Module 3
Lecture Notes - Part 1

 

Syllabus, Orientation Materials, Schedule, & Technology Help

 
A. Online Versus Face-to-Face Syllabus Design

 
Online-course syllabi are not simply digital versions of syllabi designed for traditional, face-to-face courses.

Traditional syllabi are designed under the assumptions that
 
i) relevant questions will be answered, misunderstandings will be cleared up, and details will be filled in during the class meetings and
 
ii) the document will have a general reference function and will include all non-course-content materials.
 
None of these assumptions truly apply to online courses.

On one hand, the absence of face-to-face meetings places extensive demands for clarity and detail on the online syllabus, which must anticipate and prevent potential misunderstandings.
On the other hand, the need for the contents of this document to actually be fully read and closely followed from the outset of a course means that it has to be succinct and to-the-point.
To satisfy both requirements, the online version of a course syllabus can and often does consist of several distinct, well-organized, and interrelated documents that collectively assume the role of the traditional syllabus.

In other words, an online "syllabus" does not have to be a single, long document but may be a collection of documents that includes:
 
i) a Syllabus, focusing on course description, learning goals, overall structure, and general expectations (including grading scale, components, and weights),
 
ii) a Schedule, outlining module-level topics, objectives, assignments, and deadlines), and
 
iii) a Course Orientation document, focusing on the course Web site's structure and technology requirements, pointing students to technical and other support resources, and in general easing students into the online-course environment.
 
Tip: To ensure the documents are read, you may include a relevant quiz or some other activity that requires access to the materials. Here is an example.

In such design, detailed assignment descriptions, instructions, and grading criteria are reserved for presentation within the context of each module's learning-assessment activities, while technical and other support information are presented in separate documents and/or dedicated course-menu items.

 

B. Online Syllabus, Orientation, and Schedule Design: Practical Guides

Overview

For DOTS, we chose to present you with a set of course-introduction documents rather than a single, long syllabus. Information was separated and organized into the Syllabus, Schedule, and Orientation documents based on information-type and focus.
Whether you chose to present this information in a single or multiple documents, information must always be organized based on type and focus. Given the fact that these different types of information will likely also be accessed at different times and for different reasons, offering them as separate documents with their own access points represents an increasingly common practice in online course design.
Do you find this organization effective?
 

University of Washington Online

The University of Washington provides access to the syllabi and orientation materials of seven beginner, intermediate, and advanced online courses in Communication.
After you visit the page, click on a course title and then on the "view course introduction" link.
These course introductions are, in their majority, well designed and, along with the DOTS introductory materials, provide you with good models for your courses.

 
Syllabus

You may save these ten sample syllabi for future reference.
Note: The syllabi have been packaged into a single .zip file. Save this file on your computer and unzip it to access the ten syllabi (.pdf files).
 
The sample syllabi span a variety of topics (from nursing to education), modalities (online and blended), lengths (from six to thirty-one pages long), formats (similar to or different from DOTS), and writing styles (prose or bulleted-list based).
What features best appeal to you?
How about designing a syllabus as a flowchart? 

Regardless of the format and style you pick for your syllabi, you need to ensure they are clear and at-once detailed and succinct.

"As much as any research monograph, the syllabus is a site where our professional integrity is tested and where our professional identity is formed.”
Terry Collins, Director of Academic Affairs, General College, University of Minnesota.

Syllabus-Design Checklist (long syllabus format)
(modified from IDEAL, Bowling Green State University)

  • Course title and information (e.g. modality, prerequisites, number of credits, etc.)
  • Instructor's name, contact information, and availability (e.g. weekends?)
  • Course description
  • Course goals
  • Technical requirements and contact information for technical and any other support resources, whether text or Web based (this section can be standardized, department-wide)
  • List of quizzes, exams, and other graded assignments and discussions, including assigned grade percentages or points; general criteria for a passing grade; policies on late submission of assignments
  • Participation standards, discussion rubrics, and group-work expectations
  • Explanation of how the online classroom is organized and how students will proceed with each module's class activities
  • Special instructions, including file-naming conventions for e-submission of assignments etc.
  • Any relevant institutional policies, procedures, or resources (e.g. academic-integrity statement, office for students with disabilities, writing center, etc.)
  • Module-by-module schedule, including topics, assignments, readings and other resources, and dates associated with each module (this information may be reserved for a separate Schedule document)

Detailed syllabus-design checklist compiled by IDD staff (long syllabus format).
 

For an extensive practical guide to online-syllabus design you may consult Chapter 4 in Ko and Rossen (2008)  (reprint of the 2000 edition).

