Collaborative design and development process
Design and Development
The design of an online course can either facilitate student success with persistence or create
barriers to student learning. In addition to over a decade of online teaching experience in various
settings with different learning management systems, we have also been online students. We have
learned that keeping it simple, consistent, and challenging, with opportunities for deep thinking,
facilitates professional growth. Further, it is critical to value and respect the knowledge and skills
that postlicensure students bring to the online classroom, not only in our teaching but also in how
we design the course. We have learned that when we get many similar questions about an element
in the course, something is amiss and needs to be corrected. This section of the chapter addresses
all the core elements based on the model in Figure 8-1.
Learning Outcomes
The course learning outcomes need to be in alignment with the program outcomes, regardless of
the delivery model. Course outcomes should communicate the following to learners: (1) what they
are expected to know at the factual and conceptual levels, (2) the attitudes they need to develop in
keeping with nursing values and ethics, and (3) the skills or competencies they will achieve as a
result of taking the course (Scheckel, 2020; Stavredes & Herder, 2014). Given that many nursing
programs have moved to a concept-based curriculum, decisions also need to be made about which
concepts to include and to what level they will be addressed (Scheckel, 2020). We have a list of
concepts that are integrated throughout the online registered nurse (RN)–bachelor of science in
nursing (BSN) program, as discussed in Chapter 7. The depth of understanding of the concept
evolves as the student progresses through the program.