How to Offer Online Courses
There are several ways to offer a course online. Colleges and universities typically use a Content Management System (CMS) like Blackboard, a very robust system that comes with a high price tag. Some use open-source software like Moodle, which is available free to anyone, but users will need to have either their own server space or pay for server space from someone else. There are other, less robust, but still workable options like using a blog, either free or paid for.
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Instructions
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Offering Online Courses Through a College or University
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Develop the content for the course with the online learner in mind. Online learning attracts students from all over the world, so meeting in person is not always an option. Make sure there is plenty of opportunity for interaction, both between the students and between student and teacher, written into the content for the course. Include deadlines for assignments, links to reading materials, for example, when developing the content. The content should be as complete as possible before opening the CMS.
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Find out what CMS the school is using and sign up for any training that may be available. Most systems work approximately the same way. There will be ways to manage the content like folders, forums and content area tabs. Some will have pre-loaded modules or modules already created available for use. Take advantage of as much prepared material as possible, if it fits into your course plan.
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Decide before starting whether or not to load the entire course content before the course starts, or to load it as needed. If the CMS has a calendaring feature, it is easier to load the entire course first, setting dates and times for each of the sections to open as the course progresses. Doing that takes a lot of stress out of teaching the course because the content is already there, available to open when it is needed.
Offering Online Classes Through Blogs or Other Free Sites
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Blogs are a good way to set up an online course without being affiliated with a college. Depending on the particular blog system, it can be set up very much like a Blackboard CMS, with separate pages for different learning units, comment areas with threaded discussion capabilities and resource information posted through blog rolls. Sections of the course can be password protected so the students can only access what the instructor wants them to at any given time.
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Decide whether or not the blog site used for the course will be a free one or one that the blogger has to pay for. There are advantages and disadvantages to either choice. Typically there are fewer functions available on the free sites, but they cost nothing and the instructor can still charge students to take the course. The paid sites will allow the blogger to "monetize" the site, that is, place advertisements on it that will generate revenue.
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There are other open source or free options available to the entrepreneur who wishes to teach an online course without a large initial financial outlay. Moodle is an open source solution for someone who has free server space available and a good programmer or administrator to configure the system for optimal use by the instructor and student. Others like Moodle can be found with a simple Google search for Open Source CMS.
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Tips & Warnings
Create the content first, then find the online solution that works best. Do not compromise the content to fit the solution.
Investigate all "free" solutions carefully to make sure they will offer what is needed to offer the class without hidden costs.
References
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Comments
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sounds tooo good anyone tried this school?
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Michelle Scott
Feb 24, 2011
Good article. I like Moodle and it is easy to install if you use a web host who does it for you! Bluehost and Dataflame both do and there'll be loads of others. You need to get a good book or do a course in order to get the most out of Moodle but it's well worth it. I also use Hot Potatoes for courses at my school. Also free and quite easy to use.
