Purpose of This Course
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Links to an external site.: Flickr photo shared by giulia.forsythe
Designing and teaching an online course can be a daunting task. There are so many components to consider, so how do you get started?
Begin with the end in mind...
If you decided you were going to take a road trip, the first thing you would do is figure out where you want to go. Next, you would probably take out a map and decide how you want to get there.
In Stephen Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, he explains that "to begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination" — know where you are going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction.
In any course, your destination is probably "student learning." Focusing on this will help you plan each step of your course design, development and delivery.
As with traditional face-to-face courses, online courses can be improved though good planning and sound instruction. It may be helpful to start small by simply integrating online components as a part of the face-to-face experience — web-enhanced, blended or flipped — like planning your rest stops or layovers along the way to your final destination.
No matter what the modality, however, it is important that you envision the specific learning outcomes you have for your students. With this understanding and vision, you can better create an environment that fosters the kind of learning you hope they will achieve.
The purpose of this course is multifold:
- To give you ideas of ways you can present engaging online content and activities that encourage students to interact with the content and be present in their learning process rather than be passive receivers of information.
- To provide you with a sampling of reusable content and activities that has already been created for your faculty peers that can be either used as is in your own course, or —with some help from the Auburn Online team — can be modified to meet your specific instructional needs.
- To demonstrate tools and resources that are available for you to use in creating and customizing content and activities in your Canvas course.