I was very delighted when I first red about the five-stage-model developed by Gilly Salmon in ONL2020 course. Since the outbreak of covid-19 pandemic in spring 2020 I had struggled to figure out how to support students’ learning online, and there it was – a readily buildt method exactly for that.

When discussing the fourth topic about online and blended learning in one of our group sessions in ONL2020, we decided to make a comparative analysis between ONL course and the five-stage-model. That was a fruitful exercise which intrigued me to think how I could use the model when designing an online (textile) design course. So here we go:

My imaginative course is about surface design – group of 15 students should learn to design a collection of repeating surface patters suitable for industrial production and for a certain use – fashion, interior decoration or paper products for instance. They should learn to use Adobe software for this. The concept and colours should be based on visual research. As the group is small I don’t have any extra resources for e-moderating or technical support meaning I will act in those roles myself.

1. Access and Motivation
I have usually just started my courses by first introducing the schedule and assignment and then going into first lecture. But I can see the point – something else is also needed for online-learning to work. Well, I have usually sent a short course introduction email before the start. I could develop this habit into something a bit more elaborate and versatile.

2. Online socialisation
I have found it challenging to get students interact and discuss in online-environment, but it seems that devoting time for it from the beginning of the course would be an answer. It feels bad to use the little time we have into anything else than content, but I can see from the ONL that it helps a lot in developing good online interaction. Of course my small group of students would already know each other, so this first “socialisation task” could not be built around a theme of getting to know each other. Instead, it could be a task which is already linked to the content, but not too deeply, and would be necessary to accomplish as collaboration. Maybe: students would need to study how surface design is used in different products and markets. One group would study the fashion market, another that of interior design and so forth. In the end of this first assignment they would present their findings for the rest of the class.

3. Information exchange
Students study the learning material: online-lectures and readings about production methods for patterned fabrics and the requirements and restrictions they set for design work, collection making and visual research. Online tutorials about the use of software. Online-help for the use of software should be available.

4. Knowledge construction
Working on the design assignment. Discussions in small peer groups and with teacher. Online-tutoring with content and with software available.

5. Development
Students would make their presentations and comment on others’ presentations. This could happen either synchronously in a zoom-session or similar, or asynchronously. I should just decide.