Development of e-learning projects

Depending on the theoretical approach, there are different ways to develop an online course. Several points are briefly outlined in the following.

A sensible concept is the so-called backward design (McTighe & Wiggins): the process of course development begins with the definition of the desired results and is then developed backwards. The following questions are asked during course creation (Allen, D. & Tanner, K. 2007):

1. What are the desired outcomes that students will be able to achieve long after the end of the course (learning outcomes = what should students be able to do, know demonstrate, etc. at the end of the course)?
2. Which knowledge and skills demonstrate competence or the achievement of the learning goals?
3. How should the course be structured to achieve the learning objectives?
   First, the learning objectives are explained in order to assure the students of the usefulness of the course (this step is very important, especially for online courses). The learning activities must be planned in such a way that there is a high level of interactivity with the course or between the students, e.g. through feedback, practical examples, discussions among the students or with the tutor. According to the learning objectives, the most appropriate methods/activities are selected, e.g. reading text, writing a case report, practicing clinical examination on the patient, watching videos, etc. The focus is on the learning outcome - not on the learning content or the methods used.
4. How can success of the course be measured?
   An evaluation of the learning outcome should be carried out in different ways to meet the different types of learners, e.g. self-tests, assessment by fellow students, progress tests (repetitive tests that document learning progress on an ongoing basis).
5. Which course evaluation is best suited for a particular project?
   A course should always be evaluated, e.g. by asking: On a scale from 0 (nothing) to 9 (everything), rate how much you have learned in this course?
   The stop-start-continue method is also useful - the answers to the three questions - what should be started, what should be stopped and what should be continued - provide valuable information for the lecturers.

The systematic, result-oriented approach (D'Andrea, V.-M. 1999), similar to backward design, is based on learning outcomes:
1 . Definition of learning outcomes.
2. Which topics are necessary and in what order can the learning objectives be achieved?
3. Who is the target audience and what characterizes them (previous knowledge, learning styles, motivation for the course, etc.)?
4. Development of the course units according to the learning objectives.
5. Review of learning outcomes.
6. Revision of the course depending on the result and evaluation.

The following reasons are often given for the poor performance of online courses and should be considered before planning an online course:

• Students feel isolated.
• There is a time management problem.
• Access to learning material, other learners, tutors, etc. is not satisfactory.
• Lack of direct feedback, unclear instructions and no information on who to contact in case of problems...

Literature:

Allen, D. & Tanner, K. (2007). Putting the Horse Back in Front of the Cart : Using Visions and Decisions about High-Quality Learning Experiences to Drive Course Design. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 6 (Summer), pp.85–89.

D’Andrea, V.-M. (1999). Organising Teaching and Learning: Outcomes-based Planning. In H. Fry, S. Ketteridge, & S. Marshall, eds. A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. London: KoganPage, pp. 41–57.
 

Dror, I., Schmidt, P. & O’Connor, L. (2011). A cognitive perspective on technology enhanced learning in medical training: great opportunities, pitfalls and challenges. Medical Teacher, 33(4), pp.291–296.