Getting started

Creating and managing a course site can be very overwhelming, especially for hybrid and online courses.  The "Essential Elements" below capture the universal components of successful learning environments at Antioch in an easy-to-reference list.  We encourage you to refer to the list or use the checklist tool to help you design your courses.

The pathway links below provide details on each essential element, as well as research, supporting materials, and ideas for further exploration.  These do not include instructions to complete tasks, but instead are opportunities to explore and reflect areas related to teaching and learning design.

About the essential elements

These essential elements are designed to address quality of technology use in learning environments from face-to-face to hybrid to fully online. They are not intended to “standardize” courses beyond the basic elements that contribute to a quality learning environment. Rather, they provide a foundation from which to explore, create, and innovate, thus ensuring the best possible learning experience for students and faculty.

Academic unit heads employ these standards for curriculum design, academic assessment, and faculty feedback.

Faculty utilize these standards to design instructional activities depending on the instructional delivery method and students’ needs.

Instructional designers use these standards to advise faculty and academic unit heads, to review a course prior to its start date, and to make a recommendation for a course’s readiness to be implemented.

If you are already familiar with the essential elements, this course checklist will make it easy to do a quick verification that you have addressed each in your course.

What's next?

After you have completed the Course Essentials pathway we encourage you to review the Faculty Orientation and Classroom Technology Ideas and Considerations pathways.

Have questions? Contact us at at@antioch.edu!