5+Best+Tips+for+Online+Creation

The article by Matt Villano in Campus Technology (May, 2008) magazine was intended for a higher-ed audience, but it seems to cover all the bases:

1. Create a plan. Reconceptualize course syllabi (when moving from traditional to online) around 3 basic types of interactions, including a) Student to content which pertains to the ease with which students can access new concepts and interact with the learning material; b) Student to student interaction such as communication via instant message, chat, and message boards; and c) Student to instructor interaction involving everything from ePortfolios to messaging...where can I get the rubrics for assessing courses? 2. Embrace chunking. This involves breaking information up into digestible bits. It appears to be an approach that allows flexibility of moving content around in manageable chunks, to present it chronologically or thematically. "Chunking gives students very concise, defined pieces of data in which to experience a subject." (Bob McDonald, Moodle.org). 3. Emphasize Quality. Make sure your information in your course is up to date. Get independent, third party QA professionals to review content. 4. Make content interesting by incorporating interactive features such as podcasts, videos (including YouTube), and social networking capabilities like instant messaging and message boards. 5. Keep it relevant.