how to design onlinw graduate course

by Destin Krajcik 10 min read

How to create an online course Choose the right subject matter Test your idea Research the topic extensively Write a course outline Create the course content Bring your course online Sell your online course

Full Answer

How to design an online course?

The graduate certificate in online course design delivers the knowledge and experience to develop effective educational courses. Program coursework provides a comprehensive overview of the planning, design and development that goes into creating an effective online course. Upon graduation, you will be well-prepared to leverage instructional ...

How to design a great distance learning course?

Our new Online Course Design Certificate Program is designed to train or prepare curriculum instructors with the skills and competencies beneficial for higher education faculty and professionals who design and deliver virtual learning experiences. Our fully online 4-course curriculum applies research and evidence-based teaching practices, integrates the …

What is the importance of course design?

Jun 23, 2021 · 04. Write a course outline. Now is the time to develop the curriculum for your online course. On a piece of paper, write down a list of the different lessons you plan on teaching online. Within each lesson, break it down to the main topics you want to cover.

Are there any technology requirements to take online graduate courses?

Sep 29, 2020 · Design the assessments from the start as you are working up your overall course design. This allows the assignments to be integrated within the course rather than tacked on top of the course content. Take a highly scaffolded approach with assignments, beginning with a review of the syllabus and course policies and practice assignments that show students how …

How do you design an online course?

Here's what you need to do to create an effective online training program
  1. Gather Your Info. Ask the right questions. This is how you'll figure out what skills you need to teach. ...
  2. Create Your Presentation. Choose an authoring tool. ...
  3. Arrange Practice Runs. Enlist beta testers. ...
  4. Implement Your Online Training Program.
Aug 7, 2014

How do you create a graduate course?

To design an effective course, you need to:
  1. Consider timing and logistics.
  2. Recognize who your students are.
  3. Identify the situational constraints.
  4. Articulate your learning objectives.
  5. Identify potential assessments.
  6. Identify appropriate instructional strategies.
  7. Plan your course content and schedule.

How do you structure an online class?

In many ways, the structure of online courses closely resembles the structure of in-person courses. Each week, students generally must complete a set of required readings, watch one or more lectures, participate in a discussion with their classmates, and finish an assignment.Jul 27, 2021

What are five design tips to improve online courses?

5 Tips for Engaging Online Course Design
  • Develop Course and Module Learning Goals and Objectives. ...
  • Use Multiple Media for Learning Materials. ...
  • Choose Appropriate Learning Tasks. ...
  • Humanize the Technology. ...
  • Include Multiple Learning Assessments.

How do you design a course curriculum?

Course content

Choose main topics. Preview current textbooks and updated literature for a unique course topic. Find out if there is consensus for the necessary topics by reviewing former course syllabi and through ongoing dialog with colleagues. Adjust your list to reflect course goals and student characteristics.
Jan 22, 2020

How do you create a course outline?

When creating your course outline there are some essential pieces that you need to include:
  1. Course Description from the Academic Calendar. ...
  2. Course Goals. ...
  3. Student Learning Objectives/Outcomes. ...
  4. Assessment Overview. ...
  5. Assessment Plan. ...
  6. Schedule of Activities. ...
  7. Plagiarism Announcement. ...
  8. Reading List.

What is an online course design?

What is online course design and development and what does it involve? It includes. Purposeful planning. Organizing, sequencing, and pacing course content. Thinking in terms of the student learning experience and desired learning outcomes.

What makes online courses successful?

Flexibility and convenience are two of the great benefits of online learning, however students have to have discipline enough to make time to study, complete coursework, and participate in discussions and groups. Learners need to plan to commit 6 – 9 hours per week per three-credit class.

How do I create an online teaching module?

How to develop an online training module
  1. Know your audience. First up, you need to focus on who'll be taking the course. ...
  2. Break your topic into modules. Now you've identified your audience, it's time to think about how to organize your course content. ...
  3. Plan your content formats. ...
  4. Add knowledge checks. ...
  5. Responsive course content.
Nov 19, 2019

How can I improve my online learning skills?

