Critical design elements in online courses

Course design influences online student performance and engagement. A total of 222 instructors and instructional designers responded to Martin et al.’s Online Course Design Elements instrument to examine the frequency of use of design elements. Among the five factors in the instrument, the interaction and communication subscale had the lowest mean score in comparison to overview, content presentation, assessment and evaluation, and learner support. Both groups rated instructor contact information, chunked content, and assessment alignment with objectives highly. Items that were rated lowly included learner self-assessments and collaborative student activities. Responses by the two groups differed significantly for three items: accommodations for students with disabilities, self-assessment options, and frequent student–student interaction. Results are discussed within the context of the literature. This study has implications for online instructors and instructional designers who design online courses, faculty developers who provide training for instructors, and administrators who build support structures for faculty and staff.