The Architecture of Engagement: Part 3

Over the past 2 weeks I have been reviewing some recommendations from a report entitled, "Actively Engaging Students in Asynchronous Online Classes" by Shannon A. Riggs and Kathryn E. Linder (2016). In particular, I have been taking a deep dive into various engagement strategies such as how and what we communicate in our Syllabus, how we orient students to our class, and the way we design our course.  Riggs & Linder (2016) refer to these three components as the "Architecture of Engagement" and this is what I have been focusing on in the previous 2 blog posts. This blog post is the final post in a 3 part series on The Architecture of Engagement as described by Riggs & Linder (2016) which includes the following topics:

• Architectural Element 1: Syllabus Communication and Engagement Policy- See Blog Post, "The Architecture of Engagement: Part 1"
• Architectural Element 2: Course Orientation- See Blog Post, "The Architecture of Engagement: Part 2"
• Architectural Element 3: Modular Course Structure

Today's Topic:

Architectural Element 3: Modular Course Structure

For architectural element 3, Riggs & Linder (2016) describe having a modular course structure in your online course. This simply means breaking your course into Modules or Units. This type of structure primarily serves to provide structure and organization to your online course. Ideally, each Module would include all of the assignments, readings and activities students are responsible for during that period. 

You may decide to set up your Modules in a variety of different ways. The two most popular are to set them up by Weeks where each module contains the information related to that week’s topic or you can choose to “chunk” your material and set up Modules based on these chunks. For instance, I may have one Module of my course contain all the readings and assignments related to Therapeutic Communication and this Module may last 1, 2 or 3 weeks.

No matter which method you use for setting up your  Modules, it is important to have a strategic method of organizing the information. Each Module should include the following basics:
•    An Agenda and Overview section
•    The Activities (and due dates) that must be completed in this Module

Furthermore, the Agenda and Overview section should include 3 main sections.
•    A Brief Description
•    A list of the module or weekly learning objectives
•    Activities to be completed

Here is an example of what a completed Agenda and Overview section might look like.

In addition to the Agenda and Overview section, the  module must also include the actual learning activities for that module or week. You may want to set this up by giving a brief description of the assignment, a list of the reading/video or other type of learning material, and the instructions for the activity.

To add a little flare to your learning activity section, you may want to add a picture to make it more appealing. An additional tip is to include the rubric for the assignment with the instructions. If it is easily at hand, students will be more likely to use it.

Here is an example of what the Learning Activity section of a content module might look like.

Do you use Modules in your online course? What do you include in each Module section? Share your thoughts, experiences and ideas in The Online Educator Facebook Group by clicking the link HERE. Also, as a treat don’t forget to GRAB YOUR FREE GUIDE to the 3 Secrets to Teaching Online Successfully.