2017 UNC CAUSE

Designing online courses can be overwhelming; a course that is lengthy and text-heavy, is neither beneficial nor efficient to students. Effective course design increases student engagement and motivation by reducing cognitive load. In this session, we will introduce the formal, research-based strategies for effective visual and structural design, and their application within online courses to create a learner-centered environment. In particular, we will focus on 1) planning, 2) organization, 3) consistency, 4) navigation, 5) design, 6) accessibility, 7) engagement, and 8) feedback. We will explain each of these strategies, and provide a number of examples for each.