Get the students talking

I’m working with CTL to design a hybrid course. My course is called Launch Academy and it brings together students from any major who want to launch a new venture while in school.

Every student has a different business idea, and different baseline competencies related to new venture launches, but all of them have a common spirit of entrepreneurship. Despite their diversity they have that important aspect in common.

One of The Five Common Pitfalls of Online Course Design, that resonated with me was the admonishment not to ignore the ways students can interact in a properly designed online or hybrid course. That will be important in my course. I would like my class to be a true community, with students who observe each other, learn from each other and provide meaningful support. The common spirit they share should enable this.

I will facilitate it through regular use of peer feedback assignments, implemented on discussion boards. These students want to talk about their ideas and their work and they want to help each other. Enabling that is something I need to make happen.