What makes an online course good or great?
Here are a few of my initial thoughts based on my own experience both as a learner and as an instructor.
The first factor that springs to mind is that variety is key. This observation is based on my failure to complete any of the several MOOCs that I've begun. One problem with MOOCs, at least in my limited experience, is that they are often too ‘samey’--the same format is used for unit after unit or topic after topic. I would therefore say that for me as a learner the materials and activities need to be not only relevant and engaging, but perhaps even more importantly, varied.
Assignments should be relevant, interesting and again, varied. This is one thing that was perhaps lacking in more traditional courses--assignments were often limited to certain types--academic essays and papers, presentations and reports, though perhaps this has changed since I completed my university education. The nature of online courses mean that they allow for a wider variety of assignment types.
Planning is key in online courses. Planning and design need to be intentional rather than haphazard, driven by desired learning outcomes, and with appropriate materials, assignments, and assessment to align with these. In face-to-face contexts, the instructor can adapt, adjust and pivot if they realize it’s necessary. In online courses, there must be more thought put into planning because instructors cannot gauge level of engagement and understanding as easily in online learning environments.
The presentation of different aspects of the course, for example on the LMS, is coherent and easy to navigate. It’s easy to remember what you’ve already done and see what’s upcoming. You can find the assignments, assessment criteria etc. easily.
For me, the design needs to be attractive or at least not messy, busy, amateurish or ugly. Attractive graphic design is important to me, perhaps even more so in online contexts than in face-to-face contexts—it’s more motivating. It doesn’t need to be slick, however. Visually appealing materials and course shell might be more important in online courses because to a large extent these become the environment in which the learner is immersed if they are not in a physical face-to-face learning environment.
There should be appropriate sequencing of tasks or activities to build on each other and to consolidate and recycle ideas. This is something that often seemed to be missing in traditional university courses I've taken--topics were often dealt with in a week and were never seen again until it was time to review for exams.
The materials and the teaching / learning activities need to be engaging--i.e. they need to capture the interest of students, helping make them active rather than passive learners. The materials should provide a good jumping-off point for learners but should require and inspire them to investigate further and leave room / scope for them to go in directions that interest them.
Undoubtedly, if possible it would be helpful for students to feel part of the group. Whether it is possible or not may depend on factors like whether students are proceeding through the course as a cohort or whether the course is self-paced.
What you need to be successful
Special considerations when studying online are that you need fast, reliable internet access or the experience will be very frustrating. In synchronous meetings, if you have slow internet, it can even cause problems for others in your class. It helps to have a laptop or desktop computer as well so that you have a larger screen and can move between multiple pages at the same time. Some students apparently do courses using just their phones, but that seems like a big handicap. A problem for some in 2020 is finding a private workspace in their home when other family members are also working or studying in the same location, so a quiet, private space to work in is important. Other than that, you just need a certain comfort level with technology in general and the desire to learn the topic at hand.
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