Teaching Online:
Structuring and curating.
Disclaimer Haiku
This is what I’ve done
It won’t work for everyone
The students like it.
Structure
I divide my course into modules, with one module corresponding to one week in the term. Here is a picture of my usual structure with some explanations beneath it.
University instructors can create good online courses on their own with easy-to-use tools already available to them, namely a computer and their institutional learning management system (LMS).
Each Module deals with a particular topic in the course. The Module Review at the end of each module asks students to write a short essay summing up key module takeaways, exploring a particular point raised in the readings or discussions, etc.
Module 0 introduces the course and prepares the students for the type of learning experience they can expect in the course.
The course also has a term project known as MyModule. This meta exercise allows students to create their own module for the course, thereby encouraging them to reflect on how their learning is structured. Three weeks are set aside for this scaffolded assignment.
Students crave clearly organized courses. In courses delivered remotely, this is even more important. Plus, the better and clearer the design, the fewer email questions about how does X work or where does one find Y.
Curation
Modules are made up of content items. These are curated collections of articles, readings, and audio-visual materials that explore various aspects of the module’s topic.
Curation is more than just collecting. In this model of online teaching practice, lectures take a back seat to discussions, and the discussions are based on the content items that the students read, view, etc. Therefore the materials need to be collected and arranged with a view to how they support the students’ learning and lead the students to achieving the learning outcomes of the course.