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Snapshot

Type of Interaction: All Class Types
This post will get you thinking about how to provide students with what they need, when they need it.

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Online courses are full of details students need to succeed. Getting them the right information at the right time is critical, but it’s not always clear when that is. Do rubrics belong in the syllabus or as part of an assignment? Are assignment descriptions better placed inline or in an attachment for ongoing reference? Personal preference, needs of individual assignments, and LMS limitations all influence our decisions. “Just-in-time” (JIT) is a manufacturing principle that can help us organize the complexity.

The goal of JIT is to have just enough parts arrive just before assembly. This way, the manufacturer doesn’t house excess inventory. JIT for online course design would then mean that we should provide students:

1. The right information at the right time.
2. Only as much information as they need.

Implementation

For example, place assignment directions and resources where students do the work. Work includes (among other things):

1. Planning how to approach the assignment,
2. Completing prerequisite activities,
3. Working on the assignment, and
4. (Sometimes) getting help.

An inline description for a simple assignment might be enough for students to plan. Or an outline may be helpful or even necessary. Or an assignment with more than one deliverable may deserve its own webpage.

A lesson’s reading/viewing list may cover general prerequisite knowledge. Or if students need to reference a specific work for the assignment, link to it in the directions.

Inline directions may work if students can internalize them at once. Or you may attach them so students can refer to them continuously while working.

Lastly, if students are using technology, tell them where to get tech support. Preferably, link to existing support pages (for your own sanity keeping them current). If you write your own, put it on its own page (and out of the way if students don’t need it).