Let’s tackle these problems one at a time, starting with students giving speeches. The CTL found a simple solution: Students just submit a video of themselves giving the speech. And to make sure that students were prepared well to do this “extra step,” the course included a list of expectations for speech videos, detailing how the space they were in should look, how they should be positioned relative to their audience (because they needed to be able to present their speech to actual humans!), and how the camera and table needed to be set up to capture their speech well. With these expectations in place, any nervousness about technology is quelled, and students can focus on the content and delivery of their speeches. The CTL also modified the course by preparing the content so students can easily digest and retain the information. We mentioned before that videos for online courses tend to be shorter, and this course was no exception. Content was divided into individual topics, and the instructor wrote scripts for each one. Creating scripts ensures the videos stay on topic and are as clear as possible — everything that stays in the final script has passed multiple levels of review. Once these scripts were completed, the CTL recorded and produced a total of 30 videos spread across the course modules. This is just a small glimpse into the world of course creation that the CTL lives in, and it’s only one of the courses they’ve worked on. Cedarville’s been offering and working with online courses for a while now — Cedarville started offering online undergraduate courses in 1998, and Cedarville has been running successful, fully online graduate programs since 2013. The new undergraduate online programs will only take Cedarville’s online offerings to the next level. With these new programs, the Cedarville experience is expanding and becoming more accessible to students; those who cannot travel to campus for various reasons, such as financial, family, or health difficulties, can now still graduate with a Cedarville degree. Whether learning online or in-person, students will still be receiving the same quality education, preparing to go wherever God leads. Lauren Eissler serves as the User Experience Designer and Editor in Cedarville’s Center for Teaching and Learning. Whether learning online or in-person, students will still be receiving the same quality education, preparing to go wherever God leads. 27
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