1 Guiding Assumptions and Principles
So you are embarking on the development of an online course. Begin by remembering that just because your course will be online, that doesn’t mean that the human element of teaching and learning will be lost.
This workbook will help to guide your course planning in a way that keeps the humans front and centre.
Start Here
For the purpose of this workbook, and to shape your thinking and reflection, the context of teaching and learning for consideration will be loosely understood to be “a course”.
To Teach: to instruct by precept, example, or experience
To Learn: to gain knowledge or understanding of, or skill-in by study, instruction, or experience (Merriam-Webster)
A course is, if nothing else, an experience for all involved. How will you, your learners, and those with whom your learners interact actually experience your course?
Guiding Assumptions and Principles for this Workbook:
- The goal of a course is to promote learning.
- A course involves humans in numerous roles: The group of humans in a course is not a homogeneous one. Each member of the group can be and will ideally be both teachers and learners at various points in the course. Taking into account the interests, safety and dignity of all, as part of the course design, will yield the best possible learning outcomes.
- The learning in a course can take place across a range of spaces both physical and virtual: Contemplating all of the possible places in which learning will occur for a course, as part of the design for that course, will yield the best possible learning outcomes for the humans involved.
- A course involves tools and resources of various types and forms: The tools and resources employed in a course should not prejudice the rights, aspirations, or potential for success of any of the humans in the course.
- All courses involve a range of constraints of various origins and import: The constraints present in a course should be openly tabled, discussed and understood by all in order to promote the best possible learning outcomes.
- A course will generate work products: The work products generated in a course should have meaning for both those who create them and those who consume or evaluate them, including – when desired and/or appropriate – those beyond the immediate course community.
- A course involves some form of assessment: Assessment in a course should serve and be understood chiefly as a form of support for and constructive appraisal of genuine learning.
Over to You:
You will have the opportunity to submit your responses to various prompts into an H5P Documentation Tool throughout this book. You will be able to download your responses into a Word file each time. You may want to save them all into the same folder so that in the end, they are all together.
