scholarly journals Rapid Development Studio: An Intensive, Iterative Approach to Designing Online Learning

SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110475
Author(s):  
Bing Mei ◽  
Lawrence May ◽  
Rena Heap ◽  
Damon Ellis ◽  
Sue Tickner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Prior Models

Given the increasing demand for online learning at the tertiary level, there currently exists a need to modify or develop instructional design (ID) models/approaches that can effectively facilitate the collaboration between learning designers and teachers, as well as to research the effectiveness of these models/approaches. Against this backdrop, adopting a design-based research approach, we tested a practical ID approach that is developed on two prior models: rapid prototyping and collaborative course development. Accordingly, a 2-week rapid development studio—an agile, intensive, iterative ID process—was arranged. Data from multiple sources were gleaned during the study to generate a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the proposed approach. Overall, results suggest that the approach is effective for developing online courses in case of a limited time frame and was positively perceived by both course instructors and learning designers. Moreover, practical tips for replicating the process in other contexts are also shared. It is our hope that the study will stimulate further exploration of alternative ID models/approaches to improve online course design efficacy in other higher education institutions.

Most courses are not born digital

2014 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 217-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evangeline Marlos Varonis
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Review Process ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Shared Services ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss benefits of and barriers to online learning and describe utilization of the Quality Matters (QM) peer review process as a method to assure the quality of online courses. It outlines the QM higher education rubric, explains how the collaborative QM peer review process facilitates online course design and certification, reports on the development of a statewide consortium in Ohio, and explores future directions in online courses. Design/methodology/approach – This paper offers a brief historical review of the incorporation of technology into teaching and learning. It describes attitudes toward online learning and the creation of the non-profit QM program as a vehicle for improving online course design. It summarizes the eight standards of the QM rubric, describes the QM peer review process, and discusses the implementation of the Ohio QM Consortium (OQMC) as a shared services model. Findings – Given existing barriers to online learning, the QM program can improve learning outcomes by offering best practices in online course design, validating the quality of online courses, encouraging faculty buy-in through a focus on design rather than content, and facilitating degree completion through recognition of quality courses. Practical implications – Institutions that seek to validate online course quality in a cost-effective manner can explore a shared services model such as that developed by the OQMC. Originality/value – This paper introduces to an international audience a program and process, widely implemented in the USA, which encourages inter-institutional cooperation and promotes a supportive culture among online educators.

Authentic Learning in Online Courses

2012 ◽  
pp. 82-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deb Gearhart
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Real World ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Authentic Learning ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Instructional Designers ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Design Students

The purpose of this chapter is to describe authentic learning, review the literature pertaining to authentic learning, discuss the benefits for online learning, and provide a model for the use of authentic learning in online course design. Students comment they are motivated by solving real-world problems and often express a preference for doing rather than listening. At the same time, most educators consider learning by doing the most effective way to teach (Lombardi, 2007). The chapter will be beneficial to instructors and instructional designers alike.

scholarly journals Improving the K-12 Online Course Design Review Process: Experts Weigh in on iNACOL National Standards for Quality Online Courses

2017 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Adelstein ◽  
Michael K. Barbour
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Second Phase ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Research Perspective ◽  
K 12

<p class="3">Within the K-12 online learning environment there are a variety of standards that designers can utilize when creating online courses. To date, the only research-based standards available are proprietary in manner. As such, many jurisdictions have begun adopting online course design standards from the leading advocacy organization, which that have yet to be validated from a research perspective. This article reports on the second phase of a three-stage study designed to examine the validity and reliability of the iNACOL <em>National Standards for Quality Online Courses</em>. Phase two utilizes two groups of expert reviewers to examine and provide feedback with goal of further refining these standards (after the standards had been scrutinized through the lens of the available K-12 online learning literature).</p>

Learning Analytics Considered Harmful

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie P Dringus
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Research Community ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Full Potential

This essay is written to present a prospective stance on how learning analytics, as a core evaluative approach, must help instructors uncover the important trends and evidence of quality learner data in the online course. A critique is presented of strategic and tactical issues of learning analytics. The approach to the critique is taken through the lens of questioning the current status of applying learning analytics to online courses. The goal of the discussion is twofold: (1) to inform online learning practitioners (e.g., instructors and administrators) of the potential of learning analytics in online courses and (2) to broaden discussion in the research community about the advancement of learning analytics in online learning. In recognizing the full potential of formalizing big data in online coures, the community must address this issue also in the context of the potentially "harmful" application of learning analytics.

scholarly journals Applying the Matrix Model in an English for Presentation Online Class during COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of an Undergraduate Class in Thailand

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 12
Author(s):  
Prapaporn Sompakdee ◽  
Wichuta Chompurach ◽  
Werachai Thanamaimas ◽  
Siraprapa Kotmungkun
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Matrix Model ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Private University ◽  
Online Course ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Online Course Development ◽  
Data Collections ◽  
Class Presentation ◽  
Academic Year

During the COVID-19 pandemic, online learning was an important topic for scholars. A private university in Khon Kaen Province, Thailand followed a policy to create online courses for every subject to ensure that education could proceed effectively. To correspond with the policy, the Matrix Model was integrated with the online course development of an English for Presentation class at this private university. The Matrix Model is also known as SAMR which refers to Substitution, Augmentation, Modification, and Redefinition. The online course was presented in the third semester of the academic year of 2019 with 77 participants who volunteered to participate in this course. The research instruments used in this study were observation, surveying, and interview. The data collections were done at the beginning, during, and after the course to provide a comprehensive study of online learning. The data revealed both positive opinions and obstacles associated with this online learning. The results of using the SAMR model in this study do provide benefits to students and educators and show that 84% of the participants prefer online presentation over in-class presentation.

