Designing for Online:

Instructional Design in Action!21st Century Learning and Sharing

April 23th 2009

Monique Brewer Open School BC

Designing for Online

Challenges

&

Successes

What’s been your experience?

So, what the heck is instructional design

anyway?

A systematic process of developing effective instructional materials.

Learners

Outcomes

Assessment Strategies

Media/Tech

What is Instructional Design (ID)?

Instructional Design as a Process

Review &Sign-off

Planning & Design

Learners

Production & Outputs

Create a Project Team

Instructional Design Plan

Development

Products

SummativeEvaluation

NeedsAssessment

Pilot Stage

Review &Sign-off

Review &Sign-off

Review &Sign-off

The Role of the Instructional Designer

May vary from organization to organization

A combined role of Project Manager and Instructional

Designer

Main purpose is to be “an advocate for the learner”

Consider the learner’s needs throughout the whole

development process

Ensure learning outcomes are met, activities are

appropriate, use of technology and media is appropriate

etc.

onal

Instructional Design Applicable to Different Settings…

Online:

Grade 4

F2F:

In the classroom

Principles the Same

Why Use Instructional Design? Promotes accountability, quality, and

educational integrity Provides opportunities for learners to succeed Ensures courses address the prescribed

learning outcomes /competencies Systematically consider all of the variables

involved in designing content So, we don’t waste money & time…

Don’t try to build the bathroom before the house!

Why use Instructional Design?

Best Practice #1: Create an ID Plan

Plan should address: Learner Analysis Learning outcomes Content design Appropriate activities and assessments What’s going work going to work for

online? Technology & media.

Module

Example:

Open School BCCourse

Best Practice #2: Analyze Your Learners

Interests Abilities Knowledge Technology Environment

Best Practice #3:Get the Mix RightE-Learning isn’t necessarily the “magic bullet” that

guarantees a rich learning environment

Need the right blend:

synchronous and asynchronous interaction

group and self-paced/independent learning

print and online resources

learning activities appropriate to student needs, and technical capacity

The bulk of the content presented in Study Guide formats.

Textbook as a resource

Web as a wrap around to provide interaction:

•student: student

•student: instructor

Print Based with Online as a Wrap Around

A Mixed Model - Deep Blending

Classroom Time

Video conferencing or use tools such as Elluminate

OnlinePrint - Study Guide/textbooks, other resources

Self-Paced Online

Best Practice #4: Use Learning Outcomes

Learning outcomes help to: Clarify your ideas Provide a scope & sequence to what you

want to design Can help students know what to expect Guides assessment Serve as building blocks for developing

courses = house analogy.

Best Practice #3: Determine Pedagogy Behaviorism:

Mind as a “black box” Promotes “lower level learning such as “observe” or

“memorize” Cognitive:

Looks at what happens in the learner’s mind Input (information) is processed and stored in

memory and output is learned capability Constructivism

Learning is constructed from knowledge Problem-based learning, multiple representations, reflective

Best Practice #4: Sequence Content

By topic Chronologically By place By cause and

effect By structural logic

Problem-centred Spiral A loose network

Best Practice #5: Pace Your Course

Pacing will help your students complete their course

Real time interactions with their instructors/teachers

through audio or video conferencing or Face-to-Face -

tools like Elluminate.

Discussions online are carried out over one week time

frame.

Assignments and exams are completed by given date

Cohort vs self paced courses.

Best Practice #6: Design Engaging Activities

Frequency of activities Get the learners to do something throughout

the learning process and not just at the end Consider variations of activities:

Reflect on a reading or their own experience, Analyze a video clip, audio segment Engage in a discussion or an interview Keep a diary or log of a project Move from simple to complex; easy to

challenging

Activities & Retention

Average Retention Rate:

Lecture 5 %

Reading 10 %

Audio-Visual 20 %

Demonstration 30 %

Discussion Group 50 %

Practice by Doing 75 %

Immediate Use of Learning 90 %

Simulations

Best Practice #7: Build Appropriate Assessment

Different types - formative and summative Link to learning outcomes Authentic, valid, and reliable Simple to complex; rote to critical thinking;

objective to subjective Provide immediate feedback Consider balance of both student and

teacher workload

Best Practice #8: Use Appropriate Media

Types of media graphic, audio, video, interactive

Considerations Purpose Cost Availability

Graphics

Explain the Function: Refer to a graphic within your text & explain the

purpose Design Activities Around a Graphic:

If a graphic is core to a concept, design an activity around

Placement of Graphics within Text: as close as possible to the piece of text that

refers to it. Emphasize the Graphic:

Learners will benefit from a graphic if they can easily see what point you are trying to make

Pacific Garbage Patch: students.umf.maine.edu/kanedc/public.www/

Audio

Foreign language dialogues Spoken glossaries of “hard to pronounce terms” Conversations to be analyzed Discussions or interviews Sounds (i.e., heart’s rhythm

after a drug has been absorbed; animals)

Presentations Consider using a still image

Video

Be sure motion is really essential in what you want to show your learners.

Use existing material

rather than make your own.

Can be very expensive to do well. Streaming video clips:

2-3 minutes long. Avoid duplicating traditional lecture format

unnecessarily.

Multimedia Effective instruction across learning domains,

including affective and psychomotor (e.g., simulations, case studies)

Promote development of higher-order thinking skills, and concept formation

Realism, especially when coupled with graphics and video

Potential interactivity Potential for high levels of learner control and engagement

Interactive Media

Best Practice # 9:Write for Online

Write to reading level of student Use familiar words (arrival not influx) Use short words (basic not fundamental) Use short sentences and paragraphs Use positive instead of negative Remove unnecessary words and phrases Use conversational style of language

Write in a friendly personal style directed to the student (“You will recall …”).

Use examples where possible.

Best Practice #10: Design for the Screen

A web page should contain a single coherent piece of

learning

A screen is not a page

Do not merely convert existing print course to Web

Chunk information

Communicate more in graphics

Consider the use of white space

Use suitable fonts

Thank You!

Monique Brewer

Manager, Instructional Services

Open School BC

Monique.Brewer@gov.bc.ca

(250) 952-6021

www.openschool.bc.ca