OSCQR – Standard #29
Course offers access to a variety of engaging resources that facilitate communication and collaboration, deliver content, and support learning and engagement.
Review These Explanations
Learners benefit more from activities than from simple presentation of content. External readings, assignments, discussions, interactive web sites, online assessments (formative and summative) should all be connected clearly to mastering course concepts, and aligned with module, course, and program objectives.
Learners engage in these activities more readily when relevance to the course content is clear to them. Resources should be contextualized, and opportunities for feedback should be included throughout the course (Chakraborty & Nafukho, 2014).
Learners need to know why they are required to read, review, discuss or create materials in the course. When they know reasoning behind what they need to complete, they will be more engaged.
References:
Chakraborty, M., & Nafukho, F. f. (2014). Strengthening student engagement: what do students want in online courses?. European Journal of Training & Development, 38(9), 782-802.
Refresh Your Course with These Ideas
- When posting learning materials, let learners know why you want them to access these resources, and what they should be looking for.
- Read everything you share with your learners and consider how engaging it is. If something seems lacking, develop a companion guide that will encourage learners to think more critically about that learning asset.
- Provide feedback channels where learners can rate the engagement level of the materials you provide, and how they feel they align with objectives.
- Refresh your resources at least once a semester. Review what materials you are providing to see if they are still relevant.
- Meet with a subject area librarian to explore more engaging resources for your course.
- Use a collaborative bookmarking site like Diigo, and create a class group to enable your learners to contribute and comment on additional resources.
- Explore the MERLOT repository (https://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm) for learning material and interactive lessons to include in your course.
- Check with your textbook publisher to see if a course companion site is available.
- Explore related Open Educational Resources at OER Commons (https://www.oercommons.org/) to include in your course.
- Check with other faculty who teach in your discipline to explore online resources that they have found to be successful in engaging online learners.
- Explore 50 Alternatives to Lecture (https://edocs.uis.edu/boakl1/www/FiftyAlternativesToLecture.html)
Explore More Refreshing Ideas from the Teaching Online Pedagogical Repository (TOPR) at the University of Central Florida (UCF)
These Pedagogical Practice from TOPR explore methods and approaches to integrating engaging resources and activities into your online course content to benefit learner success.
Explore Related Resources
Share What You Know
OSCQR has been developed by a community of online practitioners interested in quality course design. There are numerous opportunities for community members to offer suggestions, donate resources, and help with future development.
Discuss this standard in the comments section at the bottom of this page.
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