The Challenge
A university needed an undergraduate communication course moved online. In the physical classroom, students learned to analyze rhetoric and discern fact from fiction through live, active discussion. We needed to find a way to get learners to the same end goal in an online environment.
The two subject-matter experts I collaborated with, a history professor and a communication professor, were experienced classroom educators but were new to online teaching. They needed to translate their discussion-driven, cross-disciplinary approach (connecting historical events like Lincoln’s speeches to modern political rhetoric) into a self-directed online environment. The course needed to be fully built in Blackboard within two months ahead of a new, shortened “winter-session.”
My approach
Working closely with both SMEs, I facilitated the design process across their two disciplinary perspectives, starting with a learner analysis to identify who the students were and what challenges/opportunities they’d face online. From there, I:
- Bridged two SME perspectives into one cohesive course, aligning the history professor’s and communication professor’s expertise around a shared goal: teaching students to connect historical rhetoric to contemporary political communication.
- Built instructor confidence in online pedagogy by walking through quality standards and reviewing peer examples of fully developed online courses, using success stories to directly address concerns about replicating in-person “light-bulb moments”.
- Designed for self-directed active learning in Blackboard with a clear “Start Here” page and a Welcome/Course Tour that humanized the instructors and oriented students to the online learning environment.
- Structured weekly content for clarity and time management: each week opened with clearly stated objectives, due dates, and an FAQ outlet for questions.
- Translated live discussion into active online learning (e.g., video lecture paired with asynchronous discussion, prompting students to analyze how a historical figure’s rhetorical techniques like Lincoln’s show up in today’s political speeches.
- Created Blackboard how-to guides so professors could confidently manage technical tasks independently after the build was complete.
The Outcome
The course launched on schedule. Student evaluations were positive, and enrollment grew the following winter. Formative evaluations built into the course design indicated students felt engaged, and assessment data showed they were making sufficient progress toward achieving the learning outcomes. The professors reported feeling a sense of connection with students, which they were worried would diminish in the online space. After the course concluded, they said they felt equipped to keep the course going (and growing) into the future.
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