When thinking about how to design an online course the first question that comes to mind is maybe quite easy: Where and how should one get started? I suppose a clear view of intended learning outcomes is a good start. Learning outcomes can be assessed as the basics. When reflecting on the learning outcomes I think one can easily be bound with previous tradition. Traditional activities can easily be considered as the best practices. Digitalization does not provide advantages automatically. The traditional “ways of teaching”, instead other new and also maybe more effective ways of teaching can be introduced in the online courses. We should encourage teaching presence not teacher preference.
Diversity is essential in online learning in this way new perspectives can be introduced. We can learn from each other. And we can learn from feedback. At least we should learn. In traditional as in online / blended learning, teacher sometimes fails in the effort to improve the courses. I don´t know, but maybe falling back to old tradition more lies in the traditional teaching? Online/blended learning is more open to new and often improved ways of teaching.
Advantages of online learning is further that teachers can use asynchronous communication. This is a way to give the students more time to reflect about learned stuff. In the ONL 192 course we have used many new tools. I liked Microsoft SWAY, I think it is nice tool for collaborating and to giving presentations. I think it is worthwhile to try little by little new tools and the more effort you put in trying new tools, the more you get out of them. By giving students different kinds of assignments – with different difficulties. And by giving students the choice to decide the order they do tasks students get the feeling of that they manage the time better. Online learning offers lots of possibilities!
When designing activities in an online course it is very important to build cohesion among the students. If this goal is achieved they will see the value in continued community learning – as we in ONL 192! Collaborative work is a good way to for the teacher to shift from teacher mode to facilitator mode. Designing an online course should be about creating a path for the students travel to meaningful information. This journey should happen with interaction with others. The teacher should try to give the students a well organized learning experience. This is for sure easier to say as to implement. A smaller group of students is for sure easier to mange as a big one.
Sources:
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/resources/blended-learning/some-examples-blended-courses
http://www.aupress.ca/books/120229/ebook/01_Vaughan_et_al_2013-Teaching_in_Blended_Learning_Environments.pdf
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/resources/blended-learning/some-examples-blended-courses
