what should my online course be about

by Dr. Chester Monahan PhD 8 min read

What Makes a Good Online Course?

  • Natural Learning Content. Reading a generic textbook and answering fill-in-the-blank questions isn’t a natural way to...
  • Student-Friendly Pacing. Good online classes know how to pace the assignments so that students are neither bored nor...
  • Sense of Community. The best online classes are created with community in mind. Students are...

Full Answer

What is an online course like?

Your course should deliver your students to the main outcome or transformation in the simplest and quickest way possible. Don't be tempted to add in everything you know - it will probably make your course too long, jumbled and lacking in focus. Choose An Online Course Format.

What makes a good online class?

Feb 22, 2021 · Listing online courses on your resume can have numerous benefits when applying to jobs. These reasons include: Demonstrates your development: Participating in online courses aimed at your professional development shows employers your interest in continuing to grow your skills and knowledge. Some certifications can demonstrate to employers that you can …

Are You considering teaching an online course?

Feb 20, 2016 · It is important to include both types of support in online training courses. Don’t go overboard when it comes to modifications. You may be tempted to complete overhaul your existing online training course in order to make it more effective. However, there may be elements of the online training course that are already finely tuned.

Why is it important to include support in online training courses?

Aug 11, 2020 · Thus, it is important to discuss the course’s utility, value, and applicability from the outset. Help your students understand the ways that your course provides an essential foundation for more advanced courses, how it will help them acquire particular skills, or how it addresses issues that the students find particularly interesting. 3.

What should I look for in an online course?

So when looking for an online course, here are some of the characteristics of good courses that you should be looking out for.They focus on learning by doing.They connect learners to employment.They act more like tutorials than lectures.They use peer-to-peer learning.They teach you how to learn.A final word.Jan 19, 2015

How do you structure an online course?

3:498:04How to outline and structure an online course (Make an AMAZING course)YouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThink about where your student is now and the end result you'd like to create has opposite banks ofMoreThink about where your student is now and the end result you'd like to create has opposite banks of a river what major milestones. Will they need to achieve to arrive on the other side of the bridge.

What are the best features of this online course?

The Best eLearning Features You Need To KnowCollaboration Of Various Learning Tools. ... Strong Reporting With Customization. ... Web-Based Business Support. ... Brand Integration. ... Online Course Catalogs. ... Self Registration. ... Responsive Design Features. ... Accreditation Support.More items...•Mar 22, 2019

How do you start a successful online course?

10 Steps To Creating A Wildly Successful Online CoursePick the perfect course topic.Ensure your course idea has high market demand.Create Magnetic and Compelling Learning Outcomes.Select and Gather your Course Content.Structure Your Modules and Course Plan.More items...•Sep 1, 2021

How long should your online course be?

The Optimal Online Course Length Most experts confirm that a good length for a web-based course is somewhere between 15-30 minutes. This traditional opinion builds on psychological research, specific content patterns and, more often than not, gut feeling.Apr 4, 2022

What makes online learning 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.

What are three reasons for taking online classes?

What Are The Advantages Of Online Learning?Efficiency. Online learning offers teachers an efficient way to deliver lessons to students. ... Accessibility Of Time And Place. ... Affordability. ... Improved Student Attendance. ... Suits A Variety Of Learning Styles. ... Technology Issues. ... Sense Of Isolation. ... Teacher Training.More items...•Oct 10, 2020

How can I improve my online learning skills?

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

What makes a good online course?

A good online course requires a few things to make it worth the investment of time, effort, and money people are willing to invest in themselves an...

How long should a course outline be?

A course outline is a really important component of any prospective online course and it needs to fulfill a few different and important roles.An ou...

What is the difference between a course outline and a syllabus?

These are both very important but very different tools with quite distinct purposes, and they certainly shouldn’t be used interchangeably.The outli...

What should a course outline contain?

A course outline should contain several things. Ideally, it will include some basic information about the tutor such as name, contact information,...

Why do people buy online courses?

1) People buy online courses because: they want to learn from an actual person with experience. the information is put together in an easily digestible step by step system or format. the course can produce a clear outcome that they desire. 2) The key to a great online course is:

What makes an online course good?

A good online course requires a few things to make it worth the investment of time, effort, and money people are willing to invest in themselves and improving their skills. Ultimately, an online course needs to provide value to the student and this comes in a variety of forms.

How to get to where you are today?

1) start with the main outcome of the course and work your way backwards through the steps needed to get there. or if you prefer: 2) imagine your former self before you gained the knowledge you now have, and then plot out the key steps you have taken to get to where you are today.

What is course outline?

