Online learning can work if universities just rethink the design of their courses

https://theconversation.com/online-learning-can-work-if-universities-just-rethink-the-design-of-their-courses-50848

Course design is key to improving student engagement

Training teachers in how to design their courses is key to re-engaging individual students and holding back the tide of dropouts.

Five tips for designing an online course:

1. State your objective: Each lesson should have one concise, action-oriented learning objective to ensure your lesson design process is focused.
2. Think as a private tutor: Learners today are inundated with media tailored to them and they expect learning to be tailored as well. So think about how the tools available, including new technologies, will help create meaningful learning moments for all your students.
3. Storyboard before you build: Being able to see a complete lesson, especially one that integrates various mediums, is essential to creating a successful learning experience.
4. Build towards high-order thinking: Technology in education can go beyond multiple-choice questions and document repositories. Don’t be afraid to integrate tools that let learners create and share.
5. Remember you’re learning too: Reviewing learner results from a lesson shouldn’t just be about their score, but also evaluating how effectively the lesson was developed and executed so your teaching can adapt and learn as well.