Standards for Online and Hybrid Course Design at PPCC
DESIGN
Course Overview and Introductory Materials
First-day Announcement that includes: a welcome to students, a brief course description, contact info for faculty (or instructor widget—see below) and clear instructions about what to do to begin the course.
Introduction module under Content that includes syllabus tailored to delivery method and divided into smaller documents: course description and competencies, college-wide policies, class policies, schedule of due dates and other information students need but that isn’t part of a specific unit of the course
Course Materials
Content divided into logical modules, units, chapters, etc.
List of outcomes (competencies) for each module
Instructor –produced overview of each module (can also be a News item)
Documents in accessible formats
Publisher materials as appropriate
Instructions about accessing publisher materials if they are not inside course shell
Links to other sites as appropriate
Make course materials accessible: add descriptive alt tag to images; avoid mixing colors with text; post transcripts for audio files; video content has accurate captions.
Learner Engagement, including Discussions
Discussions that are clearly tied to course outcomes
At least one ongoing discussion available throughout the semester
Discussions as a bridge between online and F2F in hybrid classes
Open discussion topic in which students can talk about issues not tied to specific unit
Clear explanation of requirements for graded discussions: number of postings, length, grammatical correctness, timing
Assessment and Measurement
All assessments clearly tied to course outcomes
Varied assignments that tap into a variety of learning styles
Clear instructions about how exams will work that students can access before opening exam itself: timing, ability to skip questions and go back to them, etc.
Clear explanation of requirements for assignments and how assignments will be evaluated
Gradebook includes a column for each graded assignment, discussion, or assessment
TEACHING PRACTICES
Course Overview and Introductory Materials
Double-check all dates for accuracy before term begins
Add Announcements at regular intervals throughout semester
Always keep following four NavBar tools: Course Home, Content, Discussions, Classlist
Course Materials
Update availability for Content modules and topics before term begins
Make sure all links are working before semester begins
Review all content items for potential updating and additions to enrich course
Learner Engagement, including Discussions
Update availability for Discussions before term begins
Monitor discussion postings every 48 hours and participate as appropriate to reinforce, correct, redirect
Deal as quickly as possible with inappropriate postings
Respond to student emails within 48 hours
Assessment and Measurement
Update deadlines on all Assignments and Quizzes items before semester begins
Monitor course closely during testing periods to troubleshoot student problems