Online Course Design Should Consider Learner Characteristics

August 6, 2009

By: Christopher Hill in Distance Learning Administration

In the early days of online learning, text was the primary medium of instruction. Now options abound, but finding the appropriate tools and using them effectively is another matter.

“The problem is that many instructors try to emulate what goes on in the face-to-face classroom without carefully considering learner characteristics or learning conditions,” says Steven Terrell, professor in the Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences at Nova Southeastern University. “Either they’re not aware of the multitude of new tools that are out there that can support different learning styles and course objectives, or they may be aware of them but don’t know how to use them or don’t have the time or money to be able to use them.”

Terrell recommends beginning with the learning objectives before deciding how to support the learners in reaching these objectives. These objectives may very well be identical to those in a comparable face-to-face course, but the way these objectives are addressed needs to suit the nature of the online environment and the learning preferences of a diverse group of students.

“Think of all the tools available first and as you’re developing the course objectives, and say to yourself, ‘Alright, if I’m going to have this objective, how can I present the material to the students so that it supports a given number of learning styles?” Terrell says.

Learner characteristics are influenced by several factors, including:

Locus of control: Is the individual student in control of the learning or are there external forces in charge of what the student learns?
Task orientation: Is the learner able to stay on task without going too far astray?
Level of motivation: Is the learner intrinsically motivated or extrinsically motivated?

Although he expected certain characteristics to have a dramatic effect on student success, Terrell found that there was no single preferred learning style that helped students to succeed in online courses. He speculates that high levels of motivation help dedicated students overcome some of their own shortcomings or those of the design of a course.

However, not all students have high motivation levels, and so the course needs to be designed to support all students and contribute to their developing intrinsic motivation. “The tools we choose should help a student become more task-oriented and more independent,” Terrell says.

Terrell provides several communication options for his students—email, telephone, chat, Skype and blogs.

“Wikis and blogs are very common these days. They’re really easy to set up and include in a class. They engage the students so they don’t feel divorced from the system. Some research shows that loneliness—the ‘it’s-me-against-the-world’ thing—drives away a lot of online students. Having communication tools readily available helps students,” Terrell says.

Terrell makes it a point to include a link to a digital library where students do further research. He also includes podcasts and learning objects that students can use and practice on as many times as they want.

Excerpted from Consider the Learn in Course Design, Online Classroom, January 2008.