Online Readers Need Structure

Non-verbal cues are missing in most online courses, so it can be helpful for readers if we incorporate clear design concepts. Headings should be descriptive and show the hierarchy of ideas. Visual aids help orient students to the course. Learning activities, like asking students to summarize or rephrase in a learning journal, work as verification techniques to reinforce the…

Show Diversity

Where possible, we try to include examples of people from other cultures or depictions of the diversity of Canadian society in the course. Showing people from diverse backgrounds prepares students for life in a culturally diverse society and helps dispel preconceived ideas about others, which we hope increases the students’ competence for living in an…