Successful Online Students Identify Seven Tips
  1. Develop a time-management strategy. ...
  2. Make the most of online discussions. ...
  3. Use it or lose it. ...
  4. Make questions useful to your learning. ...
  5. Stay motivated. ...
  6. Communicate the instruction techniques that work. ...
  7. Make connections with fellow students.
Feb 1, 2007

Why do people prefer online classes?

Many prefer online courses because of the convenience while others note challenges for interactive and engaged learning. Before you start designing your course, it’s important to recognize the differences that will make lesson plans originally designed for an in-person class an imperfect fit for your online class.

What are the limitations of online learning?

One of the most significant limitations of online learning is that students can’t interact with you or each other as directly. If you don’t include an interactive aspect of the course, the education students are receiving will be little better than if they simply bought a textbook and read it on their own.

What is the most popular LMS?

The most popular LMSs are BlackBoard, Edmodo, Moodle, SumTotal, and SkillSoft. If you have some software development skills, you may want to consider an open source LMS.

What is microlearning in education?

Microlearning involves presenting content through mediated micro levels so students are exposed to small learning units on short-term assignments. Microlearning is based on H.A. Simon’s 1974 research that outlines the effectiveness of creating chunks of learning experiences that the short-term memory can retain.

What are authentic activities?

Instructors can incorporate authentic activities that connect real-world relevance and content knowledge. Authentic activities can range from examining case studies to creating problem-based scenarios in which the students research the problem and create solutions or address gaps within the problem.

What is inquiry based learning?

Instructors also can use inquiry-based learning (IBL), which requires students to investigate questions they have concerning the content. One strategy that online instructors can implement to establish IBL is through the implementation of Know, Want to Know, and Learned (KWL) charts.

Why is video communication important?

The video communication provides students with the opportunity to learn their instructor’s mannerisms and increases overall course satisfaction for students. Implementing methods to increase social presence can translate virtual experiences into tangible connections for online students.

What is flexible course design?

Flexibly designed courses favor “ill structured” activities over well-structured ones; interactivity over passivity; inductive over deductive instruction; and activity over text and lecture. Such course design supports both the individual and group’s learning and promotes applied approaches to learning.

What is instructional design?

Instructional Design is a broad term that encompasses the selection, organization, sequencing, and assessment of content, tools, and experiences to help learners attain a certain set of goals. Poorly designed technology-based courses can confound learning, frustrate learners and instructors, and result in high attrition rates.

What is an effective online course?

Effective online courses are well designed so that teaching and learning is organized in the most effective and engaging manner possible. In an online learning situation, the student’s learning experience is almost entirely mediated through some form of technology; therefore, the design of the teaching and learning experience is especially critical.

What is adult learning?

Research on adult learning demonstrates that adult learners share common characteristics and beliefs that can be integrated into any learning experience. Adult learners: Need to be treated with respect and recognition and their professional experiences integrated into workshops and discussions.

What is cognitive model?

Cognitive models or “frames of mind” shape the way learners perceive and process information and suggest that an individual’s ability to learn is influenced by the manner in which information is presented. Course designers should create an array of assignments, activities, and assessments that allow learners to interact and practice with content in multiple ways, on multiple cognitive levels and using multiple measures and methods to assess learning.

What is the purpose of learning interaction?

Learner interaction with an object or person in a way that allows learners to improve their knowledge and skills in a particular domain. Multiple communications between learners around an object of study, a tool, or an experience. Learner control and program adaptation based on learner input.

Why is a mix of media more effective than reliance on one type of media?

A mix of media is more effective than the reliance on one type of media because it satisfies the many types of learning preferences that one person may embody or that a class embodies. Particularly in print- and web-based professional development courses which are primarily text heavy, the use of still and moving visual media can help learners who are poor readers better understand content.

Curriculum Overview

The graduate certificate in online course design delivers the knowledge and experience to develop effective educational courses. Program coursework provides a comprehensive overview of the planning, design and development that goes into creating an effective online course.

About the School

Today's educators have access to an increasingly connected global community and an abundance of digital resources. In addition to connecting our candidates to those resources, Quinnipiac University's School of Education has a collaborative community of its own, both online and off.

Identify

Review the details of each program to find the best fit for your educational and career goals.

