Course outcomes
The outcomes of the online instructional method have significant differences with the classroom instructional method common in the traditional settings. The outcomes will be measured in terms of student achievement. It is an approach that is importance in making comparison between the effectiveness of online and classroom instruction method (Clark, 2007). To make the comparisons, a multidimensional concept will be used based on a number of measurements. In this case, the measurements adopted include course withdrawal or dropout rates, achievement in terms of grades, and the number of students successfully completing the course.
It is expected that comparable performance findings will be elucidated in the two methods. For instance, online instruction method is a more effective approach to teaching the entrepreneurship course because is saves time, given that the students will not be required to travel to class (Clark, 2007).
Design of online courses to meet program and learner objectives
To achieve a well developed design for the online learning that meets the objectives of the program and the learners, it is important to use a multidimensional approach with a number of strategies. First, lectures will be used. It will provide the program with an efficient way of information dissemination, where it will be used to lay foundations as the learners work through the subject matter. In this case, lecture notes will be uploaded on the web page to allow student access. Such notes will be provided with links to the related resources as well as other websites in which they will be embedded (Clark & Lyons, 2011).
Aligning teaching approaches to student learning outcomes
To effectively align the teaching approaches described above to the student learning outcomes, the program will involve some strategies such as interactive learning. Interactive learning will involve teacher-learner and learner-learner interactions through online method, especially CMS as described above (Horton, 2010). The approach is effective in disintegrating information into smaller sessions that encourages students to participate. Then, individual work will take place. A group activity will follow and will take place in form of student groups of three discussing the case and trying to brainstorm and answer the questions (Clark & Lyons, 2011).
Assessing the effectiveness of the online course
To determine whether the online course is effective, questions will be prompted to the learners during the lecture, especially at the end of the session. The tutor will pose live questions to the students or target each student at a time. In addition, a session will be held to conduct continuous assessment tests in which each student will be provided with a set of multiple answer questions (Gronlund, 2012).
Journal 3 Welcome announcement
Welcome to the management course for entrepreneurs. My name is professor XXXX and I will take you through the course. Unlike other courses you may have taken, this course will be offered online and will require you to find a better place to sit and remain fixed on your set and your eyes on the screen. We expect you to have the best computer and internet system to avoid disruptions. Feel comfortable posing questions. I strongly encourage team work. There is not much difference with the traditional classrooms, only that we are far from each other.
The course, Leadership for Entrepreneurs 101, will be taught online as compared to the traditional classroom settings. In employing this modern method, we will be using computer-based communication technologies and the internet to deliver the course content. The students will be expected to be in their preferred places and at their comfortable positions while the tutor will be located within the university’s departmental offices (Clark, 2007).
Secondly, online instruction method will be effective in improving the student grades, given that it provides a limited interaction between the students and the teachers, which helps in building trust and positive attitudes towards the teacher (Bersin, 2014). For example, the teachers will try to save time by focusing only on the relevant materials and topics. In addition, the students will focus their attention to the teacher and not any other student or person in the room, which disrupts the process of learning in traditional classroom environments. Thus, it is expected that the online method will improve the learning outcomes and eventually achieve better grades compared to the traditional classroom instruction methods (Clark, 2007).
Notes will be provided in form of a package available for download and distribution. The lectures will be presented in terms of video, audio and words to make it the method more effective (Clark & Lyons, 2011).
Secondly, discussions will be allowed in the learning process. On the internet, course management systems (CMS) and mailing list will be used to encourage and allow discussions (Bersin, 2014). In this case, we will use CMS as it is the most common and easy to implement (Morrison, 2013).
I will be inviting answers from your groups and individuals to encourage an open discussion. The idea is to build the major points. For multiple answer questions, each one of you will only be required to click on one of the answers, which will be automatically relayed to the teacher’s interface for marking.
References
Bersin, J. (2014). The Blended Learning Book. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Clark, R.C. (2007). The New Virtual Classroom: Evidence-based Guidelines for Synchronous e-Learning. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Clark, R.C., & Lyons, C. (2011). Graphics for Learning: Proven Guidelines for Planning, Designing, and Evaluating Visuals in Training Materials. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Gronlund, N. E. (2012). Assessment of Student Achievement. Washington, DC: Allyn & Bacon.
Horton, W. (2010). Designing Web-Based Training. New York: John Wiley.
Morrison, D. (2013). E-Learning Strategies – How to Get Implementation and Delivery Right First Time. New York: John Wiley.