Imagine walking into a face-to-face classroom with photocopied pages of a resource you've found for the class. You wouldn't drop them on the students' desk with no explanation, right? No, instead, you'd explain why you chose that resource and what you expect students to do with it. Teaching is not just about providing the information; it's also about providing the context for that information. That is what we mean by "meta-information."

Here are a few more examples of what we mean by meta-information:

• An instructor begins her PowerPoint presentation by saying, “Last week we talked about Topics X and Y. This week, we'll explore those concepts in more depth by focusing on....”

• An instructor provides access to a website and says, “This is a commercial site, so it’s not entirely unbiased. But look past the sales pitch because there is some good information about X, Y, and Z.”

• An instructor returns an exam and says, “Great job with Topic A, everyone. I did notice, though, Topic Z is still confusing to most of you. I’ve added some resources to the class website to help bring everybody up to speed on that topic.”

In an online course, when you provide meta-information, such as clarifying remarks, explanations about why you’re providing a resource and your expectations for using it, and concluding statements and connective tie-ins from one unit to the next, each needs to have a “home” in your online course. That means all meta-information needs to be written out or presented on a video.

Take a moment to think through the ways you would like to use meta-information in your course.