Create Online Activities That Align with Your Outcomes

You’ve likely seen or used many of the exciting and research-based techniques and principles that you can use to motivate students online. You’ve likely also realized that these tools and techniques must be used in a way that helps students achieve the learning goals and objectives that you have set for your course.
Focus on the Overt Performance
The Cengage faculty partners offer guidelines for creating online activities that will help students achieve the learning outcomes that you have established. They recommend that activities be structured in a way that leads to overt performance, that is, students’ performance is measured against the outcomes you have defined. This will help you foster higher-order thinking skills such as evaluation and creation, as described in Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy.
You should also consider how to optimize your activities for student-centered learning. Jason Lancaster, M.Ed. Instructional Designer, says that students will be more engaged if you align your activities with your outcomes. He warns:
Many times, students are asked to do something completely different from the objective. This can not only cause confusion but also slows down the learning process which can lead to problems later in the course. Students might also become disengaged and passive learners.
He also suggests that students should consider creating a separate lesson in order to reduce frustration.
You can help students achieve their learning goals by connecting your activities with your outcomes in a thoughtful and deliberate way. This will keep them engaged and help them reach their learning goals.