Categories: Technology, Communication Design
Summary:
SOU published their course development and course evaluation expectations in this best practices document from their "extensive research." The document is a template for building a new course or customizing an existing course. It provides new instructors a very basic but stable foundation of best practices.
Citation-worthy:
"While no two courses are the same, there are important elements that should be a part of every online course: detailed syllabus, course content, opportunities for interaction, opportunities for feedback, assessment, accessibility" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 2).
"The elements of a ... well-developed, comprehensive syllabus [are]: 1. Course title and identification; 2. Instructor contact information; 3. Course description; 4. Course goals or outcomes; 5. Required texts and readings; 6. Recommended texts and readings; 7. Class format or online; 8. Assignments and expectations; 9. Attendance policy; 10. Grading policy; 11. Academic honesty statement; 12. Academic support/ADA statement; 13. Other policies as needed; 14. Course plan; 15. Disclaimer" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 3).
"Aesthetic appeal is another aspect of designing and delivering course materials. ... There are some general practices that should be considered... file naming systems should be consistent [and] recogniz[able]. Font colors and styles should be consistent. White space is important! Text should be broken up" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 4).
"If discussion is an important part of assessing student learning and if meaningful contributions are desired, discussions should represent a significant portion of the overall grade. Rubrics for grading online discussions encourage high-quality postings on the discussion board" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 7).
"Engage students with collaborative learning assignments. ... Have them: give and receive feedback on individual papers; locate, share, and critique resources and report group findings to the entire class; work through a case study online; debate a topic; discuss ways they would apply theories or concepts to real-world situation; complete a research project and write a paper together" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, pp. 7-8).
"Create a 'help' or 'assistance' forum ... to post questions or problems for their classmates to answer" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 8).
"Create a social space ... forum for the students to use for ... casual conversations..." (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 8).
"Periodically communicate with students on an individual basis via email" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 8).
"Be explicit in how ... students [should] ... communicate with [the instructor] and state how they will communicate with students" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 8).
"Track student progress weekly to identify and assist at-rick students promptly" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 9).
"Respond ... in a timely manner" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 9).
"Consider offering online office hours using a web-based conferencing tool..." (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 9).
"Assessment should not be an afterthought. Rather, course materials and assessments should be developed to match course objectives" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 10).
"Check to make sure there is real text [or other media format] in your [posted files]" (Southern Oregon University, 2009, p. 12).
