541_Session 2_ Resposes to Prompts

Course A:

Content: This course will cover beginning college algebra.

Instructor(s): This course is taught by various adjunct and full time professors who are very familiar with the content that has differing degrees of tech skills and online teaching experience. The same class has to serve for all instructors.

Students: All students in this course are college freshman and sophomores with good technology skills and each has successfully taken an online orientation to online learning course.

 

The course, being Beginning College Algebra, I first must consider this type of content. In this case, math is a convergent content in that it contains a correct answer. Convergent content allows us to establish a logical progression and a set of procedures for students to follow. As well as, making it easier to provide feedback as to whether a math problem is correct or wrong, and how to come up with the correct answer. Another aspect to consider is the content characteristics. What best applies in this scenario is referred to as usual and customary practices, in that the course would adapt to the usual and customary way that a math course it taught; ways that both instructors and student expect and are comfortable with.

Since the degree of skill and experience of teaching an online course, and that the course will have to serve all of the instructors, I would cater it to the lower risk takers and the less experienced instructor, thus scaling back on the different types and complexities of technologies used and provide support.

As for the students, I would assume a fair degree of motivation. Although the have taken an orientation to online learning, the actuality is, it require a great deal of discipline and motivation; which is learned through experience. Since the students have good technology skills, they should be able to adapt to the new technologies and structures and methods of an online class.

 

Course B:

Content: The course is a philosophy of leadership class.

Instructor(s): The instructor is an experienced face-to-face instructor with good tech skills and prior online teaching experience. This instructor prefers lecture and discussion classes.

Students: Graduate students who are well motivated and with a broad range of technology skills, from average to very advanced.

 Philosophy is generally an example of a course with divergent content, in that there is not necessarily a correct answer, or even a path to coming up with any answer to a given question. In designing such a course, I would want to avoid providing too much explicit guidance, thus allowing students to create their own paths or set of procedures. I would also provide for more interaction between the instructor and his/her students.

Since it is indicated that the instructor prefers lectures and discussions, this could be accommodated through podcasts, videos, video chats/Skype or even through a discussion board.

Adding to the experience and skills of the instructor, the students are motivated graduate students, the design, including the variety of interaction opportunities, would suit both the students and instructors alike.

 

Course C:

Content: This course is an introduction to college success. It teaches study skills, communication skills, and tries to help students learn how to fit into the college community.

Instructor(s): This course will be taught by various instructors all with good tech skills and prior online teaching experience but who have never taught this content before.

Students: Students are incoming freshman who have been identified by advisors as high risk for drop out.

This course is more of an informational content, a divergent content, so the course design would be one that deals with subject matter that has no correct or wrong answer or a path for developing that answer. This course design requires avoiding too much explicit guidelines, however, at the same time providing more interaction opportunities between the instructor and students.

 The good technical skills and online teaching experience of the instructor outweighs the unfamiliarity of the subject matter. Having (assumingly college) teaching experience, and having been college students themselves, gives familiarity with time management, note taking, tutoring, etc… which would help students fit in to their new college environment.

Being that these are freshman students, likely being away from home for the first time and used to the face to face schedule of high school curriculum, it is not likely that the have the motivation and self-regulation to keep up with the rigors of an online course. Designing a course with continuous instructor interaction and feedback will ease this deficit.

                                                                                    

#2 Now, think about an online learning experience that you might someday create. Describe in detail the content, instructor and student characteristics. What are the design issues or features that these suggest? Explain your answers.

12th Grade Government: a required course for high school graduation

The content of this course includes a wide variety of US Government topics. These topics include, but are not limited to the following: The US Constitution, focusing on the features that make our country/government unique and enduring; our country’s foundation, highlighting the roots of our system and its unique history; the Constitutional Convention of 1787, its dynamics and differing viewpoints in the creation of the Constitution; the 3 Branches of our Federal Government and their unique powers; Checks and Balances; our  unique system that incorporates a natural checks and balances of powers; Amendments, process of amending the Constitution; Legislation, focusing on the provisions of the laws and their historic roots. The course will also focus on our current government issues as well as current affairs around the world.

Instructors include 12^th grade teachers with little to no online learning experience. Technological experience are, in general, comprised of personal use, such as email, social networking or surfing the web, and everyday use in a classroom, which would likely be comprised of PowerPoint presentations, grade-book, and possibly some video or interactive programs on class computers. These teachers, considering their experiences in face-to-face lecturing and student immediate feedback would, likely benefit from and require a high level of instructor-student and student-information to be successful.

Students will consist of 12^th grade students. Although most high school students are presumed to be technologically savvy; their technology skills are often limited to smart-phones, home computers, internet surfing, computer labs and gaming systems. However, these skills will be a great asset to an online class, in that they have basic skills in a variety of areas. The student that would benefit from online learning would be those who are motivated and self-regulated.

 Designing the course would require applying the 3 consideration we have been discussing; course content, instructors’ skills and experience, and students’ skills and experience. This course would require a great deal of text- as well as links for expanded research opportunities. It also would have built-in tutorials, instructional podcasts, and provide for instructor-student interaction.
The level of online learning experience is moderate; however, the technological experience is good. The information volume for the course is quite extensive, so it is important that there be features to motivate and keep the attention of the student, while not too technologically extensive for the users on either side.

This course would benefit greatly if it featured video chat/Skype, or the like, to support a face-to-face environment setting.

I would also recommend a face-to-face orientation class to introduce the course requirements and the technology of the course. This would help the instructor also get a feel for the student at the same time the students get a chance to try out the specifics.

 The technological requirements would be restricted to accessibility. Students would be required to have access to a computer, either at home, school computer lab or the local library. The computer, or student, will require a microphone and video component.

 

#3   List the 11 instructional design steps presented in chapter 1 of the text (Design Quickly and Reliably).

1. Identify your underlying goal
2. Analyze learners’ needs and abilities
3. Identify what to teach
4. Set learning objectives
5. Identify prerequisites
6. Pick the approach to meet each objective
7. Decide the teaching sequence of your objectives
8. Create objects to accomplish objectives
9. Create tests
10. Select learning activities
11. Choose media

 Works Cited:

http://www.regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/government/index.htm    (Used for 12th grade Government course specs.)