Hallmarks of Good Course Design

Online Faculty Development Course

Good course design is not always easy. But here we will list a few of the big ideas.

Sequential Structure

Course content - lessons, activities, assessments - appear to students in a clear, segmented and sequential organization. Content is divided into modules, by a unit of time (a week, or several weeks) or by topic. Typically, students do cannot access the entire course from the beginning, since some will find it difficult to focus on the immediate week or unit in the course.

Calendar Consistency

Canisius online courses and hybrid courses are in accordance with our academic calendar. Canisius has three possible term periods for online courses:

15 Week- in the fall or spring semesters, or a combined summer term
8 (or 7.5) Week- at the beginning or end of a fall or spring semester, or combined summer term
5 Week- at the beginning, middle, or end of the normal fall or spring semester, or during a single summer term.

Clear Communication

Students have no trouble communicating with you, and can expect your reply to relevant questions in a timely fashion.

Lucid Assessment

Give students plenty of opportunities to track their own learning, through frequent, low-stakes graded activities. Provide individualized, helpful feedback on their work. Maintain a promptly updated gradebook in D2L so at any time students know where they stand in the course.

Common Identity

Generally follow a consistent format for content appearance and delivery. Stick with D2L’s defaults for look, feel, and organization of courses. Within a course use only a few non-serif fonts, and clearly contrasting colors. A consistent "look-and-feel" makes it easier for students to navigate an online course, and simple fonts and contrasting colors help students with disabilities.

Ignatian Pedagogy

Be explicit with students how your course incorporates the Ignatian Pedagogical Paradigm. Explain how your discipline or professional field supports and is enriched by Ignatian values.

Teaching Presence

Students should be aware that a professor is present in the course, as a teacher, subject matter expert, and friendly authority. They can expect regular and helpful feedback on their work. Students will read occasional posts by the professor in asynchronous discussions. Students should not feel that the course is a self-paced instructorless experience.

Social Presence

Student-to-Student, and Student-to-Professor interaction. Students should see other students as fellow learners with whom they can collaborate, rather than just other travelers on the same road. Students should also feel their professor is a human being and a mentor-learner, rather than a machine tender or caretaker.

Diverse Content

Students can expect to read a lot, but diversify your course content by incorporating audio, video, interactive elements, and discussion. Students learn more and better when they encounter concepts, ideas, and perspectives in different forms of media. While clickable media (such as the interactive chart you are using) may seem ornamental, they keep students engaged with what they are reading and improve memory and comprehension. Different kinds of content helps students capitalize on their individual strengths, and work to improve where they need to.

Active Learning

Students learn more when they apply what they learn in various ways. Have a variety of assignment and activity types within the course. Where possible, offer students choices as to how to meet learning objectives through creative activity and composition. Where possible, offer “authentic assessments” that mirror real-world procedures, problems and challenges.

Metacognition

Help your students learn how to learn in your class, by offering regular feedback on their performance. Teach them study skills. Be explicit about appropriate time and effort for tasks you ask them to perform. Students will gain self-confidence in the discipline, and acquire a deeper appreciation of why it is important.

Normalize High Expectations

Make clear to students your confidence in them. At the same time, provide samples of high-quality work to help them internalize your expectations for their success.

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