Especially for first-time e-learners, it’s best to understand what they can expect from a learning management system course as early as humanly possible.
Your course outline should include some critical info about the online course. These include things like the instructor’s email, office address and/or phone number; the course length, dates, and expected involvement of students; the names and numbers of textbooks and other required learning materials; an outline of the learning management system and course format, a clear explanation of navigational features; a description of the course content; a project and exam schedule; and an overall evaluation plan.
In the course outline, stress the importance of familiarizing oneself with the LMS and exploring all the different features. Students should understand where all the different content can be found in each section of the e-learning course. Advise learners to check the LMS on a regular basis for class updates, assignments, or announcements. Describe in minute detail what happens when students miss an assignment or a class (if there are classes,) as well as how exactly students will be graded, and any other bits of critical information.
One more useful function of the syllabus that will help avoid later problems is an outline of the plagiarism policy. Although most of us understand that plagiarism is prohibited, it’s not uncommon for people to be unsure what exactly qualifies as such. Though real and intentional plagiarizing is all-too-common common, unintended incidents of cheating also happen and cause a big mess for everyone involved. But with your help, such situations are preventable. The fact is that many people are just uninformed about how to cite sources properly.
The solution? Attach a citation guide like MLA or ATA style to your syllabus explaining the correct way to cite articles, books, websites, and other published works.
Helping learners feel at home in their virtual learning environment, confident in their navigation skills, and clear about expectations and course processes can be achieved using a few simple tools. These include a well developed syllabus, videos, and citation guides (which are easy to find online). Quick and clear establishment of the features, tone, and objectives of your e-learning course will help avoid any confusion or problems in the future. It will establish a harmonious and dynamic learning management system experience not only for your learners, but for administrators and course instructors.
