Archives: Lessons
SCCC 128: Elder Abuse – Silent Problem
SCCC 128: Elder Abuse – Vulnerability
SCCC 128: Elder Abuse – An Introduction
SCCC 128: Elder Abuse – Who Are the Abusers
test
Research and Track Costs
Make a copy of the Blank Website Calculator Google Sheets Version | Excel Version
As you go through the following lessons, you will research options and make choices about your hosting, domain name, theme, and plugins. You will put these choices on your website budgeting sheet. You will turn this sheet in as prework for the face to face day.
Print or Save the Plan Your WordPress Course Platform handout
The info in this sheet is for your reference longterm. If it’s helpful to you, print it to make notes and use it to follow along throughout this section of the course. Or save a digital copy for future reference.
Welcome to Part 2
Our goal is to help you find the course platform that will work best for you.
If you start this course, and then decide you would rather utilize Canvas instead of WordPress, please email the course instructor.
Training Outcomes
Workplace Outcome
Publish first online course, and list in ECE-TRIS.
Course Facilitator
If you have any questions or need any help, please reach out to Julie, or your Regional Training Coach.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties, for faster response, please use the Contact Us button at the bottom of each page.
Choose a Domain Name
Picking a Domain Name
Read this great article from The Webmaster on How to Choose a Domain Name.
Purchasing a Domain Name
You rent these, not buy them, from domain name registrars, no one actually owns their domain name. You do generally get to keep that name as long as you renew it. Normally you pay for your domain name yearly, or in 2-5 year increments.
You may get a free domain name with your webhosting. The advantage to purchasing one separately is that you can move/clone your site if your webhost goes down for some reason.
- Is the domain name you want available? Are matching social media URLs also available, if you want to use social media?
- Is it memorable?
- Is it easy to type?
- Does the domain name make it clear what kind of information is on your website?
Add your domain name registrar and cost to your budgeting sheet.
Choose Plugins
Plugins are pieces of code that add functionality to your course website. Some are free, others have associated one time or recurring subscription costs. The great thing about wordpress is that there are lots of plugin options.
For all of the following types of plugins, check the wordpress plugin repository, you want to find out:
- When was the plugin last updated? (avoid anything that’s not been updated within the last year)
- How many people are using it? (More people = more support)
- What versions of wordpress are required in order to use the plugin?
- Is a particular version of php required? What version does your webhost have?
- What languages are supported?
You can also view reviews of other plugin users, and installation instructions. This information is on the right hand column of the plugin pages.
See an example screenshot below.
(You may click the image to view the plugin page in the wordpress repository.)
Choose a Theme
WordPress themes determine the LOOK of your website. They control the fonts, colors, and layout of your website pages.
- Is there a free version of the theme? Is there a pro version of the theme, and if so what is the cost? Which version works best for you?
- Is it responsive? Does it work on tablets and mobile devices?
- How easy is it to use?
- Blocksy – So easy to set sitewide colors and fonts, custom post type defaults.
- MasterStudy Starter – Downloads with the MasterStudy LMS Plugin, view example here
- Astra
- Explore other options: https://blog.hubspot.com/website/fastest-loading-wordpress-themes
Add your theme and cost (if any) to your budgeting sheet.
Choose Hosting
When you type in a browser, or click on a link, that address directs the internet to pull up your page and display it. The information and files to display your pages are stored on a computer called a server, with your hosting company.
There are two different kinds of hosting you need to consider: web hosting, and video hosting.
Web Hosting
Webhosting is, in simple terms, the computer your website pages live on. Different services have different features. Basic hosting will require you to install and keep your plugins updated yourself. Managed wordpress hosting is generally more expensive, but they handle most wordpress updates on your behalf.
Some of the things you will need for your website may be included for free with your webhosting, so pick your webhost and hosting plan before selecting anything else.
- How many websites do you need to host?
- Is a free domain name included with hosting fees?
- Is a free security certificate included, sometimes also called SSL (which allows you to safely accept payments)?
- Are there storage limits (how much file storage you have for content)?
- Are there web traffic limits (how much can be downloaded by your site visitors)?
- Is there a backup service included?
- Is there a staging website included (a place where you can test new features/plugins and not mess up your main course website)?
- Do they help with recovery from malware (a website attack by hackers) or are you on your own?
