There are many types of instructional materials and media as well as different ways that you can interact with course content.

Planning for online content should involve considering a variety of sources and media formats. An online course typically uses multiple content sources that may be presented in different kinds of formats such as text, print, photos, graphics, animations/simulations, sounds, and videos.

What kinds of content will you use in your online course?

Essential Course Materials

There are several essential course materials to include in an online course. These include guiding elements such as:

• Syllabus information

• Module/unit/week overviews

• Course schedule

• Online lectures or instructor commentary

• Readings

• Learning activity instructions

• Assessment/Assignment instructions

• Evaluations

As a time saver, there are templates (below) that can be used as a starting point during design and development of many of these essential course materials. Providing these essential materials can help faculty maximize their own time by addressing common student questions. It is important to provide a unit/module/week framework and common guideposts for needed information. The key is to make your expectations clear so that students have the information they need to complete activities with a minimum number of questions.

Instructions and Templates

The following templates were designed as a starting point for creating online activities. They address common student questions and provide a framework as well as recommendations for information to include for each type of content.

Designer's notes are included and are intended to be removed prior to using the documents online.

Canvas Templates

Knowledge base article describes how to access and utilize Canvas templates created by DoIT Academic Technology and TeachOnline@UW, Division of Continuing Studies. Upload to your course for easy editing.

Word versions:

• Syllabus template (.docx):
  - Engineering Professional Development Template
• -UW-Madison syllabus template (with credit-hour information)
  
• Commentary (.doc)
• Lesson (.docx) (Engineering Professional Development)
• Assignment Instructions (.docx) Engineering Professional Development
• Two-part discussion (.doc)
• Three-part discussion (.doc)
• Team discussion (.doc)
  

Common Instructional Content Types

The following table provides examples of some common content sources and media formats that are particularly useful in the online environment.

Common Instructional Content Types	Examples	Resources/Tips
Print Materials: Readings, Syllabus, Lesson/Assignment Files, Rubrics, Handouts	Assignment Rubrics Discussion Prompt	Create accessible course materials Develop instructions using the online activity worksheet.
Digital Media/Recorded Lectures (Audio or Video): Movies/TV Clips/ YouTube, Podcasts, Screencasts, TEDx Talks, etc.	Plant Pathology 123: The Irish Potato Famine: courtesy of Professor Aurelie Rakotondrafara. Produced with PowerPoint and Articulate Storyline Narrated PowerPoint using Camtasia courtesy of instructor Lisa Lenertz-Lindemer, Environment, Health, & Safety Motivation YouTube Video TED Talks Podcasts	Screencast information, resources, and more examples How to use Kaltura to upload video, create a screencast, and record audio record
Course Introduction Video	Course Introduction Video Good and Bad Examples of Course Welcome	Tips to create an introduction video
Presentation Materials: Lecture Notes, PowerPoint, Prezi, Adobe Captivate)	Prezi Example: John Hawks - Intro to Anthropology Course (Tip: use the arrows to navigate forward and backward) Adobe Captivate Examples: Activity: Match the skill to the correct level of Bloom’s Taxonomy. Activity: How do you define assessment?	How to create effective eLearning presentations PowerPoint for E-Learning
Expert Interviews, Guest Speaker Recordings	Video Example: John Hawks - Tour of Gibraltar caves to explore Neandertal behavior for Human Evolution: Past and Future MOOC. Audio Example: Kris Olds - Interview with Nigel Thrift for Globalizing Higher Education and Research MOOC.	Pedagogical Roles for Video in Online Learning Develop Your Video Presence Tips for instructional design for videos
Case Studies/Scenarios	Articulate storyline example courtesy of the Physical Therapy Department. Produced by the DoIT Academic Technology Online Course Production Team. Case Study Library	UW-Madison content authoring pilot technologies Writing case studies Case Study Ideas
Educational Games	Civics 50 great sites or serious educational games Game-based learning examples	7 things you should know about games and learning
Simulations	Diffusion Simulation Game Tax Simulation Interactive Simulations for Math & Science	Uses, trends & implications for simulation technologies in education
Visualizations: Illustrative Pictures, Graphics, Interactive Data	Word Clouds Infographic	Tips for using word clouds in eLearning for reflection and synthesis to enhance critical thinking Tips for using infographics
Third Party Tools and Software	Diigo Example Diigo Outliner Example PowToon Example	Over 100 third-party tools and services for assessment, content, collaboration, & interaction Tools include: Diigo Diigo Outliner PowToon
Role Playing	Thiagi's Training Games	Role playing ideas Role playing assignment
Student-Created Content	For the most part any of the other content types can also be created by students as an assignment and then could be used as examples in your course.	Tips for adding student-generated content
Expert Blogs	The Rapid E-Learning Blog is a great resource for building learning.	7 things you should know about blogs
Open Educational Resources (OER): Textbooks, Online Articles, Audio or Video Clips, Links to Online Resources, Databases, Examples; Simulations	OERs to explore	Integrating OERs in teaching and learning
Websites/Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds	Website: EDUCAUSE® is a nonprofit association committed to advancing higher education.	7 things you should know about RSS How to add RSS feed to a Canvas announcement
Software & Topical Training	Lynda.com is an online training library of video tutorials that is available for free to UW-Madison staff and students.