How to Develop Online Courses
Online courses can be every bit as effective as traditional lectures, workshops, and independent study, yet they have an added benefit: they enable both instructors and students to work according to their own optimum pace and schedule. Designing successful online courses, however, requires that educators understand the differences---both good and not so good---between real-time, face-to-face instruction and the many variations of online course structure.
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Instructions
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Recognize that a successful online course involves more than just putting classroom materials such as overheads, lecture notes, or presentations online and then expecting your students to teach themselves. Motivating students is challenging enough face-to-face; removing personal interaction will doom the course to failure.
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Develop a clear description of the course, including an introduction or overview, goals and milestones, and requirements or prerequisites. Create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section that anticipates questions students often have ("Will this be on the test?") to avoid having your email or user forum flooded with requests for basic information.
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Get familiar with available computer-based presentation and recording tools, both hardware and software, so that you can select those most appropriate based on subject matter, class size, degree and type of interaction, and whether the course will be updated in the future or simply replaced. If you decide to use a course management systems (CMS) such as Blackboard. WebCT, Moodle, Desire2Learn, or ANGEL. learn how to use not just the instruction capabilities of the programs but also the construction and customization capabilities (e.g., blogging, RSS, video, chat, wikis, branched lessons, and even 3D "classrooms").
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Determine how you want to deliver your course (e.g., audio, video, podcast, webinar, streaming video, streaming audio, live chat). Once you develop your course, create it for the format in which is will be presented (and, more than likely, repeated or recycled). For example, you may present a lecture the first time as a real-time live webinar with call-in chat, but record it as a podcast (downloadable audio) or as a video/audio DVD.
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Design and develop your complete presentation or storyboard. This includes not just writing a script, but noting the location of media (e.g., illustrations, photos, charts, video, podcasts, etc.) and points designated for student interaction or input.
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Record and create your presentation, remembering to refer to specific media or visuals, and adding pauses (or click instructions) as necessary. When you have the entire presentation in the right format and in the proper order, map the final contents to a timeline (e.g., 00:03:52, Lesson 2 begins; 09:12:25, Explanation of Chart 3) for a "table of contents."
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Convert files to a compressed format, upload the files to the appropriate server or site, and/or burn backup or distribution CDs and DVDs.
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Tips & Warnings
Choose options that will give you the most flexibility in the future should the information need to be updated, edited, or rearranged.
Keep your presentation materials as timeless as possible (e.g., say "spring of 2010" rather than "next spring").
When recording, ignore minor mistakes or hesitations as you speak or read; edit them out later.
The most successful online courses engage teachers and students in active discussion, whether in real-time or self-paced; otherwise, students will lose interest and focus, and feel isolated from the learning environment.
