Developing Your Online Course:

Whether it is to build your first online course from scratch, or revise one that you have taught from in the past it is beneficial to develop a plan of attack. This development process starts before you begin to build your course shell and is the time to start collecting the content that you would like to deliver to the students. The guidelines and links below are intended to be helpful and effort saving. These are only suggestions for you in the development of your course and not intended to limit your academic freedom and creativity.

Introduction to Online Development; Extended Learning Services (XLS) University of Montana

https://mcewww.cec.umt.edu/LearningGuide2.0-Instructor/start/default.htm

Managing Course Content - Extended Learning Services (XLS) University of Montana.

https://mcewww.cec.umt.edu/LearningGuide2.0-Instructor/start/default.htm

Blackboard Webinars & Demos Featuring components of the LMS (Learning Management System)

http://www.blackboard.com/Company/Events-Center/Webinars-and-Demos/Webinar-Archive.aspx

Behind the Blackboard: Faculty, Instructors, and Designer support:

Blackboard provides Content Support for Faculty, Instructors and Designers https://behind.blackboard.com/s/faculty/

Creating content and sources of content to import into your course:

There are external sources that can be a fast way to increase content material in your online course. Below are a few recommendations for sources of educational content:

* Creative Commons http://creativecommons.org/
* MERLOT http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm
* MIT OpenCourseWare http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Evaluation of your course content:

The Quality Matters rubric is a set of standards that can be used to evaluate your online course. Quality Matters Rubric (PDF) http://qminstitute.org/home/Public%20Library/About%20QM/RubricStandards2008-2010.pdf

Creating Multimedia Files

Blackboard allows you to attach documents such as Word, PowerPoint presentations as well as other Media content. Such examples include audio and video content, such as a Podcast, can be created using a variety of applications.

Resources: