ENHANCING BLACKBOARD 9.1 COURSE DESIGN LAYOUT TO EASE FRUSTRATIONS

I.Department of eLearning: online course design in Blackboard Learn  Essential tips and best practices to Improve Design and Development of Online Courses  Basic Techniques in making content available in 3-click

1. Course Design Format – 3 click layout, chunking 2. Text Box Editor: syllabus, schedule, introduction, objectives 3.Multimedia:  Use PDF: MS PowerPoint, MS Word  Use minute intervals: audio, video, animations

1. Have you had problems finding simple information online while browsing websites? Share your experience. 2. Is anybody aware of Zeldman’s 3-Click Rule?

NO content should be more than three mouse clicks away (Zeldman, 2001). Advantages of using the 3-Click Rule:  Participants can find content easily in an online environment  Participants feel less confused  Participants are in control of their learning  Participants can maximize the learning time and interaction with other learners and their ideas. (Chikatla & Bitrus-Ojaimbo, 2011) As a result, the Department of e-Learning at Wallace State established the best practices for teaching in Blackboard Learn.

Institutional Uniformity POV: Online Learning Today: What Works, What Doesn’t

a. WSCC Layout Home Page to Week 4 is an example for WSCC Layout Home Page Coffee/Break/FAQ Room Course Syllabus Course Schedule Course Resources Welcome/Begin Here Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Supplementary Navigation

Click 1: Course Lesson Click 2: Learning Module – Image, Objectives Click 3: Lesson Topics

Stable Module Navigation Lesson Navigation Content Navigation Content Development Space Supplementary Navigation simple, consistent, organized

C. Avoid Folder Nesting: NO nesting of folders into folders into folders in folders

C. AVOID FOLDER NESTING You have to Click 4 Times just to get to a content Click 3 Click 4 Click 1 Click 2 Content PowerPoint

Type or cut and paste into the Text Box Editor

B. Course Setup Techniques – Text Editor Tool 1.Simple Blank Page OR 2.Content Area thenItem OR

Course Syllabus Semester, Year Course ID and Title Instructor Name: Office Location: Office Phone: Skype: Emergency Contact Emergency Phone: Alternative Office Hours Mondays and Thursdays 10 am to 12 pm (Strictly by appointments) FAQ Office HoursMondays and Thursdays 12 pm to 1 pm Prerequisite Credits 3 semester hours General Information This is an online course. All lectures will be available in Blackboard for all students. All assignments and test will be available online and will be submitted through Blackboard unless indicated. Please follow all instructions provided in “Syllabus, Schedule, and Resources.” Course Description The Microsoft Word 2010 software application is used to develop skills in keying and formatting documents. Beginning and intermediate procedures for processing documents on the microcomputer are examined. The student will be introduced to procedures for completing tasks by using step-by-step concepts, sequential material, and hands-on activities.

WeeksDateTopics Activities, Readings, Assignments (All due by Monday at 11:00 p.m.) Total Points Begin HereJan 9Introduction Introduction (Counts for Financial Aid attendance verification) Introduce Yourself Upload Your picture(s) Comment on 3 peers10 10 Lesson 1 Jan Creating/Editing Documents Read Lesson 1 Exercise: Quiz 1 (Choose 10 out of 15) Jan Formatting Characters Read Lesson 2 Exercise: Quiz 2 (Choose 10 out of 15) Group Discussion Jan Writing ToolsRead Lesson 3 Exercise: Quiz 3 (Choose 10 out of 15) EXAM

1..PDFs: 1..PDFs: Convert.PPT and.DOC/.DOCX files 2.Video – 2.Video – Use YouTube if you create 1-4 videos per lesson (14-30 minute intervals) 3.Animations - 3.Animations - 2D/3D, games and other activities

.PPT Files  To get to the power point in 3-4 clicks  PowerPoint's are copy write material students should not have access to it.  Save as.PDF.DOC Files  To download a word document it takes 5-6 clicks  Save as.PDF

Examples of Audio/Video  Goal is to keep them minutes long  PowerPoint presentations in Tegrity Produced by Russell Gann/ Graphics by Marisa Ring

Animations Produced by Russell Gann/ Graphics by Marisa Ring

Animations Produced by Russell Gann/ Graphics by Marisa Ring

Questions