How to Design Interactive Distance Education Courses

Creating an interactive distance learning course can make learning accessible and bring a global audience together. The key elements in creating distance courses are reliable hosts and online presentation and software tools. Many of these tools can be found free online; however, beware when using free shareware, because you cannot always verify the original source or block spyware and viruses, and this increases the risk of presentations being contaminated with spyware or viruses. It is highly recommended that you purchase reliable virus- and spyware-free software to ensure user and trainer safety.

Things You'll Need

  • You will need the following to create and operate professional distance learning courses:
  • 1- Presentation tools such as MS Powerpoint and Excel Spreadsheets.
  • 2- Video recorder, authoring tools and recording tools.
  • 3- Host software such as Lectora, Flex Training, Capterra or Train Castor.
  • 4- Online chat/webcam software such as WebEx, Userplane or Intelliworks.
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Instructions

  1. Building Your Online Distance Learning Course

    • 1

      Create the online curriculum using PowerPoint (or other presentation software), PDF files and spreadsheets. Make sure that the font-size is legible, and enhance zoom features to ensure users can read fine print.

      Remember to create your online testing and measurement tools to determine what level of learning has occurred. These can be made with MS Word Additions or software used in Step 3.

    • 2

      Install voice-overs and sound for your curriculum. Using presentation software (PowerPoint, for example), you can add recordings to your presentation. These can consist of the author reading the presentation aloud or simply highlighting important parts of each page that learners should pay special attention to and making clarifying statements or instructions to the learner.

    • 3

      Transfer your training program and testing tools (from Step 1) into your online course. Using software programs such as Lectora, Mindflash, Flex Training, Capterra or Train Castor, you can upload your curriculum to be viewed by users. These programs are designed to make distance learning simpler for the learner and instructor. To determine which program is best for you, contact the company for a free two-week trial. Reputable companies often offer online associates to aid you through your initial use of their program. Remember, a successful user often becomes a successful client, so it is in their best interest to help you learn how to use their software successfully.

      Tip: Many software programs offer templates for presentations and spreadsheets that make highlighting information easier and more efficient. Use the tools whenever possible to enhance your professional appearance and reduce glitches or bugs.

    • 4

      Establish online class times and assignment logs. Send out an email to all participants that identifies times, place and the assignments that learners are to have previously covered before meeting in a web chat room. Many software tools, such as WebEx, build in these features for you and are integrated within the eLearning software tools.

      Remember to restrict your course to known participants only to avoid outside interruptions.

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