- Google Cloud – Start for FREE, but it’s not free forever
- Siteground WordPress Hosting
- Nestify (Amazon AWS)
- Learndash cloud (If you are planning to use Learndash LMS – LMS Plugin is included, but you may need additional paid plugins to make your site work)
- Additional Options – https://www.techradar.com/web-hosting/best-web-hosting-service-websites
Add your webhost and cost to your budgeting sheet.
Video Hosting
Video files are LARGE. If you are planning to incorporate videos that you create within your courses, you will want to figure out where you will store those videos that you plan to use within your course, and where they will stream from.
- What is the cost associated to host videos?
- How many videos could you host? Is there a limit to storage size or bandwidth used?
- What is the associated cost?
- Will the service display ads or related content at the end of your videos?
- How easy is it to embed videos from the video hosting service?
- Youtube – How to Create a Youtube Channel
- Vimeo
- WP Stateless Plugin – Upload to your site, serve from Google Cloud
- BunnyNet with PrestoPlayer
Add your videohost and cost to your budgeting sheet.
Training Coach Support
Have no fear your Training Coach is here!
In addition to the course facilitators, your Regional Training Coach is available to help and provide support. Reach out to your Coach using the contact information below.
April Brown
The Lakes Region
Counties: Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Hickman, Fulton, Graves, Hopkins, Livingston, Lyon, Marshall, McCracken, Muhlenberg, Trigg, and Todd.
Bambi Cliffe
Southern Bluegrass Region
Counties: Boyle, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, and Powell.
Bethany Hughes
Two Rivers Region
Counties: Allen, Barren, Butler, Daviess, Edmonson, Hancock, Hart, Henderson, Logan, McLean, Metcalfe, Monroe, Ohio, Simpson, Union, Warren, and Webster.
Candace Storrer
Salt River Region
Counties: Anderson, Breckinridge, Bullitt, Franklin, Grayson, Hardin, Larue, Marion, Meade, Nelson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble, Washington, and Woodford.
Glenna Gamble
Cumberland and East Mountain Region
Counties: Adair, Bath, Bell, Boyd, Bracken, Breathitt, Carter, Casey, Clay, Clinton, Cumberland, Elliott, Fleming, Floyd. Green, Greenup, Harlan, Jackson, Johnson, Knott, Knox, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Magoffin, Martin, Mason, McCreary, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Owsley, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Russell, Taylor, Wayne, Whitley, and Wolfe.
Sharon Norris
Northern Bluegrass Region
Counties: Boone, Bourbon, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Kenton, Nicholas, Owen, Pendleton, and Scott.
Join us for Part 2 of this course
Yes! I’d like to take Part 2 of Building Your First Online Course.
Course Contributors
Application Activities and Grading
What is an Application Activity?
An application activity is any assignment you have attached to the completion of the course. They can also be referred to by many different terms: assignment, learning exercise, practice activity, etc. The term used is more of a personal preference.
These are different from quizzes, where participants ask and answer questions. Application activities will require the learner to practice and demonstrate what they have learned. It is a practical way to authentically assess a learner. Application activities can take many forms from a lesson plan they create, handouts they edit, PowerPoint slides they create, and much more.
There is no straight answer as to whether or not application activities are best for you or your trainings. Many factors can determine if it is something you want to include in your trainings. Also, what might work for one training might not work in another. Not all trainings need to have an application activity. If there is an application activity, this should be indicated in the training description and at the beginning of the training so there are no surprises for the learner.
Pros and Cons
Take a moment to reflect about application activities. In your handout there is a space to write your notes.
What do you think about application activities? Do you think you might use them in your online courses?
Rubrics
When using application activities, rubrics are a good thing to utilize. A rubric is simply a set of criteria or requirements needed to complete an assignment. A rubric makes it clear what the requirements are to complete the application activity.
Rubrics can be points based or a listing of what needs to be done for completion. Like quizzes, if using a points based rubric, let the learner know how many points are required in order to “pass.”
You can determine the points required. There is no set standard, but requiring 80% to pass is a good way to determine if they retained the majority of the content presented.
Rubrics also provide the opportunity to support interactivity and allow the trainer the opportunity to provide the learner with feedback to increase the retention of knowledge.
Take a look at the following examples of rubrics.
Examples
Providing an example is another way to help the user understand the assignment. It shows the learner what a completed application activity would look like. The purpose of the application activity should be to assess that the learner has gained knowledge, not to trip them up. Examples and rubrics can aid in that transfer of learning.
You may want to include in your grading rubric that the sample cannot be used. Take a look at the following example of a sample completed application activity.
Welcome to the Course
Training Outcomes
- Identify best practices for planning an online training.
