Structure and Sequencing of the Course
Providing an orientation to the program and the technology students will be using helps students
build confidence as they start their program. We created an online orientation in the LMS
Blackboard Learn to introduce the students to the program; show them how to navigate the LMS;
and show them how to access resources, such as academic advising support, the online library,
tutoring, information technology (IT) support, and more.
Course design includes placing a focus on course navigation to ensure that students have a
successful experience in the course. As faculty, it is important to attempt to put yourself in the role
of the student, which is easier if you have been an online student. It is very frustrating for students if
they feel they have to go on a scavenger hunt to find what they are looking for or if the classroom
seems chaotic. Using the same format for all courses, with clear guidance provided through written
or visual instructions, is very useful. A video walking through the course and showing students where
to find things is always welcomed by students. Be sure to include the syllabus and calendar, with
explicit due dates for assessed learning activities.
Faculty may teach in institutions that have consistency in how many weeks each term or semester is.
This makes for consistency in the structure and sequencing of each course all year long. However,
other faculty members work in settings that have a different number of weeks depending on the
term. This is an important consideration in structuring and sequencing the course. For example, if
one semester is 14 weeks and another semester is 7 weeks, it may make sense to develop seven
modules of 1 or 2 weeks each, depending on the semester in which it is taught. This requires careful
planning to consider the overall course design.
Learning Modules
We recommend that each course be divided into modules (see an example of a learning module
page in Figure 8-2). We recommend the following for this part of the design process:
Develop learning objectives for the module.
Identify the relevant program concepts that are addressed or provide a topic outline.
Divide the module into weeks. The number of weeks depends on the amount of content and the
work required to meet the module objectives.
Figure 8-2 Learning module page
To keep students engaged, we have found it necessary to have students be actively involved each
week in a discussion, blog, journal, or some other activity that is graded. A consistent pattern that is
predictable appears to be the most successful. An example of this consistency starts with identifying
the online week. Most online programs have an identified online week, such as Monday to Sunday.
Initial posts for discussions and blogs are due on Thursdays, and replies or comments are due on
Sunday. All written assignments or projects are due on Sunday.
A folder for each module is an effective way for students to navigate through a course easily.
Figure 8-2 provides an example from one of our courses that illustrates how the page looks when
the student selects Learning Modules from the course navigation column. When the module folder is
opened, the student first sees a list of concepts, objectives, a clear “to-do” list, and assessment and
learning strategies, followed by the reading assignment as illustrated in Figure 8-3. Figure 8-4
illustrates the learning materials that are used for this module and the links to the assessments.
Figure 8-4 Learning materials and links to the assessments
Learning Materials
Choosing learning materials for an online course may be a daunting task, given how many resources
are available to choose from. It may be tempting to include too much, which will overwhelm
students, thus the need to use discretion. Learning materials may include websites, webinars,
videos, articles, podcasts, and relevant web courses, to name a few. It is incumbent on faculty to
provide materials that support the objectives of the learning module and promote active learning.
Students who are engaged in reading, listening, or watching are active participants in the learning
process (Vai & Sosulski, 2016). We have also used interactive activities that require students to
participate by answering questions or participating in a quiz to earn a certificate. Many
organizations, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and ACEs Connection,
provide these kinds of activities that support active learning and learning outcomes.
Some faculty like to include PowerPoint presentations, which we prefer not to use because they
often miss the context for learning, which is more richly discussed in books and articles. Narrated
presentations mimic classroom lectures, making them a form of passive learning and contrary to our
educational philosophy. Exceptions to this are carefully considered. It is important to include
instructions on how to use the learning materials as needed. For example, advising students on how
long a video or podcast is lets them know how much time to set aside (Stavredes & Herder, 2014).
In Figure 8-4, you will note that the last folder is for self-study materials. This is an effective way to
provide learning materials that are consistent with the module objectives but are more specialized.
Students may choose to explore them depending on their nursing practice environment.
Leveling and Scaffolding
When designing the course, faculty need to simultaneously pay attention to leveling and scaffolding.
For example, if the course builds on a previous course, it is incumbent on the faculty to have a good
understanding of how and to what depth a concept was explored, understood, and applied in order
to level their course appropriately. Again, this drives home the message of how important
collaboration is to the success of an online program.
Conceptual scaffolding is particularly important because conceptual understanding deepens as
students progress through the program and individual courses. Consistent with constructivist
learning theory, students are guided to link prior knowledge to new learning and to use critical
thinking and questioning of their underlying assumptions and beliefs, thereby transforming their
thinking (Stavredes & Herder, 2014). Table 8-12 provides an example that demonstrates how the
concept of leadership is leveled and scaffolded over two semesters.
Evaluation
Asking for feedback from students when a course is taught for the first time provides valuable
information. Feedback about the ease of navigating the course is particularly helpful. It is not
uncommon to teach a course about three times before it is completely to your satisfaction. You can
anticipate spending 20–30 hours preparing your course if you have taught a face-to-face version
before and are familiar with the LMS. More time will be needed if this is the first time you have
taught an online course (Boettcher & Conrad, 2016). Each time you teach the same course, you must
carefully review the course to ensure your content is current; to confirm that internal and external
links are functional; and most importantly, to make changes based on student feedback not only in
terms of content, as appropriate, but also design.