A course outline is a really important component of any prospective online course and it needs to fulfill a few different and important roles. An outline, as its name suggests, needs to be brief, and give your students all the relevant information about what your course provides without any filler at all.

Why is it important to have clear 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 the ABCD method?

ABCD Method – An easy framework for creating learning objectives is the A.B.C.D. method. This stands for Audience, Behavior, Condition and Degree. Learning objectives that contain each of these elements will clearly outline the learning that is to be achieved after completing each module.

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.

Is online learning an alternative to traditional learning?

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

What is summative assessment?

Summative Assessment evaluates student learning, skill and academic achievement at the end of a defined instructional period (i.e. project, unit, course, semester, etc.).

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.

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.

How to teach yourself a new skill?

The most common advice is "choose a topic you have a lot of experience in". However, sometimes, it’s better to deviate from the saying and turn it into "teach about something you would love to learn yourself". Here’s why this approach works: 1 You’ll be invested in the online course because you will learn a lot yourself. 2 The topic you’re interested in is likely worth to explore for others as well. 3 You will teach others the way you would want to learn yourself.

Why is it important to take an online course?

An online course is a commitment. It’s important to have every step on the way planned in advance to save yourself from stressing out in the process. The topic is the core of the course. Choose something you’re passionate about and wouldn’t mind investing a lot of your time into.

What should I know before starting an online course?

What You Should Know Beforehand. Launching an online course takes time. You have to think about things you can teach, create a learning plan, write all the content, at times, record audios or videos, put it together in an appealing way, and do the marketing to sell the fruits of your work. There is a ton of practices for creating ...

Is building a website expensive?

Building a website is pretty expensive . On the upside, however, you’ll have the complete freedom of management because a website is a comfortable way to sell an online course. To build it, you’d need to make your choice with the web development technology to use because there’s many of them.

What is the best advice to learn yourself?

The most common advice is "choose a topic you have a lot of experience in". However, sometimes, it’s better to deviate from the saying and turn it into "teach about something you would love to learn yourself". Here’s why this approach works:

Can you tell if an online course has failed?

At the end of the day, you would want to know whether your online course has failed or succeeded. Well, no one can tell you that except for yourself. Knowing what will be considered a success of an online course is so important that it’s, in fact, recommended to plan before even starting a course.

What does a course look like?

Your course can look like a number of posts, letters, etc., with nothing but plain text. On the upside, your students can go over the posts when they are in hurry, without having to specifically dedicate their time to eLearning. Also, these posts will be easy to make, and you’ll get a chance to save more time for promotion.

How to organize your school?

Set aside some physical space for class. Set aside some space in your home to keep your school stuff. It is important to have some organization, even if it's just two folders — a physical one for important papers and a folder on your computer where you put all your papers. Put your books, some blank paper, a pen, and a highlighter all in one place.

How long does it take to get a book from a bookstore?

Once you've logged on, locate the bookstore and order your books for your course (s). Sometimes it takes 10 days to get the book to you, so you want to do this right away.

How to network with students online?

Online student networking Most online courses start by having the students write an introduction and posting it on the discussion or bulletin board. Its takes time to get acquainted, so take advantage of it. Find someone in the class who you find interesting and send them a private e-mail using their school e-mail address. Let them know you like their posting and why. Keep it short and simple. Having a friend in an online class is important — you can compare notes, share thoughts and understandings of assignments, and be a little less alone in class.

Why is motivation important?

Thus, it is important to discuss the course’s utility, value, and applicability from the outset.

How to teach empathy to students?

Encourage your students. Provide them with scaffolding: rubrics, check lists, sample responses to test questions, background information, glossaries. Offer some flexibility on deadlines and opportunities to re-do assignments. And provide prompt feedback.

How to choose a good online course?

However, you should keep in mind some general guidelines when selecting a course. Below is a list of characteristics I have identified as being important in a good online course: 1 A good online course should offer some kind of sample or proof of its quality. 2 A good online course is taught by a person or organization with relevant experience. 3 A good online course has solid underlying technology. 4 A good online course is well presented. 5 A good online course is well organized. 6 A good online course should have a substantial amount of content. 7 A good online course should have multiple forms of media, such as video, text, and audio. 8 A good online course should not be limited to one type of device. 9 A good online course offers some form of feedback or interaction. 10 A good online course should not require physical media or tools beyond the essentials.

What happens if a course is not presented well?

No matter how high-quality the information within, if a course is not presented well, the person taking it will not stay engaged and will have a hard time absorbing that information.

Is it hard to follow a course made up of pages?

Everyone learns differently and a course which is solely made up of pages upon pages of text documents will often be hard to follow and can risk losing a lot of peoples attention.

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