A Periodic Table of Instructional Design

Five Pedagogical Practices to Improve Your Online Course Written by: Rob KellyPublished On: February 8, 2014 Because online courses have fewer opportunities for the spontaneous, real-time exchanges of the face-to-face classroom, online instruction requires a deliberate approach to design and facilitation. As Bethany Simunich says, “Online, learning doesn’t happen by chance.” 1. Using a backward design approach, Simunich has instructors consider what types of activities will enable students to demonstrate that they have achieved the course’s learning outcomes. Depending on those outcomes, the best approach might be an individual assignment or one that involves collaboration in small or large groups. 2. The instructor needs to design the discussion to give students a way to enter the conversation. What is the purpose of this discussion? Dividing students into small groups can help students get involved in the discussion. 3. Where are you now in your understanding of this concept versus where you were at the beginning of the course? 4. 5.

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