how to layout an online course

by Ms. Andreanne Volkman V 6 min read

Here are the steps to follow when creating an online course outline: Table of contents Step #1: Conquer your subject Step #2: Understand your learners Step #3: Write down the learning goals

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How to design an online course?

So you want to create an online course, or maybe you have a course, but it's not selling the way you thought it would and it's not as easy as you thought it would be. Well, by the end of this, you're going to have a clear game plan of how to create a ...

How to create an online course for free?

Throughout the course, you’ll create your own animations and games to test your new skills. A key benefit of working in Scratch is the community, which can be used for support, collaboration, and inspiration. You’ll become part of the Scratch community ...

How do I create an online training course?

Put simply, this is how to create an outline for your online course:

  • Identify the primary learning outcome
  • List the skills necessary for achieving the primary learning outcome
  • Use the skill checklist to create course modules
  • Set learning goals for your course modules

Where can I find free online design courses?

  • Students can take classes virtually, allowing them to learn anywhere.
  • Students can pursue the best program for their field of study, even if the school is far from home.
  • Students can plan around busy schedules to complete their coursework.

What is learning management system?

Most learning management system tools focus on the delivery of your online course content and course features such as progress tracking, quizzes, certificates, and assignments. It is NOT responsible for the layout and design of your course pages.

Can I use an LMS theme for an education website?

Any education site can leverage a learning management system with an LMS theme. Most LMS plugins can use any number of different WordPress theme solutions. The good news is that you don’t need an expensive education WordPress theme to create an attractive membership site.

Creating beautiful online courses by mastering layout

Remember those cartoons with the Roadrunner bird and the unlucky Wale E. Coyote? Imagine you’re the Coyote and your students’ attention span is the Roadrunner: one second it’s right next to you, the next second is miles away; you have to be a really smart coyote in order to catch it and keep it in one place.

Design with the Z layout in mind

According to the Z layout, people scan a page starting from the upper left corner, going to the upper right corner, then all the way down diagonally to the lower left corner, and finishing at the lower right corner. I’ll leave aside the right-to-left languages, for which the Z is horizontally swapped.

Pay attention to the smallest of details

Like I said, beauty lies in all things small. Train your eyes enough, and you’ll spot these details easily. This way, you’ll get to create beautiful online courses without even thinking about it.

How to make a course interactive?

Plan for interaction! Make sure your course is rich in opportunities for students to engage with the content, with you and with each other. This means creating diverse activities like discussions, group work, case studies and collaborative problem-solving. Also, be sure to select resources that are relevant and present a variety of viewpoints and meet different learning styles. Consider multimedia, periodicals, web resources, etc.

How many students have taken online courses?

According to a 10 year study conducted by the Online Learning Consortium, 6.7 million students have taken at least one online course and roughly thirty-two percent of all higher-education students now take at least one online course during their educational career. And these numbers continue to rise.

How to import rubrics into Canvas?

Step 2: Go to the course you want to import the rubrics into and access the settings from the course navigation . Step 3: Select the “Import Content into this Course” option from the right-side menu. Step 4: From the Content Type menu select “Canvas Course Export Package”.

What is a rubric?

Rubrics. A rubric is a coherent set of criteria for students’ work that includes descriptions of levels of performance quality on the criteria. The main purpose of rubrics is to assess performances (Brookhart, 2013). Explore four types of rubrics that you might use to assess assignments in your course.

What is the purpose of learning objectives?

Creating Learning Objectives. It is essential to build measurable and clear objectives that outline what is expected of the learner. These objectives will make it easy to align the rest of your course and will serve to communicate learning expectations to students.

What is an OER?

Open Educational Resources (OER) are freely accessible, open licensed, teaching and learning materials. There are worldwide repositories for the sharing and use of OER. Materials are available in almost any subject area and can include a single image, assignment or activity OR a full textbook and even an entire course.

Is online learning an alternative to traditional learning?