Admissions

All applicants who wish to enroll in the Online Course Design Graduate Certificate Program will follow the standardized procedure for completing the graduate school application forms required for admission to all graduate certificate programs. A bachelor's degree is required for admission to the program.

Curriculum

The planning of educational experiences should be guided and supported by the science of learning and instruction.

What should the topic of an online course be?

The topic for your online course should be either a subject that you’re already knowledgeable about or are willing to invest in learning thoroughly. Either way, you need to be passionate about the subject.

Do you need to run a test before starting an online course?

Creating an online course requires a lot of hard work and effort on your part, so running a test before you begin will allow you to validate this online business idea as one that will pay itself off down the line.

What to do after a video is filmed?

After you’ve filmed your content, invest some time editing your raw footage. There are many free video editing software available, from iMovie, to Lightworks, and the Wix Video Maker. Try to craft a nice rhythm to your video by breaking it up into digestible bites.

Why is online education important?

Therefore, fostering a community of learners around your course will greatly improve their experience, contributing to the overall success of your course. An active online community can help users share their learning process with a group of peers.

What is a paid plan?

Paid Plans act as a pay-wall, allowing users to access the content only after they pay and log into the members area within your site. One-on-one real-time lessons: In addition to the course, you may teach live lessons to students in a personalized 1:1 setting.

How to design a course?

Online course design is rooted in the same solid principles of face-to-face teaching, but requires additional considerations. 1 Set out goals for the course: At the end of the course, I want my students to be able to... 2 Set skills goals such as working in groups, developing quantitative skills, or improve writing skills 3 Choose content to achieve overarching goals 4 Develop a course plan

How to communicate course content?

Options for communicating course content 1 Readings, including the textbook, articles, websites, books, or essays 2 Written material that you type up 3 Video lectures of yourself talking about a topic 4 Videos of someone else talking about a topic, like Richard Alley describing Milankovich cycles or strikes, dips and baked goods by Tom Braziunas at North Seattle Community College or Bill Nye explains seafloor spreading 5 Narrated animations, such as the water table 6 Humorous yet educational videos like Ring of Fire, sung by Richard Alley in the style of Johnny Cash 7 PowerPoint slides the students view and read 8 Narrated PowerPoint slides with a voice-over by you 9 Posts you add to discussion forums - this is a particularly useful place to correct misconceptions or add information when the relevant time comes around 10 Real-time question and answer sessions held as synchronous review sessions using instant chat feature (available in many course platforms) 11 Questions that lead to directed reading and writing, such as well-framed discussion questions or essay questions within written assignments 12 Visualizations, interactive media and simulations, such as PhET's radioactive dating game, that the students use with direction from you

How to improve writing skills?

Set skills goals such as working in groups, developing quantitative skills, or improve writing skills. Choose content to achieve overarching goals. Develop a course plan. That said, even though the course topic and goals may be the same as a face-to-face course, the course layout, pacing, content delivery and assignments will all be tailored ...

What is the default mode of communicating course content?

The default mode of communicating course content, the lecture, is generally absent or minimal in an online course. Think of this as liberating rather than constraining, as there are many means to deliver content.

What is the USGS online lecture collection?

USGS Online Lecture Collection This database is a compilation of selected videotaped lectures made at the USGS. All of these lectures are suitable for viewing by the general public and upper level students (grades 8 through university). The videos are in MP4 format and are typically 60-90 minutes long. Also see USGS YouTube Channel, containing a variety of videos from the USGS.

What is traditional lecturing?

Traditional lecturing is replaced by a variety of multimedia communication tools. The default mode of communicating course content, the lecture, is generally absent or minimal in an online course. Think of this as liberating rather than constraining, as there are many means to deliver content.

What is online graduate communication?

Online graduate students attain a broad and advanced knowledge in studying communication concepts. This course helps you develop critical and research skills while also broadening your understanding of communications. The course covers a wide range of topics from the methods of the study of Speech and Language to speech analysis, the acoustics of speech production, sentence production, speech, and language development in children. Each student must submit a term paper by the end of the course.

What is the Advanced Studio on the Production of Space online course?

