After determining your weekly objectives and assignments, the next step in the development process is to pick out resources that support each of your weekly objectives.
Start with your Assessments
What will you assess in your assignments for the week? Your resources should all directly relate to and support students as they work through the assignments and discussions. You could require students to read eBook chapters or journal articles, listen to podcasts, access interactive learning objects, and watch videos so that they gather information about the learning concepts in different ways.
Check the Champlain Library First!
The next step when finding resources to support your assignments is to reach out to the library! Jes Mattera (jmattera@champlain.edu) is our contact at the library and she can assist you with resource development. She can even help set up a subject guide that could be embedded in your Canvas course!
There are a few guides that the library has created to support faculty, SMEs, and college staff in finding resources for course development. These include:
- eBooks at Champlain College
- Open Educational Resources
- Using Library Streaming Media Resources for Instruction
Tutorials for Students
The library licensed Sidecar Learning as a platform for creating instruction tutorials on library databases and key information literacy concepts. Sidecar uses a side-by-side format in which students receive database instruction and carry out those instructions in a database simultaneously. The tutorials live here (linked from our library homepage).
Some other useful guides and support for your students include:
- Annotated Bibliographies
- Evaluating Sources
- Cite Your Sources: Champlain College Library’s guide to citing in MLA, APA and Chicago Styles.
As a reminder, please email Jes Mattera (jmattera@champlain.edu) for assistance finding great library resources for your class!
Tips
Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you select your resources:
- Avoid Designing Around a Textbook: What happens if an eBook or textbook becomes unavailable? If the whole course has been designed around one text, we run a big risk! Aim for incorporating multiple resources into your course.
- Consider Diversity: Consider resources that invite diverse voices and perspectives into the classroom and helps students feel recognized and welcome.
- Alignment: All materials should support the course and module/weekly objectives. Continue to refer back to each when selecting your resources.
- Avoid repetition: If you choose to incorporate a variety of course resources in each module, be sure that the resources don’t repeat one another. Instead, try to find resources that address the different module/weekly outcomes or explain the concepts in different ways.
- Extra support for more challenging concepts: Are there theories or concepts that you think students will find challenging? Consider adding additional resources that target that specific concept and explain it or illustrate it in a different way.
- Accessibility: Make sure that your course resources are compliant with Section 508 of the Americans with Disabilities Act. For example, videos should have solid closed captioning.
- Keep cost in mind: High textbook costs can be prohibitive, so start by exploring some resources through the library!