Lesson 6: Structuring course content

Content is composed with learning modules in D2L. When putting content online, it is vital to keep the learning modules organized in a logical and sensible way to make navigation intuitive for students. If students spend too much time or have difficulty finding the readings, materials, or any information they need, students tend to feel confused and frustrated, and thus prohibit learning. Instructors use modules for three main reasons:

• Organizing course content into weekly topics
• Including course materials and learning activities that help students progress towards the course learning outcomes
• Structuring and sequencing the learning materials into smaller parts so students can engage with complex tasks in meaningful and manageable ways. 
• Break down the larger course learning outcomes into more manageable module learning outcomes to include at the beginning of each module. 

Organize your learning modules in a clear and consistent manner to help students learn. There are two common ways to structure your learning modules. One is to create learning modules with different topics or similar content groups; the other way is to map the learning modules chronologically, such as Week 1, Week 2 and so on.

It is also recommended to integrate all teaching and learning activities such as discussions, projects, surveys, quizzes and so on in the content area so that students will be trained to follow through the content and complete tasks as required.

• Organize learning modules by topics or weeks 

• Group similar content with sub-module and order activities

• Complete the Online Course Planning Template

• Write module learning outcomes