2.1 Online course design, structure, and format
considerations
Designing better online courses is a challenge that needs to be met
first by understanding the classroom in which the instructor will be
operating. Some universities have guidelines about whether or not a
course must be synchronous , in which the class and the
instructor are expected to meet at designated times to do lecture or
other activities, or if the course may be asynchronous,allowing for students to view lectures or notes and complete activities
on a flexible schedule. Courses that are asynchronous may need to
emphasize self-guided activities (Table 1 ), such as minute
papers or self-assessment. Other courses may be what are termed hybrid courses, in which some part of the learning experience
is online. Commonly, this takes the form of lectures being viewed before
class, and class time being spent on an activity (also called a flipped classroom ). As the pandemic continues, hyflex
learning , in which the instructor delivers a live class to students who
may be online or present in the room, may play an important role
for students with health vulnerabilities who cannot safely return to
campus.
When creating online course content, instructors should be deliberate in
their selection of materials and assignments. Using the UDL framework to
create original content or to select existing content is critical. This
framework is also important for creation of an online space or page as
instructors should think carefully about how students will interact with
the interface. Additionally, using backwards design and scientific
teaching practices to develop online modules and content will aid in
making the course cohesive and easy to follow. When creating online
assignments, making sure to use transparent communication about what
students are asked to do, why they are asked to do it, and how they will
be assessed can aid in student success and in building a trusting online
classroom. Not all online teaching styles allow for interaction between
faculty and students. Finding meaningful ways to authentically
communicate with students is important, especially for culturally
competent teaching and trauma-informed teaching. Being able to convey
growth mindset and metacognitive learning techniques to online learners
will require instructors to carefully choose their communication mode
(e.g., written, audio, video, etc.) and their conveyed message. Lastly,
many aspects of inclusive teaching focus on student motivation,
engagement, and belonging, and this should be considered when developing
online courses. For some tips on how to engage and connect with students
in an online environment, see recommendations by Darby (2020).
Creating an engaging online environment can be done with any of the
above delivery modes, but how this is done will likely differ. For
example, asynchronous delivery of online lecture video can be effective
and engaging for students, but the method of presentation impacts
student engagement and satisfaction (Choe et al, 2019). Choe and
colleagues tested 6 methods of online lecture video creation in an upper
division physiology course and found that although scores on summative
assessments did not differ following the 6 styles, student satisfaction
and rating of effectiveness of styles did (Choe et al, 2019).
Instructors may want to focus on video design that highlights personal
connection and engagement as these factors were rated most highly by
students (see Choe et al, 2019 for more details and examples); these are
also important aspects of inclusive classrooms. Additionally, courses
that combine synchronous and asynchronous approaches align with the UDL
framework and give students the opportunity to select the modality that
best fits their situation (Zydney et al, 2020) and can increase
engagement and motivation. Lastly, while online lab courses may lose the
actual hands-on component, through the application of active learning
principles (Table 1 ), students can still apply, analyze and
evaluate, and instructors may even be able to incorporate activities
that allow students to reach the pinnacle of Bloom’s taxonomy, and
create new knowledge (see Section 3.2).