by Wendy Grisham
Teaching a course online for the first time may seem extremely daunting and time consuming, but with a little support and preparation, it can be a very rewarding experience for both the students and the instructor. The UWG|Online Faculty Development Center offers a variety of support for online faculty. Those new to the online environment, however, may need a little more self-assurance before reaching out for assistance.
Honestly, getting started is as simple as having a course syllabus. As an instructional designer, when I begin working with an instructor on building, developing, or delivering an online course, I always look at his/her syllabus first. The syllabus should provide enough information about the course and the instructor’s expectations that I can begin to envision the best layout and tools for the content. On the syllabus, I am looking for 1) course objectives and module learning outcomes, 2) a course schedule with due dates, and 3) the grade distribution. These three basic items are enough to begin building a partial or fully online course.
While course objectives and learning outcomes may not be at the top of students’ interests, they are the core of course design and effectiveness. They help to identify strengths and weaknesses in the relationships between assessments and curriculum. If an instructor is unable to point to specific assignments or assessments that demonstrate each learning outcome, then more course development may be needed. On the other hand, it may also mean that some modification to current assignments is required. In general, objectives and outcomes should answer students’ questions about what the course can teach them and what purpose their individual assignments serve.
A course schedule may be referenced as a separate document from the course syllabus, but it is no less important. It represents the basic structure of a course. It’s a map for me as an instructional designer and for students. It allows us to see minor and major projects at a glance. It also loosely demonstrates the instructor’s expectations for deadlines. Students and I are both looking for patterns. For example, do most or all due dates fall on particular days of the week and by a certain time, such as on Sundays by 11:59 p.m.? Do the assignments and assessments cover the same amount of material each time? Etc. Such patterns are a necessity, for they are less likely to be forgotten by students and by instructors.
The grade distribution is perhaps the most important criterion to students. It is also essential to designing a course and setting up an accurate gradebook. A common issue faced in the Faculty Development Center, for instance, is when instructors assign grades to items not reflected on the syllabus nor accounted for in the grade distribution. The grade distribution represents transparency and significance to students. They are able to immediately identify the assignments that are going to affect their grades the most, which often correlates to the amount of time they can expect preparing for them. That preparation is also relevant to the instructor who should keep that information in mind while organizing course materials and setting due dates. Having the grading scale identified and planned first helps to eliminate frustration and confusion for students and the instructor once a course has begun.
The purpose of the syllabus is to set clear parameters for all stages of a course, and it is all that you need to begin building an online course; so if you would like to continue the process (or if you still have a few more questions), please contact us in the Faculty Development Center at 678-839-5289 or online@westga.edu.
Wendy Grisham is an instructional designer for UWG Online.
