The University of Central Oklahoma sets clear expectations for online, hybrid, and self-paced online courses. These expectations are made explicit in the UCO eLearning Quality Rubric, which was designed by UCO faculty to target the major elements of a course that impact elearning. Those elements include the design of the learning environment, interaction, assessment and feedback, and innovation. The instructional design team will provide support, resources, and creativity as you create a quality elearning course.
Online Courses
Hybrid Courses
Interactive Video Courses (IVC)
More Information on IVC Courses
Self-Paced Online Courses (SPOC)
In addition to expertise in your discipline, there are two essential elements to successfully design an eLearning course: time and technology capabilities.
Time
One of the key differences in creating an eLearning course is the amount of time that has to be spent in preparation and planning—beyond just creating content. In an eLearning course, you don’t have the ability to interpret students’ reactions or to provide critical just-in-time feedback like you do in a face-to-face course. That is why planning for all contingencies is so important. This process of anticipating challenges and developing strategies for overcoming them takes time.
Technology
Being comfortable in the eLearning environment is another key component. Basic computer skills along with experience in working in D2L will allow you to spend more time on the important business of designing your learning environment. We highly recommend polishing up on these skills if you struggle in this area. The Technology Resource Center (TRC) offers regular training sessions in D2L.
Once you have been approved to design a course and have completed your contract, you will be assigned an Instructional Design Consultant (ID). Your ID will contact you to begin the design process. You will meet with your ID several times to help with the analysis and planning portion of the design process, as well to identify any multimedia needs or accessibility issues in your course.The role of the consultant is to suggest course enhancements, provide feedback on tasks, facilitate any custom multimedia projects or ADA issues, and provide assistance or training as needed throughout the design cycle.
Faculty responsibilities during the course design process:
Review Process
After you have completed building your course, your ID will review it and prepare it for evaluation. According to Academic Affairs Online Course Quality Policy No. 3.8, all online, hybrid, and self-paced online courses must be authorized through the UCO eLearning Quality course peer review process. This means that three faculty evaluators will be assigned to review your course using the UCO eLearning Quality Rubric.
Even though these courses are very different, they have all met the requirements of the eLearning Quality Rubric. We will look at the different sections of the rubric: Core Elements, Design of the Learning Environment, Engagement, Assessments and Feedback, and Innovation, and specifically how to satisfy these requirements in your course.
Examples coming soon!
Before you begin your course design, take some time to consider the following questions:
Getting Started To-Do List:
At CeCE, we use a process called Learning Environment Modeling (LEM) to build effective learning environments.
LEM uses five building blocks—information, dialogue, feedback, practice, and evidence—to create a “blueprint” of your course.
Your instructional designer will work through the LEM process with you. To prepare for your LEM session, think about these guiding questions:
For more information on LEM, please visit the ILED Website.
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This page was last updated: 08/08/2016.
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