Online Course Design--Final Thoughts and Wrap-up

    In these uncertain times, teachers are being required to plan for virtual and face-to-face learners at the
same time. Some districts are trying to help teachers with these skills, but there is little campus-level support.  For this reason, the Digital Learning Workshop is designed to help teachers acquire those tools necessary for delivering online instruction to their students. Communication is a key component of any course, whether it be online, face-to-face, or a combination of the two. Google classroom is an LMS that lends itself nicely for such communication. I will be able to communicate directly with my learners, keeping them updated on changes, upcoming deadlines, and the addition of new learning modules.  In turn, learners can communicate with me via private message or the classroom stream.

      I designed the modules to be self-paced so learners can access and complete the modules when they have time. However, I have given a deadline for learners to complete the modules so I can go in award professional development credits promptly. This becomes important for those teachers who have to accumulate professional development credits to renew their teaching certificates on a regular basis.   

       Google Classroom is set up to send out notifications to learners who are enrolled in the course, so when I add modules to the Digital Learning Workshop (DLW) or make changes to the existing modules, learners automatically receive an email, provided they have not disabled notifications. Because learners do have the ability to turn off their notifications for this course, I will also send a separate email informing my learners of important additions to the DLW, so they will not miss opportunities for further professional learning. 

      The pre-course and post-course surveys that my learners complete will drive the creation of future courses. Therefore, instead of creating arbitrary learning modules on tools I THINK my learners need to know how to use, I will be using my learners' responses to customize the digital learning on my campus. One thing I will do differently in creating these courses will be to incorporate more opportunities for discussion and collaboration among content and teachers.  Furthermore, as campuses continue to move toward hybrid or online learning, it will be on me, other digital learning specialists, and administrators to stay abreast of the latest digital learning trends and instructional practices to ensure that our learners receive quality professional learning that will help them continue to be successful in their classrooms.

         Finally, in order for me to continually improve each module and course that I design, learners will complete surveys that will evaluate their effectiveness, as well as offer suggestions for improvement. As I look to improve the existing courses and create new ones, my skills will continue to improve as well. Whether I end up as an assistant principal or a digital learning specialist, my goal is the same: to support teachers by equipping them to teach their students to the best of their ability. To do this, I must listen to my teachers as well as continue to research digital tools that will help them accomplish this.