Course Overview

The course overview contains important elements that contribute to a positive and effective experience for students in an online learning environment. It helps students become orientated and engaged in the course and provides expectations for online behaviour and communication.

Overview

1. The course contains a welcome message to introduce the course and professor and instructions for getting started that provide context for student learning.

2. The professor’s contact information is posted and includes details for office hours and out-of-class consultations, availability, and anticipated response time.

3. The professor’s biographical information is posted to enhance the social connection between students and faculty.

4. The delivery method for the course is explained. In the case of a hybrid or hyflex course, the expectations for the in-person and online components are clarified.

5. Expectations for online behaviour and communication (student-to-faculty, student-to-student, and faculty-to-student) are clearly stated and modeled in course interactions.

6. If a Zoom link is required for lectures, office hours, or other meetings, the URL is visibly posted at the top of the course.

7. An activity at the beginning of the course encourages students to introduce themselves and interact with each other and the professor.

8. The professor routinely evaluates the course for effectiveness and regularly makes improvements based on their findings.

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1. The course contains a welcome message to introduce the course and professor and instructions for getting started that provide context for student learning.

Explanation:

  • The course welcome serves as the students’ first impression for the professor and the course. It should establish the professor’s presence, set the tone for future communications, and provide guidance on how students can get started.
  • It is important to provide visual cues and simple instructions like “start here” and “before you move on” to guide students through the course.
  • The course welcome and getting started content should include an overview of where the course materials are located and how to access learning content, activities, assignments, assessments, and communication tools.

Recommendations:

  • Add a welcome video to your course. A basic welcome video can be recorded in Zoom and shared with students. You may include a greeting to introduce yourself, provide information about navigating the course and accessing materials, what is required to get started, and how students can reach you if they have any questions. To keep the video timeless, avoid sharing specific dates.
  • Create an introductory discussion forum where students can interact with the professor to ask questions, or get any clarification they may need about the course, expectations, etc. This can be done by using a Moodle discussion forum, Padlet, or Flip (Flipgrid).
  • Provide a detailed instruction sheet, checklist, or reference guide, on how to get started and what to accomplish first in the course. Post this on the course home page, and/or send it out to students via email or a Moodle announcement.
        • The advantage of using Moodle announcements is that they are emailed to students and posted to the announcement forum in Moodle. This gives one common place in Moodle for students to easily find all announcements that have been sent.
  • Create a course FAQ (frequently-asked questions) page that addresses important questions or issues students might experience.
  • Build a quiz or scavenger hunt that encourages students to navigate through the course and respond to your welcome message.
  • Schedule an optional session in Zoom to welcome students, make introductions, and answer questions to help them get started.
  • Plan regular communications with your students before and after the course begins. For example, you may plan to use the Moodle Announcements Forum to send weekly check-ins and reminders to students with important dates and deadlines.

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2. The professor’s contact information is posted and includes details for office hours and out-of-class consultations, availability, and anticipated response time.

Explanation:

Having open communication channels supports interaction between students and faculty, which is an important part of building a supportive learning environment. Providing contact information can help students reach out to faculty and clarifies expectations for both faculty and students.

Recommendations:

  • Explain how you prefer students to contact you (e.g., email, regularly-scheduled office/support hours, booking a meeting with you in-person or on Zoom, phone calls, a Moodle message board dedicated to questions, etc.).
  • Tell students how they can seek out-of-class support from you. Share details on regular office/support hours, how/where to ask questions or get extra help, and how to access relevant program or department information or resources.
  • Include information on your preferred ways of being addressed from students. Explain if you prefer they address you by your first name or title, prefixes (Dr., Mrs, Mr., Professor, etc.) and personal pronouns. Ask students how they would like to be addressed.
  • Provide details about your response time and availability for responding to student inquiries. If you are only able to respond to students’ inquiries on certain days or times, share that information with students in advance.
  • Remember to update your contact information if your availability changes during the delivery of your course.

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3. The professor’s biographical information is posted to enhance the social connection between students and faculty.

Explanation:

Having open communication channels supports interaction between students and faculty, which is an important part of building a supportive learning environment. Providing contact information can help students reach out to faculty and clarifies expectations for both faculty and students.

Recommendations:

  • Participate fully in any welcome and ice-breaker type activities you ask students to do. If you ask students to introduce themselves in the class, you can also provide an introduction of yourself.
  • Create a biography page in Moodle. The bio may include content, a photograph, and information about the professor’s credentials, professional experience, and personal interests.
  • Provide an introductory video to introduce yourself. This is particularly useful in asynchronous, Hyflex, or hybrid/blended course deliveries.

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4. The delivery method for the course is explained. In the case of a hybrid or hyflex course, the expectations for the in-person and online components are clarified.

