An Explanation
Developing good online instruction takes attention to sound design principles. When I first started placing my resources online for students I often got confused emails from them or their parents wondering how the navigation and structure of online courses functioned.
Not good.
But I got better. Broadly, I learned how to design strong online courses by focusing on the proper use of multimedia elements. Specifically:
- Using Text
- Using Audio
- Using Images
- Using Video
- LMS
Now, in addition to incorporating these elements with teachers I coach, I also present and discuss these elements with visiting school districts.
The Presentation and Online Resources
Principles of Design is a subsite of this portfolio. It can be accessed here.
Personally, in the age of Apple (a company known for putting a lot of thought into aesthetics), I believe that our end users expect quality designed content. Not only does help with the learning, it does good in developing first impressions.
Yet besides aesthetics there is also a growing body of research defining what works cognitively when designing online content. Three books in particular have influenced my understanding of design.
- Why Don’t Kids Like School by Dan Willingham
- Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen
- eLearning and the Science of Instruction by Ruth Clark and Richard Mayer
