Elements
of Online Courses
When
creating an online course, a number of criteria must be met to ensure that
students receive the benefits they signed up for. Below is a list of important
ones:
Consistent
instructor presence: the value of feedback
The
role of the instructor is very important in the e-learning process because it’s
in his hands to encourage, inspire and ensure students don’t feel like they
have embarked on the learning trip alone, and also because it will ensure that
students will be tracked and given proper feedback which is very important
throughout the learning process. To facilitate such a relationship, Learning
Management Systems offer options like instant messaging between peers, email
and other tools that ensure learner and professor are but a click away from
each other.
A
streamlined and well-designed LMS
When
talking about the success of a LMS, we primarily mean that we want an
e-learning site that will be easy to navigate, is well-organized and contains
high quality material. Everyday tasks include the distribution of new material
and sending, receiving and grading assignments. A well designed LMS will ensure
that those tasks are hassle-free and that its users can easily tap into the
myriad of features that are an important part of the e-learning process.
Content
that is up to par
Aside
from the ease and design of your LMS, the next most important thing to keep a
student satisfied is the material. The role of the curriculum is to set the
tone for an organization to design a successful course and offer both teachers and
learners a set of guidelines. So while a system must be well designed and
efficient, the quality of the content must be on par with the impression you
want the LMS to make in its entirety.
Tested
delivery methods
Let’s
start with an example: you are running a course on astrophysics and you have
found a very interesting video that you feel enhances the points made within
the already existing content. Is adding said video to the material the right
move?
As
with any other website, application or product, compatibility is always a
delicate matter. We need to always be sure that the material we post for
learners to use is compatible with all the possible web browsers or platforms
being used. To avoid discouraging learners, keeping it simple is preferable to
overextending ourselves and possibly hitting an incompatibility roadblock.
All
of these key elements have the ability to foster a supportive, effective
e-learning environment. When all of these essential components are in place,
online learning establishments have the ability to not only provide students
with the skill sets and knowledge base that they are looking for, but a virtual
education platform that helps to contribute to the future success of (and
serves as a model of excellence for) the e-learning industry.
Online
tests and quizzes
Despite the fact that e-learning lacks the element of physical
presence, tests and quizzes are still an essential part of the educational
process. Through online tests and quizzes an instructor is able to track the
progress of students and assess the effectiveness of the curriculum, while at
the same time students have the ability to track their own progress and improve
on their skills accordingly.
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