Unifying Design & Navigation:
A Template for Online Course Creation
Description: I manage and support contracted developers for MSJ. The developers are hired to create new course content and build it out in Blackboard. This online template was created to ensure that all online courses were unified and consistent. This is both a helpful resource for developers and a tool to ensure a certain standard is met within each new course.
Video Tour of Development Template
There are many benefits to creating and following this unified model:
All online courses converting to this model limits student navigations issues as they are familiar with the layout.
A majority of asynchronous online courses are taught by adjunct at MSJ. Having the template and predeveloped courses ensures consistency across various semester.
Allows developers and SMEs who may not be as “tech savvy” to develop online courses.
All resources for development can be kept in the template so that all admin and developers have access.
Software:
Blackboard (LMS), Zoom, Canva, Microsoft word
For a closer look at template sections, see photos below.
Due this Week Outline. Built out in all weekly modules and set up for developers to easily fill in information.
Reading block. For uploading book chapters, articles and PDFs.
Media and Resources area. For embedding youtube videos and uploading any additional media such as graphics or audio files.
Knowledge Check module with a description of what knowledge checks are and how they should be used in a course.
Discussion board module with specific instructions for developers on how to create engaging conversation in an online course.
Assignment module with instructions on how to build out an assignment and what information should be included.
Exam Module with direct link to exam pages.
Developer support page. This includes contact information for those who can provide tech support and additional resources.
Example of additional resources provided to developers. All instruction documents were written by Hannah Cook.