5. Develop the main body of instructional content.
Like an academic text, the body/content is the main block of instructional content of each chapter in your course. A selection of activity types and resources presented consistently in each chapter will help students to keep their own study habits organized as they move through your chapters. Foundational activities found in each chapter can be interspersed around customized and chapter-specific interactions.
Activity types for the body of the chapter might include:
- Original writing
- Original recorded audio or video lectures/presentations
- Digital flashcards
- Skill-building and customizable exercises
- Case studies or scenarios
- Assignments
- Web links or public domain videos
6. Include an assessment and assignment section.
Once students have reviewed the main instructional content, take advantage of the online learning platform’s ability to test students’ understanding. We recommend ending each lesson with a collection of assessment materials to help students to measure their proficiency. Auto-graded activities work best for student practice, while manually graded assignments, essays and other customized response exercises work well for evaluating higher-level skills.
Activity types to consider include:
- Practice skill-builders
- Quizzes
- Assignments
- Discussions
Refer to the Cognella Guide to Creating Quality Assessments for additional suggestions on preparing assessments.
7. End with a chapter or module conclusion.
A conclusion is an opportunity to remind readers of the purpose of the chapter/module or review the most important ideas to take away. The conclusion could explain how these principles relate to experiences and issues students may encounter or provide insights into how students may apply what they learned. Consider if providing this brief synopsis will give added value to students.
In addition to written text, activities used in a chapter/module conclusion could include:
- Reflection and discussion questions
- Surveys
- Links to further reading