scholarly journals ON THE NATURE AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL PRESENCE IN ONLINE COURSE DISCUSSIONS

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen Swan ◽  
Li Fang Shih
Keyword(s):  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Social Presence ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Computer Mediated Communication ◽  
Online Discussions ◽  
Influential Factor ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Mediated Communication ◽  
Quantitative Results

“Social presence,” the degree to which participants in computer-mediated communication feel affectively connected one to another, has been shown to be an important factor in student satisfaction and success in online courses. This mixed methods study built on previous research to explore in greater depth the nature of social presence and how it develops in online course discussions. The study combined quantitative analyses of survey results from students enrolled in four online graduate courses, and qualitative comparisons of students with the highest and lowest perceptions of social presence. Quantitative results revealed significant correlations between perceived social presence and satisfaction with online discussions, and teased apart the respective influences of the perceived presence of instructors and peers. The findings indicate that the perceived presence of instructors may be a more influential factor in determining student satisfaction than the perceived presence of peers. Correlations with other course and learner characteristics suggest that course design may also significantly affect the development of social presence. Qualitative findings support the quantitative results. In addition, they provide evidence that students perceiving the highest social presence also projected themselves more into online discussions,and reveal meaningful differences in perceptions of the usefulness and purpose of online discussion between students perceiving high and low social presence.

scholarly journals Understanding Learner Behaviour in Online Courses through Learning Analytics

2021 ◽  
pp. 381-390
Author(s):  
D. Thammi Raju ◽  
G. R. K. Murthy ◽  
S. B. Khade ◽  
B. Padmaja ◽  
B. S. Yashavanth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Learning Experience ◽  
Training Needs ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Quality Of Education ◽  
Time Data

Building an effective online course requires an understanding of learning analytics. The study assumes significance in the COVID 19 pandemic situation as there is a sudden surge in online courses. Analysis of the online course using the data generated from the Moodle Learning Management System (LMS), Google Forms and Google Analytics was carried out to understand the tenants of an effective online course. About 515 learners participated in the initial pre-training needs & expectations’ survey and 472 learners gave feedback at the end, apart from the real-time data generated from LMS and Google Analytics during the course period. This case study analysed online learning behaviour and the supporting learning environment and suggest critical factors to be at the centre stage in the design and development of online courses; leads to the improved online learning experience and thus the quality of education. User needs, quality of resources and effectiveness of online courses are equally important in taking further online courses.

scholarly journals 9. Quality Matters: A Faculty-Centred Program to Assure Quality in Online Course Design

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay Shattuck
Keyword(s):  
Review Process ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Peer Review Process ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Quality Assurance Program ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Design Standards ◽  
Online Course Design ◽  
Quality Matters

One of the dilemmas faced by today’s faculty is assuring quality in online courses. As one solution to that dilemma, Quality Matters (QM), a program of MarylandOnline, built a rubric of design standards informed by existing research literature and best practices. The rubric was implemented within a faculty-centred, peer review process in which colleagues share their expertise to facilitate course design improvements and to achieve an established level of quality in online course design. This article will describe the basic tenets and processes of QM as an inter-institutional quality assurance program for online learning.

scholarly journals Evaluating Online Course Quality: A Study on Implementation of Course Quality Standards

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Whitney Zimmerman ◽  
Barbara Altman ◽  
Bethany Simunich ◽  
Kay Shattuck ◽  
Barbra Burch
Keyword(s):  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Online Learning ◽  
Course Design ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Faculty Professional Development ◽  
Course Quality ◽  
Peer Reviewers ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Relationship

This study examined the relationship of intentional faculty professional development, intentional online course design, and informal course reviews to the results of official interinstitutional peer review within higher education institutions. Quality MattersTM (QM) provided the setting for this exploration of the relationship of three independent variables at the course level at institutions that have voluntarily implemented QM online learning quality assurance tools and processes. Data for this study were extracted from a larger statistical project conducted regularly by QM, which included the results of 5,436 online course reviews completed between September 2014 and May 2020 at 360 institutions. These courses were assessed for meeting quality standards in structured, interinstitutional, reviews, conducted by three faculty peer reviewers. QM provided the setting and data for this study; however, the study was not about QM. Instead, it was about exploring the relationships of variables within an institution’s control in the quest for benchmarking and improving online learning. Having and disseminating online course quality standards does not ensure implementation of those standards and quality assurance processes. This observational study provides a better understanding of how the implementation of those standards and quality assurance processes might impact outcomes.

Using Learning Analytics to Enhance Student Learning in Online Courses Based on Quality Matters Standards

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 165-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florence Martin ◽  
Abdou Ndoye ◽  
Patricia Wilkins
Keyword(s):  
Online Learning ◽  
Learning Analytics ◽  
Online Courses ◽  
Online Course ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Descriptive Data ◽  
Quality Matters ◽  
Frequency Of Use ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Enhance Student Learning

Quality Matters is recognized as a rigorous set of standards that guide the designer or instructor to design quality online courses. We explore how Quality Matters standards guide the identification and analysis of learning analytics data to monitor and improve online learning. Descriptive data were collected for frequency of use, time spent, and performance and analyzed to identify patterns and trends on how students interact with online course components based on the Quality Matters standards. Major findings of this article provide a framework and guidance for instructors on how data might be collected and analyzed to improve online learning effectiveness.

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