A content module contains readings, multimedia, activities, assessments, reflections, and other items aligned with some of the course’s learning objectives.
A comparison of 16 Online BBA courses revealed that most courses either featured a module without submodules (often utilizing HTML pages to organize content) or a task-based submodule design. In interviews, students unanimously preferred the task-based submodule design. Students also preferred direct links to content.
I like [the submodule format] because it’s broken up into smaller segments. It’s not too much to scroll through.
Study, Apply, [and] Review keeps the student in line with completing activities in the proper order.
Based on this student feedback, we recommend using action-oriented submodules to organize module content. Consider grouping content and activities into “Study,” “Apply,” and “Review” submodules. (See Materials and Activities for more guidance regarding individual course items.)
Additional content module recommendations include:
- Limit the number of submodules in each module. Most courses contained three or fewer submodules.
- Avoid nesting submodules within submodules. This design pattern is not typical for the Online BBA program.
- Modules generally align with course weeks. Keep the timespan consistent across modules.
- Module titles incorporating “Module #1” or “Week #1” were more common than “1. Module Title” format.
- Include the topic name in the module title.
Module, Submodule, and Item Descriptions
Half of the sixteen reviewed courses included learning objectives in the module description space, and all courses featured banners in this area. The submodule description often featured an icon that corresponded to the submodule’s intended action (a book for a Study submodule, for example).
Online BBA courses often use icons in the description area to distinguish submodule activities. Incorporate images from multimedia’s icon repository for visual consistency across the program.
Keep in mind that students using the Content Navigator or the Content Browser widgets will not see the text or images featured in module descriptions, submodule descriptions, or item descriptions. For that reason, it is not recommended to add any crucial course content to the description areas, unless they are repeated elsewhere in the course. Crucial content can include assignment directions, due dates, or lists of module deliverables.
Special Content Modules
In some courses, it may be necessary to add a content module that does not follow the study/apply/review format. This particularly applies to modules with information about group projects or external learning tools. Typically, these content modules are sequenced immediately after the Welcome module. They do not include numerical ordering in the title like most content modules.
Mid-Semester Course Evaluation Survey
Of the 16 review courses, 14 included some version of a mid-semester survey, with 8 courses using the survey found in the Online BBA Starter Kit. This indicates that the mid-semester survey is standard practice across the program, with the Starter Kit version as the most popular choice. Most courses placed the Mid-Semester Course Evaluation Survey in its own content module. The most frequent title for this content module was “Mid-Term Semester Student Survey.”
Conclusion Module
According to the design comparison analysis, most Online BBA courses contain a conclusion module at the end of the course. This conclusion module typically includes celebratory graphics, a personalized message from the instructor, an optional reflection activity, and a link to PAWS for completing the student evaluation of the instructor.