Are you planning to design asynchronous learning activities for your courses this fall? It's all about story, structure, sequence and schedule. Add clarity & consistency to that, and you might be onto a winner. Here are some tips on how to approach this. 1/
1. First of all let go of the idea that students are not learning when you don't see them or when you're not around. Instead, challenge yourself to create activities you *know* will keep them engaged regardless of space & time. Remember who your students are & be creative. 2/
2. Start by creating a storyboard for your session (you can do it for entire course but the more granular the better). Think of it like writing the script for a play or a movie: imagine the "bigger picture" first and then craft each separate scene. 3/
3. Once the storyboard is ready, start narrating your story. Ideally, each activity has a clear purpose and is linked to the learning objectives you've set for your course/ session (it's good to keep those visible at all times). 4/
4. Make sure you provide clear instructions/ prompts and estimated Time on Task (+ deadline, if applicable). Also try to make any additional materials, templates, etc. available to students in one place, to set them up for success & prevent lengthy admin Q&A. 5/
5. Still on the topic of communication: list all tools necessary for completing each activity (digital / analogue) and provide guidance on their use if necessary. For group tasks make sure you create dedicated work spaces and explain any roles & expectations. 6/
6. Once you are done with the different activities, check the *sequence*: make sure they build naturally on each other. Most importantly, try to look at them from students' perspective: are the links between them clear? The result must make sense both to them and to you. 7/
7. Now it's time to zoom out and take a good look at your story again: Are there too many activities? Are the explanations clear? If anything is superfluous or missing now it's your chance to adjust the design! Also, try to keep a bit of room for manoeuvre, you might need it. 8/
8. One crucial thing to consider at this point: make sure students are not overloaded! The sum of activities should be the equivalent of a f2f session. Also, one pitfall of designing for async is that you might over-design & give yourself too much work. Look out for that! 9/
9. Most importantly: this should be a creative exercise. Ok, so you have to approach your session differently, but the principle is still the same: creating engaging learning spaces & narratives. So, what's your story? end/
