1. Draft Online Course Template Development Nnannah C. James
Instructional Design
Draft Online Course Template Development
Nnannah C. James

2. Introduction and Course Goals
Overview – A general introduction to the course
Course Goals – The instructional goals for the course
Course Components – A description of media used in the course
Lesson Breakdown – A list of all lesson titles in sequence
Syllabus– A list of course prerequisites, requirements, resources, etc.
Calendar – A chronology of assignment deadlines and other events

3. Introduction cont’d
Learner Contract – A written promise from students to satisfy course requirements
Any Questions? – An electronic bulletin board for student questions
Tips for success – Study strategies to help students succeed in the course
Tips for Distance Learners – General orientation for novice distance learners
Tips for teaching this course – Teaching tips for other faculty who may teach this course

4. Overview A general introduction to the course.
Channel: Between one paragraph and two pages.  Consider narrative form, perhaps supplemented by an outline and/or mind map.  May also include video and/or audio clips as well as graphics, slides or other images.

5. Overview cont’d.
Task Implementation  Provide a general introduction of the course purpose, themes and content.  Provide “reasons to learn” by offering a few examples of how the course content is applied in the “real world.”  You may also wish to describe the course textbook, your general teaching and assessment strategies, and the typical lesson components and activities students can expect throughout the term.

6. Teasers
What is the purpose of this course?  What’s it about?  What are the general concepts and skills that will be taught?  
What are the general themes or “big ideas” that will be presented in this course?  
What type of people/students would benefit by taking this course?  How will they be able to benefit from the concepts and skills they will learn?  How might they be able to use what they’ll learn?  

7. Teasers cont’d
Are there typical prerequisites for this course?  If so, what are they?  
What teaching and assessment strategies will be used in this course?  What are the typical activities, exercises and assignments that students can expect to see in each lesson?  
Who is the instructor for this course?  What is his/her background?

8. The instructional goals (a.k.a. “terminal objectives”)
Channel: At least 8 and no more than 20 for the entire course; about one for each lesson
Task Implementation: Try to describe observable and measurable behaviors.  Avoid vague terms such as understand or know.  Instead, use specific action verbs such as list, identify, define, classify and describe.

9. Teasers
What do you want the students to be able to do after they take this course?  
Finish this sentence:  “After completing this course, students will be able to….”

10. Lesson Breakdown A list of each lesson in the course
Channel: On a single page, list each lesson number and its title.  If you use a course       textbook, you may also wish to include the corresponding pages of reading for each lesson
Task Implementation: If the online lessons follow the same sequence presented in the text, chapter-by-chapter, to avoid confusion, break up the content into manageable “chunks.”  Try to cover easier concepts and sub-skills in earlier lessons before moving on to more difficult material.  Group related concepts and skills into the same or adjacent lesson. For instance treat “conduction”, “convection”, and “radiation” before the core areas of thermodynamics.

11. Syllabus and/or Calendar
This is provided by the instructor.
Channel: Detailed list of required assignments, grade scale, expectations, rules, regulations, requirements, important dates, etc.  Also may include important addresses and online resources for distance learning students

12. Syllabus cont’d
Task Implementation: The Syllabus and Calendar should represent the most accurate plan for the course possible.  Sometimes, however, an instructor will want to add or delete planned activities or revise the calendar of due dates based upon student progress and needs.  Keep options open by adding a comment that the Syllabus and Calendar are subject to change.

13. Tips for Success
Tips for students that will help them succeed in the course
Channel: 1 – 3 pages of text (maximum)
Task Implementation: Rather than forcing students to “scroll” through multiple pages of text, break up the suggestions into categories which can be accessed by different “links.”

14. Teasers
Describe the typical components of each lesson, and what the student is expected to do for each one.  
Offer ideas for getting more out of textbook and online reading (e.g., reading and note taking strategies).  
Provide general tips for success in an online course.  
Offer links to other web sites (Technorati, delicious)

15. Content Presentation
Text book - Assigned reading from a traditional or electronic text
Lecture - Audio, video or text-based lecture for the lesson
Worked Examples - Worked-out solutions to problems using key lesson concepts
Web Resources - Internet sites with information on the lesson topic. WWW research and/or resource sites to expand and/or reinforce learning for each terminal objective in the lesson at hand.
Suggested Readings - Supplemental reading from traditional books or articles
FAQs - Answers to questions commonly asked by students in this lesson
Any Question - An electronic bulletin board, or real-time chat for student questions on this lesson