Course Development
Option 1: Web-Enhanced Course
At JSU, a web-enhanced Canvas course is a companion piece to the face-to-face course. In a web-enhanced course, you might provide your students with online access to the course syllabus, handouts, a class calendar, posted grades, or other resources and activities intended to enhance the classroom experience and support student learning.
According to JSU President, Dr. Don C. Killingsworth, Jr., beginning in Fall 2020, all face-to-face courses must be web-enhanced. The following components are required:
- Course Syllabus
- Canvas Assignments (To record grades, create "No Submission" assignment submission 'dropboxes')
- To create a "No Submission" grade column to record a grade, in an Assignment's settings next to "Submission Type" select "No Submission."
- Complete Gradebook (with grades posted throughout the course)
Option 2: Blended Course
Traditionally, at JSU, hybrid courses are classified as Blended 1 or Blended 2. In a Blended 1 course, students meet online between 1% and 50% of the time. Blended 1 can also be considered a "blended face-to-face class". In a Bended 2 course, students meet online between 51% and 99% of the time. Blended 2 can also be considered a "blended online class."
Option 3: Online Course
At Jacksonville State University, an online course is a course in which all communication and course-work are conducted completely online. It is truly a 100% online course experience for both instructor(s) and students. As such, an online course must include several elements, including a functional homepage, a syllabus and course calendar, all course/departmental/institutional policies, course content and resources, and assignments, discussions, and exams as specified by the design of the course. The course must also be well-designed and easy for students to navigate. Finally, instructors in a 100% online course must be fully engaged by communicating with students consistently, providing timely feedback on assignments, and actively providing instruction.
Canvas Learning Management System
All three course delivery options are housed and delivered via the Canvas Learning Management System (LMS).
The OTLC contains an archive of resources, videos, tutorials, and guides to help you design online learning, build online courses, teach online, create media content, and more.
Online Course Design, Review, & Evaluation - Contact Online@JSU to request assistance for course design or having a course reviewed.
Moving Traditional Courses or Programs Online - As requested by departments that are considering placing new courses or an entire program online, consultation and/or training designed to meet departmental needs is available.
Course Capture & Podcasting - Capturing, production, and/or distribution of original content is offered to JSU's faculty as an instructional supplement to both traditional and fully online courses. Helpful coaching, tips, and best practices for recording are provided to faculty by Online@JSU staff prior to a recording session. The recorded video/audio is then edited, if necessary, by Online@JSU staff and can be made available to students through a variety of distribution methods.
Assistance with Development of Materials - Our staff are skilled in the use of a variety of development tools/resources and are here to assist.
Description
Welcome Your Students
We all like to feel welcome and comfortable. A simple but sincere welcome letter or video can start your students off feeling great about the course and their professor. In your welcome information, include a comfortable amount of personal information about yourself. You might include family details, hobbies, or pets. Also, consider sharing professional information such as degrees, experience, and why you love teaching the course.
If you are making a video, don't try to make it perfect or feel it must be highly produced. Often the most simple and impromptu videos are the best received. If you need help with creating and sharing a video, contact Online@JSU for assistance.
For more information, visit Canvas Basics
Create a Course Home Page and/or a Start Here Module
When your students first enter your course in Canvas, it may not be as clear to them where to begin as it is to you. A common (and increasingly expected) practice is to create a Start Here Module. This module may contain all sorts of course information, but it at least contains the most important first steps for your students to take in your course. Other ideas to stress in a Start Here Module include: course policies, navigation and organization, course schedule, and your syllabus.
For more information, visit Canvas Basics
Create Pathways
As the instructor and designer of a course, you know details, understand goals and plans, and have a good sense of the big picture. Your students, however, come to your course with very little knowledge of the content and the directions you want them to take. Consider how you might create clear pathways through your course to enhance student learning and success. Any two courses may have entirely different pathways. The appropriate way to approach creating pathways is a function of the content, your students, and your own needs as the instructor. The most important thing for you to do in creating pathways is to take on the personae of your students and imagine their experience the first day they enter your course. Your course should be built such that it leads the students to the right places.
For more information, visit Canvas Content
Adhere to Accessibility Standards
Federal guidelines require that all online content be accessible to all students upon publication. Creating full accessible content can be a challenge, but you can take basic initial steps to greatly improve the accessibility of your online content. One area to be careful with is color and contrast for your text and backgrounds. Proper contrast and color choices will improve the aesthetic look and the readability of your content for users with low visibility. Another important area to focus upon is creating tagging for your written content. These tags enable users using screen readers to more efficiently navigate your content.
Accessibility Resources
Check list for Visual and Organizational Design
National Standards for Quality Online Courses
W3C Standards at a Glance (ADA compliance)
Proper Standards-Compliant Color Use in Web Design
For more information, visit Canvas Accessibility Guide
Canvas Course Enrollment Merge - Faculty often have multiple sections of the same course, or cross-listed courses, but prefer to only manage those sections in one Canvas course. Online@JSU can configure Canvas courses for this purpose prior to terms beginning.
Canvas Course Copy - Re-use of certain content from term to term is part of the typical course preparation process for faculty. These step-by-step instructions provide important details for instructors wanting to complete this process themselves. Included are instructions for requesting assistance from Online@JSU.
Canvas Quotas - Contractual obligations require us to maintain reasonable storage limitations on course directories and other content areas. Each Canvas course receives 500mb of storage.
Canvas Course Availability - A few important steps to ensure courses are ready for students.
Honorlock is JSU's new online proctoring service and replaces Examity, ProctorU, and Respondus LockDown Browser/Monitor. Honorlock integrates well with Canvas and provides a smooth work flow for instructors and students.