Simple Tips to Improve Course Organization

Even if an online course is complete with a highly organized syllabus, robust content, and clear objectives, students may still have difficulty navigating its components if the layout is not well-defined.

Outlined below are three organization tips to support students exploring content in your online course.

1. Limit the amount of content presented.

Imagine you are an online student and the entire semester’s content and activities are available to you all at once. It can be a little overwhelming. Help your students narrow down what they need to do by:

  • Chunking content into smaller units such as sections, folders, and modules.
  • Setting visibility times on content so that students do not receive it all at once.
  • Setting criteria that requires students to visit one item at a time using adaptive release in Blackboard.

2. Make dates predictable.

When dates are predictable, students can better anticipate assignments to manage their time. Do this by:

  • Listing all assignments and due dates in the syllabus from the start.
  • Making dates consistent in choosing just one or two days of the week and a time of day when something begins and ends.
  • Reiterating assignments and due dates in multiple ways such as through the syllabus, email, announcements, and modular outlines.

3. Have a starting place.

Help orient students to the new environment by:

  • Placing the syllabus in a visible and easily accessible area.
  • Providing an introduction area with an obvious title such as “Start Here,” “Module 1,” or something similar.
  • Providing orientation materials such as a video-recording of you discussing the syllabus or describing how one can navigate through course.

These are just a few strategies to organize your course to improve online student success. For more tips, contact your college’s instructional designer.

These strategies were discussed during an Emerging Trends in Educational Technology seminar. See the slides below for examples of how UH faculty apply this in their courses.

If you need help implementing any of these tips, feel free to reach out to a UH instructional designer.
Instructional Designers by College

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