1. Determine why you should build an online course.

      To provide increased and improved access requires professional marketing to sustain adequate enrollment.

Currently, there is no complete national registry for online courses.

Online courses eliminate schedule conflicts while space and time barriers to collaboratively work on plans, projects, reports, and other learning tasks are removed.

      To improve the quality of instruction

Online instruction can incorporate a broader range of information, integrating course content with the informational resources of the Web.

Virtual field trips to museums, historical sites, foreign countries, and the like already create learning opportunities that are not otherwise practical.

Creating online courses offers an opportunity to rethink instruction design for interactive, stimulating content and delivery. The process forces critical reflection on teaching philosophy and goals, which improves the effectiveness of teaching.

Other considerations include:

Online courses require a lot of technical support, interaction via e-mail and electronic conferencing with students, and higher technology fees.

2. Convert an existing course rather than create a new one.

Simultaneously creating new subject matter while building an online course adds to the timeframe and cost for the project.Start the project with enough advance time to meet the desired "delivery" date.

Pro-ductivity Systems can help you convert to online courses or blended instruction consisting of pre- and post- course assessment created using authoring software, Microsoft Producer/Powerpoint, Macromedia Studio MX or other course authoring software, CD-ROM, and web hosted/delivered classes tracked with our learning management system.

3. Change your learning philosophy toward helping students find, digest, assimilate, and apply knowledge.

Study and apply game theory to the course content.Games offer the opportunity to assimilate and demonstrate application of new knowledge and skill.Successful performance in games also give the student increased confidence to apply what is learned.

4. Link to alternate course resources and distribute hard copies of publications in .doc and .pdf formats (copyright permissions are liberal for educational purposes)

5. Omit the flashy animated graphics and focus on content and learning activities.

Learning takes place based upon quality content and application of knowledge to create improved skills and abilities.The entertainment value is really not significant when a student is predisposed to requiring the information for success in a future career or on the job.

6. Put the burden of learning and communication on students.

To ensure a vested interest in the outcome of the learning process, give students the responsibility for learning and communication and enforce deadlines to prevent impact on the group.Use of team activities and assignments encourages increased and quality participation.You may include mutual assessment of team members to evaluate each student’s contribution.

7. Learn to do your own course improvements.

Rather than relying on information technology staff for technical support, keep a course fresh by learning the appropriate skills to update content and presentation.

8. Create online assignment and grading processes.

Using today’s course authoring and assessment software, you can automate much of the grading and tracking function allowing you more focus on the quality of instruction.

Study and apply game theory to the course content. Games offer the opportunity to assimilate Pro-ductivity Systems offers a sound instructional design and customizable template based software called Authoring PRO, an LCMS with integral authoring capability. Customers also use additional SCORM conformant authoring software tools as well as Microsoft Producer/Powerpoint, Macromedia Studio MX or a hosted database driven course authoring software tool for creating online courses, assessments, bookmark and scores which can be stored in our learning management software system.