how to turn a college course into an online class

by Michelle Grimes 9 min read

To begin revising your existing course for the online format, review your course goals and objectives for the face-to-face version of your course, and consider how realistic, appropriate, and relevant they are for an online version. Reflect on your current practices: What are the learning goals of your course?

Full Answer

Should you convert your classroom training to an online course?

Many organizations make the mistake of converting all their classroom training materials into online courses. It’s advisable to blend eLearning with classroom training. A good blend of classroom and web-based learning helps you leverage the benefits of both learning formats and get the best ROI on your training dollar.

How to develop a successful online course?

When developing an online course, it is essential that: You understand the technological proficiency of your students; How they prefer to consume technological content. It would be instructive to start a F2F module in class where your students brainstorm — and to a certain degree even co-create — the new course’s outline, objectives and features.

How to create an effective online class?

Signaling: important elements of the online class should be highlighted by visual or vocal resources to direct the student’s attention. Redundancy: it is better to use audio and graphics (as one complements the other) than, for example, audio and text, which causes cognitive overload in the student.

How do you plan your online course design?

As you plan your online course design, consider chunking content into meaningful segments with clear directions that provide pathways to progress through the course and promote student learning (Smith, 2014).

How do I create an online college course?

How to create an online courseChoose 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.Market your content.More items...•

How do I create an online course for free?

How to create an online course for freeThinkific: Software to create an online course for free. ... Canva: Free and low-cost design tool. ... Beaver Builder: affordable WordPress page builder. ... Camtasia: Cheap software for editing online course videos, with a free trial. ... Vimeo: Free video hosting.More items...•

How do I create an online interactive course?

8 Tips for creating more interactive online learningIncorporate Active Learning. ... Combine different media types into engaging learning scenarios. ... Try running a cohort-based course. ... Incorporate live lessons. ... Microlearning. ... Use storytelling methods of teaching. ... Use Gamification. ... Pause for questions and answer live chats.

What is the best way to make an online course?

Online classes are not easy but, by following these techniques, you have a great chance of being successful.Set a Major Goal. ... Treat Study Like a Job. ... Make a Study Plan. ... Manage Time Carefully. ... Have Dedicated Study Blocks. ... Find a Quiet Space. ... Eliminate Distractions. ... Limit Social Media.More items...•

How much does it cost to make an online course?

It can cost anywhere from $200 to $10,000 to create an online course. The main source of expenses is the labor involved, followed by the equipment and software. If you are creating the online course yourself and not paying someone else to do it, this means that other than your time there are very few expenses involved.

What is an interactive online course?

Interactive eLearning means that a learner doesn't interact with an instructor directly; it's more of a “dialogue” between a learner and tools through which they become engaged and involved in the learning process. In fact, it's a key element of self-paced e-course design.

How can teachers make the best of online classes?

How to Make Online Teaching-Learning More EfficientSetting Clear Expectations. ... Going into online teaching with a learner's mind-set. ... Ensuring Real Learning. ... Setting the Appropriate Duration. ... Being Mindful of Issues at Home. ... Taking Care of Holistic Learning.

What makes an online class 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 start an online Zoom course?

Some schools have decided to teach online class for the rest of 2020, into 2021....How to Schedule a Zoom Meeting for an Online ClassOpen the Zoom Desktop app on your computer.Click “Home” at the top left.Click “Schedule”Enter all relevant details like time, date, topic, etc.More items...

How to design an online course?

To design your own online course, you need to identify which of the three course formats you will be using. These formats are Asynchronous Learning, Synchronous Learning, and Hybrid/Blended learning. Then decide which educational technology you will use to enhance the learning experience. Lastly, your completed online course will need ...

How can online learning be effective?

Online learning becomes much more efficient and effective when tools are involved. For example, professors can use videos, PowerPoints, images, and relevant online games to make lessons more exciting and engaging. There are also various quiz platforms that teachers can use to design practice tests and exams, such as Kahoot.

What is synchronous learning?

Synchronous Learning. A Synchronous Learning format involves students being taught in real-time by an instructor. All of the pupils have to log into a system simultaneously to be able to communicate with each other and the professor. An example of a tool that can be used to aid this type of online learning is Pedagogue.

What are some examples of online learning?

A single learner will interact directly with content using a technology system. Examples of this are self-paced courses and online discussion groups.

Why is the e-learning market growing?

The e-learning market is growing more and more every year because of its convenience. Due to this, many students have decided to convert from face-to-face schooling to an online course – this creates a huge opportunity for educators.

Should you always aim to improve your online course?

For this reason, the feedback of your pupils should be essential to you, even after your course has been released.

What is coherence in online classes?

Coherence: any and all content or learning objects that are not related to the topic to be taught should be excluded. Signaling: important elements of the online class should be highlighted by visual or vocal resources to direct the student’s attention.

Why is visual part of online course important?

The visual part of your online course is very important to attract and delight new customers, but it is also essential in the learning process.

What is asynchronous learning?

There are three formats of distance learning courses to which you can convert your face-to-face class: Asynchronous Learning: the student interacts directly with the content, and the interaction with the instructor occurs with delay, through emails, forums, feedback, etc.

What is blended learning?

– Blended learning: how your school can combine online and face-to-face teaching. All three formats have their characteristics ...

What are the three main means of interaction to be considered in planning online classes?

Another subject related to the development of distance learning courses are the three main means of interaction to be considered in planning online classes: Between student-student: held between students participating in the same course, with or without the presence of the instructor.

Why is it important to understand the way the content is presented and the information is passed on?

The way the content is presented and the information is passed on can help or hinder the student’s assimilation. Beautiful images, videos and fonts are not enough to make teaching material more effective, it is necessary to understand a little about how the human brain usually processes information.

