Design Factors in Distance Learning Courses

One of the first methods of designing online courses consisted of taking all the information, notes, lectures, assignments, assessments etc. and placing them into the software being used for the online course. This, of course, was not the best method of developing an online course since not all of those components which are developed for in class use, work well in online use. As well, students need some different information in an online course than they do in a face to face course since they will be using a different medium to learn and communicate. Here are some of the factors that must be taken into account in an online course.
1. There should be information available to students about how to succeed as an online learner. This would include information such as the computer requirements for the course, where to get technical help, how to do online research, netiquette, and where to get help from school resources such as the library or writing tutorials.

2. It is necessary to begin building a community from the beginning of the online course. This is not necessary in a face to face course where the students see each other in each class. This means that introductions of students and the instructor are important. Another useful tool in this area is icebreakers to get to know each other in a fun way.

3. Student participation in groups and the general discussions on the bulletin board should be tracked so that the instructor is aware of which students are not participating and can encourage them to do so. The instructor sometimes needs to encourage the expansion of points students are making in the discussions. The criteria being used to evaluate participation in group discussions should be made clear to students.

4. The specific concepts that are being taught in the course need to be learned but the instructor can build in the opportunity for students to utilize their personal interests and goals to complete projects and assignments for the course. In an online course this is especially important because many of the students are adult learners.

5. It is helpful in online courses if the content of the course is “chunked”. Many students like to download the lessons and highlight or underline it for study purposes. It is easier for students to read and study short lessons than long pieces with many pages.

6. Regular and timely feedback is important in distance learning courses. Such things as quizzes that are not graded but give the student immediate feedback on whether they understand the content they have just studied. As much information as possible about what the expectations are for an assignment, or an email from the instructor letting the student know that they have not met all the expectations of posting to the discussion board, can help students to meet those requirements.

7. A variety of assessments is useful for the instructor to be able to measure the learning of facts, understanding of concepts, and the ability to make use of the knowledge.

8. The instructor needs to make use of the appropriate technology to help maintain interest in the material, remember it, and be able to use the information in real life. Various technical tools should not be used because they are there, but rather to help meet the objectives of the course.

9. Evaluation of the course by the instructor and by the students is necessary in order to make improvements so that the probability of the objectives of the course being met will be increased.

These are some of the important factors to consider while you are designing an online course. If you think of them in relation to your course objectives and goals, you will improve the chances of reaching those goals and possibly decrease the number of student drop-outs from the course.