What do I need to pay attention to when planning an online class?
Some suggestions:
- Bear in mind that the semester is not going to take place under ideal circumstances. Please keep your expectations realistic. You do not need to create a 'perfect' online course.
- You do not need to have your whole online course ready and perfectly set up on Moodle in the first week of the semester. It is okay to habe 2-3 weeks planned and to complete the materials one week at a time.
- Because you cannot meet students to welcome everybody and guide them through your class, you need to give your students this organizational information explicitely at the beginning of the course. This information is important so students feel like they are really participating in a course.
- Pay attention to your welcoming announcements at the beginning: tell students what to expect from them, where to find course materials and how they can reach you. Make sure that you are available at times when you told them you would be.
- Count in that students will need more time for the same tasks due to the online situation (reading on screen, typing instead of speaking etc.)
- Also, checking that everything works ("Can you all hear me and see my video?") takes time. Diminish the work load of your class accordingly.
- Be clear about how you will grade your class. If you do not know yet, how to grade your class, tell students that you have not decided yet, but that this issue is on your to-do list and that you will come back to them on the issue soon.