(c) Sarah Turnbull

1. Course Design
for Online
Courses
Topic:
Learning

3. Task
Design
Collaborative tasks
• Allow ss to be active in their own learning
• Ss work together to solve common
problems
• Learners from different cultures and
backgrounds interact and construct
meaning together

4. Task
Design
Reflective tasks
• Can enable the learner to internalise learning
and develop learner autonomy
• Online courses allow the learner to reflect at
their own pace
• Learners can review and evaluate their own
contributions and those of their peers

5. Task
Design
Levels of learning
• E.g. Bloom’s taxonomy: six levels of cognitive
learning: forms the basis on which courses
can be planned
• Learning progresses from Knowledge through
comprehension, application, analysis,
synthesis and evaluation
• Tasks can be designed to allow students to
progress through the levels; e.g. see
http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/designDe
vd.html

6. Task
Design
Materials and tasks
• Need to be adapted to suit the online
medium
• E.g. texts must be shortened as it’s
impossible to read long texts online
• Should make full use of all online
possibilities, e.g. self-checking tools, chat
rooms
• Check out this, for a slant on Bloom’[s
taxonomy: http://www.wisc-
online.com/index.htm
• More examples at: http://blog.cathy-
moore.com/elearning-samples/

7. Role of
the Tutor
Instruction does not cause learning
People learn through experience, through making
mistakes, trying things out and talking things through
with others
So: we shouldn’t just deliver facts and ‘content’; we
should provide meaningful exercises and activities that
help to ‘cause’ learning

8. Role of
the Tutor
Instruction does not cause learning
Even more than on face to face courses, we need to
adopt the role of facilitator and make learning student
centred
• encourage collaboration and reflection
• provide metacognitive guidance, e.g. with strategic
questions and summaries

9. Role of
the Tutor
Instruction does not cause learning
We also need to:
• Provide regular feedback, both formative and
summative, to help keep learners on track
• Define clear goals for any online interaction, and
clear criteria for evaluation
• Be ‘present’ and interact with students, to keep
communication lines open

10. Course Design
for Online
Courses
Topic:
Structure

11. Development Plan
Needs to ask questions such as :
• What will be done, by whom and by when?
• Who are the students? What are their backgrounds and learning
needs? What support will they need in adapting to flexible learning?
• What are the overall aims and specific learning outcomes? These can
also provide the focus for assessment.
• What is the content? And what teaching and learning methods will be
employed to focus on the learning process rather than simply
delivering content?

12. Development Plan continued
• Such teaching and learning methods could include problem-based
learning, case studies, experiential learning, videoconferencing and
computer-based learning. 1
1David Murphy, Instructional Design for Self-Learning in Distance
Educationhttp://www.col.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/KS2000%20Instructionaldesign.pdf

13. Further considerations
• Chunking, or dividing content into manageable sections: see
http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/designDevc.html as an
example of chunking
• Trialling, of tasks and modules to ensure consistency and
coherence
• Clear descriptions, including visuals, e.g. tables and timelines
to help students familiarise themselves with overall course
requirements: for examples, see:
http://academics.georgiasouthern.edu/col/id/
Or:
http://itle.okstate.edu/fd/online_teaching/coursestructure.htm

14. • Building in flexibility, in order to be able to
respond to individual learner needs.
• And don’t forget the checklists at:
http://www.csuchico.edu/tlp/resources/rubric
/instructionalDesignTips.pdf
!!!