High-Impact Design for Online Courses (HIDOC) Framework

Enhancing Learning with Digital Resources 

Technology plays a critical role in content delivery, student engagement, and assessment. Selecting the right tools ensures a seamless, effective, and accessible learning experience that aligns with course outcomes while minimizing potential barriers. 

Key Considerations 

• Align technology with learning goals. Choose tools that directly support instructional objectives, foster active learning, and improve student outcomes. 
• Prioritize usability and accessibility. Select tools that meet WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and are compatible with screen readers and other assistive technologies. Ensure accessibility statements or policies are included for all technologies. 
• Ensure equitable access. Confirm that students have the necessary hardware, software, and internet connectivity to engage fully in the course. 
• Provide clear documentation and support. Offer tutorials, FAQs, and help desk resources to guide students in using course technologies effectively. 
• Provide privacy statements. Include privacy policies or statements for all technologies used in the course. 
• Balance innovation with simplicity. Avoid overwhelming students with too many tools. Integrate only those that effectively enhance learning. 
• Offer practice opportunities with technologies. Provide students with the chance to familiarize themselves with new tools before they are used for assessments. 
• Strategically introduce new technologies. Roll out new tools thoughtfully and ensure students have the necessary support to learn and adapt. 

Why It Matters 

Technology can enhance engagement, collaboration, and efficiency when used intentionally. However, poor implementation can create barriers, causing frustration and disengagement. Faculty must balance innovation with usability by ensuring all students can access and effectively use course technologies. 

Action Steps 

• Select tools that support student learning.  
  • Choose Blackboard tools or other third-party tools that align with course outcomes, foster engagement, and support active learning strategies.  

Blackboard Tools 

• • • Discussions: Facilitate asynchronous conversations where students can engage with peers and the instructor. 
    • Tests & Quizzes: Create multiple-choice, short answer, essay, and other question types to assess student understanding. 
    • Assignments: Collect and grade student submissions, including written work, multimedia, and other file types. 
    • SafeAssign: Check student submissions for originality and potential plagiarism. 
    • Rubrics: Provide clear grading criteria to ensure consistency and transparency in assessments. 
    • Journals: Allow students to privately reflect on their learning, with instructor feedback options. 
    • Group Workspaces: Assign students to groups for collaborative projects, discussions, and shared file access. 

Integrated Video & Lecture Tools 

• • • Panopto: Video platform integrated with Blackboard that allows instructors to record, upload, and share lectures, screen recordings, and presentations. It supports interactive features like captions, embedded quizzes, and timestamped comments. 
    • Zoom: Web conferencing tool integrated with Blackboard for hosting live virtual class sessions, office hours, and group discussions. It enables real-time collaboration through video, audio, chat, breakout rooms, and screen sharing. 
• Evaluate technology and software requirements.  
  • Determine if students need specific software or hardware (e.g., Virtual Reality headsets, external microphones, webcams) beyond Blackboard, and specify hardware and software requirements like operating system versions, browser compatibility, internet speed, and necessary equipment for remote learning. 
• Consider proctoring and exam-related tools.  
  • Decide if you will use proctoring tools and whether to use Blackboard's built-in tools or third-party software, specifying any special requirements for secure testing. 
• Clarify download, plugin, and off-campus access requirements.  
  • Determine if students need to download specific software or apps for course materials, and specify any requirements for accessing university services remotely, such as library resources. 
• Gather privacy policies or statements for technologies.  
  • Identify any tools that collect student data and share their privacy policies to help students understand how their information is used. 
• Gather accessibility policies or statements for technologies. 
  • Identify the technologies used in the course and link to their accessibility statements to help students understand available features and support options. 

You Try It 

Use the Step 6 - Technology & Tools document from the HIDOC library to effectively plan the technology and tools required for your course. It guides you in identifying the appropriate technologies to support student interaction with content and successful completion of assignments. The document includes considerations for selecting Blackboard tools, additional software or hardware needs, and tools for synchronous meetings. It also provides recommendations for technology documentation that should be included in your syllabus to ensure students have a clear understanding of the technical requirements.