Online education is not an “alternative” to traditional classroom learning.

What is course outline?

A course outline is one of the most crucial elements you can create for your online class. It’s the blueprint showing the foundational structure and design for ...

Why is it important to divide an online course into parts?

Designing an online course can be an overwhelming process, which is why it’s helpful to divide it up into parts. Your students will also be able to follow your course more easily if it’s broken down into a few digestible components.

Why do we need an outline?

An outline helps you keep your ideas organized when you are designing a course. It enables you to group together related topics, not to mention see the order in which topics need to be addressed. Starting with an outline helps you create the course more efficiently.

What is the best format for online courses?

Video. This format is becoming increasingly popular with online course creators, as it allows the instructor to communicate directly to students in a personable, relatable way. Video is best for demonstrating skills and giving easily-digestible presentations.

Why do people take online classes in person?

This is mostly because in-person classes rely on guidance from professors that allows for a more free-flowing structure. An online course, on the other hand, lends itself to easy confusion on the students’ part if not carefully structured.

How many lessons are in a module?

While modules should have the same basic structure, they don’t need to have the same number of lessons. One module may have only three lessons, while another module may have ten —and that’s perfectly fine! 4.

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.

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 does competition mean in a course?

Having competition means that people find the topic relevant and helpful for them. It’s also a good idea to create content that can comfortably fit into an existing, tried-and-tested space. Once you have a clear target audience in mind, you are best equipped for later creating and marketing the course.

How to teach a lesson?

Go in a logical order and try to make your ideas evolve naturally from one to the other , to ensure a smooth and frictionless learning process. Remember that teaching is about guiding your audience through an idea, step by step. To make this clear in your course outline, define an objective for each of your lessons.

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.

Can you rent a lesson on a video by video basis?

Individual lessons for rent or purchase: Allow users to rent or purchase your online course on a video-by-video basis. When purchasing a video, users will enjoy unlimited streaming of the lesson they’ve purchased, so that they can go back and rewatch the content at all times.

What is the purpose of an outline in a course?

Creating an outline that serves as a guide to the course is useful for both learners as well as for you so you can develop a more effective course .

How long does it take to create an eLearning course?

The idea behind rapid eLearning is where you use every tool and strategy you can to potentially create a course in 2 to 3 weeks instead of taking several months. So within your lessons, outline the exact content you will cover.

How long should a microlearning lesson be?

Depending on how far down the path of microlearning you are going, lessons might only need to be a couple of minutes up to 10 to 15 minutes in length. There's not too much content in a 2-minute lesson so you really need to get at the heart of the topic and do so quickly if you're going that route.

What is the best tool to use to outline a project?

These are great, but with most, you will have to manually re-type your ideas into other software to use them later on. However, if you're a visual learner, mind mapping is probably the best tool for you. You can also use Trello or other productivity software to outline and manage your projects.

What is the lesson in Module 1 of Marketing?

Module 1: Marketing. Lesson 1: How to choose the right marketing strategy for your business. Topic 1: Why choose Facebook marketing. By using the modules, lessons, and topics for each new idea, you will create a system that is simple for your learner to follow.

Why do you need a script for a video lesson?

You don't want to lose your audience because you are rambling from topic to topic with no clear direction. Outlining will also help with lesson planning.

Why is it important to have an outline?

Having an outline allows you to organize these topics in a way that will make sense to your students. In addition, it prevents you from forgetting to add critical information that is relevant to the topic. Writing out what you plan to cover will also help you generate ideas.

What is an overview page in LMS?

The overview page adds to the course’s structure, and can help keep students engaged in the learning process and increase academic integrity.

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.

How does microlearning engage learners?

Microlearning involves presenting content through mediated micro levels so students are exposed to small learning units on short-term assignments.

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.

Do online courses require students to read videos?

A common perception is that online courses require students to just read or view videos, and then regurgitate the information in an essay or simple discussion post. However, this is false because there are numerous activities that fully engage online students.

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