<--PREVIOUS PAGE      HOME      NEXT PAGE-->

Consistent Structure Eases the Learning Process

The way you design and organize your course affects the way students will respond to it. If you have brilliant information and students don't know it's there, it won't do them much good. Part of effective online instruction is organizing your course so students know where to find information and resources, what tasks they should be working on, and when it needs to be done.

Again, consistency will go a long way toward simplifying students' interaction with the schedule and materials. Maintain a regular rhythm to your schedule:

• Organize lessons by the same method all semester (by week, by module/unit, or by activity)

• Keep lessons, modules, or activities the same length of time (i.e., one week or two weeks)

• Use the same days of the week for regular deadlines (i.e., if they post their first message to a forum on a Monday, make it always on Mondays for each module)

• Present information in a clear overview at the beginning of each module

• Organize content within each module consistently so students find information easily

The more you can do to establish consistency in your presentation of the course material, the less time students will have to spend searching around the website for it. After the first lesson, the eye will automatically go to the same place in the new lesson to find the information on the assignment. Students will be able to spend more time focusing on the material you want them to learn, and less time searching for information.

Text only content from the comic strip on this page

One way you can add some “personality” to your library science course is to create a cast of characters to explain concepts, simulate learning experiences, or just get your students’ attention. For example: Professor Chiaroscuro, the friendly online instructor…Dr. Ghero, the graphic novel collections expert…Chris, the model Archival Studies student…Rocco, the wizened turtle of Children’s Reading Displays…or a horde of library patrons.

<--PREVIOUS PAGE      HOME      NEXT PAGE-->