1. E NGAGED L EARNING AND
C OLLABORATION

2. T EACHING C OMPONENTS TO
O NLINE L EARNING
Assessment
and
Feedback
Presentation
of New
Knowledge
and Skills
Activities and
Resources

3. E NGAGING O NLINE C OURSES

Clearly and attractively presented.

Active learning, “doing,” hands-on.

Authentic and meaningful.

Collaborative work to develop critical thought
and build community.

Reflective.

Responsive to a variety of learning styles.

4. M ULTIPLE I NTELLIGENCE
T HEORY

Verbal-linguistic – skilled in speaking, reading, writing, and listening.

Mathematical-logical – skilled in numbers, reasoning, and problem-solving.

Visual-spatial – skilled visually and in spatial organization.

Bodily-kinesthetic – skilled kinesthetically, active and hands-on activities.

Musical/Rhythmic – skilled in musical expression.

Intrapersonal – self-aware in terms of ideas, values, inner feelings and thoughts.

Interpersonal – student thrives on relationships with others.

Naturalist – skilled in recognition and categorization of nature;.

Existentialist – skilled in perspective and the ability to see big picture.
(Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development).

5. R OLES OF PARTICIPANTS IN
E NGAGED L EARNING

Teacher’s role –facilitator and guide, helps students recognize goals and
provides a path to work towards achievement.

Learner’s role – responsible for constructing own understanding of
knowledge and often contribute to the learning of others.

Learner’s role in a group – grouping facilitates active learning through
a social learning process; roles depend on part of group (e.g. mediator,
leader, recorder, researcher, presenter etc.).

Learner’s role in pairs – may be more efficient than a group setting for
certain learning skills.

Learner’s role alone – especially important for intrapersonal learner, so
they can be engaged through independent activity.

Learner’s role as a community member – learner role related to the
class as a whole, including the teacher; class participation through
discussion forums/blogs/wikis etc.
(Vai & Sosulski, 2011).

6. C OOPERATIVE L EARNING

Grouping Learners:

Heterogeneous groups – learners are grouped by
differences in skills and/or knowledge.

Homogeneous groups – learners are grouped by
similarities in knowledge, skills, or by task.

Jigsaw groups - each group member has a specific
task and collaborates with members of other groups
who are assigned to the same task, then present
their findings to their own groups.

Pairs – learners are paired for an activity.

7. P REPARING FOR C OLLABORATION :
D ESIGNING AND P LANNING

Safe and supportive classroom culture.

Guidelines and expectations for group
activities.

Outline roles and corresponding
responsibilities of students.

Provide a peer assessment of group
members as an accountability measure.

8. P REPARING FOR C OLLABORATION :
G ROUPING S TRATEGIES

3-5 (optimal group size), Pairs, Whole
Class, Individuals.

How to group students (heterogeneous,
homogenous, jigsaw, pairs).

Teacher’s role.

What is the learning outcome of the
group activity?

9. A CTIVITIES
Type of Activity
Class Discussion
Tool
Discussion Forum
Journal Writing
Blog
AND
TOOLS
Variation
Building a class community
Question and answers
Weekly topic discussions
Participants
Pairs to full
class
Individual reflections
Teacher reflections/modeling
Individuals
Shared
Wiki
Knowledge Base
Collaborative glossary
Annotated bibliography
Group to class
Practice
Exercises
Testing/Quizzing
Multiple-choice
Self-assessment
Individuals to
pairs
Projects
Workgroups, wikis,
blogs, discussion
forums
Group project presentations
Group research projects
Individuals to
pairs to class
Receptive
Activities
PDFs, podcasts,
vodcasts, YouTube,
Prezis, etc.
Teacher/student audio/visual
presentations
Course readings
Miscellaneous audio and video
Individuals

10. C LASS PARTICIPATION AND
D ISCUSSION

Online discussions on a discussion board or through a blog platform.

Journaling activities aim to develop the habit in students of reflecting on
their work.



Individual – Blog.
Group – Discussion board or wiki.
Group activities

Online class glossary.

Group research project, paper, or online presentation.

Bibliography.

Error correction.
(Vai & Sosulski, 2011).

11. E NGAGING R ESOURCES
Resource
Considerations
Text
• Up-to-date, active links.
• Follow copyright law.
Images (photos, screenshots,
charts, graphs, illustrations…)
• Supplement text to enhance
understanding.
Audio and Video
• Different learning-styles.
• Provide links to necessary
plug-ins.
Voices and Perspectives
• Keep audio/video segments
(student, teacher, guests, other
short (2-5 minutes is
experts).
optimal, 10-20 minutes is
acceptable).
Free Web-Based Tools
Include tutorials and/or details
on how to use the tools.

12. C OURSE D ESIGN C HECKLIST

5.2 Presentations of new knowledge and skills, activities, and assessments address a
variety of learning styles.

6.4. The teacher is a participant in the learning process.

6.4 Learners take responsibility for their learning and, at times, the learning of others.

6.6 Class participation activities (e.g. discussion boards, wikis, social networks) are used
to encourage collaboration.

6.2 There are sufficient opportunities for learners to work collaboratively.

6.10 Students are encouraged to share resources as is appropriate

6.5 Learners are encouraged to interact with others (classmates, course guests etc.) and
benefit from their experience and expertise.

6.8 Collaborative activities are designed to facilitate a safe learning environment.

6.7 Procedures for group activities are specified so that students are aware of their role
and responsibility in collaborative activities.

5.8 Activities are frequent and varied. Students may respond to questions, select
options, provide information, or interact with others.

13. C OURSE D ESIGN C HECKLIST

5.9 Activities engage students in higher-level thinking skills, including critical and
creative thinking, analysis, and problem solving.

6.1 Activities encourage active interactions that involve course content and personal
communication.

1.4 Resources and activities support learning outcomes.

6.9 An online space (e.g. discussion board, social network) is set up for students to meet
outside class.

10.3 Resource material is accessible to all students in commonly used formats.

5.6 Courses include a variety of relevant multimedia to support learning (e.g. audio,
video, recommended podcasts, illustrations, photographs, charts, and graphs).

9.8 The consequences of plagiarism, cheating, and failure to properly cite copyrighted
material, are emphasized.

4.14 Details in images, graphs, charts, and diagrams are easy to see.

2.6 Labeling in all presentation materials is accurate, readable, and clear.

14. C OURSE D ESIGN C HECKLIST

10.4 The format of multimedia should be specified, with a direct link to a required plugin when necessary.

10.5 Audio and video material appearing within a lesson should be brief.

6.5 Learners are encouraged to interact with others (fellow, classmates, course guests,
etc.) and benefit from their experience and expertise.

8.1 Teacher, peer-to-peer, guest, and automated feedback clarifies, amplifies, and
extends the topic.

5.10 Topics and materials are up-to-date and relevant.

5.4 Materials are authentic or relate to real-life applications.

5.2 Presentations of new knowledge and skills, activities, and assessments address a
variety of learning styles.

10.1 Direct links are provided to course materials and resources.

10.2 Links and working and correct.

15. R EFERENCES

Northern Illinois University. Howard Gardner's
Theory of Multiple Intelligences. Faculty
Development and Instructional Design Center

Vai, M., & Sosulski, K. (2011). Essentials of Online
Course Design: A Standards-Based Guide. Taylor
& Francis.