Adding Modules

Coming soon.

Adding Content to a Module

Coming soon.

Controlling Module Access & Visibility

Coming soon.

Arranging Modules & Module Content

Coming soon.

Creating a Path for Learning

There are lots of moving parts to an online course, and providing a clear, consistent course layout can lay out a helpful path for your students’ learning.

Every course should contain introductory and course preparation information in a prominent location, regardless of its structure. This might mean a brief introductory video and a link labeled, “Start Here” that points to a syllabus page, or a welcome/introductory discussion board with pertinent information and a Q & A format; your course is unique to you and your students, but grounding everyone in community and class expectations early is key.

Welcome Videos are a common way to build community in the course early on. Here are some tips:

• Welcome announcement videos should be no longer than 3 minutes. Shorter videos are more likely to be viewed all the way through.
• A relatively informal, but professional, tone is common in welcome messages.
• They often include:
• Central placement, or placement at the top of the page
• Heavier weight (bold fonts, darker tones, etc.)
• Larger size
• White Space (An element surrounded by empty space becomes the focal point)

Course Structure

• Naming conventions should be consistent. There is plenty of room for creativity in assignment prompts and material development; course navigation should be about easing your students’ progress by building clear and logical relationships between course elements.
• Each module should also share the same rough internal structure. The locations of readings and activities should be the same in each module, and the pages/assignments themselves should be formatted similarly to make navigation as intuitive as possible.
• White space breaks up content into chunks and creates emphasis.
• Titled sections break up the material into manageable sections and emphasize the relationships between concepts.
• All types of lists group similar elements. Numbered lists suggest a sequence. They are more likely to be read than long paragraphs with items separated by commas.
• Tables are a great way to quickly communicate the relationships between related information, and they draw the eye.
• Linking to related material lessens the student’s navigational burden and helps underscore the relationships between different course elements.

Hide “Under Construction” Course Elements

• It can take time to build out course materials and activities. If you’re not ready for students to see what you’re working on, place those components in an unpublished module. Even published items are invisible to students if they’re in an unpublished module.