Resources
Quality Matters. (2006, January 17). Retrieved January 30, 2006, from http://www.qualitymatters.org/
Zhang, D. (2005). Interactive multimedia-based e-learning: A study of effectiveness. The American Journal of Distance Education, 19(3), 149-162.
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