EDTECH 503 – Module 7 Discussion

Instructional Design Topic

After a three hour training, the learner will be able to create a course, add an assignment, and develop a discussion board using Moodle.

 

One-to-One Evaluation

A fellow teacher who already uses Moodle in her classroom has agreed to review all course materials and the instructor’s guide for the Moodle training course.  She will use the following questions to review the materials and we will meet one-on-one to discuss her review.

1. Does the instructor’s guide follow a logical sequence for setting up Moodle?
2. What changes could be made to the instructor’s guide?
3. What changes could be made to the instructional handout?
4. Are the objectives for the instruction appropriate for learning how to use Moodle?  What additions/changes should be made to the objectives?
5. What other Moodle tools do you use with your classes that you think would be useful to include in the training?
6. If you were the instructor for this training, what changes would you make?

Small Group Evaluation

A small group of three to four teachers will participate in the Moodle training in a computer lab.  I will train the participants in Moodle by working through the objectives for the training.  After the training, the small group will answer the following questions in an online survey.

1. Were there any verbal instructions that were unclear?  If so, which ones?
2. Which instructional materials were most helpful?
3. Were there any instructional materials you thought were unnecessary?
4. What improvements could be made to the instructional handout?
5. What additional Moodle tools would you like to know how to use?
6. Were you engaged throughout the training?  What improvements could be made to make the training more engaging?
7. How will you Moodle in your classroom?

Field Trial

The field trial will take place with a group of fifteen teachers who are interested in implementing Moodle in their classrooms.  The training will take place in a computer lab at the school.  After the training, the fifteen participants will complete an online survey to provide feedback on the following questions.

1. Were there any verbal instructions that were unclear?  If so, which ones?
2. Did you find the instructional handout useful?  Was there anything missing on the instructional handout?
3. Were you engaged throughout the training?  What improvements could be made to make the training more engaging?
4. Did you have any technical issues that were not addressed?  If so, what were they?
5. How will you use Moodle in your classroom?

Expert Review

The SME for this design is the curriculum resource instructor at my school.  She is the professional development trainer and has provided numerous teacher trainings for technology-based applications.  She has also used Moodle and other course management systems in the classroom and for professional development.  The instructional materials will be submitted by the end of the week of November 30^th.  I expect to receive the materials and feedback by the end of the week of December 7^th.   She will use the following questions to review the materials.

1. Are the training and instructional materials appropriate for the audience?
2. Are the objectives clear and appropriate for the training?  What changes would you make to the objectives?
3. What do you find engaging about the instruction?
4. Is the instructional handout engaging and easy to follow?  What did you like/dislike about the instructional handout?
5. Are the technical instructions clear for all audiences?  What is not clear?
6. What other technical issues need to be addressed?
7. What additional aspects of Moodle should be included in the training?

EDTECH 503 – ARCS Table and Instructional Guide

Click to view the ARCS Table and Instructional Guide for EDTECH 503.

EDTECH 503 – Module 4 Discussion

Instructional Design Project Topic: After a three hour training, a group of traditional high school teachers will incorporate Moodle into a class by creating the course, adding an assignment, and developing a discussion board.

The learner will be able to:

