Get Your Students Hired
I agree with having the look and feel, especially for me. I'm a visual learner, so the animation and artwork/photos is important for me.
Hello Nikki,
There are so many things that go into a course and are observed by our students. Although we spend a great deal of time organizing and preparing our classes, it all boils down to what the students observe, or how they "feel" about the class.
Additionally our interactions in the classroom include our discussion board posts and are grading feedback comments. The tone that we set these comments also has a great impact on how a student "feels" class. To put it another way "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder". We must make every effort to organize and adapt our classes to the various learning styles of her students. Whether it's the tone of our interactions or a confusing layout, the effect is the same for students and often includes a less than optimal learning experience.
Hopefully, this course will help us better and more quickly recognize these short-comings in order to correct them. =)
cheers, mj
Taghreed,
I like how you said the interactivity should be right, as each class I have there are several students who have no clue how to work with technology and need the extra help, but some students need the extra interactivity.
Shelly Crider
The look and feel are important. They add to student comprehension and to a "can do" spirit. If the look is too cumbersome, students will shy away. Also an important component is the content. This is essential to learning and learning the right information.
Samantha Eaddy
I agree. The look and feel of online courses are important to keep student engage during the time student access the course. The look must be consistent and familiar to student to so it is easy to navigate and the interactivity should be right to keep student participating.
I agree! Easy navigation of an online course is, in my opinion, the most essential element that makes any online course successful. Additionally, the use of multimedia in an online course must be planned properly so not to overwhelm students. I've seen this far too often lately, where students must engage in complex simulations as a major part of their grade in a course. The instructions for the simulations can take someone 3 weeks to learn how to use the platform, immensely increasing the cognitive load on the student.
hayvelises,
Simple is good when the bottom line you want is to transfer the knowledge!
Shelly Crider
Debra,
Very good post. I like how you use the word logical. Students want this as well and those who are not logically inclined....well it helps with critical thinking!
Shelly Crider
Ajani,
I like how you stated "motley collection" because I have seen that before and just shook my head!
Shelly Crider
Kathy,
We are in a technology age, we need to use what we can. We do need to make sure that our students are use to techonolgy though as I have a a class full of older students who did not like all the technology!
Shelly Crider
Ms. Crider
I agree with the statement "The look and feel of an online course is as important as the knowledge and skills it is designed to impartâ€.
In considering this question, I needed to think about the look and feel of online classes I have worked with. Some classes were very well designed and others were not. A well-designed course should look simple and logical and the feel of it should be user friendly.
An online course that is structured in a logical way can make it easier for a student to understand where to locate information such as assignment instructions. I was involved in one online class where assignment instructions were layered within the course description material. I had great difficulty trying to find information. Another class that I was involved in provided a link for instructions in the assignment submission area. The placement was so logical that I never had to think twice about where the instructions were.
I assess the feel of an online class by looking at the clarity of material and instructions and the simplicity of submitting assignments. Clear instructions can help the student to submit assignments that meet the requirements. A class that contains ambiguous instructions will often create confusion and frustration for the student and the instructor. I was enrolled in a class that provided very vague instructions and it had a negative impact on my performance.
If I were designing an online class, I would also be sure that assignments could be submitted and edited with ease. Some platforms are very difficult to work with in terms of assignment submission.
 
Debra
I think the feel of a course is as important as its content, the look slightly less so. While you don't want to have a motley collection of ill-planned slides, spending too much time on the look at the expense of the student experience can also be a problem. From course development teams I've worked on in the past, I think that it is possible to design an interface which serves to distract the student from the more important task of acquiring skill.
its very important the look ad the feel of an online course. The material needs to be deliver in a cohesive way that the online student will perceive the content. Also easy navigation is crucial for the student, and simple instruction allow for the course to be a success.
I agree. I think it is really important to engage students in a dynamic learning environment. You want them to get something out of the experience, not to just robot through the information. The more interactive, the better. Color, pictures, animations, videos all contribute to the engagement.
Leti ,
There should be a class on how to handle change!! Change is everywhere!
Shelly Crider
Shelly-
I agree with you. I have seen the transformation of UMA-online since the beginning to today and the cosmetic changes, as well as the layout and design of the classroom has made a tremendous impact on the students. It seems every 5 weeks or so, we are making another change to enhance structural integrity, navigational simplicity as well as coming up with new ways to use the different sensors to help increase retention not only of the knowledge but the student as well. I am eager to learn more in the next modules on how to work most effectively with the tools we have in place.
Leti Ramirez
I could not agree more. A well designed course has many advantages. For the student, it can reduce stress in that the student is not guessing what the course is about or what is expected of them. For the instructor, you are able to place emphasis on the student and not spending time trying to fix the course or apologizing for any confusion.