- Identify how trainings will be created and made available to learners.
Workplace Outcome
Participants will identify the platform and features to use in their online courses.
Handout
Download or print a copy of the handout. It contains lots of useful information, and there are spaces to reflect and write notes. There is also a linktree which includes links to many of the outside resources utilized within this course.
Course Facilitators
If you have any questions or need any help, please reach out to one of the course facilitators.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties, for faster response, please use the Contact Us button at the bottom of each page.
Throughout the course, Julie and Dawn will also guide you through the content using their avatars.
Keeping Your Courses Up to Date
Ever taken a course with inaccurate information, and broken links?
Don’t let that be your course!
Creating and Utilizing Audio
Most of the time, you will probably record audio along with video of your training, but you might also include a few standalone audio files.
You might use audio to assist in pronunciation of new words and terms, to personalize the learning experience, or to highlight important information for your learners who like to skim pages they consider TLDR, Too Long Didn’t Read.
Most LMS’s have audio players built in.
Record Yourself or Others
The easiest and most inexpensive way to add audio to a training is to record yourself. Most computers and smartphones have the capability of recording acceptable quality audio.
If you are not satisified with your audio quality, you might try getting an external microphone. Wear headphones to minimize room noise – like your family, cars, airplanes, or the air conditioning or heat kicking on. You might also want a windscreen, so that you don’t hear your spit or snakey sssssssssssssssss sounds.
If you want to edit your audio file, you will need to be able to access and use audio editing software. The most popular free audio recording and editing software is Audacity, which is available for Mac or PC. Mac users might also want to check into GarageBand, which comes preinstalled on Mac Computers.
When recording audio speak from an outline or a transcript, to minimize the number of retakes you will need. If you make a mistake, pause for a moment, and then start again. If you have a large amount of text, just go back to the beginning of the paragraph, and cut out the part of audio that you don’t want to use with your audio editing software.
Use AI Voices
Don’t like the sound of your voice? If you are simply highlighting important information, or creating video narration, there are several options out there for AI Audio services. AI audio can be beneficial if you want to use voices other than your own.
In general, AI Audio can be easy to use and can create audio files fairly quickly and can be edited pretty simply. Which can be very beneficial if several months down the road you need to update the audio file you don’t have to worry about getting the same person and recreating the sound atmosphere.
Most require some sort of subscription or purchase to use, which can make it cost prohibitive.
AI voices have come a long way and most do not sound like a robot, but always check the voice options before purchasing.
Hopefully, you have learned some new tips and ideas of things to incorporate into an online training.
Take a moment to record in your handout what is one new audio, video, or image feature you want to use in your trainings.
Creating and Utilizing Images
Visuals can be effective tools for communicating information. They can make the presentation of complex information easier to comprehend and more attractive. They can also reinforce written or spoken messages.
Many learners with disabilities are visual learners and are best able to understand and remember content when they can see it represented in some way; in other words, they need to “see what we mean.” Visual stimuli have many potential advantages for viewers including the power to stick in long-term memory and transmit messages faster than audio. They also improve comprehension, trigger emotions, and increase motivation in viewers.
In addition, images can help to create an emotional connection with the audience and make the content more memorable. This is because images can evoke emotions and feelings that words alone cannot.
Let’s watch this quick video from Ray Jimenez about one-image stories. His testimonial is a great way to show how images can support retention and learning. Video must be watched entirely to progress through the course. You do not need to watch any recommended videos at the end.
References:
Herkert, A. (2020, January 30). How Visuals Help You Remember Information. TruScribe. https://truscribe.com/how-visuals-help-you-remember-information
Kluth, P. (2017) Do You See What I Mean? Visual Literacy Supports for Students with Disabilities. Reading Rockets. https://www.readingrockets.org/article/do-you-see-what-i-mean-visual-literacy-supports-students-disabilities
Microsoft Support. (n.d.) Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities. Microsoft. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-powerpoint-presentations-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-6f7772b2-2f33-4bd2-8ca7-dae3b2b3ef25
Oesch, T. (2016, December 2). Training Employees With Disabilities: Creating an Inclusive Workplace. Training Industry. https://trainingindustry.com/articles/diversity-equity-and-inclusion/training-employees-with-disabilities-creating-an-inclusive-workplace/
Seeman-Horwitz, L., Montgomery, R., Lee, S. & Ran, R. (2021, April 29). Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities. W3C Working Group Note. https://www.w3.org/TR/coga-usable/