Organizing Your Online
Course to Provide
Structure and Routine
Janine Lim, PhD
janine@andrews.edu
blog.janinelim.com
Skype: outonalim
Twitter: outonalim
A little about me…
blog.janinelim.com
Definitions
Self-Paced Open
Enrollment
 Correspondence
 Online, DVD,
Print-based
 Register anytime
 Set your own
pace to finish
Interactive Online:
Asynchronous
 Online
 Interactive
discussion boards
 Weekly or daily
paced
 No live meetings
Interactive Online:
Synchronous
 Online
 Weekly or daily
paced
 Live meetings:
GoTo Meeting,
Adobe Connect,
videoconferencing
Data obtained from surveys of students
enrolled in asynchronous (completely online)
courses offered by the State University of
New York indicate that three factors
“contribute significantly to the success of
asynchronous online courses. These factors
are a course structure that is both clear
and consistent, an instructor that interacts
frequently and productively with students,
and a constructive and dynamic
discussion between students and their
peers.”
Swan, K. (2001). Virtual interaction: Design factors affecting student satisfaction and perceived learning
in asynchronous online courses.Distance Education, 22(2), 306-331.
Researchers at the University of British
Columbia who evaluated 127 courses
offered online “have concluded that
appearance and structure can make or
break an online course.”
McCollum, K. (1998). Researchers pick best and worst web courses. The Chronicle of Higher Education,
44, A29.
Flickr image by libertygrace
Flickr image by ecastro
Flickr image by woodleywonderworks
Flickr image by cdsessums
select a course
Content
Flickr
image by
hashmil
Flickr image by Chicago Art Department
Communication
& Interaction
Assessment
Microsoft Clip Art
Flickr
image by
hashmil
web pages, resources, video clips, etc.
Structuring Content
Chunking Your Content
How many weeks long is your course?
What are the topics you will cover?
How many modules for each topic?
What are the critical components for
each module?
How many credit hours need to be
included?
Readings
Discussion
Journal
Experiments
Simulation
Group work
Modeling
Assessment
Quizzes
Test
Activities
Problems
Research
Examples
define course
components
Application
Papers
Portfolio
Projects
Lectures
Lecture notes
Case studies
construct your
content pattern
get creative
Flickr
image by
Chicago Art
Department
weekly emails, interactive discussion, phone calls, expectations
Structuring Communication and
Interaction
Data obtained from surveys of students
enrolled in asynchronous (completely online)
courses offered by the State University of
New York indicate that three factors
“contribute significantly to the success of
asynchronous online courses. These factors
are a course structure that is both clear
and consistent, an instructor that interacts
frequently and productively with students,
and a constructive and dynamic
discussion between students and their
peers.”
Swan, K. (2001). Virtual interaction: Design factors affecting student satisfaction and perceived learning
in asynchronous online courses.Distance Education, 22(2), 306-331.
Week 1: Hover!
Initial Communication
Welcome each student.
Pique their interest.
How to contact & get help.
Ice breaker or introductory activity.
Write in “oral” language.
Check email and discussion often.
Share stories and personal information.
Standard Discussion Spaces
Weekly Emails
 Intro to upcoming
topic
 Suggested schedule
 How to get help
 Status on grading
 Address any issues
from feedback
surveys or student
emails
 Well-formatted, easy
to read, and warm
and friendly
Schedule Teaching Time
 Set aside a regular time twice a day to check in
on your students. Answer all course related emails.
 Set aside a regular time at least once a day to
check in on the discussion board. Skim through for
comments that you need to post to. Post at least
as often as you require students to post. They
need to know that you are "there" as much as you
need to know that they are "there."
Dialogue "is a living experience of inquiry
within and between people. It is "a conversation
with a center, not sides. It is a way of taking the
energy of our differences and channeling it
toward something that has never been created
before." It is a "flow of meaning." Dialogue is
"about evoking insight, which is a way of
reordering our knowledge--particularly the
taken-for-granted assumptions that people bring
to the table."
Isaacs, William. (1999). Dialogue and the art of thinking together. New York: Currency. p. 9, 19, & 45
 Ask questions that lead to higher level thinking: I
wonder... Why... Do you think...? Ask real
questions. Don't ask questions that have one or two
word answers. Don't ask rhetorical or sarcastic
questions. Learning to ask divergent questions as
well as convergent ones will increase the level of
thinking and learning. For example, divergent
questions are:
 productive in contrast to reproductive (students are
asked to produce rather than reproduce). e.g. List different
ways to “see” without using the eyes. Or list occupations that
require eyesight.
 comparing and contrasting (moving from concrete to
abstract ideas) e.g. Compare/contrast books and lectures.
How is building a building similar to/different from building a
relationship?
Freed, S. & Lim, J. 2001. From posting to dialogue in 10 easy steps. http://www.avln.org/learning/aot/dialogue.htm
Future Thinking Questions
Don Tapscott has made some predictions
about what the workplace of the future will
be like. What about your workplace? Be
creative and imagine what your
classroom will look like in 5, 10, or 15
years from now. Thinking back to last
week's question, will you still be needed?
Sharing Feelings and Opinions
 Respond to one or both of these questions. Do
you agree with the description of your generation?
What about the others described? Do your
experiences challenge or confirm the description?
 How do you think online interaction affects kids?
How has it affected you? (experience)
 "Is this a generation of children who are
beginning to process information and reason
differently than the rest of us?" p. 102 Growing Up
Digital
Personal Experience
 After reading chapter one, share an experience you've
had with the "Net Generation". Do your experiences
confirm what you read or challenge what you read?
 From this week's introduction page quote, what
technology may as well be magic to you? Why or in
what ways? (This class had a weekly technology
quote posted on the assignments page. The quote
mentioned was: "Any sufficiently advanced technology
is indistinguishable from magic." -Arthur C. Clarke)
 Have you ever purchased anything online? What was
it? What was your experience like? Would you do it
again? If you haven't, then why?
generate a
discussion
question
Instructor Discussion Participation
 Refer to concepts presented in the course and
help lead to new ideas and help learners see other
relationships.
 Be visible daily in the discussion. Always ask
extension questions, encourage critical thinking,
and invite learners to think at a deeper level.
 Create posts which reflect answers showing a
good balance between critical thought and
questioning.
 Posts present a friendly, encouraging
environment for learners. Posts use humor,
personal experiences, and helpful attitudes. Posts
demonstrate respect for the learners and
demonstrate an appropriate tone toward learners.
Assignments and Homework
plan your
interaction and
communication
Microsoft
Clip Art
weekly emails,
Structuring Assessment
Quick Feedback
 If applicable, use the built-in grade book in your
course software and post the grades there at
least once a week.
 Use the quizzing feature of your software to create
graded or ungraded self-tests using the multiple
choice or T/F feature so that it is automatically
graded. Release the scores to students as soon
as they finish the quiz.
Personalized Progress Reports
Use email or your course software's mail
tool to send personalized updates and
progress reports to students. This helps
them feel connected to the class/instructor
and helps to keep them on task.
plan the structure
of assessment
Content
Flickr
image by
hashmil
Flickr image by Chicago Art Department
Communication
& Interaction
Assessment
Microsoft Clip Art
Questions?
Janine Lim, PhD
janine@andrews.edu
blog.janinelim.com
Skype: outonalim
Twitter: outonalim
Sources: AVLN classes: Active Online Teaching and Active Online Courses; Classroom Connect online
course resources