1. Use an internet browser to locate, open, and log into Moodle.

1.1.   Open an internet browser.

1.2.   Navigate to the Moodle site.

1.3.   Login to Moodle using their given login information.

2. Edit class information in Moodle.

2.1.   Identify key buttons needed for editing.

2.2.   Locate “turn on editing” button.

2.3.   Rename the class using the edit button.

2.4.   Create an introduction for a class in the topic outline.

3. Upload the class syllabus.

3.1.   Create a new resource by linking to a file or website.

3.2.   Browse and locate the class syllabus on your computer.

3.3.   Upload the class syllabus to Moodle.

4. Organize the resources in the topic outline.

4.1.   Use the arrow buttons to tab and move resources up and down.

4.2.   Locate the delete button.

4.3.   Identify the show/hide button.

5. Create a unit and resources for Module 1.

5.1.   Add a title to Module 1 using the edit button.

5.2.   Develop an area to upload an assignment.

5.2.1.      Locate drop-down menu “Add an activity” and choose “Upload a single file”.

5.2.2.      Add a title for the activity.

5.2.3.      Describe the activity in the description area.

5.2.4.      Identify and set key options (date range, late submissions).

5.3.   Create a discussion forum.

5.3.1.         Locate drop-down menu “add an activity” and choose “Forum”.

5.3.2.         Add a title for the forum.

5.3.3.         Describe the assignment for the forum in the description area.

5.3.4.         Identify and set key options (standard forum, subscriptions).

6. Review course information from student perspective.

6.1.   Locate “Switch role to” drop-down menu.

6.2.   Choose student.

Learning Objectives (a)	Bloom’s Taxonomy Classification (b)	Format of Assessment (c)	Description of test form (d)	Sample items (e)
1.0	Application	Performance	Observation with a checklist	Login to Moodle by opening a browser and navigating to the site.
2.0	Create	Performance	Observation with a rating scale	Create an appropriate introduction for a class in the topic outline.
3.0	Application	Performance	Observation with a checklist	Upload a syllabus by creating a new resource.
4.0	Analyze	Pencil-and-Paper	Recognition	Identify the uses of various edit buttons to appropriately organize information.
5.0	Create	Performance	Observation with a rating scale	Create appropriate unit resources including a discussion board and an assignment.
6.0	Application	Performance	Observation with a checklist	View role from student perspective.

EDTECH 503 – ID Case Analysis

Case Study 10: Ross Caslon “Supporting Faculty Use of a Course-Management System”

I chose this case study because of its relationship to my instructional design project topic for this course.  I will be designing a training course for traditional teachers to use Moodle.  I was able to gain some perspective on various issues I may face by reading this case study.

1.      What are the primary factors in this case that might have implications for training?

The goal of Lane State West is to eventually require the use of the WebPath course management program among their entire faculty.  The use of the WebPath program created a number of issues among the faculty and the team assigned to design the training for the program.  The first major issue identified in this case is the lack of leadership and teamwork among the four people assigned to the task.  Ross was the designer for the course, but since no one was officially assigned as team leader, the other three members of the team, Zinny, Sam, and Jamie, contributed many negative attitudes to the meetings.  The team members were selfish in their opinions of WebPath – Zinny did not want to implement it at all since they would have to manage the accounts and Jamie was hesitant because the understaffed Help Desk would have to deal with user problems.  Some of the team members did not even like the WebPath program or the company that designed it.  Another issue facing the implementation of WebPath was the preexisting attitudes of the faculty.  Only seven of the 750 faculty members signed up to take the training even when there was a $300 stipend offered.  The motivation for learning the program, without the training being a requirement, was not there.  Another challenge was the understaffed Help Desk and how this affected the attitudes of the faculty.  Faculty members did not want to rely on technology for their classes because they could not get in touch with anyone if they had issues.

2.      Given the factors identified in question 1, how would you design training to meet various stakeholders’ needs?

The training would need to be designed to meet the needs of the faculty, the Help Desk staff, and the Office of Technology and Communication (OTC).  The OTC only offered to set-up twelve demonstration courses for use in training.  Instead of allowing random faculty participants to take up these spots, the training should begin at the tech support level.  Once the tech support staff understood the benefits of using WebPath, word would spread that the program was useful and beneficial to the faculty.  Also, the training should center on the useable features of the program and should address the OTC’s concerns with the program, such as the chat feature’s security.  To meet the needs of the understaffed Help Desk, the training should include various troubleshooting techniques to help users solve their own issues.  Finally, to meet the needs of the faculty, the training team should set clear expectations for the users and what they will do with WebPath after the training.  Is the faculty required to use it for a certain number of tasks for each course?  If the use of WebPath does not improve and simplify the way courses are currently being taught, the interest in the program will diminish.

3.      Suggest strategies to increase the probability that faculty members will apply what they’ve learned during training to their own online teaching.

To ensure the learners apply the WebPath management system training to their online classes, the team should set clear expectations for the faculty upfront.  If the use of the program will be required, what will the faculty be required to do: upload assignments, upload their syllabus, etc?  Training should foster positive attitudes about the program and technology use in general through the tech support staff.  If the support staff is on board, the faculty will be open-minded in trying the new product.  Other motivators such as professional development credit or compensation time could encourage participation in the training and increase the number of users.  Following up with the faculty to see what they like about the program and how they are using it, then sharing this information with other faculty members, would increase interest and spread ideas about how it could be used in online classes.  Finally, additional training could be offered as faculty began to use the program with their classes to show how to use more in-depth resources and to help them with troubleshooting issues.