Explanation:

Students need to understand how they will interact with course materials, other students, and faculty. Faculty should clearly state whether the course requires in-person attendance, communicate synchronous session times, and explain if class recordings will be available. Students should know how much time they will spend online versus in-person and if there are any requirements to be in-person.

Recommendations:

  • Indicate whether the course is fully in-person or online, hybrid, or hyflex in the first few messages sent to students. Explain what these terms mean for your class.
  • Include details of the structure of the course in the syllabus. Clearly explain which activities and assessments are to be completed in-person, and which can be completed online. Also explain which must be done during class time, and which can be done asynchronously.
  • Include details on which activities should be completed synchronously (during scheduled class time either in-person or online via Zoom) and which should be completed asynchronously (outside of scheduled class time).
  • Explain whether classes will be recorded and how students can access the lecture recordings.
  • Consider adding a section at the top of your Moodle page that contains all of this information titled, “Getting Started” or “Course Information”.

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5. Expectations for online behaviour and communication (student-to-faculty, student-to-student, and faculty-to-student) are clearly stated and modeled in course interactions.

Explanation:

Setting clear expectations for online behaviour and communication can improve the quality of online learning by creating a positive and productive learning environment, preventing misunderstandings, developing students’ digital communication skills, and promoting effective relationships between students and faculty. This can create a respectful and supportive community of students who feel comfortable participating in discussions and sharing their ideas.

Recommendations:

  • Clearly outline the expectations for course interactions, collaborations, assignments, activities, and participation in discussions.
  • Provide information on timing and frequency of contributions and include models/examples wherever possible.
  • Provide detailed information on how student participation will be assessed, evaluated, and graded.
  • Include instructions about any other specific expectations like expectations on spelling and grammar, using and citing academic resources, and the use of artificial intelligence tools.
  • Specify and give examples of how students should title their discussion forum posts, emails, assignments, etc.
  • Reference “netiquette” information and model respect in discussions and other course interactions.

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6. If a Zoom link is required for lectures, office hours, or other meetings, the URL is visibly posted at the top of the course.

Explanation:

Posting a Zoom link to an online course provides students with a clear and accessible way to participate in classes and meetings. By posting a Zoom link in a prominent location in Moodle, students can easily join live sessions and interact with their faculty and peers. Having a consistent and accessible link for Zoom meetings helps reduce confusion and ensures that students are able to join virtual meetings without issue.

Recommendations:

  • Post the Zoom link to your class at the top of your course Moodle page. Use clear language like, “Click here to join the Zoom meeting for class.”
  • Schedule a single, recurring meeting for each class. Having one single Zoom link for a class helps to avoid confusion for faculty and students.
  • Edit the text to increase the font size or use a colour that stands out on your course page.
  • Include the day(s) and time(s) your class meets with the Zoom link so students are reminded of the time the class meets virtually.
  • Email students the link to join your class and/or post it in the Moodle announcements forum before your first scheduled class. This ensures all students can join the Zoom meeting, even if they have not visited the course Moodle page yet.

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7. An activity at the beginning of the course encourages students to introduce themselves and interact with each other and the professor.

Explanation

Including faculty/student and student/student interaction keeps students on track and prioritizes responsibilities to help manage faculty and student workload.

Recommendations:

  • Create ice-breaking activities to help students get to know each other and the professor.
  • Participate fully in any ice-breaking or introduction activities that you ask students to complete, so students can get to know you better. This helps build trust, promote community, and helps break down the “distance” between students and faculty, all of which promote student success.

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8. The professor routinely evaluates the course for effectiveness and regularly makes improvements based on their findings.

Explanation

Reviewing and updating courses is a key part of maintaining high educational standards and promoting student success. It ensures that courses continue to deliver valuable, high-quality education that is responsive to both student needs and advancements in the field.

Recommendations:

  • Create an online forum-based Suggestion Box to collect informal feedback. This could be a Moodle Questionnaire, Padlet, or Microsoft Form.  All of these tools can be made anonymous, if necessary.
  • When hosting office hours, or meeting with students, ask how they are doing in the course and if they have any suggestions. This can be an informal way to gather feedback and ask follow-up questions.
  • Make a minor change/adjustment in the course design or delivery based on student feedback. This demonstrates responsiveness to their feedback and experiences.
  • Review the course content routinely to ensure it is still relevant to the field of study.
  • Update any instructions for learning activities or assessments that students found confusing. Begin with any activities that students have asked many questions about.
  • Review the results of your course feedback surveys (course evaluations) at the end of the term and make changes based on what students have suggested.
  • Review your course with staff in the Teaching & Learning Innovation Hub. Chat about your challenges, or ideas for improving your course and brainstorm ways to make some improvements.
  • Discuss your ideas or challenges with other faculty. Often, many faculty are having similar experiences and may have ideas to share.
  • Research new teaching methods and technologies. Regular course updates allow these new methods to be incorporated, potentially enhancing the learning experience.

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