Organizing the Course
Choose a suitable structure for the course.
Begin an outline of the main points or
procedures to be included.
Arrange the main elements within the structure
youíve chosen.
“The first principle of composition,” wrote William Strunk in The Elements of Style, “is to foresee or determine the shape of what is to come and pursue that shape.” A solid structure underlies every effective online course.
Choose a method of organization that suits the material you want to
present.
| If you want to teach: | Use this organization: |
| a sequence of events | chronological order |
| how to do something | chronological order |
| causes and effects | chronological order |
| reasons for something | order of importance |
| characteristics of things | general to specific |
| similarities and differences | comparison and contrast |
| definitions of terms or ideas | main idea and details |
Even if you are convinced that students will learn best if they follow
the course exactly as you have laid it out, give them the option of moving
around in any way they wish.
Why?
Your students will be a diverse group.
Some will know more than others; the knowledgeable ones
will want to skip lessons on topics that they already know.
Some will want to preview parts of the course before they
work through it methodically.
This chart lists appropriate methods of organization for several courses:
| Course | Organization |
| Stages of Plant Growth | chronological order |
| How to Tune a Piano | chronological order |
| How Lift Is Produced on an Airplane Wing in Flight | chronological order |
| Causes of the Influenza Pandemic of 1918 | order of importance |
| Basic Principles of Sailboat Hull Design | general to specific |
| Choosing a Piano: Upright or Grand? | comparison and contrast |
| Laws Related to Copyright | main idea and details |
Which of the following groups assigns appropriate methods of organization to each course?
| Course | Organization |
| The Process of Distillation | comparison and contrast |
| Ten Reasons to Reduce the Fat in Your Diet | chronological order |
| A Buyer’s Guide to Software for Kids | order of importance |
| Course | Organization |
| How to Install Memory Chips in Your Computer | chronological order |
| Understanding the Principles of Democracy | general to specific |
| How Hurricanes Form | chronological order |
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