Best Practices: Build Your bCourses Site

Confirm that information in the syllabus mirrors the structure and information in the bCourses site

You can use your bCourses site to reinforce the important information in the syllabus by making sure the two mirror each other. That is to say, any information about assignments, exams, or expectations around how to complete the course that is provided in the syllabus should also be in the bCourses site and the information should be identical.

You likely will want to provide more details on assignments, exams, and other expectations in the bCourses site, the same way you would provide more detail when you met in person, but the key is to confirm there is nothing in bCourses that contradicts the syllabus or vice versa. This may seem obvious, but it's important to double check when you set up an assignment or exam in bCourses that the percentage of the final grade, grading requirements, and any instructions match the syllabus.

We will discuss how to set up exams in Module 3, assignments in Module 4, and discussions in Module 5.

Provide a page with clear directions on how to get started as the Home in your Course Navigation

Though you can set any part of the course to be the "Home" in your Course Navigation, there are many benefits to using a page. A page can include text, videos, and links, allowing you to provide all the information students need right at the beginning of the course in one place. You should include clear instructions on the page, in addition to direct links to the materials and resources (like the Syllabus and the first module's page). You also can use the page to add welcome material about the course and yourself that will help to create a personal feel when students enter, though we will discuss that more in Module 2.

Include links to instructional materials, assignments, discussions, files, and quizzes on the relevant weekly landing pages

One of the advantages of using Pages in bCourses is that you can provide all the information needed for a week in one place. This includes links to reading assignments, PDFs or other files students can download for offline use, and links to lectures you have recorded. You can also include links to assignments, discussions, and quizzes or exams you have created in bCourses, too.

From a practical standpoint, providing links to instructional materials, discussions, assignments, and quizzes or exams all on the weekly landing pages makes it easier for students to locate everything they will need to successfully complete the module and ensures they won't miss anything they need. It will also help you to keep track of items without needing to update in multiple places.

From a pedagogical standpoint, it builds continuity between all of the module components and gives you an opportunity to provide context for how students should interact with the materials and use them together.

Create a pattern for assignment due dates that repeats throughout the course

You can create a pattern to the week by having assignments due and exams scheduled on the same days or at the same times throughout the semester. This pattern helps students stay organized as they can anticipate what they'll need to do on a weekly basis and plan accordingly. A common pattern in fully online courses is to have discussion posts due by Wednesday, responses due by Saturday, and weekly quizzes due by Friday. For high-stakes assignments and exams, you may opt to have them all due or occur on the same day throughout the semester (i.e. exams always happen on Thursdays).

The pattern itself should be created based on your own expectations around how students move through the material and your ability to grade and provide feedback in a timely fashion. The main point is to create a pace for the class so students can anticipate what needs to be done throughout the semester.