Best Practices for Improving the Quality of the Online Course Design and Learners Experience

Abstract

For over 20 years, I have worked for various types of organizations as a higher education administrator, consultant, and Quality Matters Peer Reviewer. Some of my responsibilities consisted of leading the instructional, design, development, delivery, and maintenance of all online courses. The purpose of this article is to present some of the online course content, instructional design, and technology challenges that have continued to emerge over the past 20-plus years. The challenges were related to content that does not align with the iNACOL, Virtual Learning Leadership Alliance, or Quality Matters standards for course design and other best practices. Some of the challenges were associated with not providing: (a) a course overview; (b) clearly stated, appropriate, and measurable outcomes; (c) culturally inclusive materials, images, and other resources designed to support the learning needs of diverse learners; (d) accessible online courses; (e) multiple ways to engage learners; (f) inclusive instructions; (g) assessments and rubrics that clearly aligned with learning outcomes; and (h) consistency in the user interface experience from one course to the next. This article also presents recommendations and suggestions to improve the quality of the online course design process based on national standards and other best practices for quality improvement of online courses and learners’ experiences.