10 Key Considerations for Online Course Development

A group of people surrounding screens displaying course content.

Designing and delivering effective online courses requires careful consideration of numerous factors. As a result, it can be difficult to determine where to begin in the process, particularly for course developers and instructors who are new to online learning. This piece presents a curated list of resources aligned with 10 key considerations applicable across academic disciplines and degree programs.

Consideration 1: Ensure Accessibility

It is essential to ensure that all aspects of a course—learning materials, assessments, interactive opportunities, and so forth—are maximally accessible to all learners. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide an essential foundation for developing online content that all learners can engage with successfully by ensuring all content is perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. To learn more about fundamental accessibility best practices and implementing accessibility updates in your course, consider the following resources:

Consideration 2: Promote Student Engagement

Promoting student engagement is key to the success of an online course. In developing and delivering online courses, it is essential to provide opportunities for students to interact with course content, peers, and faculty (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). For further insight into engagement best practices and strategies, explore the following resources:

Consideration 3: Define Learning Objectives Clearly

Learning objectives are integral to effective course design as they clarify expectations for student achievement and outcomes (Faulconer, 2017). However, for learning objectives to support student success, they must be sufficiently specific, measurable, and student-centered. For guidance on learning objectives, review the following resources:

Consideration 4: Provide Timely and Constructive Feedback

Providing timely and constructive feedback to students helps promote faculty presence and ensures students feel supported in their learning (Cavalcanti et al., 2021; Morris et al., 2021). Additionally, feedback helps clarify for students both where they are excelling and where they may have growth opportunities, thus fostering and perpetuating student success. Review the following resources for a closer look at various options for delivering feedback:

Consideration 5: Optimize Assessments

Assessment design significantly impacts students’ learning experiences (Glazer, 2014; McLaughlin & Yan, 2017). Assessments with clear instructions and alignment with established learning objectives, for example, can foster student motivation and engagement. Conversely, assessments lacking clear directives can lead to frustration, confusion, and disengagement. Accordingly, thoughtful assessment planning and delivery are crucial to the success of an online course. The following resources provide insights into different assessment approaches:

Consideration 6: Incorporate Visual Design and Multimedia

Thoughtfully incorporating multimedia into your course—including videos, podcasts, and images—can enrich the learning experience for your students (Cheng et al., 2009; Clark & Mayer, 2016). Multimedia can usefully illustrate key course concepts and provide additional representations of information presented in text, fostering student-content engagement. The following resources offer guidance on creating and curating multimedia for your course:

Consideration 7: Utilize the Learning Management System (LMS) Effectively

Strategic use of your LMS can augment the online learning experience for you and your students (Bradley, 2021; Burrack & Thompson, 2021). Understanding the array of grading features and analytics tools available in your LMS, for example, can help you provide feedback to your students more efficiently. Similarly, becoming familiar with assessment settings and customization options can help you address individual student needs with ease. The following resources offer insights into a range of LMS features, with a focus on Canvas:

If you would be interested in reading Envision pieces that provide guidance specific to another LMS, please let us know via the content request form at the bottom of the Envision home page.

Consideration 8: Structure Course Content Consistently

Structuring course materials consistently benefits students, course developers, and instructors alike (Borgemenke et al., 2013; Scutelnicu et al., 2019). When courses are structured consistently, students can focus on engaging with the content rather than locating it. Similarly, structural standardization can make it easier for course developers to build content efficiently and for instructors to facilitate delivery effectively. The following resources offer further insights into the benefits of and strategies for structuring course content consistently:

Consideration 9: Conduct Routine Course Maintenance

Developing and delivering a course in accordance with best practices for online learning can reduce revision needs over time. Nonetheless, routine course reviews play a valuable role in ensuring and maintaining course quality (Zimmerman et al., 2020). As a result of such reviews, you may find that implementing small adjustments would be beneficial or even necessary. If students frequently ask similar questions about a particular assignment, for example, it may be helpful to adjust the instructions or requirements to include pertinent clarifications. Additionally, if a resource assigned in the course becomes outdated, replacement will likely be essential. The following resources offer insights and guidance for conducting course maintenance effectively:

Consideration 10: Communicate With Students Regularly

Communicating with students throughout the term helps foster engagement and motivation (Martin & Bolliger, 2018). Instructor communications, for example, can enhance clarity by providing timely reminders or explanations of challenging concepts. Additionally, regular communication can help ensure students feel supported in the course by augmenting faculty presence. Communications can also enrich the student experience by presenting supplemental resources or additional perspectives on course content. The following resources can help you select from and make the most of the various communication tools that may be available to you in your LMS:

References

Borgemenke, A. J., Holt, W. C., & Fish, W. W. (2013). Universal course shell template design and implementation to enhance student outcomes in online coursework. Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 14(1), 17–23.

Bradley, V. M. (2021). Learning management system (LMS) use with online instruction. International Journal of Technology in Education, 4(1), 68–92.

Burrack, F., & Thompson, D. J. M. (2021). Canvas (LMS) as a means for effective student learning assessment across an institution of higher education. The Journal of Assessment in Higher Education, 2(1), 1–19.

Cavalcanti, A. P., Barbosa, A., Carvalho, R., Freitas, F., Tsai, Y.- S., Gašević, D., & Mello, R. F. (2021). Automatic feedback in online learning environments: A systematic literature review. Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence, 2, Article 100027.

Cheng, I., Basu, A., & Goebel, R. (2009). Interactive multimedia for adaptive online education. IEEE MultiMedia, 16(1), 16–25.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2016). e-Learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Faulconer, E. K. (2017). Increasing student interactions with learning objectives. Journal of College Science Teaching, 46(5), 32–38.

Glazer, N. (2014). Formative plus summative assessment in large undergraduate courses: Why both? International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 26(2), 276–286.

Martin, F., & Bolliger, D. U. (2018). Engagement matters: Student perceptions on the importance of engagement strategies in the online learning environment. Online Learning, 22(1), 205–222.

McLaughlin, T., & Yan, Z. (2017). Diverse delivery methods and strong psychological benefits: A review of online formative assessment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 33(6), 562–574.

Morris, R., Perry, T., & Wardle, L. (2021). Formative assessment and feedback for learning in higher education: A systematic review. Review of Education, 9(3), Article e3292.

Scutelnicu, G., Tekula, R., Gordon, B., & Knepper, H. J. (2019). Consistency is key in online learning: Evaluating student and instructor perceptions of a collaborative online-course template. Teaching Public Administration, 37(3), 274–292.

Zimmerman, W., Altman, B., Simunich, B., Shattuck, K., & Burch, B. (2020). Evaluating online course quality: A study on implementation of course quality standards. Online Learning, 24(4), 147–163.

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