Last updated on July 31, 2024
Whether you have worked in Canvas in the past, or you have only completed part 1 of this course development tutorial series, it’s time to dig into essential elements that make up a successful online course. If you haven’t already, we highly recommend checking out the first installment of this spotlight, How to Start Building Your Course Part 1, to ensure you are up to speed on the foundational aspects of course creation (including customizing your course using the MSU Denver Blueprint, syllabus, and basic course structure).
This second installment on building your course will focus on developing learning outcomes, choosing appropriate assessments, and using effective engagement and presentation methods. These components are essential for creating a comprehensive and engaging online learning experience. By the end of this spotlight, you’ll be well-equipped to create a dynamic and interactive learning environment that meets educational standards and keeps your students motivated and involved.
Best Practices
What are learning objectives and how should I use them?
Learning objectives are the foundation of your course. They guide the structure, content, and assessments, ensuring that both you and your students have clear goals to work towards.There are two types of objectives this Spotlight will cover:
Course Level Objective (CLO): A broad description of a skill, behavior, or competency a learner will have if they achieve mastery of the objective.
Module Level Objective (MLO): A definition of a discrete skill, behavior, or competency at the module level. The MLOs of a course support the CLOs of a course.
- Write clear and measurable objectives: Use action verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy or Fink’s Taxonomy of Significant Learning (e.g., analyze, evaluate, create, identify, etc…) to describe what students will achieve and how they will achieve it. Objectives should be measurable, observable, and require the student to demonstrate a specific skill.
- Obtain learning objectives for the whole course: Reach out to the chair of your department to obtain the official syllabus for your course. The official syllabus will contain the Course Level Objectives, or CLOs, for your course.
- Note: If you are building a course from scratch you will need to develop CLOs for the course. To develop CLOs, articulate what students should know, be able to do, and demonstrate by the end of the course. They provide direction for your teaching and criteria for assessing student progress.
- Align objectives with assessments and activities: Each learning outcome should correspond to specific assessments and instructional activities that allow students to demonstrate their mastery. The assessment or activity should clearly connect to the CLO or MLO it supports.
How should I select an assessment type?
Choosing the right type of assessment is crucial for measuring student progress effectively. The assessment type should always align with the objective it means to measure. Consider the following when choosing an assessment type:
Align Assessments with Learning Objectives:
- Module Learning Objectives (MLOs): Design assessments that directly measure whether students have achieved the specific learning objectives of each module.
- Course Learning Objectives (CLOs): Ensure that completing assessments that support MLOs will lead learners to achieve broader course objectives or CLOs. Cumulative assessments, quizzes, or assignments may measure one, many, or all CLOs.
Match Assessment Types in Canvas to Learning Objectives:
The basic types of assessments in Canvas are listed below:
- Assignments:
- Ideal for text entries, file uploads, media recordings, and other detailed submissions.
- Allows for a wide variety of assessment types. Review the Ready site section on Assignments for a full list of assignment types and how to use them.
- Integrate with a number of third-party apps, like GoReact and Hypothesis, for novel learning experiences.
- Quizzes:
- Suitable for multiple-choice, true/false, short-answer, matching questions, and many others.
- May be used for a wide range of measurements, from measuring single MLOs to large, cumulative exams measuring many objectives.
- Check out the Ready site section on Quizzes/Tests for a comprehensive list of quiz-related topics.
- Discussions:
- Great for fostering critical thinking and peer interaction.
- Encourages students to articulate their understanding and engage with diverse perspectives.
- Review the CTLD Spotlight on Getting Started with New Discussions for an overview of how to use discussions in your course.
How can I increase engagement in my course?
