Course Design
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Empowering Faculty Through Informed Course Design
At Wright State Online, we believe that well-designed courses are essential to providing exceptional learning experiences across a full range of learning environments. Our Course Design Pathway equips faculty with the tools and comprehensive strategies necessary to create adaptable and engaging courses. This pathway is grounded in established course design standards and best practices in higher education, ensuring that each course not only meets rigorous academic requirements but also addresses the diverse needs of today's learners.
Course Design Support
At Wright State Online, each instructional designer holds certifications in Applying the Quality Matters Rubric (APPQMR) and is certified as a Quality Matters Peer Reviewer, underscoring our commitment to delivering online courses of the highest standard. We are dedicated to providing our faculty with robust support and resources, ensuring that each course is not only engaging and comprehensive but also fully accessible.
Our creative team, composed of skilled graphic designers and video editors, plays an indispensable role in enriching our courses. They offer expert input on visual, audio, digital, and other multimedia elements, ensuring that our learning materials are not only crafted according to multimedia best practices but also maintain strict compliance with accessibility standards. Their specialized expertise is vital in designing educational content that is both effective and inclusive.
If you are seeking strategies to elevate your online course design, request support.
Explore the Seven Steps of Course Design:
- Identify Learning Objectives: Define clear, measurable learning objectives that align with course goals and student needs. This foundational step ensures that all course content is purpose-driven and outcome-based.
- Align Assessments with Objectives: Design assessments that directly align with the learning objectives. This alignment is crucial for accurately measuring student understanding and ensuring that assessments contribute meaningfully to the learning process.
- Select Content: Choose content that supports the learning objectives and resonates with diverse learning styles. This includes selecting readings, videos, interactive elements, and other educational resources that enhance instructional delivery.
- Organize Course Structure: Develop a coherent structure that logically sequences content and activities. This step involves planning the course layout to facilitate smooth progression through topics and ensure a cohesive learning journey.
- Develop Instructional Strategies: Implement effective instructional strategies that engage students and promote active learning. This involves integrating various teaching methodologies that cater to diverse learners and enhance student interaction with the material.
- Ensure Accessibility: Prioritize accessibility to ensure that all students, regardless of ability, can navigate and benefit from the course. This includes adhering to ADA compliance standards and incorporating universal design principles in course materials.
- Evaluate and Revise: Finally, continually assess the effectiveness of the course through student feedback and performance metrics. Use this data to make informed revisions that enhance the learning experience and improve course quality.
View our Wright State Online Course Design Checklist for essential insights and guidance for comprehensive instructional design strategies.
Course Design Checklist
The Online Course Design Checklist is an essential tool for designing online courses. It integrates valuable information from Quality Matters and other leading course design practices. This tool assists in creating and delivering high-quality online courses by ensuring that they meet educational standards, improving the student learning experience, and maintaining consistency in all online offerings.
For support in building your online courses to meet these standards, request support.
Establish Course and Module Learning Objectives (Weeks 1-3)
Define the foundation and structure of your course to align with educational goals.
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Define measurable course learning objectives. |
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Segment your course into smaller segments or modules. |
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Create measurable objectives for each of your modules. |
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The module learning objectives align with the course learning objectives. |
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Learning objectives are written from the learners’ perspective. |
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The learning objectives are suited to the level of the course. |
Select Assessments & Plan Feedback (Weeks 1-3)
Selecting appropriate assessments and planning effective feedback is fundamental to gauging student learning and promoting improvement.
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Need Inspiration? |
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Select assessments that align with stated learning objectives |
Why Should assessments, learning objectives, and instructional strategies be aligned? |
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Assessments are organized in a logical progress that aligns with the course content. |
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The timing of assessments corresponds appropriately with the introduction of new material. |
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Multiple types of assessments are used (e.g., quizzes, essays, projects, presentations). |
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A plan for instructor response time and feedback on assignments is clearly stated. |
Time-Saving Strategies for Improving Instructor Feedback on Writing |
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The course provides learners with multiple opportunities to track their learning progress. |
Design Instruction, Course Activities & Learner Engagement (Weeks 4-10)
Crafting engaging instructional materials and designing activities encouraging active participation is crucial to fostering deep learner engagement.
