Starting a new course without knowing how to get started is like attending a play at a theatre you've never visited and trying to find your seat in the dark; without a guide or the glow of the aisle lights, struggling to experience the act you came for. This is what it can feel like for students.
It is important to consider the various situations our students might be in. Your course could be the first class a student takes at Daytona State, it might be the first time they have taken an online course (or after a considerable time away), and they could also be taking multiple courses, each with a different structure or design. When students are familiarized with the course design, their chances of successfully completing the course are increased (Taylor et al., 2015).
This blog post in the QM ACUE series highlights QM SRS 1.1 which states “Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course components.” If you’re wondering where to put this information, there are a few places to consider:
Welcome Widget on your course homepage.
Welcome/Getting Started announcement.
Welcome/Getting Started module in Content.
The How to Proceed Through the Course section of SimpleSyllabus.
You can provide this information through text, audio, video, or a combination! Whichever method you choose, remember to consider the student perspective as a non-subject matter expert in your discipline. Include clear directions on what to do first, where to find the syllabus or general course orientation section, and how to navigate the course.
The Association of College and University Educators (ACUE) takes a student-centered approach to implementing teaching best practices. Aligned with QM SRS 1.1, the ACUE course Creating a Productive Online Learning Environment (LE) provides implementation practices on “Welcoming Students to Online Learning.” These practices include:
Creating a Tutorial: record a screencast video and take your students on a tour of the course. There are a ton of options for how you can go about recording a tutorial or “course navigation” video:
Consider using the Media Library in Falcon Online to record your video.
Submit a ticket to work with the video professionals in Instructional Resources.
Need a quiet space to record? Take advantage of the Screencast Studio located in the Faculty Innovation Center.
Developing an Orientation Module: The goal of an orientation module is to set students up for success by guiding them on how to use its features and meet expectations (Stavredes, 2011). There are a few things you can include in a welcome module to support students:
General course overview
Course Schedule
Course Navigation
Syllabus activity
Q&A discussion
You may learn about each of the different courses in our upcoming cohorts, and enroll yourself using the Daytona State ACUE page. All full-time and part-time faculty are eligible, but there is a limit to the number of participants. If you have any questions, please reach out to the Faculty Innovation Center at 386-506-3485 or fic@daytonastate.edu.
If you're interested in learning how to incorporate a welcome widget on your course homepage, check out the Welcome Widget Update blog post.
As always, the Faculty Innovation Center is here to answer your questions. Feel free to book an appointment with one of our instructional designers via the Bookings app. They are available to meet both in-person and virtually. We're here to support you as we continue to promote the development of knowledgeable and innovative faculty and to ensure a high-quality online educational experience for students. As always, we're grateful for your partnership and hard work!
Erin Arthur
Associate Director, Instructional Designer
Erin.Arthur@daytonastate.edu
386-506-3090
Division of Online Studies
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching: Foundations and strategies for student success. John Wiley & Sons
Taylor, J. M., Dunn, M., & Winn, S. K. (2015). Innovative Orientation Leads to Improved Success in Online Courses. Online Learning, 19(4), 112–120. https://doi.org/10.24059/olj.v19i4.570
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