Online Course Quality Checklist

The following checklist, explaining how to organize your instructional materials in Moodle, was adapted from Stephen F. Austin State University with permission.

Checklist of Best Practices

Initial Instructions

  • Instructions make clear how to get started and where to find various course components.

Getting Started Materials

  • A syllabus is provided.
  • A timeline is provided.
    • Timeline articulates each week (or other appropriate period) of the course.
    • Timeline articulates the assigned modules/units/ lessons and assigned readings for each week (or other appropriate period) of the course.
    • Timeline articulates the due dates and times for all activities for each week (or other appropriate period) of the course.
    • The titles of modules, activities, etc. are consistent between timeline, syllabus, modules, and gradebook.
  • A page with an introduction of the instructor is provided.
  • Learners are provided the opportunity to engage in thoughtful introductions with peers to build a learning community.

Learning Materials

  • For each module/unit/lesson, a pedagogical introduction is provided that captures student interest and stimulates recall of prior knowledge.
  • For each module/unit/lesson, learning objectives are provided.
    • The course learning objectives, or course/ program competencies, describe outcomes that are specific and measurable.
  • For each module/unit/lesson, learning materials are provided.
    • The learning materials contribute to the achievement of the stated learning objectives.
    • The learning materials provided are of sufficient volume to equate to the rigor and breadth of instruction provided in an F2F class.
    • The learning materials are meaningfully segmented (“chunked”) to reduce cognitive load.
  • As appropriate, learning activities and/or learning interaction are included.
    • Expectations and specific, descriptive criteria are provided for the evaluation of learners’ work, and their connection to the course grading policy is clearly explained.
      • Note: Optimally, this requires not only clear assignment instructions but also rubrics/scoring guides.
    • The course provides learners with multiple opportunities to track their learning progress with timely feedback.
      • Note: Effective assessments align with objectives and have appropriate variety (that is, multiple types of assessment are used) and frequency.
  • For each module/unit/lesson, a pedagogical conclusion and/or summary is provided.
  • All learning materials adhere to federal, state, and institutional copyright laws and standards.

Accessibility and Usability

  • Course navigation facilitates the learner’s ease of use.
    • Course navigation facilitates efficiency of movement between pages and throughout the course.
    • Course content includes logical transitions between pages and modules.
  • Course structure is clear and follows a logical outline.
  • ADA compliance
    • The course provides accessible text and images in files, documents, LMS pages, and web pages to meet the needs of diverse learners.
    • The course provides alternative means of access to multimedia content in formats that meet the needs of diverse learners.
  • Consistent nomenclature is used for all assignments in the course. (e.g. If an assignment is called Module 1 Quiz in the gradebook, that same name is used in the syllabus, timeline, modules, etc.)
  • Content is presented in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

Portions of this rubric have been used and/or adapted from the following sources:

 Checklist of Best Practi