COURSE GUIDE - read first

1 Course outcomes

After completing this course you will be able to plan an e-learning course for the VET subject you teach together with exercises and elements of online teaching strategy, using a variety of tools and teaching methods selected specifically to meet your goals.

We expect from you that you will:

• send us a table illustrating your competences,
• provide evidence of your competences from your course work (after each module),
• be able to plan an e-learning course,
• be able to facilitate an e-learning course,
• complete the exercises in consecutive modules,
• meet the deadlines,
• log in at least three times a week.

2 Learning environment

The course How to design and facilitate an online course in VET context is delivered on the Moodle platform. This means that you will find all assignments, resources and organisational information on this platform. All discussions will also take place here, in the discussion forum.

After each module, you will be asked to fill in the competence table with evidence of your competences and to write a reflection summarising you work on a particular subject from the course. You will use Moodle blog for these activities. However, some of the assignments may require the use of other tools, such as Google Documents for collaboration or tools for videoconferencing. 

3 Course structure

The course is comprised of ten modules which, combined, will require an estimated 50 hours of study. The course is designed to be completed within three months. It starts on ------------------ and ends on -------------- . You will need to work on each module in the time frames specified below. The duration given for each module is only an estimate and suggests the average time necessary to complete all exercises.

Every module comprises of the Learning in Module section, containing learning outcomes for each module, Introduction containing the most important elements required for the exercises (group and/or individual) and supporting materials such as links to instructions or external resources.

MODULE 2 :: Developing competences, is dedicated to the topic which will be required for all the remaining modules. It will be helpful to familiarise yourself with this part before starting on the exercises in the other modules.

MODULE 1 :: Introduction and Warming up (dates,  2h 30 min)

The objective of this module is for the participants to master the platform in order to be able to participate comfortably, to get to know other participants and course facilitators, as well as to plan their learning for the course.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• explain the importance of introduction and personal touch in online learning,
• use the course platform to a degree which allows participation in the course.

MODULE 2 :: Developing Competences (dates, 3h 30min)

The objective of this module is to identify the competences you have as teachers and reflect on how you can make sure that your students have achieved the desired (vocational) competences.

 As a result of this module you will be able to:

• explain what is competence,
• identify your own competences as teachers,
• analyse which competences can be acquired by using ICT,
• explain the link between competences and evidence.

MODULE 3 :: Exploring e-learning (dates, 4h)

The objective of this module is to observe various forms of e-learning in the context of VET.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• identify different forms of e-learning,
• analyse elements of e-learning courses,
• consider the possibilities of using various e-learning forms in own vocational context.

MODULE 4 :: Designing e-tivities (dates, 6h)

The objective of this module is for participants to gain the skills necessary for designing e-tivities.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• explain the concept of e-tivities,
• explain the role and importance e-learning outcomes,
• design e-tivities useful for the specific vocational subject you teach,
• write learning outcomes applying SMART criteria.

MODULE 5 :: Motivation (dates, 5h 30 min)

The aim of this module is to explain the complex mechanisms that motivate and demotivate participants of e-learning education programs with emphasis on the VET context. 

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• outline the factors that influence the levels of motivation among the participants of an e-learning course,
• use selected methods to stimulate activity among the participants.

MODULE 6 :: Group work (dates, 8h)

The objective of this Module is to achieve necessary skills to design an e-tivity for group work.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• develop skills to collaborate in a group work.
• being aware of skills for facilitating group work.
• desing an e-tivity based on group work.
• know the characteristic of the group work.

MODULE 7 :: Moderating online forum discussion (dates, 7h)

The objective of this Module is to gain the skills required for planning and facilitating online discussions and reacting to certain problems in the context of VET. 

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• plan online discussions,
• facilitate online discussions,
• manage the discussion forum tool in an online environment.

MODULE 8 :: Developing e-learning resources (dates, 6h 30 min) 

The objective of this Module is to provide an overview of various ways a teacher can develop their own learning resources as well as to gain skills in developing basic learning resources for vocational subjects.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• explain the options for and advantages of developing own e-learning resources for VET,
• create simple videos and publish them online,
• analyze and compare good and bad instructional videos,
• become aware of free tools for content development,
• plan instruction in which students create learning resources.

