Consistency is what makes a quality online course

Enrollment in online courses is growing and growing. In 2018, nearly seven million students enrolled in online courses. In 2020, 82% of K-12 students attended schools that offered some form of remote instruction. However, what makes a good and quality online course? We know that there are standards to evaluate good teaching practices, but online is different. It requires the integration of technology, communication and learning that is not the same as what is traditional in the classes. The evaluation of what makes an effective online course should be based on different criteria.
How then do you decide which is the model of effectiveness? How many high grades are there or how many students pass? Is it the course that has the best post-course evaluations? Is it the most attractive course or the one with the most enrollments per semester? How about the more technical ones with fancy software or links? We must take best practices into account and then design accordingly based on the needs of the students and the institution. What makes a good online course fit into the overall assessment goals of the school and the strategies of the school.

Opinions on what makes a good and effective course vary. According to some, student contact with faculty, application of technology, collaborative learning, diversified learning, active learning, expectations, time spent on task, and immediate feedback should be included and reviewed in a course in quality line. Others list what is the right pace for students to learn and work properly. Good courses provide a sense of community where students interact with others, ask questions, and form peer groups. They also include multimedia such as videos, interactive activities, podcasts, and have built-in opportunities for self-directed learning. Courses should be easy to navigate, have alternative exploration paths for students who want to learn more, and appeal to all learning styles and needs.

Is it technology that makes a good course? It is often tempting to include many high-tech elements in one course. However, good courses avoid having too much technology because it can be overwhelming and actually detract from learning. Some say that including videos in your course makes it good. In-course videos allow the instructor to create a sense of presence in an online course and deliver information in smaller, usable chunks that can be retained. They also promote design courses with accessibility in mind and the collection of data to measure and analyze opportunities for improvement.

Course design is a very important component that influences student performance and engagement online. Some studies show that accessibility, evaluation and interaction are very important. The way the instructor divided or organized the material in the course, interacted with students, provided assessment, and aligned objectives were highly rated. Courses that included additional reading, quizzes, video lectures, and opportunities for reflection and higher order thinking, and that used many different ways to apply learning, were quality courses. Other reports list teacher components as the most important evaluation method. Teachers need to know their material well so they can answer questions and provide more information if needed. Course design must take into account all learning styles.

Communication is more important. Expectations should be clear and contact information for technology support should be provided, along with instructor and resource documents on how to use discussion boards, social media, chats, and email. The syllabus and other course documents should be easy to find and use with easy navigation through the course. Another study listed course facilitation skills as the most important element of an effective course for participation. These strategies were intended to enhance instructor presence, connection, engagement, and student learning. Instructors recommended using a variety of assessments, rubrics, course templates, a quality control review process, and data collection for analysis.

Timely response and feedback, availability and presence, and regular communication were some of the facilitation strategies used by award-winning instructors.
As you can see, the perspective of a school or institution greatly affects what makes an effective online course. If the goal is to measure learning, then surveys and post evaluations may be a good indicator. It can be as simple as student evaluations of instructor performance or review of pass/fail rates or completion/dropout rates of students in online courses. It may be the ease of use and the positive reactions to the interface that is used. An institution might also have a quality standards rubric with pre-established elements that should be incorporated into an online course. The key is to align these standards with the school’s strategic planning and to what is in the best interest of students. This plan should be consistently implemented in each existing and new course with a way to measure success year after year. After a few years, reviews need to be done to ensure that these measurements are still correct and that the standards are met. The bottom line is that you can choose any element you like, but using a consistent approach is ultimately what ensures an effective online course and e-learning program.