Online Course Development Techniques and Best Practices

Online Academic Services

W.P. Carey School of Business

First Meeting with Online Academic Services New process for new classes-initial meeting

will be with the Lead What to bring

An open mind Your ground classroom teaching techniques Your latest syllabus Your concerns about moving your course to an

online format

First Meeting with Online Academic Services New process for existing classes-initial

meeting will be with the Lead What to bring

List of items that did not work well Any thoughts, ideas, items you want to add to

next class Concerns Questions

Online vs. Ground Course Design Start with thinking of what you do in your

ground classroom Do not worry about how it can convert Virtual tools have been developed to replicate

most classroom activities Online Academic Services is here to help you

succeed!

Typical Ground Class Activities Lectures Discussions Questions and answers Announcements Current events Group work Field trips Labs and Simulations Office hours Assessments Videos

Lectures Students often comment these are the most

valuable aspect on online courses Audio and PowerPoint are the most important

elements Smaller clips work better than long lectures OAS can assist you with selecting a method to

record and teaching you to record OAS has equipment kits to check-out for

lecture recording OAS has a quiet room (studio) for recording

lectures

Classroom Discussion Blackboard Discussion Boards bring the class

to life Students engage with the material Students interact with each other Faculty engage with the students The Discussion Board can be used for

assessment Many students who will not speak up in a

face-to-face setting thrive in online discussion boards

Well structured questions Open-ended

Participation requirements Example 1 initial post, 3 responses to classmates

“Something to think about” Great for those who do not like public

speaking

Rich Discussion

Which Question Generates More Discussion?

What is Bloom’s Taxonomy?

Bloom’s Taxonomy is a useful tool for instructors to assist with the formation of assessments at the desired level of learning. Some lessons and classes are very appropriate for usage of the lower level of the taxonomy; other courses and lessons should require higher levels of cognitive mastery. Evaluate a recent test/assessment that you have been exposed to as a learner. Discuss the level of Bloom’s (cognitive level) this test/assessment measured? In your opinion, was this an appropriate level of cognitive measurement for the course/activity? Why or why not? Recommend a more appropriate assessment for the situation and defend your recommendationPlease be sure to respond to 2 of your classmate's posts as well in order to earn full credit for the question.

Questions and Answers Encourage students to ask questions in the

classroom Many other students may have the same question Saves multiple emails Gives a sense of comfort to students

Set up a discussion board thread for Q&A Check frequently

Announcements Effective way to disseminate information Can be permanent or timed-release Notice of new announcement can be emailed

to students Will drive the student to the online classroom to

retrieve Forces students to classroom and away from email

Can override student notification settings

Current Events Do not miss the opportunity to use current

events related to your subject! Post a link to the article or news-clip into

announcements Can be used as a classroom activity

Have every student locate/discuss a current event Can be used as a group activity

Groups can chose the most significant event for reporting

Group Chat in Discussion Board Groups in Virtual Classroom Group Pages Google Docs

Group Work

Field Trips Yes, you can do virtual field trips Some institutions have these set up Second life offers many locations Again, let us help you find these

Labs and Simulations Virtual labs are available for many disciplines Our office can help you locate these Business simulations can be done by students

and groups and reported into the online classroom

Office Hours Virtual office hours can be held Students know you are available to chat Individual appointments can be set or you can

have open hours

Assessments Do not all have to be tests/quizzes Assign points to discussion questions

Blackboard gradebook can track and assign Group work grades More assessments worth fewer points works

best in the online teaching environment

Respondus Software Multiple-choice Short answer

Essay exams through BlackBoard Digital dropbox Direct email

Testing

Videos Copyright is different in the online

environment URLs to public videos (ideally uploaded by

source)-OK Publisher-supplied videos-OK Permissions needed for most others

Copyright and Distance Learning No formal ASU policy Fair use for educational purposes Protection rules contained in Section 110 of

Copyright Act Due to storage on our servers, this may be

different than classroom use rules

Commonly Accepted Suggestions for Fair Use What you MAY use in distance learning

classrooms without copyright owner permissions Text Photograph, chart, map or graph Static computer screen display (not moving) An illustration A single still frame from a video or DVD Portions of audio from non-dramatic music A weblink (URL) to a public video

Commonly Accepted Suggestions for Fair Use Suggestions for what is NOT allowed in a

distance learning classroom without permissions Full motion video or audio DVD Video file on a computer Consecutive images from a slide set or film Audio from a dramatic work

Generally accepted rule-if it moves, it’s not allowed without permission

Questions?