MODULE 9 :: Online resources - reusing, sharing and evaluating  (dates, 4h 30 min)

The objective of this Module is to gain skills in searching, selecting, re-using, sharing and  evaluating  online resources for your vocational subject(s) required to achieve selected learning objectives.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• explain the difference between using copyrighted content and Open Educational Resources,
• understand how to select, re-use and evaluate online resources,
• apply conditions of Creative Commons licenses,
• select resources according to learning outcomes.

MODULE 10 :: The role of the facilitator (dates, 2h 30 min)

The objective of this Module is for participants to gain skills in organising own work as a facilitator of an e-learning course on a vocational topic, as well as to develop skills in evaluating their own skills. It is also the module in which we will summarize the course.

As a result of this module you will be able to:

• explain the roles and competences of a facilitator in an online course,
• organise the facilitation of an e-learning course,
• evaluate own facilitating skills,
• visualise data on own progress.

End of the course  - date

4 How to pass the course

In order to pass the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to continuously record two elements:

• the table of competences,
• reflection on the topic of the module.

From module 3 on, you will be asked to determine what competences you feel you have acquired and provide evidence from your course activities for it. All the modules are designed to contain activities leading to the development of skills, acquiring and application of knowledge, rethinking and development of attitudes. In each module those elements will be identified for you so that you will need to select the evidence and match them with the listed competences. Later in the course you may also identify the competences yourself, so that your table will be more individualised. 

Additionally, after each module we will ask you to reflect on the topic of the module from the perspective of VET and in the context of your own classroom and the vocational subject you teach.

You will record your reflection in a Moodle blog and competence table in a blog in Moodle / Google Docs, and build them progressively as the course goes on. We recommend that you create the table of competences progressively and regularly, preferably after each module. At the end of the course you will have completed the map of your competences developed or improved during the course, as well as your ideas for application in vocational context, thus creating an electronic portfolio to illustrate your progress. Additionally, these elements will tell the facilitators whether the course objectives are being met and whether you work individually or cooperate with others, and receive sufficient support.

We will assess you formatively, which means that we will not award grades or points, but follow your progress, completion of tasks and provide you with feedback

5 Methods of work

To ensure that the course runs smoothly and help all participants to complete their task, we suggest some practical solutions. The exercises are based both on individual and group work. Very often individual work is an introduction to a group discussion or group work on an assignment.

• Individual work: the whole course was designed to be completed within about 50 hours of study. This amounts to approximately 4 hours a week. However, as individual work pace varies, the actual time required might differ from the estimates.
  It is a good idea to familiarise yourself with the course schedule and requirements on how to pass each module. This way it is easier to plan your work, taking into account external factors such as vacations and holidays or personal commitments, as well as to leave a margin of time for unpredictable circumstances. You may consider using the built-in Moodle calendar (or another online tool, such as Google Calendar) to control and plan deadlines. Although your study time is decided solely by you, planning your participation in the course will allow for better cooperation within the course and will ensure the completion of assignments.
• Group work: you can benefit from the activity of other course participants, learn from them as well as with them. This happens through exchanging views on the discussion forum, commenting on each other’s posts, citing others and posting links. In the case of group work, the success of the assignment depends on the level of activity of each individual participant, so it is important to communicate frequently with others and to engage in group work. Intensive communication and working to deadlines are crucial in this form of work.

You should reserve four hours a week and log in at least three times a week to fully benefit from the course. Try to log in twice a day; for example, once in the morning, to post and add content, and once in the evening, to read and comment on the activities of other participants.

6 Feedback

Feedback will be provided by the course facilitators as well as by the course participants through comments and discussions. It will concern the activities, forum posts, and the results of the group work.

The feedback will not be expressed on a scale or in the form of grades but will be provided through detailed comments. The objective of the feedback is to provide support and guidance for further learning.

7 Materials in English

Almost all the content of this course is available in your native language and you can complete it without any knowledge of a foreign language. On the other hand, English can be useful to expand your knowledge of the subject. Many interesting examples and resources are not available in your native languege. However, it is possible to translate many of the foreign language materials using Google Translate. Although the translation will only be approximate, it should be sufficient to understand the general meaning.

8 Contact

• Through messages sent from the Moodle platform (Participants>[choose recipient]>send message).
• For all content-related problems: through the discussion forum in the respective thread.
• For all technical problems: through the discussion forum in the respective thread.