Element #4: A Variety of Course Content, Media and Materials in Appropriate Web Formats

A successful learning experience that engage students in learning activities requires course content, media and materials in appropriate formats. Researchers have identified the potential, flexibility, and opportunities associated with learning environments for all types of learners including those with disabilities (Richmond Liu, 2005; Sloan, Gregor, Rowan, & Booth, 2000). Findings in the literature also contend that providing a variety of resources and materials for learning in a variety of formats can also help address the different learning styles of students (Neuhauser, 2002) and, therefore, more deeply engage students in the learning process. Interestingly, Terrell and Dringus, (2000) report findings that students can be successful learners no matter what their learning style. An effectively designed learning environment has also been reported to be a factor that scaffolds learners in becoming more independent and self-directed (Thiele, 2003). However, just providing materials in a variety of formats and making them accessible to learners is not enough. Materials should be presented with context and embedded with both individual and group activities that facilitate student interaction with the materials in a variety of different ways (Roblyer & Wiencke, 2004).

More information about course content, media and materials are available at Phase 2 Build.

Element #4 References

Neuhauser, C. (2002). Learning style and effectiveness of online and face-to-face instruction. The American Journal of Distance Education, 16 (2), 99-113.

Richmond, A. S. & Liu, L. (2005). Student learning styles of traditional courses versus online distance courses. In C. Crawford, R. Carlsen, I. Gibson, K. McFerrin, J. Price, R. Weber D. A. Willis (Eds.), Technology Teacher Education Annual (pp. 576- 578). Charlottesville, VA: AACE.

Roblyer, M. D. & Wiencke, W. (2004). Exploring the interaction equation: Validating a rubric to assess and encourage interaction in distance courses. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks, 8(4) 24- 37.

Sloan, D., Gregor, P., Rowan, M., & Booth, P. (2000). Accessible accessibility digital media. Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies 2000, 96-100.

Thiele, J. E. (2003). Learning patterns of online students. Journal of Nursing Education, 42(8), 364-367.

Terrell, S. R. & Dringus, L. (2000). An investigation of the effect of learning style on student success in an online learning environment. Journal of Educational Technology Systems, 28(3), 231-238.