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Learning activities should promote the achievement of stated learning objectives. |
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Include activities that offer opportunities for interaction and support active learning. |
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Clearly state the instructor’s plan for responding to classroom interactions and providing assignment feedback. |
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Clearly state the requirements for learner interaction. |
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Ensure all instructional materials are up-to-date. |
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Use various instructional materials to cater to different learning preferences (e.g., Assigned readings, recorded lectures, external videos or simulations, links to publisher websites, and learning games). |
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All materials used are appropriately cited. |
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The instructor's consistent and meaningful student engagement strategy includes virtual office hours, Q&A forums, grading criteria, feedback methods, and schedules. |
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Students are given ample opportunities to engage with their peers through various collaborative platforms, such as discussion boards, Zoom rooms, Microsoft Teams chats, group projects, and Wikis. |
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Plan a strategy for group management. |
| Consider adding some synchronous opportunities. |
Select Course Technology (Weeks 4-10)
Choosing the right technology is crucial for boosting student engagement and learning. When selecting tools, ensure they align well with your tasks to optimize communication, activities, and assessments.
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Ensure tools used in the course support learning objectives. |
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Course tools should promote learner engagement and active learning. |
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All technologies required should be readily obtainable. |
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Ensure all course technologies are up-to-date. |
| Provide links to privacy policies for all external tools used in the course. |
Establish Course Expectations (Weeks 10-11)
Creating a comprehensive syllabus and clear course expectations are vital for guiding students through their learning journey.
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The syllabus is easy to read and follows the University syllabus policy. |
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Learning objectives are clearly stated. |
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Participant and interaction expectations are clearly stated. |
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Course calendar and due dates are displayed. |
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A grading scale is provided. |
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Communication expectations are stated for both students and the instructor. |
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Academic misconduct policy and accessibility resource statement are provided |
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AI policy is clearly stated. |
Assemble Your Course in Pilot (Weeks 10-11)
Use the Wright State Online Pilot template for quality online courses. It provides a comprehensive framework for course structure and ensures consistency while complying with online quality standards.
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Instructions for accessing external content are provided. |
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Multimedia and external links have been checked for functionality. |
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Instructions clearly explain how to begin and where to find different course components. |
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An introduction to the course’s goals and layout is provided to learners. |
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Expectations for netiquette during online discussions, emails, and other communications are clearly stated. |
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Course and institutional policies are communicated, or a link to current policies is provided. |
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Minimum technology needs are clearly stated, along with instructions on how to use necessary platforms or tools. |
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Any required competencies or prerequisite knowledge needed to take the course are clearly outlined. |
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The instructor’s self-introduction is appropriate and available for students to view online. |
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Encourage a learning community by having learners participate in an introductory activity to have learners start to build relationships. |
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Build each learning activity and assessment in the appropriate module and populate it with instructions and appropriate settings, including assignment category and due dates. |
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Due dates for assignments and exams match the due dates in the syllabus. |
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Build and attach grading rubrics to all activities as needed. |
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Set up your gradebook and link assignments. |
Verify Your Course Meets Accessibility Requirements (Week 12)
Verifying that your course complies with accessibility standards is necessary for providing an inclusive learning experience. This approach supports legal compliance, enhances educational opportunities for all students, and promotes ethical practices.
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Need Inspiration? |
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Run the Pilot accessibility checker to scan for and fix accessibility issues. |
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Verify all course material meets accessibility requirements. |
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Utilize the Broken Link viewer in Pilot to check for broken links and resolve any issues. |
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Provide accessibility information for all tolls used in your course (i.e., Microsoft Teams, VoiceThread, Perusal, Google Docs). |
Review and Launch Your Course (Weeks 13-16)
Review your course thoroughly to ensure it meets all design, compliance, and accessibility standards. This evaluation helps to ensure that the course adheres to educational guidelines, is accessible to all students, and meets the highest quality standards.
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Contact Wright State Online to submit a course for review. |
