Begin with the end in mind. Start building your online course with a template align with the QM Standards. This presentation will be shared at the QM Conference in Nashville, TN 2013: https://www.qualitymatters.org

1. Principles of EffectivePrinciples of Effective
Online Course DesignOnline Course Design
Whitney KilgoreWhitney KilgoreWhitney KilgoreWhitney Kilgore
Rapid Prototyping
with the QM Rubric
Rapid Prototyping
with the QM Rubric

2. Consistent Architecture
• Design consistency across program
• Organization of content consistent
• Modularize Content - Weekly

3. New Pedagogies
• Not just a change in delivery of face to face course
• Learner Centered Pedagogical Shift
• Connectivist
• Social Constructivist
• NOT Lecture driven like face to face

4. Assessment Types
• Formative, peer evaluation, self assessment, and summative- multiple forms of assessment
Example of assessment types in Education program

5. Fosters a Robust Intellectual Community
Social Presence is “the ability of participants to
identify with the community (e.g., course of
study), communicate purposefully in a trusting
environment, and develop inter-personal
relationships by way of projecting their individual
personalities.” (Garrison, 2009)
Teaching Presence is the design, facilitation, and
direction of cognitive and social processes for the
purpose of realizing personally meaningful and
educationally worthwhile learning outcomes
(Anderson, Rourke, Garrison, & Archer, 2001).
Cognitive Presence is the extent to which learners
are able to construct and confirm meaning
through sustained reflection and discourse
(Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001).
Garrison, D. R., Anderson, T., & Archer, W. (2000). Critical inquiry in a text-based
environment: Computer conferencing in higher education. The Internet and Higher
Education, 2(2-3), 87-105.

6. Encourage Active Learning
• Connect content to Life/Work
• Application based assignments
• Group Work
• Student created content presentations
“Learning is an active process. We learn by
doing. Only knowledge that is used sticks in
your mind.”
-Dale Carnegie

7. Promote Reflection
• Peer Review
• Discussion – Reflection posts
• Content Connections- writing assignments
• Article/Book reviews
• Reflection can aim at enhancing the effectiveness of
learning and/or promoting metacognition or similar
notions such as “learning to learn” or “self-regulation,”
all considered as essential skills for knowledge workers.

8. Provides Prompt and Meaningful Feedback
• Set clear expectations for feedback
• Quality personalized feedback

9. Use Digital Technologies to Support
& Enhance Learning
• Technology must be transparent
• Make sure learning outcomes are aligned to the
technology tools utilized

10. Abbreviations:
AP: Academic Partnerships
QM: Quality Matters
Sloan-C QS: Sloan-C Quality Scorecard
NILOA: National Institute for Learning Outcomes Assessment
Anatomy of a
QUALITY COURSE
A prominent Start Here button shows
students where to begin the course.
Alternatively, a Start Here area could
be included in the navigation menu
(QM Standard 1.1).
Link to the syllabus and course
schedule in a prominent location
to ensure students can easily find
important information when they
need it (QM Standard 6.3).
A clean navigation allows
students to easily access
course components and
helps prevent them from
getting lost in the course.
Keep menus as short as
possible and provide clear,
well-described links to
different areas of the
course (QM Standard 6.3).
The Home Page

11. Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE
Getting Started
A well-organized “start here” area helps students get off to a good start
in the course. Consider providing students with step-by-step
instructions that walk them through essential information and areas of
the course (QM Standards 1.1 & 6.3).
Students in online courses can feel disconnected,
but by including a short welcome video, you help
students get to know you and feel connected in the
course (QM Standard 1.7).
By linking to student and academic support
services, you allow students to easily access
university resources they may need during your
course (QM Standards 7.3 & 7.4).
To begin building community in your course, ask
students to introduce themselves to you and the
class (QM Standard 1.8).
Communicating online is much different than in
person. Provide students with information about
online etiquette, or “netiquette”, to help them get
off to a good start (QM Standard 1.3).

12. Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE
Welcome Letter
Provide a welcome letter and self-introduction to help
students identify with you as an individual and to set
the tone for the course (QM Standard 1.7).

13. Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE
Technical
Requirements
Online students need to know what technologies and
technical skills they need to be successful in the course
(QM Standard 1.6).
Technologies should be current and easily accessible for
students, such as through a download or by purchase at
the institution’s bookstore (QM Standards 6.4 & 6.5).

14. Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE
Modules
Create module structures that are easily navigable, and then keep
them consistent throughout the course. Use the same language and
structure to identify course components (e.g. “Module One” vs.
“Module 1”). Consistently naming things (e.g. “assignment” vs.
“activity”) also helps to eliminate confusion (QM Standard 6.3).
Provide an easily located transcript for any
video or audio that you use within the course.
This is helpful for accessibility purposes and for
learners who prefer accessing information in a
text format (QM Standard 8.2).

15. Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE
Modules
When using any type of multimedia (e.g., video, audio), provide optional access in a format accessible to students who are sight or hearing impaired
(QM Standard 8.2 and 8.4).
This example shows a SlideShare presentation within
the course. Because this tool is not accessible, a
PowerPoint version of the presentation has been made
available as well (QM Standards 8.2 and 8.4).
This example shows a video within the course. A Word
document with the text of the audio portion of the video
has been made available (QM Standards 8.2 and 8.4).

16. Anatomy of a QUALITY COURSE
Course Alignment
Strong alignment is the heart of a quality course.