So, what do students need in the introductory module of an online course? In her 2004 study of course design elements most valued by adult learners, Ausburn found that for online course features, the second highest-ranking item was course information documents including syllabi, schedules, outlines, grading procedures and policies. Course information documents came second to instructor announcements, with the third highest ranking for information about assignments and instructions for completing them. These three items comprised a well-defined top tier which was clearly delineated from the next tier of fourth-ranked and additional items. Ausburn notes that the common function of these three most valued components of an online course are the creation of structure and security for online learners, keeping students focused and on-task (p. 332). Ausburn’s top tier of features reflects Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) principles of good practice including contact between students and faculty, the ability for prompt feedback, emphasis and support of time on task, and communication of high expectations.
While ETEC565A is my tenth online course for MET and my 13th fully-online postsecondary course, I have until now been primarily a passive consumer of the more technical course aspects such as syllabi, schedules, academic policies, and the other nuts and bolts necessary in a course introduction. Beyond my personal anecdotal experience, I wanted to explore what suggested components of an introductory module include. Because I have no experience writing academic policies or syllabi, I chose these as my starting points and began by looking at Open Educational Resources (OER). My starting points were the broader UBC eLearning Toolkit and the OER Commons Education website.
OERs are helpful because they provide a customizable base for educators to develop their content. I started by reviewing various course syllabi and looking for common elements that reflected my experience; followed by reviewing an OER learning module specifically designed to for provide information for post-secondary distance education courses and the development of policies and guidelines (Restine, 2008). The “need to know” content that I plan to develop for my introductory module includes five components of course policy and four guidelines for student participation, as well as one icebreaker activity.
Because of my student group of graduate students, I felt that it made sense to bind them to their own academic institutions as well as policy of the Canada’s singular military college, Royal Military College Saint-Jean. To provide more substantive content to my academic integrity content, I will provide an overview of academic honesty in Plain English using an OER from Busby, 2010.
References
Ausburn, L. (2004). Course Design Elements Most Valued By Adult Learners In Blended Online Education Environments: An American Perspective. Educational Media International, 41(4), 327-337. Retrieved February 9, 2013, from http://www.uwec.edu/AcadAff/resources/edtech/upload/CourseDesignElementsMostValuedByAdultLearners.pdf
Busby, K. L. (2010). Academic or Scholastic Dishonesty. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://cnx.org/contents/a0318c86-a4f9-4789-99c7-452e2792d18d@11.
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 39 (7), 3-7. Retrieved February 9, 2014, from http://www.aahea.org/articles/sevenprinciples1987.htm
Restine, K. (2008). Specify Course Goals, Objectives, Expectations, and Policies – Promising Practices. Retrieved February 9, 2014:, from http://cnx.org/content/m16475/1.1/