Can you create online classes from traditional classes?

Tips for creating online classes from traditional classes. Many professionals believe that passing the material used in the classroom, such as handouts, PowerPoint presentations, questionnaires, assessments, among others, to the digital format, is enough to create online classes. The truth is that it’s necessary to be more careful about ...

What is online course design?

Online course design is more than transferring content online or replicating face-to-face classroom sessions. Instead, it involves redesign ing content for an online environment; rethinking course goals, assessments, and learning experiences; integrating technology intentionally; and putting structure and support in place to promote self-directed learning. While this may initially seem overwhelming, there are many resources available to support you in this work–included in this guide–and the CTL is here to help in your development of online course materials.

What is active learning?

More active learning – encouraging learners to be more active–doing more thinking, writing, reflecting, and interacting with peers–to improve their engagement and learning; students also take on more responsibility for their learning. Find out more on our Active Learning for Your Online Classroom page.

Why are rubrics important for online learning?

Regardless of the methods selected, online learners will benefit from clear instructions, explanation of expectations, and knowing the criteria that will be used to assess their work (e.g., using rubrics can help students as they work on an assessment and help instructors and TAs provide feedback).

What is eLearning training?

eLearning is a training delivery format that is being adopted by an increasing number of organizations across the world. The growth in the demand for eLearning is primarily fueled by its cost-effectiveness, scalability, and ease of use. As the first step toward implementing eLearning, many companies convert their instructor-led training (ILT) ...

Why do organizations adopt eLearning?

Organizations adopt eLearning to offset the limitations of classroom training. Converting existing classroom training material to online courses is a good place to start implementing eLearning. Read this article for tips that’ll ensure a smooth conversion process.

What do you need to do before publishing classroom materials?

You need to perform the following tasks before you publish classroom materials online. Organize the content properly. The content in most learning materials used in classrooms is not organized properly. This anomaly must be rectified before moving the ILT resources to the web.

Can ILT materials be published online?

One of the biggest misconceptions about converting ILT materials to eLearning courses is that these materials can be published online, as they are. However, this could result in online learning of poor quality. You need to perform the following tasks before you publish classroom materials online.

Is it advisable to combine classroom and online training?

Many organizations make the mistake of converting all their classroom training materials into online courses. It’s advisable to blend eLearning with classroom training. A good blend of classroom and web-based learning helps you leverage the benefits of both learning formats and get the best ROI on your training dollar.

What does "live" mean in a classroom?

It means all participants, including the teacher, are logged into the learning platform, and instruction and other interactions happen ”live”.

What is asynchronous learning?

Asynchronous. Meaning “not at the same time ”, asynchronous formats allow students to log in to the course in their own time, and complete preset tasks and activities. The course is typically reinforced by a lot of resources that students can explore and read on their own, from their own devices.

How to shift from classroom based to online training?

Here is a summary of the three phases. 1. Just get online. In this first step, it is all about digitizing. Take what you already have and make in available online.

Why is it important to split online learning?

Split the content and activities into smaller pieces, so that you are not forcing your participants to sit in front of a computer screen for too long. This is one of the benefits of online learning: It is easy to split the training into shorter and more specific sessions.

Can you convert classroom training to online training?

While converting your classroom-based training to online training and e-learning, there are some common mistakes you should try to avoid. To think that your current decision-, remuneration-, and administration models will work the same way with the online format. You have to do adjustments. To centralizing every decision in the conversion process.

How to make learning interactive?

The easiest way to make learning interactive is to add quiz questions within content of various formats. More complex interactions tend to take longer but are still possible with most authoring tools. Interactive learning courses usually use more media than the read and click format and often include videos.

Why should you include the latter in a course?

You may wish to include the latter in the course at a later stage, when learners are comfortable with the basics, as long as this does not make the course too long . Such practice avoids cognitive overload and ensures all the most important information fits within the time restraints.

What are the different formats of eLearning modules?

There are three main formats for eLearning modules: Read and click. These modules feature text, some images, probably audio and basic quiz questions. Creating eLearning courses of this type is a quick, and easy process as modules usually have no interactive components and feature only limited graphics.

What is interactive learning?

Interactive learning courses usually use more media than the read and click format and often include videos. Simulation.This highly interactive type of eLearning involves a variety of graphics, video, audio, scenarios and some gamification. This level gives the highest degree of interaction by the student.

How to start a storyboard?

One way to start is to draft a storyboard with all the text, interactions, and navigation you will use along with small versions of images (including their sources). The storyboard should, at a minimum, outline the learning objective, text, narrative audio, and type of media for each screen. No screen should be pure text.

What is learning objectives?

Learning objectives also act as a guide before you even begin designing the course. Unfortunately, developers often neglect this important step, while focusing more on content, media use, and technology. Refer to Bloom’s taxonomy, a theory that relates to the classification of different levels of cognitive learning.

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Research The Instructional Design Models

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I am sure that you are familiar with ADDIE, but it is not a universal solution! Based in my experience, Robert Gagne's instructional design model, which is best know as the Nine Events of Instruction, is the most appropriate Instructional Design Model for converting a traditional course into an eLearning format. However, to find the …
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Use of Interaction

  • Interactionis the most important aspect of an eLearning course. However, you should know why you use interaction and what you want to achieve. I have seen several eLearning courses full of interaction that is waste of time... Moore (1989) believes that interaction is a central component of online education and he describes 3 types of interaction:
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Choose The Right Educational Technology

  • In my opinion learning becomes more effective when people are mutually active with the learning materials, with the learning environment. Learning, by manufacturing innovative materials for other learners and by communicating with them about these materials, enhance their learning abilities. For example, based on social constructionist pedagogy,eFront offers several interactiv…
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