Getting Started Online

A good place to start is with Document Delivery by posting the course Syllabus and Weekly Schedule online. This is helpful to students because they can review, enlarge or print the documents as needed. Next, offer one simple online assignment or activity to experience how it all works. Then use the experience and feedback from students to improve the next online activity.

When planning online course activities teachers need to consider the online course design for their subject. Teachers already have an effective course design for an existing traditional face-to-face course. Therefore, consider how best to organize, introduce and present the topic online for learning.

Example: Organizing an Online Course

Break down the weekly course components into categories:

  1. Reading (Web sites, online articles, or chapters in textbooks)
  2. Written Assignments / Papers / Reports (submitted online)
  3. Discussions (Conducted online)

Next, organize each week's components so students understand fully what to do and by when. In iLearn, Blackboard or Moodle open a new file or topic:

WEEK 1

Next, open separate areas for each of the following activities called:

Week 1 Activity A: Reading
Week 1 Activity B: Written Assignment
Week 1 Activity C: Discussion

For each Activity provide text with succinct directions under the following headings:

  1. Title
  2. Introduction (Brief text about the topic with learning outcomes)
  3. Directions (Explain what to do and points to be earned)
  4. Date Due (Be specific: due by 11pm PST Monday September 30th)

Add additional subheadings as needed to break up information and topics into manageable "chunks" and paragraphs, but do not include too much text (or entire lecture notes) which students may find daunting to plough through.

Remember to be creative!
Keep it simple at first, but for subsequent online assignments or activities try to integrate the online environment more each time by offering: Web sites for elaboration of information; online full-text journal articles for research; or a virtual field trip by clicking a link to visit the Louvre Museum in Paris or other subject related location followed by a discussion!

Technology I – What do I need to know first?

  1. First, you need to know a little about the the Course/Learning Management System (CMS or LMS) your school uses to provide online materials, such as iLearn, Moodle, Blackboard or WebCT.
  2. You need to know: how to access the school’s CMS; how to request an account for your class, if needed; and how to make the course site available to students.
  3. You also need to know how to add information by typing or copying and pasting notes or assignments in the course page, how to upload a document, and how to make Word documents into PDF documents/files.

Technology II – What do I need to know next?

After offering several basic online activities or assignments, think creatively about how to integrate the possibilities of the Internet by adding images, interactive links, research projects, peer discussions, audio or video clips for enriched learning experiences, and to embrace Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies to serve all student learning styles.

Remember to take advantage of any computer skills or short and inexpensive software courses provided on campus or locally. Ask for technical help with video or DVD projects from the school's Academic Technology or Audio Visual department staff.