4.      Describe the impact of unclear project leadership on Ross’s effort to encourage the effective use of WebPath.

Ross’ leadership problems throughout the entire design process most likely led to some issues within the training itself.  Ross took Jamie’s suggestion and asked Ruth to be the instructor for the course.  Ruth was not sold on the use of the WebPath program, so her motivation for encouraging the faculty to use it was lacking.  Ross was concerned about her poor web design techniques and advanced uses of technology, but did not speak up to express these concerns.  Ruth suggested using Internet video conferencing during the training, which would distract participants from the learning goal.  Since the objectives and expectations were not clear from the training design team, Ruth adapted the training to focus on what she thought was important.  After looking at the results of the first semester of WebPath use, it is hard to tell exactly what goals were met during the training.  Since many of the faculty only used WebPath for small tasks like posting lecture notes, it seems they did not understand the full purpose of WebPath.

EDTECH 503 – Module 3 Learning Task Analysis

Instructional Design Project Topic: After a three hour training, a group of traditional high school teachers will incorporate Moodle into a class by creating the course, adding an assignment, and developing a discussion board.

Learning Goal: After a three hour training, the learner will be able to create a course, add an assignment, and develop a discussion board using Moodle.

Learning Outcome:

Intellectual Skills: Application of knowledge, knowing how to apply rules to circumstances

• Procedures: understand in what order steps should be taken to create and develop Moodle course
• Problem solving: involves applying multiple rules to create and develop Moodle course

Information Processing Analysis

Prerequisite Analysis

Before beginning this training, the participant should have contacted their supervisor to create a Moodle account. (see prerequisite analysis)

The learner will be able to:

1. Use an internet browser to locate, open, and log into Moodle.

1.1   Open an internet browser.

1.2   Navigate to the Moodle site.

1.3   Login to Moodle using their given login information.

2. Edit class information in Moodle.

2.1   Identify key buttons needed for editing.

2.2   Locate “turn on editing” button.

2.3   Rename the class using the edit button.

2.4   Create an introduction for a class in the topic outline.

3. Upload the class syllabus.

3.1   Create a new resource by linking to a file or website.

3.2   Browse and locate the class syllabus on your computer.

3.3   Upload the class syllabus to Moodle.

4. Organize the resources in the topic outline.

4.1   Use the arrow buttons to tab and move resources up and down.

4.2   Locate the delete button.

4.3   Identify the show/hide button.

5. Create a unit and resources for Module 1.

5.1   Add a title to Module 1 using the edit button.

5.2   Develop an area to upload an assignment.

5.2.1      Locate drop-down menu “Add an activity” and choose “Upload a single file”.

5.2.2       Add a title for the activity.

5.2.3      Describe the activity in the description area.

5.2.4      Identify and set key options (date range, late submissions).

5.3   Create a discussion forum.

5.3.1         Locate drop-down menu “add an activity” and choose “Forum”.

5.3.2         Add a title for the forum.

5.3.3         Describe the assignment for the forum in the description area.

5.3.4         Identify and set key options (standard forum, subscriptions).

6. Review course information from student perspective.

6.1   Locate “Switch role to” drop-down menu.

6.2   Choose student.

EDTECH 503 – ID Job Description

PART 1 – SYNTHESIS

Summary of Instructional Design Position:

The Instructional Designer will work collaboratively with the faculty and staff of the school to design, develop, implement, and facilitate courses, both in the online and traditional classroom setting.  He/she will gather evidence of and evaluate course quality and develop a plan for improving current course layout.  The Instructional Designer will work with staff to ensure all have a good understanding of the best practices of instructional design.

The candidate will:

1. provide professional development workshops to instruct staff on various instructional design techniques

2. evaluate current courses and develop a plan to implement new strategies based on instructional design methodologies

3. work closely with subject matter experts on the design of innovative coursework, both online and in the traditional classroom setting

4. act as a supervisor for course development

5. facilitate continuous improvement of teaching and learning among the staff and within the classroom

6. provide assessment measures to evaluate success of implemented course design

Required skills/knowledge/background:

1. Bachelor’s degree in Instructional Design/Technology, Educational Design/Technology, or related field

2. Strong understanding of current instructional design best practices

3. Previous experience as an Instructional Designer and/or experience developing online or traditional courses

4. Experience with web-based course management tools (Blackboard, Moodle)

5. Ability to adapt to and master a variety of learning platforms

6. A working knowledge of computers, networks, operating systems, and file systems

7. Basic knowledge of audio/visual applications and ability to use applications for classroom delivery (such as Adobe Connect, etc)

