Considerations in creating online courses

A technique that has intrigued me in the online course I’m now taking is that new assignments are not posted until the last assignment is completed. When on September 6 I read Tyler-Smith’s article suggesting that early dropout rates for online courses may be partly due to cognitive overload (what I might call feeling overwhelmed), I thought, Ah-ha! Posting assignments one at a time is a small but useful way to reduce that overload.

Ko and Rossen’s (2004) discussion about the timing of access to assignments (p. 100), however, does not mention reducing cognitive overload. Another consideration they do not mention is that limiting access to future assignments reduces distractions, a potential problem in some subject areas and for some students.

Much of Ko and Rossen’s chapter on “Building an Online Classroom” describes a variety of techniques available in Learning Management Systems (LMS, also called Content Management Systems or CMS), so I was interested to read other ideas about LMS capabilities. One insightful article by Tiffany A. Koszalka and Radha Ganesan was published in Distance Education, 25(2), October 2004. It provides a taxonomy for using LMS features in online course design. Boise State students can download the article through the university’s library search portal. Click on Academic Search Premier and login. Using the advanced search tab, enter “koszalka” and select “AU author,” then below enter “online” and select “AB abstract.”

Another thought-provoking article on LMS use by Minielli and Ferris, which cites Koszalka and Ganesan, is available online at www.firstmonday.org/issues/issue10_9/minielli.