Terminology, General Guidelines, and Preparation

We encourage using the following terminology to describe different learning events:

Guided Online Learning (GOL): Covers all content that students do independently online (described elsewhere as pre-sessional, asynchronous or self-study content).
Live Online Learning (LOL): Refers to synchronous learning students do online, e.g. through MS Teams or Zoom.
Face to Face (F2F): Refers to on-campus teaching.

This guide provides tips for designing online learning events on Insendi, primarily for GOL but also applicable to LOLs. Adapt these guidelines to fit individual sessions and teaching styles.

Before you start

Draft Content Separately: Write session content in a separate document to avoid technical issues.
Check Duration: Ensure materials and activities match the time allocated for timetabled sessions.
Map Learning Outcomes: Note any learning outcomes (e.g., TILOs and MILOs) the session addresses.

Designing a GOL on Insendi

There is no one established sequence of elements in a GOL. Typically, a GOL can include a combination of didactic and interactive content in a variety of formats. It is not expected or required to include all in a GOL: the formats should be selected to best support student learning.

Content Formats

Videos, Screencasts, Text, Images, Audio Files/Podcasts, Files, Quizzes, Activities, Interactions: Choose formats that best support student learning.

Key Recommendations

Interactive Content: Avoid purely didactic materials. Include knowledge self-checks and activities with meaningful feedback.
Organise Content: Use screencasts, text, images, etc., to explain different parts of the content.
Self-Checks and Activities: Add activities that check understanding and application of the content.

See the Top tips for GOLs page for more guidance.

A sample GOL

Step 1: Start with a short introduction and the learning outcomes the session maps onto

On Insendi, you can use the Information Box for this.

Step 2: Consider ways of organising the content, for example, what is best explained in a screencast, as text, as an image etc.

In the example below, the Insendi content is organised in tabs and consists of text and screencasts (narrated PPTs).

See separate guides for creating screencasts and adding videos to Insendi.

This video by Dr Sohag Saleh shows how to create a GOL on Insendi.

Step 3: Add self-checks and other activities with meaningful feedback to help students check their understanding of the content

It is useful when the self-checks do not just check recall, but also understanding and application of the content.

See the Examples of activities page for examples of interactive content from Insendi.

See this guide to Insendi activities on Insendi support pages.

Examples of Activity types

Quick Answer activity
Formative Quiz activity
Gap Fill activity
Question activity
Drag and Drop Table activity
Reveal activity