Creating good content is an age old challenge for educators. And this challenge is only exaggerated when the content you’re creating is online. Last month, we published a guest blog by Tom Chatfield on lessons he learned when creating Critical Thinking: An Online Course. In this blog, Rachel Crookes (Head of SAGE Campus), expands on Tom’s lessons from our perspective as editors of SAGE Campus online courses.
1. Indeed, less is more
Many courses need to act as a jumping off-point, or are one component of a much bigger whole. Your learners will be using other resources, and as Tom Chatfield reminds us in his recent blog, the rest of the internet still exists. Cramming everything you think a learner should know about a topic into your course, module or programme is a mistake. It’s too much to take in, will lead to learner fatigue and disengagement, and above all else it’s actually impossible. Halve your first draft, cut out some of your second, and when it’s built and you’re testing it, look for every opportunity you can to say less.
2. Show, don’t tell
Even if you manage to ‘say less’, your online course is not a chance to convey tons of information. It is not a lecture, not a one-way experience, and not a soapbox. And just like a great writer of literature or poetry, online course authors need to show rather than tell. Examples are everything and should be wielded with care, craft and attention. Examples can be elaborate activities with branching quizzes or outcomes, or the simple way you add a relatable ‘for instance’ in your screen cast, written text or quiz. Put too many examples in to begin with and then take some out, so only the best ones remain.
3. Don’t start at the beginning
Most authors like to start their books with an introductory chapter, or a ‘history of’ snapshot of the topic – I have never been quite sure why. Many of us want to dive right into the mess, the examples and get to the point so we can pull ourselves out from there to learn. A great course, for me, never starts with definitions or histories. Why not go to the most interesting part of the topic and then wind back from there? Can you start with a quiz? Kick off with a scenario or dilemma? Whatever you do, get learners thinking asap – not just reading, listening or absorbing. There’s plenty of time for that later.
4. Surprise your learners
Playful learning is good for every learner, every subject and every online course. It doesn’t need to ALL be playful or even light hearted (god forbid, silly!), but your course should have some element of surprise in it – however small. Can you use a count-down timer for some of your quiz questions? Can you have unexpected topic changes? While learners online need to be offered consistency and clear learning outcomes, the odd surprise goes a really long way for enjoying the experience and making you want to return for more.
5. Reward and challenge
Just as no learner wants their online experience to be all about absorbing information, no learner wants it to be one consistent level of challenge or reward. If it’s all easy, you’ll lose them; and if it’s relentlessly hard, you’ll lose them faster! Think about whether modules should start tricky and then get easier or start easy and then ramp up. When do you want learners to practice, practice, practice, and when do you want them to breeze through? Mix it up when you can for a more engaging experience for the learner and a more interesting experience for you as a course author.
Creating good online learning is a real art and skill; it takes careful planning, thinking, and a lot of trial and error. You need to be prepared to rip up your draft and start again, try new things, move away from your rule book and above all be really open to feedback from learners – however vulnerable that is. Good luck!
By Rachel Crookes, Head of SAGE Campus