Distance Education - Part 5 The Essential Elements of an Online Learning Module

Every online learning module should have a detailed strategy and clearly understood performance goals and objectives. Taking curriculum used in a traditional school and simply tweaking the content to create an online course is not only unacceptable, it simply does not work in practice.  As I stated in an earlier post 'what works well in a traditional classroom does not necessarily translate over into an online learning environment'. This is true of teaching students, as well as, training new technology and library teachers.  Listed below are 10 key elements I believe are highly significant to an online learning module's content:

1. The goals and objectives clearly state what the participants will know or be able to do at the end of each unit or course. 
2. A clear, complete course overview and syllabus are included in the course. A concise overview of the objectives and expectations of what a technology/library teacher needs to know for their position with its many responsibilities.
3. Expectations for academic integrity, use of copyrighted materials, plagiarism and netiquette (internet etiquette) regarding lesson activities, discussions and e-mail communications are clearly stated. Technology teachers need to model netiquette and teach the proper use of copyrighted materials and what plagiarism is, the OLM will model these expectations to the technology teacher.
4. Online instructor resources and notes are included. For the technology/library teacher that wants to refer back to notes or review micro lectures of some or all of the training at a later date in the school year, resources and notes are included for reference and review.
5. The course is organized by units and lessons that fall in logical sequence. The OLM will be organized by topic, as well as, by what the technology/library teacher needs to know sequentially for the first few months of school.  Additional units or information will be posted mid-year and end-of-year.
6. The course instruction includes activities that engage teachers in active learning.  Just as students need to be engaged in their learning, so do adults.  The average attention span for adults is just 15 – 20 minutes. A variety of learning technologies will be utilized – microlectures to discussions to webinars or live meetings.
7. The course design provides opportunities for instructor-student interaction and student-student interaction, including opportunities for timely and frequent feedback.Students no matter what age learn a lot from each other’s experiences and feedback. To promote social presence and community and to ensure that the technology teacher does not feel like an island in their school, it is very important for the new teacher to be involved in interactive opportunities like discussion posts, blogs or live meetings.
8. Teachers have access to resources that enrich the course content. Being technology teachers means that these teachers need to be “in the know” on various types of technology, web tools and resources.  The OLM will be a go-to place for the new and for the experienced technology teacher.
9. User interface has clear and consistent navigation and includes rich media in multiple formats.  The OLM needs to be easy-to-use and have a variety of learning opportunities in order for it to be used by the new and the experienced tech teacher.
10. The course is updated periodically to ensure that the content is current. If this OLM is to be the go-to place for the technology teachers – the new and the experienced – it needs to have up-to-date information and able to have information that other tech teachers can share with each other. 

"ISTE Standards for Computer Science Educators." Standards for Computer Science Educators. ISTE, n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

Mills, Amanda. "Feedback+in+online+learning - Google Search." Feedback+in+online+learning - Google Search. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Morrison, Debbie. "Resources for Course Designers." Online Learning Insights. N.p., 31 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Apr. 2015.

National Standards for Quality Online Teaching (n.d.): n. pag. INACOL. International Association for K-12 Online Learning, Oct. 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.