5318 Intro to Design...
5318 is an amazing whirlwind of learning.
When evaluating instructional design theories and determining which theory most suites an online learning environment I have concluded that if you choose one design, your learners will miss out on a world of different perspectives and the benefits of the individual designs. By choosing one design, you would be putting boundaries on an online design that by nature is boundless (Morrison, 2013). I tend to lean towards constructionist as an educator but as the Educational Technology Director; it would be an injustice to the district if I did not supply approaches from behaviorism and cognitivism theories as well. As I develop our online learning platform from the constructionist approach students will automatically experience hands-on learning and the opportunities to learn by problem-solving (Learning Dctr, 2010). However, the curriculum provides the repetition and reinforcement that is inspired by the behaviorism theory can not go unnoticed. Students will have the opportunity for extensive practice on a virtual platform that could be viewed as the "practice makes perfect" perspective.
The Cognitive theory now comes in. We can not necessarily see all the learning that is occurring as students navigate through the online learning environment. Students will be continually making connections that they do not even realize they are making. As I developed the course, I had to keep in mind all the learning theory’s, however much of my focus was on developing a course where students would learn by manufacturing knowledge by accomplishing a task and experiencing the different features of the online modules. I wanted students to naturally build proficiency through experiencing the different facets of the course.
My UbD plan set up the foundation for the entire course. Initially knowing and understanding the state standards and having my desired results laid out is imperative to a well-designed plan. One aspect of the UbD that is small but vital in the initial development is the related misconceptions that students would face. Designing a math course for struggling students is extremely difficult because the misconceptions are numerous. I started each lesson with a simple review of prior learning instead of having them go back to the module before the current module for review. It would have been easier to say go back and review module 1 but adding in the review element within each module kept them focused on the most important take away from the lesson before that would help them be successful during the learning of new material.
Breaking down the design and understanding where my students are coming from, thinking about what students need in order to be able to explore and experience more within my lesson and giving the student opportunities to reflect was something the UbD plan helped me process through the course before diving into the development of the course (Wiggins & McTighe, 2005).
My background is fairly extensive in regards to experience using online learning formats. I could write a book on reasons I love and believe in the importance of online learning, but as it relates to this course, I have learned it that online learning needs to be organic.
You must take in viewpoints from different perspectives. Providing a learning experience for a student where they can experience genuine learning is something that is not easily achieved. This course has taught me the depths in which you must to go to create an experience and not just links.
Instructional design has taught me the importance of thinking about my learning theories and incorporating them so that it helps those with different theories. This course has also taught me that online learning is not an individual experience; it needs to be a community of learners so that students feel connected to others and the process.
My take away from this course is not only a broader perspective of what it takes to develop an online course but what it means to have empathy and the perspective of the learner. I wanted to create a course where students would feel successful, have genuine learning experiences, and feel in control of their learning, and this was not an easy task. As a teacher in a brick and mortar setting you have more face time to deliver these experiences, and as an online educator, you must invest more creativity and time in creating these learning experiences for your student.
I had initially planned for my students to learn the area of regular polygons then I was going to have them jump into learning conversions. I quickly realized that it was going to be too much information to learn in a short period, especially for the group of students that would be navigating through these modules. So it was time to take a step back and rethink my process.
Starting in Schoology has been an exciting part of this course. Frustrations came from creating and deleting, creating and deleting. In the setting, I currently work in our students are 100% online, and all the learning occurs virtually, so I tried to create this type of experience in Schoology. My respect for the designers of our program has gone over and out the roof. I never realized how much goes into creating a course from scratch. If I would have had materials already developed and ready to be plugged into the system that would have been great but having to create as you go added a whole new challenge.
I would say the most enduring understanding that I am taking from this course is that teaching is not solely about my perspective, my design style or the theories I most believe in. It is all about the learner. Creating an atmosphere or a course in which they can thrive despite my personal core beliefs. It is imperative that you create in such a way that your learner finds their path, their way of learning, their authentic experience.
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Thinking about future courses that I would like to create I would have to say I would want to go in the direction in which I could help adults.
The first course I would create is a course for our new teaching staff. Several years ago, I created a course and it was utilized for a couple of years until the administration changed. Currently our new staff have no organized training manual and it is a vital necessity to our virtual teaching staff. We are expected to go to college for 4 years and earn a teaching degree and these courses teach us how to teach in a brick and mortar setting.
We have viewed a life full of brick and mortar examples from pre-K- college then we expect virtual teachers to transition seamlessly into a virtual setting and it just doesn't work that easily. I would like to design a course that could help teachers transition from being a brick and mortar educator to an online educator.
Another course I would like to create would be for our Learning Coaches. A Learning Coach is the title given in our online setting for the adult that is working hand and hand with the student on the home side of our system. At this time there is no formal required training for them. It has been a detriment to our students not having a trained Learning Coach at their side.
I would love to create a course that would help educator them on what it means to be a Learning Coach and how to help their child be successful using our online tools.
Bates, T. (2014). Learning theories and online learning. Retrieved from https://www.tonybates.ca/2014/07/29/learning-theories-and-online-learning/
Learning Dctr. (2010, June 20). Behaviorism, Cognitivism, Constructivism and Learning and Instructional Theory [Video file]. Retrieved from https://amara.org/en/videos/EGp9AZspE8hl/info/behaviorism-cognitivism-constructivism-learning-and-instructional-theory/?tab=video
Morrison, D. (2013). Why Online Courses [Really] Need an Instructional Design Strategy. Retrieved from https://onlinelearninginsights.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/why-online-courses-really-need-an-instructional-design-strategy/
Wiggins, G., & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
