Julia Kleinschmit, Clinical Professor in the School of Social Work, spearheaded an effort to create and promote the use of a shared ICON course template in her school. Learn how Julia uses a template to boost student confidence and address common concerns.
ICON Course Templates
Boost student confidence
A successful online course template equips instructors with a simple starting point that is structured yet flexible - and informed by evidence-based practices. ICON modules group content and activities together in a logical flow so students can find what they need, when they need it. This helps students concentrate on course content to enhance their comprehension and retention of course concepts. Students are more confident in their ability to achieve course objectives on their way to becoming fluent in their discipline.
Unlock student potential
Julia worked closely with Distance and Online Education (DOE) to create an ICON course template for the School of Social Work. This coordinated effort was aimed at ensuring online students have a consistent experience across their course of study. Each screen in the template contains placeholder text, which is especially helpful for adjunct instructors that are new to both the school and to using ICON. Placeholders speed up instructor adoption of the template by offering a common language for describing how students use ICON in their online courses. Visuals from the Social Work website are also placed on the top of each screen in the template, and instructors can update these images with course-specific visuals. Students benefit from this shared approach to using ICON across the department. Online learning becomes beneficially predictable, and this provides a foundation for students to take charge of their education.
“Once you learn how to use a template, it becomes just a part of what you do, not something extra. It takes a load off because you can think more about your course and less about your course site.” – Julia Kleinschmit
Everything connects
Do your students grasp how course concepts relate? Do they know how course activities and content help them achieve learning objectives? The DOE Effective Instruction Guide suggests that these essential course design elements significantly contribute to student success. A shared ICON template can empower you and your department to increase clarity across courses and address student achievement gaps. Click the request a consultation button to get started!