There are many ways to increase engagement in your course, and this is not an exhaustive list. However, incorporating these simple practices will help students feel invested and motivated throughout your newly built course:
- Incorporate Instructor Presence: Simply put, students benefit from your presence in the course. Add an instructor introduction to the course information module to start. Consider adding more instructor presence to the course in the form of module overviews, lectures, or participating in discussions. If you’re curious to see the positive impact instructor presence can have on a course, check out the CTLD Course Showcase on MUS 1010, which heavily relies on and benefits from instructor presence. Review the CTLD spotlights on Voiceover Powerpoints for your lectures and Incorporating YuJa into Your Course for more details on incorporating instructor presence.
- Use multimedia assignments: GoReact or YuJa quizzes are great places to start adding assignments that involve engaging learners with multimedia elements. Review the CTLD tutorials on using GoReact and YuJa quizzes to learn how to add these features to your course.
- Participate in Discussions: You can actively gauge learners’ understanding of course content while addressing misconceptions by participating in discussions. Your input can offer clarification and steer conversations in a productive direction by posing thought-provoking responses to posts. Review the CTLD Spotlight on Fostering Engagement through Discussions for more details.
- Use announcements to keep your class updated: Use announcements to draw attention to any course changes, deadlines, or important course materials.This helps your students to stay organized and feel you are involved in the course. Review the CTLD tutorial on Creating Announcements to add announcements to your course.
Let’s walk through it together
This section will demonstrate how to develop an MLO, how to choose an assignment type that aligns with it, and how to increase engagement with the assignment. This process should be repeated throughout the course to create alignment and increase engagement.
Develop an effective CLO
If you are building a course from scratch, start with developing a Course-Level Objective. If your course already has a syllabus with CLOs, continue to the section on Developing an effective MLO. The example CLO we will use is:
Learners will critique modern educational technologies.
This CLO is measurable, as it uses the action verb “critique,” and can be observed by the instructor. To achieve this outcome, learners must demonstrate their ability to critique modern educational technologies through assessments and activities.
Develop an effective MLO
Ensure the MLO is aligned with and supports a CLO in your course. The example MLO we will use is:
Learners will debate the benefits and drawbacks of using AI in education.
This MLO supports the CLO above. It is measurable, as it uses the action verb “debate,” and the instructor can observe it. Through a debate, learners will demonstrate their knowledge of the benefits and downsides of using AI in education.
Select an assignment type that aligns with the MLO
Learners will engage in a debate to demonstrate mastery of this MLO. For this reason, a discussion of some sort is necessary. Assignments and Quizzes are generally not well-suited for discussions or debates and, therefore, do not align with the MLO. The best way to measure the objective is to create discourse between students to assess whether they have achieved the objective.
Create engagement through the assessment:
For this assignment, a simple discussion or GoReact assignment would be most aligned with the MLO. Since a discussion is chosen, the instructor could create more engagement by contributing to the conversation by providing guidance and adding thought-provoking questions. Alternatively, a GoReact assignment requires incorporating the element of multimedia to the activity and increases engagement through video discussions. Either of these options would be a great way to assess the MLO.
Below is an example prompt that measures the MLO “Students will debate the benefits and downsides of using AI in education” in a GoReact assignment:
Record a video submission summarizing your position on whether the potential benefits of using AI in education outweigh the downsides. Consider both the potential advantages and disadvantages of AI integration in education, including aspects such as personalized learning, accessibility, data privacy, and teacher-student interaction. Your initial submission must be 4-5 minutes long.
Then, respond to two classmates with video responses that are at least 2-3 minutes long. Record a response video addressing the arguments presented by your peers. You can either support their points with additional insights or respectfully counter their arguments with your perspective.
This prompt measures the MLO by setting a stage for a debate on the subject matter, encouraging students to reflect, rebuttal, and discuss the topic. This outcome is also supportive of the overall course-level objective, “Learners will critique modern educational technologies.”
Looking Ahead
By following the strategies in this Spotlight, you are equipped to create an aligned and engaging Canvas course. Implementing these methods facilitates learning while fostering a dynamic and interactive environment. As you refine your course, remember to align objectives, assessments, and activities to ensure a cohesive and impactful experience for your students.