Best Practices in Course Development and Instructional Design

Best Practices in Course Development and Instructional Design Jonan Donaldson Overview “One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try. We learn by doing. ” - Aristotle Best practices in online... More

Best Practices in Course Development and
Instructional Design
Jonan Donaldson
Overview
“One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have
no certainty until you try.
We learn by doing.
” - Aristotle
Best practices in online course development and instructional design cannot be simplified into a few simple
principles.
Building effective online courses involves consideration, balance, and interweaving of many
principles derived from a number of fields such as education, psychology, information technology, and
design.
The most important principles are discussed here in isolation, but should be considered as a unified
whole.
Just as a good recipe can be spoiled by the omission of one ingredient, a quality online course depends
on the careful consideration of all relevant principles.

Principle: Sense of Community
“An impressive collection of studies has shown that participation in wellfunctioning cooperative groups leads students to feel more positive about
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