essential Standards for Quality Online Learning: Part 1

As I wrap up another semester of online teaching with success rates at or near 100%, I decided to share the things I do that matter most to student learning and success. My hope is that this dispels any myth that teaching online is easy. Just as with learner success, teaching success is the result of deliberate effort, wise strategies, and help seeking. 

Course Overview and Introduction

The following are critical, minimum expectations for a high-quality online course:

​Make clear how students get and stay on course. Offer a brief orientation module that introduces learners to the course’s purpose and structure, communication expectations, policies, minimum technology requirements, required computer and digital literacy skills. Effectively meeting this guideline means:

• You begin communicating with students at least one week before the course starts. If possible, share the syllabus and schedule in these emails so students get a realistic preview of the expectations of the course and can make an informed decision about whether they are prepared and willing to commit to the class.

 

• A start-of-course synchronous web conference is held on the first day of class to walk through the course. The conference is recorded and made available in the course. During the conference, review the orientation assignments, tour the course on the LMS, and encourage and answer questions about the course.

 

• Reserve the first few days of the course to a required START HERE orientation module that must be fully completed to remain enrolled in the course. The orientation typically includes, at a minimum, reading the syllabus and schedule and perhaps completing a syllabus quiz or activity to confirm understanding, Other tasks might include demonstrating access to required technology and materials, writing a letter or reflection relevant to their readiness, needs, and hopes at the start of the course, completing a pre-test or self-assessment to help inform your teaching, and watching relevant media describing the course and sparking interest in the topics of the course. Consider the possible reasons why students might not successfully get on course and build in tasks that help make success more likely. In some respects, the orientation can serve as a wake up call and realistic preview for students so they start working on the course right away.

 

• Build community up front with an Introduce Yourself forum, which could be in written or (preferably) audio/visual (e.g., Flipgrid) discussions. The instructor should participate in and actively monitor this forum.  Introduce yourself to the class in a positive, approachable, and respectful manner. Humanize yourself. Emphasize learning and success. Normalize help seeking. Offer advice and commit to being supportive. Help everyone see that they can and will learn and succeed if they put in the work, use the right strategies, and ask for help. Respond to the introductions of at least some random learners. Encourage learners to respond to your introduction. In addition to helping to build community, this forum can introduce students to key technology used for further discussions in the course. If further discussions are guided by a rubric, use a rubric with detailed instructions to help students acclimate to the requirements of structured, thoughtful back-and-forth dialogue. 

Help students prepare to successfully learn online. Offer evidence-based advice on how to learn, stay motivated, and be productive online. Effectively meeting this guideline means:

• Share in the Syllabus and on the LMS the teaching and learning rationale for all learning materials, activities, and assessments. In some cases, the approaches necessary to guide success contrast with intuition (e.g., students prefer rereading, highlighting, simple flashcards over more effective techniques of deep processing, distributed practice, and retrieval practice). You might, for example, share evidence-based media relevant to successful learning, including Dr. Stephen Chew’s How to Get the Most Out of Studying video series, Colorado State University’s Science of Learning website, the Learning Scientists website, the Retrieval Practice website, and more. I dedicate the first week of all of my introductory psychology courses to three presentations/workshops on the science of learning, motivation, and productivity.

 

• Outline the effort, strategies, and help-seeking typically required to successfully learn and excel in the course. Be explicit about what is required and what is optional. Estimate the time it takes to complete tasks and structure deadlines to encourage mastery, not cramming. Emphasize what it takes to succeed in your course introduction.

 

• Prominently display links to student success resources available to help students learn and excel in the course. Some of these resources include the Help Desk, Student Success, Disability Services, Counseling Services, Health Services, the Library, and university resources, including departmental resources. Describe how to take advantage of these resources and why these resources are valuable. If possible, allow students to share their own success stories using these resources. Normalize the process of taking advantage of these resources.

 

• Share examples of excellent work and point out typical errors and issues. Offer detailed instructions, check-in hurdles, and rubrics to guide students to learning and success.

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• When using technology, walk through how to accomplish course tasks synchronously and/or asynchronously. Demonstrate assignments tasks that require critical thinking, creativity, and other critical skills.

Design your course with Universal Design Principles in mind. Effectively meeting this guideline means:

• Organize your course into regular modules with a consistent framework, structure, and sequence to help keep learners on course. Modules should help establish a routine and rhythm that is consistent with building mastery and success. Walk through the structure and sequence and share its rationale.

 

• Use precise language to clarify what learners do as they navigate the course. When possible, walk through the specific procedures for completing activities using technologies in synchronous web conferences. Otherwise (or as a complement), post asynchronous videos that demonstrate course and technology navigation procedures.

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• Use Universal Design Principles to promote student accessibility. If you are not familiar with these principles, watch the LinkedIn Learning course, Teaching Techniques: Making Accessible Learning. The Web Accessibility Initiative offers a clear summary of key principles.

Bottom Line: These principles emphasize learning and success. 

For more essential standards for online learning, you can check out Part 2 on Course Management and Part 3 on Backwards Design. For questions on these essential standards, email Dr. Bob DuBois at DrBob@UTK.edu

Written by Bob DuBois