Reflections on redesigning
Working on the details of my module 1 for my course on Blackboard connect seems more instructive to me now as I have clearer directions of where I am going. I have gotten constructive feedback from the instructor as well as exemplars of courses that I can use to guide me. I used the feedback I have received to pay attention to my design elements selection so that they are more productive. Since I have never created an online course before, perhaps it would have been better for me to develop a course where I knew the content of the subject matter well. Creating a new course where I had to find sources. learn the tools of the LMS and make decisions about the design elements was too much to accomplish all at once. Here are the some of the design Elements which I improved on: narrowing my communication methods, redesigning my content and navigation elements; for example creating folders for activities for each week where the task would be more intuitive to the learner.
Since I have never created an online course before, most of my choices for the elements that I selected were based on some of the elements that I enjoyed in some of the courses I have taken in Blackboard. Additionally, I sought out high school students from my town and got their input on some of the design elements to include. While I did use feedback and ideas for how my course should be constructed from this ‘focus group’ I realized that I can’t base my decisions on just what they liked about the course or what I preferred about design elements but that I have to ensure that my choice for design elements are grounded in scholarly research. As I move forward I am considering how to use the different elements and designs for pedagogical reasons and not just because they are available. I will continue developing this course and hopefully I will be able to explore the other learning management systems as I learn best by exploring.