Online Course Construction Checklist This checklist is to help you in the development of your course. The items listed are based on “best practices” from other courses and instructors and are important elements to teaching a successful online course. 1) Course name:__________________________ 3) Course type: (choose one)  Web-blended (part online, part face-to-face)

2) Instructor: ____________________________  Online only (no face-to-face)

4) Course Information and Communication Welcome message in Announcements Course introduction and Instructions Start-up steps are defined: (IE: “Welcome to Week 1 of English 101. If you have never participated in an online course before, please complete the online Blackboard Orientation for Students. To begin this course, start by clicking Syllabus on the left hand side of the page in the Course Menu. Next, read about me in the “Your Instructor” section. If you have any questions, please contact me. Everything that you need to do for the course is in the “Course Content” link. This week you will need to read Chap 1 in your textbook. Watch the video entitled “English 101” and participate in the graded weekly discussion group.”) Your Instructor (audio, video or text-based?) Instructor introduction and contact information Name Office hours and announcements (and how best to contact instructor if computer or software system is down) Office location Phone and fax number Email (including expectations of instructor response time) Photo Syllabus Course description: (Semester, course title, course number, section number, credits, CRN #) Course competencies are included or linked to the course and communicated to the students. Course text and other required materials: Text: Access Code/Course Pack: CDROM: Other online/external resources (please list): (IE: Course Compass, Exam View, MyPsychLab)

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Software/hardware/skill requirements: Technology software needed (IE: Microsoft Office, SAMS, AutoCad, Photoshop, etc.) Online Blackboard Orientation for Students location provided Help Desk/Distance Learning office contact info Complete course schedule Grading Clearly stated expectations defining minimal levels of student participation Attendance: (NOTE: If a student does not “login” to the course within the first 2 weeks of class, they can be dropped from the course.) “My Grades” location Feedback to students/turnaround time Extra credit Tests and quizzes Found in a folder within Course Content Schedule Missed exam policy Assignments Schedule/due dates Late work policy Web blended/Live Chat sessions Method Schedule Guidelines (IE: Complete sentences, responses to instructor, responses to other students) Online etiquette/netiquette guidelines Contributing to the course in a meaningful way Compose course assignments, e-mail messages, chats, and discussion board postings using appropriate tone, language, grammar and spelling Avoid cheating, plagiarism, or giving or receiving unauthorized assistance on tests or assignments Student rights and responsibilities Other information: Tutoring services/Academic Achievement Center Bookstore information Computer lab and library information Integrity Statement/Academic Dishonesty Statement Special Needs Students (ADA compliance statement) Nondiscrimination/Harassment Policy Course Evaluations available Student Services/Student Handbook link Withdrawal/Add/Drop policy and Refund policy

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5) Content and Design Content Content is made available to students in manageable segments. Content is presented in a logical progression. Content is easily navigated and contained within folders in Course Content Content is made available via: Items/Learning Modules Documents/Attachments Links to external sources Content segments are enhanced through the appropriate use of tools Discussion boards/chat rooms/blogs/journals Links to external resources Self-testing Video/Audio Other (please explain): Course rigor is appropriate for given number of credits and comparable to similar face-to-face courses. Course enables critical reflection and analysis of content. Copyright information is documented. Design ADA Compliance Guidelines (see your instructional designer for more details) Is there a high contrast between the background color and font color? Fonts – Use Blackboard default font Limited use of all CAPS, italics or bold text. No use of underline for emphasis (can be mistaken for links). Do your images have descriptive tags? Is your video close-captioned or have an accompanying text-based script that describes what is happening in the video? Are your audio files are available in text versions? Do you have animated or blinking images or text? Have you included a text cue whenever color cues are used? Course Menu uses the same color and layout as template General Webpage Layout Guidelines Image and document file sizes small. Working links? High contrast between background color and font color. Proofread and spell check all text. Align your images and text all to the left. Use bold, italics and underline sparingly. No extremely bright or neon colors for your font. No change in the location or order of your navigation No mouse animations, animated images or blinking text.

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6) Interaction and Collaboration Interaction and Collaboration Statement regarding degree to which students and instructor will interact with each other via asynchronous and synchronous tools. Deliberate attempt is made to establish a learning community using strategies such as group projects and discussion groups. Ongoing instructions to students regarding daily and weekly due dates, test dates, readings, benchmarks, etc. are clearly communicated on the “main page” of the course. Each segment contains the following interactions: Student-to-content Student-to-student Student-to-instructor Indicate with communication/collaboration tools are used in the course. Discussion board Email Chat rooms/Online Office Hours Blogs/Journals Group Projects/Student presentations Other (please explain):

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7) Assessment Assignments Clearly communicated instructions, expectations and due dates Assignments encourage students to employ critical thinking strategies Alignment with course competencies Quizzes and Tests Quiz features used where appropriate Alignment with course competencies Students provided opportunities for self-assessment General Students are provided with grading criteria and ongoing update of grades with the course Variety of assessment activities are included in the course Indicate any other assessment tools are used in the course: Research and writing Peer review Case studies Student homepages Readings Online research Group projects Interviews

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Other (please explain):

__________________________________ Instructional Designer __________________________________ Date

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