How to choose the right digital courses for your students

Key points:

With a plethora of digital curriculum options on the market, it can be overwhelming for school administrators to find digital courses that meet the needs of their students. That's why I always recommend first identifying the challenges you intend to solve with digital courses and establishing specific objectives.

Understanding your goals helps you prioritize features that are essential to achieving desired outcomes, such as improving student engagement or accommodating various learning needs.

Once you have identified your purpose, I recommend creating three lists that include the elements your digital courses must have, the features they must have, and finally, the aspects that would be nice to have but are not necessary.

To help, I've put together examples of must-haves, should-haves, and nice-to-haves, with the goal of increasing student performance outcomes.

Most importantly: standards alignment

Digital courses must align with state standards to ensure they meet learning objectives and maintain accountability. The comprehensive digital curriculum is designed with the end goal in mind, based on “Understanding by Design,” an award-winning book and theory by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe that focuses on the benefits of backward planning. This framework ensures that lessons are outcome-based and effective in helping students understand and understand what they are learning.

Should have: Variety of elective courses

While not as crucial as core requirements, offering a diverse selection of electives can significantly enhance the educational experience. These electives provide students with opportunities to explore interests and develop a well-rounded set of skills, fostering engagement and motivation.

A high-quality digital course catalog should also meet the needs of a diverse audience. Students learn differently and are unique, with different interests and academic needs, and a comprehensive digital curriculum should reflect that.

Nice to have: gamification

While digital course gestures like gamification and bright colors may catch your attention and make you want to hit the buy button, remember your goal. If your goal is to increase student learning outcomes, then these features, while nice to have, may not move the needle in the way you most need.

With these examples of must-haves, must-haves, and nice-to-haves in your pocket, now is the time to look at other key considerations when purchasing digital courses.

Additional considerations

1. Accessibility: For digital courses to be successful, web accessibility and built-in features must be a priority to ensure that all students have equal access to information and functionality. Some of these features include:

• Subtitles on videos: Provides text for spoken content, benefiting students who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Audio descriptions: Assists visually impaired students by providing a verbal description of visual elements.
• Image alt text: Provides textual descriptions of images for students using screen readers.
• Keyboard-only navigation: Ensures that all functions can be accessed without a mouse, helping students with mobility issues.
• Proper color contrast: Ensures readability for students with visual impairments or color blindness.
• Descriptive links: Provides clear and concise link text, improving navigation for all users.
• Resizable text: Allows students to adjust text size for better readability.

2. Audience-centered design: One of the most critical components of a rigorous digital curriculum is that it is developed with an understanding of how students and teachers will interact with it. The digital curriculum provider must consider certain factors, including:

• Learning environment: Evaluate where students will learn: at home, at school, or in a hybrid environment.
• Support at home: Determine if students have the necessary support at home to help them with their learning.
• Socioeconomic background: Consider the diverse socioeconomic backgrounds of your students' families and ensure courses are inclusive.
• Reading levels: Adapt courses to accommodate different reading levels to ensure that all students can understand and benefit from the content.
• Support for instructional teams: Ensure the curriculum includes resources to help teachers effectively guide students and maximize learning outcomes.

3. Continuous improvement: Opt for digital curricula that allow for continuous updates and improvements based on feedback from students, families, and teachers. Continuous improvement ensures that content remains relevant, effective and responsive to the changing needs of students.

These are just a few of the digital course features that should be at the top of the list if you want to drive high learning outcomes for students. Other elements to consider include your instructional model, quizzes and tests, and supplemental materials for teachers.

The key takeaway is that school leaders should focus on their goals first and then prioritize lists based on what is needed and what would be nice to have. This strategy ensures that digital courses meet the needs of students, families, and staff.