Orientation and Schedule

It is highly recommended for online courses to include an Orientation page, organized in distinct, progressive steps that

  • outline the course Web site's structure, navigation features, and content,
  • introduce students to the technology and other resources necessary to efficiently and effectively participate in the course,
  • lay down the basic rules for course-related communication, synchronous and asynchronous, and
  • clearly communicate a sense of progression within the course's overall structure.

Such information is particularly useful to online students, who cannot take advantage of the structuring and support benefits associated with traditional courses' regular face-to-face meetings. It therefore makes good sense to bring it to the surface rather than bury it into a long syllabus, permitting both the syllabus and orientation resources to better fulfill their distinct functions.
 

Schedule pages offer a module-by-module outline of a course, including topics, assignments, quizzes, activities, Web resources, and dates associated with each module. As mentioned previously, detailed assignment descriptions, instructions, and grading criteria are reserved for presentation within the context of each module's learning-assessment activities.

 

Orientation and Schedule Samples (Syllabi included for cross-reference)

C. Technology Requirements, Instructions, and Support

Overview

Online courses must include explicit and clear information on what technologies will be necessary, at what degree of skill, and under what type and degree of support. Assuming that the course design is technically sound and free of errors, technology expectations need to be communicated to the students at the course's outset, transferring responsibility to them. Nonetheless, all online courses must also include
i)   a technology help section that anticipates commonly-encountered
     problems,
ii)  a discussion forum where technical questions can be posted and
     addressed as they arise, and
iii) a student survey collecting information on technology and course-content
     preparedness that will help you better address the specific needs of your
     students.
Can you identify these features in DOTS?

Technical Help sample pages

The Department of Instructional Design and Development can help you create Technical Help pages for your online courses.

Dealing with misunderstandings and student anxiety

As you gain more experience in online teaching, you will be able to produce increasingly clear and succinct syllabus, orientation, schedule, and technical help materials. However, even the clearest and most succinct instructions will not completely alleviate student misunderstandings and anxiety, which will reach you in the form of e-mails during the first days of class. This problem is usually due to students not carefully reading your instructions and to a combination of a desire to do well in the course and the uneasiness induced by the new and unfamiliar learning environment.

 

How not to address such problems

  • Resist the temptation to use all caps, different colored text, underlined text, or other formatting features to extensively highlight important instructions. This will have no effect on students who, like me,  tend to make quick decisions, it may insult more deliberate students, and will give an unprofessional look to your materials.
  • Resist the temptation to create lengthy guidelines that attempt to anticipate all potential problems. In doing so, you run the risk of turning your instructions into information "noise" that students will be likely to dismiss.


How to address such problems

  • Acknowledge any errors or lack of clarity in your instructions.
  • Acknowledge that misunderstandings and panic are not unusual.
  • Commend students for engaging with the course.
  • Kindly ask students to change the way they read instructions in order to address the special communication needs of this new learning environment.
  • Lead by example (i.e. address student materials as carefully as you want students to address course materials and demonstrate this in your feedback).
     

D. Quality Matters Standards

Standard #1 (Course Overview) - Standard #7 (Learner Support)

Standard 1: Course Overview  
"The overall design of the course is made clear to the student at the beginning of the course."

Standard 1.1: Instructions make clear how to get started and
                      where to find various course components
Standard 1.2: A statement introduces the student to the
                       purpose of the course and to its components;
                       in the case of a hybrid course, the statement
                       clarifies the relationship between the face-to-
                       face and online components
Standard 1.3: Etiquette expectations (sometimes called “netiquette”) for online
                       discussions, email, and other forms of communication are
                       stated clearly
Standard 1.4: The self-introduction by the instructor is
                       appropriate and available online
Standard 1.5: Students are asked to introduce themselves to
                       the class
Standard 1.6: Minimum student preparation, and, if
                       applicable, prerequisite knowledge in the
                       discipline are clearly stated
Standard 1.7: Minimum technical skills expected of the
                       student are clearly stated
 

 

Standard 7: Learner Support  
"The course facilitates student access to institutional services essential to student success."

Standard 7.1: The course instructions articulate or link to a clear description of
                       the technical support offered
Standard 7.2: Course instructions articulate or link to an explanation of how the
                       institution’s academic support system can assist the student in
                       effectively using the resources provided
Standard 7.3: Course instructions articulate or link to an explanation of how the
                       institution’s student support services can help students reach
                       their educational goals
Standard 7.4: Course instructions answer basic questions related to research,
                       writing, technology, etc., or link to tutorials or other resources
                       that provide the information