Instructional Design

1. Instructional Design Presented by: Dean Blevin, Patti Lawrence, Cameron Murchison, Soong-Chan Rah, and Julia Speller

2. Introduction • This presentation will provide a way of holding the components of teaching methods, nature of learner, nature of community, and technology in a common design plan • The presentation will focus on hybrid or blended courses that combine face-to-face contact with distance online education

3. Good Instructional Design 1) Puts pedagogy before technology 2) Encourages reflective course preparation that anticipates learner needs 3) Motivates learning and provides clearly assessed outcomes 4) Supports appropriate time management

4. Rational for Common Design Components • Primary concern in Instructional Design is establishing basic design components that guide the development of classes • A number of basic concerns must be addressed that create a “flow” of appropriate interaction between the teacher, learners, and content

5. Key Ingredients in Blended Learning Environment • Live events: synchronous, instructor-led learning with all learners at the same time • Self-paced learning: course components that engages individual learners at their own speed • Collaboration: environments in which learners are able to communicate with each other • Assessment: measure of learner’s knowledge • Performance support materials: reference and real-life materials learners use in real life situations

6. FOUR STEP process to Instructional Design • Undertaking Instructional Analysis • Setting Goals and Objectives • Selecting Teaching Strategies • Administering Evaluations

7. I) Undertaking Instructional Analysis • Determine the suitability of online delivery with current technological capability • Direct attention to the audience through an investigation of ‘learner characteristics’ • Explore technical skills of learners • Explore the pedagogical skills and motivations of the instructor

8. A) Determine Suitability • A hybrid format can be the remedy for learning that may not be appropriate for dedicated online learning • Create instructional goals that will guide the design: • to indicate the areas of knowledge to be taught • to pave the way for more concrete objectives later in the process • Questions that can guide the process include: • What do learners know now and what do they need to know? • What prerequisite knowledge, skills and understandings do learners need? • How can the course fill the gap between what is and what needs to be? • (Source: Florida Gulf Coast University, Principles of Online Designhttp://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/ )

9. B) General Characteristics of the Learner • Questions to guide this process include: • What are the personal characteristics of the learners (age, profession, background, family life, etc.)? • What is the educational level of learners? • For what purpose are the learners taking the course? • How will learners use/apply the knowledge gained in the course? • What do the learners already know about the topic? Are there any prerequisite?

10. C) Technical Skills of Learners • Ability to navigate the internet • Basic computer operations and concepts • Capacity to install basic software applications • Questions that can guide this process are: • What experiences do the learners have with online courses? • What level of technical skills do the learners have? • Do the learners have the technology available to access the course content and complete the coursework? • (Source: http://www.wake.tec.ne.us/dist_ed/internet/assessment.html)

11. D) Skills/motivation of the instructor • Must possess a realistic notion about their own learning curve for online course design • Must understand the need to be a “guide on the side” rather than a “sage on stage” to maximize dialogue and interaction • Questions that can guide this process are: • How long will it take the instructor to develop the course? • Will it require release-time or reduction of course load? • What technical tools will instructor need? • What is the level of IT support the instructor will require? • What re-tooling or additional educational support will the instructor need?

12. II) Setting Goals and Objectives • Goals are broad statements of instructional intent and Objectives are steps leading toward goals • They should relate to the overall institutional purpose • And be prepared prior to the design of the teaching strategies and evaluation plans • Relate goals to: • Cognitive content • Behavioral content • Affective content (Source: http://www.fgcu.edu/onlinedesign/designDev.html)

13. II) Setting Goals and Objectives They should guide the instructor in the selection of course materials in the determination of teaching strategies in shaping assessment procedures They should guide the learners by summarizing what to expect by spelling out what they are required to do by detailing how they will be assessed

14. III) Selecting Teaching Strategies • Teaching strategies are needed for three major areas of online or blended formats • stimulate reciprocity between instructor and learner • enable interaction among students • facilitate engagement of learner with subject matter • In addition to interactions and engagements teaching strategies should also • Consider different learning styles • Focus on the ways to generate active participation for more affective learning

15. III) Selecting Teaching Strategies • Chart I • Range of activities that reflect teaching strategies in major areas • Chart II • Three-fold division of teaching activities that include Instructor/Learner, Learner/Learner, and Learner Content

18. IV) Administering Evaluation A) Formative element (evaluating while the program activities are forming or happening) • Focuses on educational processes during course • Assesses the distance components or the f2f interaction • Provides feedback of learner’s work (via online grade-books, emails, announcements, discussion board posting) • Debugging problems that hinder learners from full participation in blended learning

19. IV) Administering Evaluation B) Summative element – provides both learners and instructor with a clear picture of the quality of their work in meeting the goals of the class • Should be clearly described and linked to course objectives and/or learning outcomes • May include learner’s self-assessment and peer feedback • Should assist instructor through faculty/course evaluations, to modify for greater effectiveness • Should be tailored around levels of learning • Should use real-world scenarios and other technical assessments for higher levels of learning

20. IV) Administering Evaluation C) Rubrics specify levels of performance expected for several levels of quality as they: • clarify teacher’s definitions of excellence and assists them in planning how to achieve it • communicate to learners what excellence is and how to evaluate their own progress • communicate performance goals to parents/stakeholders • help teachers/assessors remain accurate, unbiased, and consistent in scoring • document the procedures used to judge students • Course rubrics based on online environments may be tailored to include f2f but the overall rubrics provide comprehensive parameters for engagement and learning. • (Source: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php)