March 28, 2021
In this video, consider the roadmap you’ve provided for your students. Are there clear descriptions of each sidebar tab, and a layout of what students need to do for their weekly routine?
Video: https://youtu.be/UYKDqbD4bkM
Please add your own ideas for providing clear course navigation in the Open Space doc.
Ideas Mentioned in Video:
- Pin a “Quick Start Guide” in an easy-to-access place that students visit often (such as the course landing page).
- Students may get overwhelmed when presented with too much information at once. Use the “Adaptive Release” feature on Blackboard so that not all information is available up front.
- If you use Google Docs for your syllabus, use a black highlighter to cover information that isn’t relevant this early in the semester. This allows students who do like to know everything up front to check what’s coming by highlighting over it, while those who are overwhelmed by too much information don’t need to access it yet.
- Think of your course like you would if you wanted someone to bake muffins or travel to a destination. What information do they need?
Quick Start Guide ideas:
The screenshot below is from a template I created for professors.
***I realize a screenshot is not fully accessible; if anyone reading this would like access to the entire Blackboard course template, email me at Carolyn.Stallard@guttman.cuny.edu***
Another example: Here is one version I’ve used for my courses. I also use a sort of delayed “quick start” video that I post after students have a handle on how the course functions, as a reminder. I send this video out at the end of Week 3, after all information on the syllabus has been un-blackened. Take this with a grain of salt, since my courses are set up in a kind of atypical manner.