8. Excellent communication skills (both written and verbal)

9. Strong organizational skills

10. Ability to work in a diverse, team-oriented academic community

11. Willingness to adapt to changing procedures/technologies

Desired skills/knowledge/background:

1. Master’s degree in related field strongly preferred

2. Previous teaching experience, in traditional and online settings

3. Basic knowledge of web design and development

4. Experience evaluating peers through a position of leadership/administration

5. Ability to analyze needs of faculty and provide support

6. Excellent leadership skills, including managing a team and meeting deadlines

7. Commitment to continuous professional development

PART 2 – REFLECTION 

The primary job of a teacher is to provide knowledge for his/her students.  I know in my teaching experience, the design of my course has suffered because I have been pressed to cover all of the state standards to prepare my students for a state end-of-course exam.  Although a lot of the new, innovative methods sound interesting, many teachers will say they do not have the time to change what they are currently doing in the classroom.  Teachers also have the burden of the administrative tasks, such as taking attendance, grading papers, and documenting contacts.  In my experience, my “planning” time has been spent on just trying to get caught up, instead of on finding and implementing new strategies for my students.  Teachers are also held accountable when their students succeed/fail.  When I find strategies that work in class, I stick to them because I know those strategies will be successful.  Finally, teachers deal with discipline issues because unfortunately, not all students are eager to learn.  Although I know that a well-designed and well-planned class will keep most students attentive, there are often disruptions in the classroom.  These disruptions can sometimes lead to teachers going back to what they know instead of trying something new.

After reviewing information about instructional designers, I find they have more in common with what our school calls a Curriculum Resource Teacher.  This person at our school organizes and facilitates professional development.  She also keeps teachers up-to-date on the latest developments in the field of education and helps find ways to implement new practices in our classrooms.  She evaluates and mentors teachers within the school, providing feedback on their classes.  Although I see similarities in these positions, there are also many differences.  Instructional designers are not only asked to provide information about new practices, they design and develop the course itself by working with teachers of a particular subject matter.  They are responsible for evaluating implemented practices to determine their success in the classroom.  Instructional designers are invested in the classroom, not through their contact with the students, but by their effort put into the design of the course.  Instructional designers also make the connection between the traditional classroom setting and an online classroom when offered by the same school.

One major difference between a teacher and an instructional designer is that the teacher comes in contact with students, while the instructional designer is often behind the scenes.  Although the instructional designer works closely with the teacher, the teacher is still responsible for implementing the new design with his/her students.  Another difference is that the instructional designer sees the big picture of the strategy: its supporting theory, its design, its implementation in the classroom, and finally the evaluation of its success.  A teacher will often only see the implementation of the strategy and not fully understand its purpose.  A third difference between a teacher and an instructional designer is that a teacher will evaluate the success of a course design based on how her students respond.  A teacher can receive daily feedback from her students by evaluating their interest and through informal and formal assessment.  An instructional designer, depending on his/her ability to physically visit the classroom, may be limited in how they can evaluate course design.  They may have to rely on data provided by the teacher or school instead of seeing how students respond.  Although teachers and instructional designers are working towards the same goal, there are many differences in their positions.

PART 3 – Job Posting URLs

https://jobs.maryville.edu/postings/439

http://tinyurl.com/8qeare6

http://tinyurl.com/9xbtcrh

EDTECH 551 – Grant Proposal

I teach human anatomy and physiology to high school students who are planning on entering the medical field as doctors or nurses.  Due to limited laboratory resources at our school, we cannot purchase all of the dissection materials and models we need to teach each body system effectively.  With students resorting to seeing the human body on the pages of a textbook, they do not get a true picture of how the body really looks and this limits their understanding of its functions.

The purpose of this grant is to purchase 12 iPads and the app Visible Body 3D to provide greater understanding of the human body for human anatomy and physiology students.  This app gives students a three-dimensional view of all major organ systems in the human body and includes over 3,400 anatomical structures.  The user can zoom, rotate, and view functions of all major body parts.  Many nurses and doctors use this app daily in their practices.  We would use this in the anatomy classroom to study all major body systems and see how they interact with each other.  This class set would service over 200 students in our school each year.  Since the iPad and app would be reusable from year to year, we would be able to purchase other items for our labs annually.

