How do I structure a learning module?

Deciding how to construct a learning module requires a good bit of planning, but that's what the course map and course planning sheet are for. The good news is that there's not one right way to construct a module. How many weeks your modules cover and what you include in them is largely determined by the content of the course and the course-level learning objectives. Thematically chunking the course content will help you figure out how to pace your students' learning (Rottmann & Rabideaux, 2017). Once you've decided how to break it all down, a consistent module structure will help students navigate the course and will reduce cognitive load.

Instructional Solutions

1. After determining how many weeks your module will last, you should begin each module with a module overview that explains not only what learners will do but also why they will do it. Thinking carefully about how all of the learning tasks align with the course-level objectives will ensure that the works students do is meaningful and productive, moving them toward a deeper understanding of the content and the steps that they need to take to complete larger course projects. 

2. Whenever possible, each module should contain links to all of the materials students will complete during that unit. If students will need to read materials that are not available online, the precise sections should be outlined. CourseDen allows you to link to both instructor-made videos and online videos that are available on YouTube and other online platforms. PDFs, Microsoft documents, and links to Google documents can easily be added as well. 

3. After creating a quiz, assignment, or discussion, you can link to those assessments in the learning module so that students can access them quickly and easily. Adding all of the materials and activities to the module creates a sort of checklist for the students. Note that you can check your class's progress using the Class Progress tool in CourseDen. 

Ed Tech Quick Guides

• Create a module in CourseDen

• Add a file to a module in CourseDen

• Create a quiz in CourseDen

• Create an assignment in CourseDen

• Set up an online discussion in CourseDen

• Checking student progress