Course authoring is a step-by-step process that involves constructing an online course from either original (curated) material or existing content including printed, webinar, or other traditional course formats. Elements of successful course creating include proper management of learning assets, proper course construction for online learning, and quality assurance. A thorough understanding of most technologies and how to incorporate them into an online learning environment, will help the novice course developer build interesting and engaging courses in most LMS types. There are both stand-alone courses and courses that belong in a program, and these require different construction. There are unique requirements and skills necessary to build online courses but they can be mastered. CenterPointe actually has a course entitled “How to Build a Course Step-by-Step”. Once the basics are mastered, it is easier to put the entire eLearning program into perspective.

Here is an overview of the course:

Learning Objectives: This course will teach you how to establish learning objectives for online learning, how to build content to support the learning objectives, and how to establish assessments that prove the required learning has occurred. A major difference between online and traditional course objectives is that course objectives are supported by “module” objectives. Each module contains a set of learning objectives and formative and summative assessments, within the module, that clearly demonstrate learning outcomes. In this course you will learn to:

  • Create a course grounded in quality assurance principles
  • Organize materials (learning assets) for maximum efficiency on your local computer and inside the learning center
  • Create course materials such as a syllabus for online learning, module introductions, and other course content
  • Link resources to the learning center to provide a robust learning experience
  • Develop objectives – both course and module – that meet quality assurance guidelines
  • Author quizzes and assessments inside your LMS or course that accurately reflect an understanding of course objectives
  • Evaluate learner assignments using rubrics and other tools.
  • Create engaging multimedia content (including an introduction video)
  • Understand the basics of accessibility and why it is important to your audience.
  • Produce basic videos or screencasts production
  • Demonstrate and understanding of quality assurance methodology for online learning and why it is important to the learner