Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard
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Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard
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The Blackboard Exemplary Course Program began in 2000 with the goal of identifying and disseminating best practices for designing engaging online courses. Using an established rubric for online course quality, faculty and course designers can evaluate how well their course conforms to proven online teaching best practices for Course Design, Interaction and Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support. During this online session offered 12/17/13, we explored suggested best practices included in the Blackboard Exemplary Course Program Rubric for designing engaging online courses. Practical tips for building a course in Blackboard that meets the established quality benchmarks and links to sample award-winning course tours were provided. We also covered the steps and associated deadlines for faculty interested in submitting their course for consideration as a Blackboard Exemplary Course. This workshop was geared toward an audience already familiar with the basic online teaching tools available in Blackboard.
Transcript of Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard
Designing Exemplary Online Courses in Blackboard
Overview
Best Practices
Practical Tips
Sample Courses
What Constitutes Quality Online?
Blackboard Catalyst Program
The Blackboard Catalyst Award Program honors those who push the boundaries of their educational programs and technology in order to delivery innovative and effective learning experiences.
Catalyst Award Categories
Exemplary Course Award
Staff Development
Award
Student Impact Award
Innovation Award
exciting and innovative
courses that represent the
very best in technology and
learning
individuals and/or
institutions that successfully
increased levels of student
engagement or retention
those who support and enhance faculty and professional development skills
those that think outside the box in such areas related to teaching and learning practices, online program management, etc.
Exemplary Course Program
Blackboard.com/ecp
Exemplary Course Program Rubric
Developed based on research and best practices, used for evaluating in four areas:Course Design, Interaction & Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support
Exemplary Course Program Rubric
j.mp/bbecprubric14
Course Design
• Elements of instructional design, including aspects including:– Structure of the course– Learning objectives– Organization of content– Instructional strategies
Interaction & Collaboration
• Interaction: communication between and among learners and instructors, synchronously or asynchronously
• Collaboration: subset of interaction, referring specifically to those activities in which groups are working interdependently toward a shared result
Learning Community = sense of belonging to a group, rather than each student studying independently
Assessment
• Assessment focusing on instructional activities designed to measure progress towards learning outcomes, provide feedback to students and instructor, and/or enable grade assignment
Learner Support
• Learner Support addresses the support resources made available to students taking the course.
• Resources may be accessible within or external to the course environment.
• Specifically, learner support resources address a variety of student services.
Major Areas & Sub-Categories
Course Design
Interaction & Collaboration Assessment Learner
Support
• Goals & Objectives
• Content Presentation
• Learner Engagement
• Technology Use
• Communication Strategies
• Development of Learning Community
• Interaction Logistics
• Expectations• Assessment
Design• Self-assessment
• Orientation to Course and LMS
• Supportive Software Plug-ins
• Instructor Role and Information
• Policies & Support• Accessibility• Accommodations • Feedback
Sample Course
• ETT 510 – Instructional Media & Technology• 10-week, online course with initial f2f meeting• Graduate course in Technology Specialist
online cohort program, NIU Department of Educational Technology, Research & Assessment
• Developed and taught for first time in Blackboard, Fall 2013
• Presenter plans to submit for consideration as ECP, available for NIU faculty to be enrolled
ETT 510: Instruc. Media & Tech.
Example Attributes to be Shared
Course Design
Interaction & Collaboration Assessment Learner
Support
• Goals & Objectives
• Content Presentation
• Learner Engagement
• Technology Use
• Communication Strategies
• Development of Learning Community
• Interaction Logistics
• Expectations• Assessment
Design• Self-assessment
• Orientation to Course and LMS
• Supportive Software Plug-ins
• Instructor Role and Information
• Policies & Support• Accessibility• Accommodations • Feedback
Welcome – Start Here
Goals and Objectives Easily Located
Goals and Objectives Available in a Multiple Areas
Content Available or “Chunked” in Manageable Segments
Consistent Unit Structure
Navigation Intuitive
Info needed at beginning of the courseCourse news and updates
Social connections for building sense of community
Course content, activities, and assessments
Interaction
Reflection, feedback, & self-paced assistance
Collaboration in group
Content Flows in Logical Progression
Content Presented in Variety of Appropriate Mechanisms
Content Enhanced with Visual & Auditory Elements
Guidance for Learners to Work with Content
Tools Available in LMS to Engage Students with Course Content
Wide Variety of Delivery Media Incorporated into the Course
Effort Made to Use Low-Cost or No-Cost Materials When Available
Plentiful Opportunities for Synch. and/or Asynch Interaction
Asynchronous Communication Promote Critical Reflection
Asynchronous Communication Promote Critical Reflection
Synchronous Communication Activities, Real-Time Interactions
Communication Activities Designed to Help Build Sense of Community
Student-to-Student Interactions Required
Collaboration Activities Reinforce Learning Outcomes
Guidelines Explaining Required Levels of Participation
Rubric or Equivalent Grading Document is Included
Instructor Actively Participates, Including Providing Feedback
Instructor Uses Communication Tools to Provide Course Updates
Instructions Written Clearly and with Sufficient Detail
Assessment Activities Occur Frequently Throughout Course
Multiple Types of Assessments are Used
Opportunities for Self-assessment Provided
Contact Information for Instructor Easy to Find
Links to Institutional Policies
Course Materials are Accessible
Transcript provided for videos
YouTube videos captioned
Supportive Mechanisms for Learners with Disabilities
Learners Have Opportunity to Give Feedback on Course Design
View Exemplary Course Tours
j.mp/bbecptours13
ECP Winners Gallery
ecpgallery.coursesites.com
Volunteer to Review
• Explore in-depth a variety of different online courses and get ideas and inspiration for your own online courses
• Apply lessons learned from the Exemplary Course Rubric to your own courses or those you are helping to develop
• Share your knowledge and experience with others by providing feedback on their course designs
• Gain professional development experience and recognition for your accomplishments and participation in the programj.mp/bbecpreviewer14
Submitting Your Course
Blackboard.com/ecp
Questions?
