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Stock Your Course With Good Stuff | Notes | Resources |
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Start building your syllabus! (Is there one already developed? Work with that, or create your own!) | Don't forget to check with your departmental administrative staff or Dean to ensure you're using the standard content and formatting. | ||
Get the latest Academic Calendar |
Be sure to identify University holidays, etc. that may affect your course's meeting days | ||
Write your course schedule |
Map out the learning activities/assessments/assignments for each week or specific milestones | ||
Determine your readings |
Consult with the MCPHS University librarians for links to journal articles, resources and to discuss any copyright questions | ||
Find videos to add variety to your content | Identify resources that will be of use. Make building your course easier - develop a list all of the video URLs you'd like to incorporate when it is time to build the course in Blackboard. | ||
List your web resources |
Start a list of the web links you'll be using, for easy cut/pasting when you start building your content areas | ||
Take a photo of yourself or create a short introduction video | Personalize your course--whether you're online or in person, connect with your students! | ||
Gather all of your files into a single folder | Don't forget your presentations, lectures, PDFs, and other created handouts |
Arrange Your Course Shell | |||
Request the basic course template or the Learning Module template | This provides a standardized base to start adding content into | ||
Adjust content to align with the course template (if used) | Ask your an instructional designer about integrating a course template into your course(s). | ||
Add or subtract weekly modules as needed | 15 weeks? 12 or 10 week summer course? Project or other milestone based course? Set up your modules to reflect this | ||
Write assignments |
Include specific and detailed instructions; develop or reference rubrics to guide students | ||
Develop and record your presentations | It's better to have several 15 minute lectures with 15-20 slides (if you're using PowerPoint) than 2 hours and 67 slides. | ||
Develop your discussion board topics and link them within your lessons | Don't forget to think about criteria, expectations on formatting, peer response, etc. to create complete exercises | Learn more about discussion boards and ways to implement them here! | |
Prep your weekly units |
Work through them in sequence--focus on the early weeks of the semester, to ensure there is content for the start of the semester | ||
Add Grade Center categories as needed | Projects? Special categories that align with your syllabus | Learn about customizing the Grade Center | |
Edit your weighted total column in the Grade Center | Set the grading categories to their appropriate weights. (Be sure to set up the categories first!) | Learn more about Weighted Total Columns |
Finalize and Launch Your Course! | |||
Run the "Check Course Links" Tool | This checks internal links and helps to ensure accuracy (This process can take several minutes to complete) | ||
Check your external web links | This has to be done manually, but it's important to be sure you're providing updated and available information to your students! | ||
Double check your Grade Center | Now's the time to check with an Instructional technologist or designer to be sure it's set up as you would like! | Send an email to Academic Technology and Instructional Support. | |
Post an announcement |
Welcome your students and don't forget to select "Send Email" | Learn how to create an announcement. | |
Use the student preview | Use Student Preview to experience the course exactly as it will display to your students. | Learn how to use the student preview. | |
Make your course available | We recommend making your course live a week prior to the start of the semester--this allows students to familiarize themselves with your course content, the syllabus and identify textbook and supplies purchases. You can leave the units hidden for now. | Learn how to make your course available. |