I often hear from faculty, modest or otherwise, that they aren’t too proud of their online course design and wish they could do better. Although it can be argued that all online instructors wish they could design their course better, all instructors do offer wonderful online teaching examples.
A modest and very experienced instructor often downplays his course design and mentions that it is not a good example to other instructors. However, I argue that it does. He, and many other instructors, have brilliant in-class activities that need to be taken online. I, as a Learning Designer help to make that possible. His questions are premised with “I really want my students to see / do X online. How can I achieve this?” These Xs are what help build the Learning Designer’s repertoire of in-class to online teaching ideas that can be shared when other instructors who need help envisioning the X.
Online courses don’t need to be flashy they just need to carry over the quality and learner experience that is expected in an in-class course. Instructors who refuse to give up on tried-and-true in-class activities when going online are ones who make stellar online courses, whether or not they know it or would like to admit to it.
HKKS Education 