Module 2: Organization and Structure
In a face-to-face classroom, after welcoming the students to class, you likely spend the first class session distributing the syllabus, elaborating on its contents, reviewing expectations, and answering questions. In an online course, this familiar pattern is missing, and students may feel anxious about what to do next. In fact, the start of an online course can create more student anxiety than a traditional face-to-face course. Here are some ways an easy to follow course organization can help you put your students at ease:
- Be absolutely clear about where and how to begin your course. One way to begin the process of designing your course to be student-centered would be to have a "Course Overview" and/or "Ready for Online Learning" section on your course navigation menu (like the Blackboard Student Orientation under Student Resources). An online course orientation is an excellent place to explain the use of online course components and gives students the opportunity to "ramp up" their skills without being penalized. It is a good idea to provide ample time during the first week of the semester for students to ensure their system is set up correctly and that it meets requirements (hardware, software, add-ons, etc.) that they will need during the semester.
- Add clear and detailed instructions in the correct areas. Carefully select clear wording that will not be misinterpreted. Ambiguity in objectives, descriptions, or directions can be magnified in an online course, causing additional work and stress for you and your students.
- Chunking/scaffolding out your lectures. If students were to see lecture after lecture posted by a professor it becomes "blah-blah-blah," and students soon find it difficult to absorb all the information. But by posting mini-lectures (one to three paragraphs centered on one subject), the students will recognize these as important because of their infrequency, hopefully be more eager to read them, and will certainly absorb - and remember - their contents easier.
- Keep the layout well sequenced, clean, and simple. Use the same layout for as many pages as possible to help build predictability. The same goes for titles, file naming conventions, and writing style.
One important aspect of creating your course is deciding how you will organize it. As already mentioned, creating a clear and consistent organizational structure for your course improves your student’s learning experience.
Content Area
A content area allows course content to be organized into folders, files, graphics, assignments, tests, external links, and Blackboard Learn tools. You can create multiple Content Areas for your course and place them on the Course Menu as we have done in this Community.
Learning Modules
A learning module is a container for organized collections of content. The value of creating a learning module lies in the ability to integrate related content and activities, providing a rich, interactive learning experience for students. You can include the following in a learning module:
- Content Items
- Files
- Folders
- URLs (external links)
- Tests and Surveys
- Assignments
- Discussion Board Forums
- Other Tools
Click to learn more about creating containers for content.
Course Template
The CID team has designed a course template to make organizing your course shell easier by following already discussed best practices. The template is pre-populated with a welcome and seven weekly content folders. Each week is comprised of a learning module with place holders for your Learning Objectives, Readings for the week, Videos, and Discussions. These can easily be modified to best fit your course material. To have the template transferred to your course shell, simply request it to your assigned ID.
Course Template Home Page
Course Template Welcome Folder
Course Template Week 1