I am just starting to research possible grantors, but my primary audience will be adult professionals, possibly with expertise in the field of science.  Although the reader may have a background in science, I will be careful not to use terms that someone without a science background would have trouble understanding.  I will pay attention to the professionalism and readability of my grant since I will be addressing adult professionals.  My secondary audience will be the administration and other science teachers at my school.  I think by identifying what the audience knows about me and my grant topic through the audience analysis, I will be able to focus the writing process on the purpose of the grant.

EDTECH 551 – The Writing Center at the University of Wisconsin

The Writer’s Handbook was created by The Writing Center of the University of Wisconsin.  It contains a variety of information that would benefit all types of writers.  Although a lot of the information does not pertain specifically to writing grants, it covers writing styles, stages of the writing process, and tips on grammar and punctuation.  The Common Writing Assignments page gave more specific information about writing a grant or proposal.  I would use this website as a resource to help me write for a specific purpose and proofread my writing.  This website also seems like a good tool to share with my students to help them in the writing process.  The organization of the site and the sidebar shortcuts made the website easy to navigate.  All of the information was current and the website was last edited in July 2012.

http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/index.html

EDTECH 551 – National Institute of Health

The National Institute of Health is a website maintained by the US Department of Health and Human Services.  I have often used resources from the National Institute of Health in teaching my Human Anatomy classes.  The NIH Tip Sheet website offers advice on writing grants, guidelines for peer review, and information about specific grants that would interest me in the field of science.  I found the Quick Guide for the Preparation of Grant Applications page useful.  It offers short tips on starting, preparing, writing, and submitting a grant application. The information on the site seemed to be complete and accurate.  The website was somewhat difficult to navigate because of the number of links to outside websites.  The use of abbreviations (NHGRI, SBIR, STTR) may also limit the audience.  The NIH webpage was updated in March 2012 and the links were all current.

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/grant_tips.htm

EDTECH 503 – Module 1 Discussion

1. What do you think the word “design” implies? What does “instructional design” means to you? How does the meaning change when adding the word “systematic” in front of “instructional design”?

To me, the word “design” means creative, intentional planning.  In designing, you must have an intentional purpose and create new ideas or products that meet that purpose.  The planning aspect of design is the part that takes new ideas and puts them to work to meet the purpose. Designing can cover a wide variety of fields, such as interior design, car design, etc.  

When you add the word “instructional” to design, the focus or purpose becomes learning.  The primary purpose of instructional design is to facilitate some type of learning.  This learning can take on many different forms, but designing instruction will attempt to focus on reaching the designated purpose.  

The word “systematic” does not necessarily change the meaning of instructional design, it organizes the process.  Systematic instructional design consists of analyzing, revising, and evaluating instruction among other things.  While all instructional design may not follow specific steps, systematic instructional design is a model to follow.

2. Share your own experiences to illustrate your point(s) above. When you share your experiences, be sure to describe the process you use to design or create learning experiences for others. It does not need to be in formal learning environments such as schools or professional development courses.

An example of a design I’ve created was a recent art project I did over the summer.  I intentionally planned to hang this piece of art on a specific wall in my house.  Since the room was already decorated, I knew which colors I wanted to use and I had a general idea of what I wanted to paint.  I bought blank canvases and paint.  I had to be creative because although I had a purpose, I did not have a stencil or picture to follow.  Designing this project called for creative, intentional planning.

I use instructional design often in my classroom, but I find that I do not always have time to systematically design my instruction.  I do not always follow the steps of analyzing, evaluating, etc. every time I plan instruction.  One example of when I have used systematic instructional design is when I first began teaching.  As I was preparing for a new class, I analyzed the learners and the environment that I would have, I developed objectives for the class and designed materials to help meet those objectives, I implemented them throughout the school year, and then I evaluated throughout the year and made changes to my instruction.  At the end of the year, I was able to reflect on the entire process and make a lot of changes for how I would teach the class the next year.

3. In your opinion, how does Instructional Design relate to Educational Technology?

I think the field of educational technology provides a variety of methods to utilize when designing instruction.  Instructional design is a broad field that incorporates many methods of teaching, but in today’s environment, technology should be a primary focus.

4. Share a short description of the topic you plan to work on for the required Instructional Design project in this course. In your description, include:

1. The targeted learners
2. The context of the instruction
3. The topic of the instruction
4. The estimated duration of the instruction

After a three hour training, a group of traditional high school teachers will incorporate Moodle into their classes by creating courses, adding assignments, and developing discussion boards.