Online Course Development: First Steps...

First, I obviously needed to design a syllabus and a course schedule. I decided on 8 workshop/modules. Each module is to be completed during an assigned week, beginning July 11 and concluding September 5. The modules consist of video workshops, short quizzes, surveys, reflections or other ways of responding to the information, and a designated assignment or deliverable that I assess for mastery.

This course is a one credit pass/fail. I require each student complete all workshops and all assignments to receive credit. Since this is a pilot course, I offered students the option of engaging in the class, but without incurring penalty if they were unable to complete it. I hoped to limit the class to around 15 to 20 students. But when we sent out the email inviting students to take this optional class, I received 35 enthusiastic responses!

I decided to enroll the first 21 students that responded on the first two days. I've then placed the remaining 14 students on a waiting list. One student on the waiting list asked if he could still have access to the class even if he could not receive credit. What a good idea! So, I will offer those students a spot in the class if they're willing to commit to all of the course requirements, including the weekly assignments. Alternately, I will allow the students on the waiting list to have access to the class materials for their own self-directed learning. They can obtain all of the information but will not be required to complete the deliverables. (note: each weekly deliverable requires approximately 30 minutes per student for feedback and evaluation, so time commitment on my end is a determining factor in the class enrollment).

Creating the two different cohorts provides a test group I can later survey to see if there is value in making the online course available but without requiring the deliverables or offering feedback.