» Instructional Design for Distance Education

If you are considering or preparing to develop an online or blended course, please review the general guidelines provided below. The full Guidelines for Developing an Online or Blended Course document is provided in the Preparing to Teach Distance Education Courses training module in Canvas, which is required for all faculty who want to design and/or teach DE courses. Please contact the CETL if you would like to be enrolled in the training module.

1. Use backward design to create your course. Determine the learning goals (course outcomes), how the achievement of those outcomes will be assessed, then create effective learning activities and experiences that provide students with the resources and information necessary to achieve the course learning outcomes.
2. Ensure outcomes and objectives are written to support student success, using Bloom's Taxonomy to write clear, measurable outcomes.
3. Consider the structure and sequencing of the course, following best practices for consistency, chunking, and pacing.
4. Determine appropriate learning activities and assessments for the course that will support student achievement of course outcomes and provide information about students' knowledge and skill development as the course progresses. Incorporate both formative and summative assessments in the course.
5. Write appropriate discussion prompts for online discussion assignments.
6. Select content for the course that supports the learning outcomes and promotes learning and engagement. Learning experiences and instructional activities need to be aligned with learning outcomes and assessments.
7. Use a variety of learning materials and activities to support student achievement of learning outcomes. Use a range of multimedia materials to demonstrate concepts and engage learners of all styles.
8. All distance learning courses must be designed with federal guidelines for Regular and Substantive Interaction in mind, to ensure compliance and effective teacher-student interactions, which are an essential component of learning.
9. Ensure course activities meet time on task expectations related to the credit hours for the course.
10. Take steps to ensure course materials meet accessibility guidelines; for example, use alt-text for images, provide captions for videos, and so on.

If you are planning to develop an online or blended course, you will be required to use the DE Course Design Plan Form to begin mapping out the outcomes, objectives, and learning activities for your course. This will help you and the instructional designer build the course in Canvas and identify materials that need to be created for the online or blended course.

A course template has been created in Canvas for use in the development of any online or blended courses delivered at Chapman. An outline of this template is below. Faculty who are developing an online or blended course can request a copy of the template and will be required to work with the CETL instructional designer to create their course.

Module 1: Course Introduction and Information

1.1 Course Overview: Introduces the course, including the course description and outcomes

1.2 Meet Your Instructor: Introduces the instructor, including contact information

1.3 Course Syllabus: Includes a PDF copy of the course syllabus

1.4 Course Resources: Provides information about the texts and other resources needed for the course

1.5 Introduce Yourself (open discussion forum)

1.6 Course Q&A (open discussion forum)

Module 2: Student Resources

2.1 Technology Requirements: List of technology resources needed for the course; includes technical support contact information

2.2 Chapman Student Resources: Links to a variety of student resources at Chapman including academic, technology, and counseling resources

2.3 University Policies: Links to standard Chapman policies, including academic integrity, equity and diversity, students with disabilities

2.4 Getting Started with Canvas: Links and videos providing guidance on using Canvas as a student

2.5 Canvas: Helpful Tips & Support: Additional links and videos, plus Canvas support links

2.6 Introduction to Web Conferencing: Information and links to assistance with Zoom, Teams, Google Hangouts

2.7 Chapman Learning Technologies: Links to the Canvas for Students course created by the ETS team

2.8 Online Netiquette: Guidelines for communication and contact in the online environment

Modules 3-17: Week [#] (module is repeated for weeks 1-15)

3.1 Week # Learning Guide: Lists week’s objectives, learning activities, and a to-do list for students for the week

3.2 Week # Learning Materials: Embedded learning materials – lecture presentations/videos, articles, etc.

3.3 Week # Discussion: Includes a prompt and guidelines for posting, plus a link to discussion-specific technical support

3.4 Assignment (as needed): Includes instructions/guidelines, due dates, and technical support link

3.5 Quiz/other assessment (as needed)

3.6 Week # Reflection: Optional discussion area to collect students' reflections, questions, etc. about the concepts and topics covered that week.

Chapman is a member of Quality Matters, an organization that supports the development of high-quality learning experiences in online and blended courses. All DE courses at Chapman must be in alignment with the QM Higher Education Rubric.

If you would like to learn more about Quality Matters or access QM materials, please reach out to the CETL to request access.