Combining liberal arts studies with creative problem-solving skills, the Advanced Studio on the Production of Space online course discusses concepts and meanings of the relationship among models, diagrams, and object. Learners immerse themselves in helping shape the future environment, development, and facilities. You are expected to create models of spatial production while understanding the needs of the community or environment. Assignments and readings are required to complete the online course. There are two modeling experiments, a midterm presentation, a final project proposal, and a final presentation.

What is quantitative methods in biology?

The online Quantitative Methods for Biology course is intended for those who want to learn more about basic biological and medical applications through MATLAB. This will benefit greatly to help programmers who want to explore knowledge within medicine and biology or biologists who want to develop technical computing language that will enable them to increase writing efficient scripts. Taught by a first-rate Systems Biology professor, the Quantitative Methods for Biology online course will give you the confidence to pursue research using MATLAB on your own.

What is the Principles and Practice of Drug Development online course?

The Principles and Practice of Drug Development online course provides modules that will give you a grasp of why drugs are developed in a certain way, how they are developed, and who is responsible for the whole process. Reading materials in the form of articles are provided for this online course. You will be part of a team to work on a project concerning drug discovery and drug development for a specific illness. Your team should be able to present your progress report on week 11 and the final paper on the last session. Lecture notes are provided.

What is the Internet of Things course?

The Introduction to the Internet of Things is a short course that lets you experience Stanford quality online education by combining expert teaching and real-world applications. It consists of 5 modules that can download videos for reviews on technology advancement. The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of all devices connected to the internet, such as IoT sensors, Supply Chain Management, Barcode Readers, Smart Farming, and more. Online graduate students are encouraged to submit an evaluation upon completion of the course.

What is probability engineering?

Probability in Engineering degree programs is a relevant course that leads students into learning to examine how likely events would happen. This means engineers would use probability to do risk assessment in analyzing data. This online course lets you build a foundation in probability by providing lecture notes, recitation notes, and recommended textbooks for additional materials. Each student is required to complete a series of assignments, midterm and final exams which will count for 30% of your grade. Although not required, students are expected to have a Multivariable Calculus course or anything related to probability and analysis as formal prerequisites.

What is competition in telecommunications?

The Competition in Telecommunications online course allows students to analyze and discuss issues involving competition in the telecommunications industry. It covers topics in law principles and regulation of telecommunications, best practices, the economic theory of competition, and market forces. Students must be present in all classes and comply with all assigned readings (from books, articles, and web sites) and written reports. Besides professors from the MIT management school, guest speakers from leading organizations will give course lectures. This will give students the great opportunity of meeting and interacting with respected speakers.

What is an orientation course?

An orientation course provides an overview of all the courses you offer. If you are offering many courses in your Academy, create an orientation course to build student engagement and interest with the course contents and let them get acquainted with the goals of your Academy.

What is an academic course?

Academic courses are courses with a traditional academic structure followed by universities. Each section usually consists of an introduction to the course, where objectives are discussed, a short test to assess pre-existing knowledge, and multiple lectures.

How much will the elearning market be in 2025?

The whole elearning market is expected to exceed $300 Billion by 2025, and that includes both individuals and corporations spending more and more into online learning. There has never been a better time to join the growing industry of eLearning. If playback doesn't begin shortly, try restarting your device.

What is a presell course?

Presell courses serve as a storefront of an upcoming course. They can rapidly validate a course idea and start building an email list of your potential students before officially releasing a course.

What is a mini course?

Mini-courses are short to consume summaries (teasers) of a full-sized course. Like presell and orientation courses, they serve as teasers that make students enroll in a course. However, in contrast to the other two categories, Mini-courses provide real educational value: A full summary of what will be taught in the full-sized course .

What is niche topic?

Niche topics are created to teach particular skills like mini-courses. The difference between those two-course categories is that spotlight courses are oriented to a specific skill. Instructors can create a whole Academy with multiple niche courses and also sell them in bundles.

What is drip feed in a course?

With the drip-feed course, you can organize the timely release of your content (section by section) so that it doesn’t become available to your students all at once. For example, if you’re running a fixed time frame course, ten weeks, it makes sense to drip your content weekly to keep students engaged and moving through the course.