Tag: asynchronous

Designing Asynchronous Assessments

Reading Time: 3 minutesWhen designing your asynchronous course using backward design, start by clearly defining the learning outcomes students should achieve each week. Then, determine the most appropriate assessments to evaluate their progress. Your ultimate goal is to ensure students can effectively demonstrate their learning and meet the intended outcomes. In an asynchronous environment, assessments must be thoughtfully designed to accommodate self-directed learners,...

Incorporating Interactive Learning in Asynchronous Courses

Reading Time: 3 minutesInteractivity is a key consideration when developing an asynchronous course. Incorporating interactive tools and activities helps foster students’ active engagement and reduces the risk of passive learning. Interactivity refers to students’ ability to actively engage with course materials through tools, collaborative assignments, and dynamic activities. Rather than passively consuming information, students are invited to participate, respond, and engage with the...

Designing Meaningful Asynchronous Lessons

Reading Time: 3 minutesAs you embark on developing your asynchronous online course, you likely already have a course outline, an instructional plan, a mapped evaluation strategy, and a thoughtful approach rooted in backward design. So, what comes next? The next critical step is designing your weekly lessons and crafting lesson plans specific to your asynchronous learners. This phase requires careful planning to ensure...

Backwards Design Made Simple: A Step-by-Step Guide

Reading Time: 3 minutesAs you begin planning your asynchronous course, it’s important to think about what makes an online course effective. Successful courses are accessible, flexible, engaging, and designed with self-directed learners in mind. A crucial first step is defining clear learning outcomes, which will serve as the foundation for your assessments, learning activities, and content creation. Using a structured framework to manage...

Promote Student Self-Monitoring in an Asynchronous Online Course

Reading Time: 3 minutesYou begin teaching an asynchronous online course, and you have taken the initiative to welcome your students with an announcement and welcome video. Now, as you eagerly await their participation, consider additional strategies to not only kickstart their journey but also ensure their successful completion of the course. Explore ways to promote student self-monitoring and cultivate self-directed learning skills, encouraging...

Using Exemplars to Support Student Success with Assessments

Reading Time: 3 minutesExemplars are “carefully chosen samples of student work which are used to illustrate dimensions of quality and to clarify assessment expectations” (Carless & Chan, 2017, p. 1). Exemplars can help students increase their understanding of the skills, content, or knowledge and internalize established criteria or standards (Sadler, 2010). Particularly, through exemplars, your students can get a clear idea of the...