A Template for a Distance Learning E-course at a Bulgarian University – the Experience of St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnov

The high-quality e-course design is key to the success of distance instruction. Building on a brief overview of the scientific literature, the main elements in the design of an e-course are theoretically substantiated. The structure of a universal template for a quality distance instruction course has been discussed. The research results suggest that the teachers questioned have no experience with designing an e-course. Their attitude towards the utility of the template is hesitant. The percentage of those who wished to be trained to work with the template is high, which is in an inverse relationship with the assessment of utility, that is, the fewer teachers need additional training to work with the template, the more positively this impacts their opinion on the template’s utility. The template is particularly beneficial for the start of the teacher’s professional development, which considerably eases their workload and helps them make pedagogically sound decisions.