Unit 3 – Introduction to Building an Online or Hybrid Course

Overview of the Unit

Over the next several weeks we’ll be working on the basics of getting your course set up and running, as well as common tools and techniques. By the end of the next two weeks you should have a good idea of what you are working on for the rest of the semester.

General note about the timing of this unit:

Topics

  • Time considerations when developing an online course
  • Applying learning theory/teaching methods to course creation
  • How does learning theory affect our creation of online environments?
  • Developing an initial lesson

Objectives

  • Develop a detailed course development plan
  • Discuss the structure of your course and begin to outline your methods
  • Know how to start blending your course
  • Begin to implement your detailed course plan
  • Know basic learning theories and their application in online courses

Discussion Topics

In your small groups please use the unit topics (above) and the course materials below to guide your conversation throughout the week. Feel free to cover topics that are of general interest to the group, though particular questions you might consider are:

  • Who has created a syllabus before? What did you find difficult? Are there tips you have for the others in your group?
  • What do you think of the videos provided of Dr. Yelon and/or the Backward Design readings? Do you find these to be useful in your work?
  • How are you thinking about organizing your course materials? Are you using the work we’ve done over the past few weeks on learning theory to guide this work?

Readings

Berkshire Community College. Primer on Backwards Design.

Chick, N. (n.d.) Learning Styles. From Vanderbilt Center for Teaching. Retrieved from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/learning-styles-preferences/

Khulmann, T. (2007, July 4). Build a simple e-learning project plan.
http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/build-a-simple-e-learning-project-plan/

Khulmann, T. (2010, February 10). A roadmap for building an online course.
http://www.articulate.com/rapid-elearning/a-roadmap-for-building-an-e-learning-course/

MIT Teaching and Learning Lab (n.d.). Intended Learning Outcomes. http://tll.mit.edu/help/teaching-materials-0

Introductory Activity – The Secret of Instructional Design

Let’s start our week out with this exercise from Steve Yelon, Professor Emeritus of Instructional Design here at MSU. Please view these two videos from Steve and think about how the methods he employs may be useful to you in your work.

The Secret of Instructional Design! – 12 mins.

Sample Course Structures – 11 mins.

Your Syllabus

As you think about developing your course you’ll want to use a syllabus to guide your work. Please take some time this week to start developing the outline of your syllabus. You need not do a complete syllabus before working to develop the course, but you will want to continue to work on the syllabus as you move forward.

The Chronicle of Higher Education has a great guide for How to Create a Syllabus that you may find interesting and helpful.

Resource 1: Sample Development Timeline

This is a sample development timeline that you may find helpful in developing your own course. I developed it several years ago to help faculty members wrap their heads around what needs to happen during a development cycle for a standard 15 week course. It will need to be modified based on the number of units you have and how you structure those units, but this sample gives you a preview of how one might look.

Sample Development Timeline

Resource 2: Blended Course Plan

This blended course plan is designed to get you thinking about some of the main issues involved with developing and teaching your online or hybrid course. 

Blended_Course_Plan

Resource 3: Introducing the Unit Development Table

This document provides a way for you to structure the development of units or modules of your course. If you use this document to help structure your work, please start with the left side and fill across the page. 

Unit_Development_Table

Activity 1: Blending your first lesson

Activity Instructions

Step One (10-15 minutes)

  • Choose a lesson/week/section from your course that you wish to blend
  • Take a moment to to run that lesson through the Secret of Instructional Design
  • Fill out a “Unit Development Table” for that unit (don’t worry about technology just yet)
    OR
  • Outline down the “lesson plan” you normally use in your face-to-face class
    • For Example
      • Readings at home
      • Lecture in class
      • Assignment at home
      • Assessment in class
      • Wrap-up in class

Step Two (15 mins.)

  • Blended Structure: Now that you have seen technologies and examples…
    • What components of the lesson can be completed online?
    • What components will be completed in-person?
    • What new activities will need to be developed to facilitate these changes?
  • Use the Technology side of the worksheet to go through these and other questions

Activity 2 – What is Your Learning Preference?

We all have particular preferences for learning. This is not to say that we cannot learn in different ways, but rather that we can have strengths in certain areas. Please take the VARK inventory below to learn more about your strengths. It’s important to realize as you create online modules that your preferences may be much different than those of your students.

http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire

After you do the VARK inventory please feel free to share your results in the discussion area if you wish!

Sample Course Outlines

We have developed a series of course outlines that may help you in thinking about the structure for your course. You may feel free to use these as they are, or modify/combine them as you see fit. If you do create a new model please share with the class!