Two Principles of Online Design - Erica Preston

Principle:
3.1.1 The information on a course web page should be organized in a way that facilitates information processing and reading.

Organization using the C.R.A.P. (color, repetition, alignment, and proximity) model is a good foundation for an online course. Have you ever tried reading a black background with blue text? It’s quite hard and you will end up with a headache before even finding the information you were looking for. Also, breaking up information through navigation techniques is a good way to give the user just enough to handle at a time, without overwhelming them. It also makes information easier to find.

Principle:
4.1.1 The instructor should allocate adequate time to develop and deliver an online course.

After taking EDTEC 700 this summer, I learned that planning not only content, but also TIMING, is important in a distance learning setting. Whenever possible, it is a good idea to do a trial run-through of the lesson as a facilitator, to see how much time is spent on various sections. Go ahead and tweak things so that the lesson will run more efficiently during the actual facilitation. Practicing the delivery of contents, as well as practicing with multimedia tools such as video and breakout rooms, is helpful to lessen potential hiccups that might take away valuable lesson time. Incorporating valuable time for questions and feedback is also a very important part of a distance-learning environment.