Creating and teaching an online history course follows a pattern similar to creating an in-person course. Online learning (or e-learning) can include group projects, class participation, essays, regular homework, grading and collaboration. There are several teaching platforms available. Using one of these will enable you to focus on course content and grading.
Instructions
Create History Course on Computer
1. Create your history course. Decide on a topic, do your research and type up all notes electronically.
2. Include group assignments, essays, final projects and class discussion in the course planning--all of this can be accommodated online. Discussion and debate are intrinsic aspects of a history class as history can be viewed from different perspectives. The online environment presents a challenge and opportunity to you; bring students together via interactive chat and discussion to cover different opinions.
3. Generate a resource list of multimedia including photos, videos and examples relating to your history topic. Include general information on using the Web to do research, along with guidelines for citing websites and evaluating sources. Refer to Ohio State University's eHistory for multimedia history resources.
4. Organize the history course information properly using a folder system on your computer.
Find Course Platform and Upload Materials
5. Research, evaluate and select a course platform. These are online destinations specifically designed for classroom collaboration and teaching. Popular online course platforms include Blackboard and Epsilen. If you are teaching independently, consider EduFire.
6. Ask your affiliated school (if applicable) which online course platform it uses. If the institution already has such a platform, its Internet technology department should be able to furnish you with more information and a login.
7. Lay out the online course using the tools in the online course platform. Include supplemental materials and links in a resource section, manage due dates and add enrolled students to the roster. Some online course platforms allow you to customize the Web template students see when they log in. If this is the case, change it to suit your history topic (an old treasure map for "history of pirates," red, white and blue for the American Revolution).
8. Create your profile and make an introductory post. As the course instructor, you should offer a good example. Online classmates sometimes require a bit more encouragement to interact. To get the conversation started and to learn more about the students, ask students about their favorite eras in history and how they became interested in it.
9. Double-check all posted content and provide as much structure as possible. Make yourself available to students via email and video chat, if applicable, and clearly provide this contact information to them.
Market Online History Course
10. Market your online history course to students. If you are affiliated with a traditional university, reach out to students in person and via university email.
11. Conduct a free lecture and discussion at your local or university library and distribute fliers advertising your online history course. Be sure to include your email address so potential students can contact you directly.
12. Consider creating your course on EduFire if you are teaching a history course independently. EduFire is free for you to use (the company takes a small percentage of student fees, which you set). EduFire offers free tools to help you market your class.
13. Post information about your history course in online history forums. Avoid spamming and read all community or message board guidelines before posting. If you are on an email list, don't spam--but include information about your upcoming course in your email signature. Be as specific as possible; if you are teaching about the Civil War, become active in discussion groups about that topic.
14. Contact friends and colleagues in your field. Ask them to distribute information about your online history course to their students and to other history buffs. Librarians are also excellent resources for finding local history buffs.
Tags: history course, online course, online history, your history, about your, information about