2 Principles

The following 2 principles I found to be important when designing an online, eLearning, or distance course:

3.1.2 The course content should be clearly organized and the course web pages should be logically linked to facilitate information retrieval.

There are four main organizational strategies for web sites:
Sequence - a linear narrative
Grids - a good way to correlate variables
Hierarchy - one of the best ways to organize complex bodies of information.
Web - which mimics associative thought and free flow of ideas.

I think this is imperative for the success of an online or distance course. Not having an instructor right there to answer questions and show where to go to get information is one of the challenges working online. It is important that the student can function fairly independently with the resources available and the task requirements for the online course.

4.1.3 The instructor should prepare students for taking the responsibility of learning in an online course.

In distance learning courses, students assume responsibility for their learning and a certain level of self-discipline is required for an online course. Students should be made aware of this prior to the start of the course so they can plan their time accordingly.

Online instructors may wish to plan activities during the first week of a course to help students determine how they function as independent learners and become familiar with the expectations and time commitments required by the course.

This is very true. I think one main misconception of online courses, is that it will be like you are sitting in a classroom, but the instructor is on the screen instead of directly in front of you. There are so many new dynamics when the class is not taught face-to-face. I think one of the main things is the responsibility level of the student increases dramatically. Many people approach online courses as face-to-face courses and feel very overwhelmed in the beginning.

This is where the instructor not only has to be prepared with the content but should also take the responsibility of making sure all the students are well prepared for their online experience. This includes walking through the expectations, explaining the platforms used and making sure the students have the skills, knowledge and technology to complete each assignment.