My undergraduate degree was in Social Studies Education, so in many of my education classes I was told over and over again how important learning objectives were. In fact, it wasn’t even possible for me to conduct a mock lesson without creating a full lesson plan complete with learning objectives and at least one assessment with which to measure whether or not I’d achieved the desired outcome. In hindsight, I am grateful that my undergraduate education prepared me for teaching and not just with knowledge in my content area.
If I think back to how I created my first online class (only a few instructors were teaching online then, so I had to start from scratch), or if I imagine creating a new class, I would naturally begin by asking myself the same questions that Ko and Rossen pose in the “Analysis” and “Design” sections of chapter 3. For example, with regard to analysis I might ask myself “what is my class demographic”? The answer to this question will help me eliminate assignments that potentially won’t work for that particular group. Analysis questions seem to be the most basic to any class. The heart of a course is really in its design. Determining the design of my class is my attempt to answer the big question, “What am I trying to achieve with the course?” After I’ve answered this question, the challenge becomes making the leap from the big picture down to the practical assignments with measurable outcomes.
I was relieved to read in Ko and Rossen that I’ve already implemented a number of their design recommendations into my current online courses: my courses are organized into sequences of weekly units, I start the class with a “getting-to-know-you” activity, I provide a variety of different types of assessments, etc. On the other hand, there are so many ways I could improve my classes. I found the section containing the different websites on rubrics fascinating, and I plan to investigate more into the Quality Matters systematized approach. Also, I’m old school when it comes to the online lectures as I still include PowerPoint presentations. I was aware that I could convert these lectures to text (who has time?), but Ko and Rossen have pointed out that at the very least I could break down my lectures into bite-sized chunks by topic rather than by chapter.
It’s helpful to see what other online instructors are doing in their courses, and I viewed Jill Malone’s online class tour. With regard to the unbelievable amount of time it takes to provide detailed written feedback to students on their projects, I liked her idea of audiotaping her comments and attaching them to the students’ grades. What a time saver! I also liked that she required students to comment on five other students’ projects, providing both praise and constructive criticism where due. I also viewed Vanessa Hollanda Gutierrez’s Spanish Online POT project, and I am going to follow her lead in posting more photos of myself doing my favorite things with my favorite people. I was concerned that other instructor’s online classes include too many links and too many bells and whistles and that I would be expected to do the same. My experience has been that students really appreciate it when your class is easy to navigate and the instructions are straightforward. I was reassured when I viewed the websites provided by POT that other instructors strive to make things as simple as possible for their students as well.