Course Outlines

Penny For Your Thoughts:Simplifying e-Learning for Business

A Few Words About:

Course OutlinesCourse Outlines(Generic and Moodle)(Generic and Moodle)

© 2010, All Rights Reserved, Albany Analytical, Inc.PennyMondani.com Course Outlines page 2

About This Presentation

This PowerPoint Show is taken from my blog

Penny For Your Thoughts: Simplifying e-Learning for Business,

where the posts can be read in their entirety.

A Few Words About is a regular feature of my monthly newsletter.

You can sign up for the newsletter and view archived issues at PennyMondani.com


What is a Course Outline?

• It is...

• It is the plan, the guiding document, the roadmap to your course

• It makes it easier for you to create the course in an organized manner

• It makes it easier for the students to learn by giving them context and setting expectations


Course Outline

• Topic 1, Week 1, Lesson 1– Subtopic 1– Subtopic 2– ...– Subtopic n

• Topic 2, Week 2, Lesson 2– Subtopic 1

• Case Study, Exercise, Other Activity...– Subtopic 2– ...– Subtopic n

• Topic N, Week N, Lesson N (last)Each bullet point is a logical breakdown of the content; not too much detail, but

enough to provide an idea of what is in that section. Each bullet point may represent many pages or just a paragraph.


Course Outline Example

Bullet Points

Logical breakdown of sequential topics. Not too much detail...but “enough”.

Each bullet point may contain any type of delivery method (video, a group activity, a lecture, etc.) and take any amount of time.


Tips for Creating an Outline

1. Create the main structure. Start...– at the top, with the title and break it into parts.

OR...– at the bottom, jotting down each topic on a

separate sheet of paper and move them around until they flow

2. Compile your existing examples, jokes, concepts, pictures...and organize them into the main structure

Idea: Create a “kitchen sink outline” with everything...then pick and choose items for different audiences, objectives, and/or time formats.


Course Outlines ≠ Moodle Outlines

• Course outlines are a necessary starting point for any course creation

• Not all bullets in the original course outline will transfer to the Moodle course outline.

• Why?– Some items (such as assignments or quizzes) will be

separate items in the Moodle outline– Some items (such as short topics) will be too short to

occupy an entire Moodle “page”...or too long for one page

– Moodle outlines are similar to PowerPoint slide outlines in that each bullet is a distinct entity (page)


Moodle Course Outline

• Topic 1, Week 1, Lesson 1– Page 1– Page 2– ...– Page n

• Topic 2, Week 2, Lesson 2– Page 1– Page 2– ...– Page n

• Topic N, Week N, Lesson N (last)

Bullet Points ~ “Pages”Not just pages, but also links to other sites, links to documents and media,

assignments, quizzes, glossaries...very much like a “slide” in PowerPoint., you

must hit the “next” key to move between them.


What is a “Page” in Moodle?

• Web pages, which are a mix of:– Text (including linked text)– Graphics, Charts, Pictures– Linked or embedded video, audio

• Links to be opened directly:– External sites– Downloadable documents– Videos– Other media (pictures, audio)

• Activities, such as:– Assignments– Quizzes– Forums– Chats– Others (glossaries, wikis, meetings)

These should fit together sequentially. Other content can be added to the side boxes, or elsewhere in the course.

OR

OR


Moodle Outline Example

Web PagesText, Linked Text, Pictures, Linked Pics,

Embedded Flash

Links to open directlyDocuments, Videos, Audios, External Sites

ActivitiesQuizzes, Assignments, Glossaries,

Chats, Forums, Meetings

This is the outline of the Pluto demo course at BeeLearn.com. This is what the student sees on the course

main page.


Tips for Creating a Moodle Outline

1. Start with the non-Moodle outline2. Create one bullet point for each continuous set

of text3. Create another bullet point for each activity

(quiz, assignment, etc.)4. For each link (documents, websites, videos,

flash), determine whether to mix it in with your text pages (embedded or linked to text) or to make it a separate “page”


Two Special Pages in Every Outline

• Purpose-Objectives-Goals– This will be one of the first pages in your course that

anyone reads. – It might be in the description, viewable to everyone, in a

side box, or at the top of the course main page.– It will set the tone for what is expected from the student

and from your course content.– It can also include a “Welcome” statement from you.

• Summary– This will be the last page (before the final exam) and

will tie into the P-O-G. – It can also include a “Thank You” and/or a “Farewell,

Good Luck” statement from you.


Follow me...Contact me

Read the rest of this post and more at PennyMondani.com

Follow me on Twitter/PennyMondaniJoin me on LinkedIn (/in/PennyMondani)

View Moodle Demo Courses at BeeLearn.com

Learn more at AlbanyAnalytical.com

[email protected]