A Systematic Review: Foundations for Online Course Design in Higher Education

Abstract

[EN] The purpose of this study was to select specific best practice indicators for improving online course design based on the recent research findings shared during and post COVID-19 pandemic. PRISMA guidelines were used during the search process to identify qualifying studies. EbscoHost, Academic Search Ultimate, Educational Research Information Center (ERIC), Google Scholar and JSTOR were the six databases searched for selecting articles that met the following criteria: a) written in Spanish or English, b) peer-reviewed studies and indexed journals c) higher education level and d) online courses design best practices. The database searches identified a total of fifteen relevant studies. The findings of this study demonstrate four core indicators of online course design: planning course alignment, using templates for framework design, developing articulated connections and continuous cyclical review. These essential indicators are critical for online course planning as they have shown to be vital to student achievement, retention, and satisfaction.