Category: Week 3

Instructional Design & eAuthoring Module (Week 3)

The following is a reflection on the week immediately after the class that took place on Tuesday 8th November 2016 using Gibbs Reflective Cycle.

Tuesday 8th November 2016 – AUNGIER STREET LIBRARY

Description

Following a meeting of The Compostivists for 20 minutes after today’s class, I spent two hours in Aungier Street Library sourcing the 11 books on the Essential Reading List for Instructional Design.  I also discovered the following link to a PDF file describing a workshop called Storyboarding for Instructional Design:

Feelings

I was pleased with myself that I was able to get the library locations for all 11 books.  I had no training in how to do this and it had been over 20 years since I last used an academic library!  However, probably because I use computers so much, I found this very easy.

Evaluation

I created a ‘database’ of the locations of all 11 books by copying and pasting the relevant information from the Library database to Apple Notes on my iPad.  To do this, I had to access the Library database directly from my iPad rather than using a Library PC.  Later, I exported these Apple Notes to PDF format from my iMac by using the app TextEdit.  I then uploaded the PDF file to my website/ePortfolio so that I could easily access the information from anywhere.  Most of the 11 books are in the LTTC section of Bolton Street library.

Analysis

I wasn’t aware up until now that most of the books on the Module 2 Essential Reading List are to be found in Bolton Street Library.

Conclusions

It’s very easy to use the DIT Library information system!

Personal Action Plans

Go to Bolton Street Library and borrow 10 of the 11 books on the Module 2 Essential Reading List.  I already have one of the books.

Wednesday 9th November 2016 – BOLTON STREET LIBRARY

Description

Today, I continued my odyssey through the various DIT campuses.  I had already been in Aungier Street, Kevin Street and Mountjoy Square so Bolton Street was my fourth DIT conquest!  Bolton Street College is 100 years old – you could feel the history.  There is a wall hanging, depicting the front of the college, installed in the large entrance hallway at the bottom of the staircase.  This was made by workers in the Stewart’s Hospital Centre in Lucan and it was officially ‘opened’ by the college president  in 2014.

Feelings

I felt excited about the prospect of reading these books!

Evaluation

I found and borrowed 10 of the 11 books on the Essential Reading List’.  This took about one hour.  The books are in the LTTC section of Bolton Street library.

Analysis

It seems that I can borrow the books for 30 days and then it is possible to continue to borrow them for another 30 days.  It is possible to renew the books remotely using my DIT account information.  It seems that I have to first create a Library PIN so it’s time that I created one.

Photos

Some photos of me and the borrowed books!

 

 

 

 

Thursday 10th November 2016 – ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 1

Description

I was anxious to learn more about instructional design since this is at the heart of Module 2 and also because this was one of my motivations for pursuing this Masters degree course.  So, I have decided that my first annotated bibliography will deal with this subject.  I read the following chapter from Carliner’s 2008 book which is on the ‘Essential Reading List’:

Carliner, S. (2008) A Holistic Framework of Instructional Design for eLearning. In S. Carliner & P. Shank (Eds.) The e-Learning Handbook: Past Promises, Present Challenges (pp.307-358). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Feelings

I always look forward to reading a book when I can do so in a leisurely fashion with no distractions.  Even though I have to write an annotated bibliography, I look upon reading this book as a pleasure rather than a chore.  This is good!

Evaluation

On page 358 of this book, Carliner writes:

“Consider these classic texts on instructional design:”

Dick, W., Carey, L. & Carey, J. (2000). The systematic design of instruction (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Smith, P.L. & Ragan, T.J. (2004). Instructional design (3rd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Reigeluth, C.M. (2009). Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory. (Vol II) Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

This begs the question “Why are none of these three books on either the ‘Essential Reading List’ or the ‘Supplemental Reading List’ of the Instructional Design and e-Authoring Module?”

Analysis

In this chapter, the author sets out a revised framework of instructional design that has three distinct components.  The first component is Design Philosophies and Theories which embraces the science and philosophy of how humans learn.  The second component is General Design Methodology that has two parts: identifying the size of the e-learning project as bronze (basic), silver (middle-of-the-road) or platinum (extensive) and then applying the ADDIE process.  The final component of the framework is Instructional Considerations which have three categories: general issues (including schedules and budgets), instructional approach (including mastery learning, discovery learning, gaming-simulation) and conventions (including bookmarking in tutorials, a break in a webinar).

Carliner concludes that a framework, which includes economic, technical, political, and philosophical issues as well as instructional issues, will broaden the discussion of design.  He advocates a move away from what he calls a “cookbook-like approach” (means) to an outcomes-based approach (end) in relation to design. In my opinion, this is a Machiavellian approach to design.  In other words, if the final design is good, it is immaterial how it was achieved.

Conclusions

Since the Dick and Carey book is considered a classic text on instructional design and also because these authors have been referred to on more than one occsion by Damian in class, I would like to read all of the following book at some juncture:

Dick, W., Carey, L. & Carey, J. (2000). The systematic design of instruction (5th ed.). Burlington, MA: Addison-Wesley.

Saturday 12th November 2016 – MEETING 2 OF THE COMPOSTIVISTS

Description

On Saturday 12th November 2016, our group had its second meeting (F2F) in DIT Kevin Street, Dublin 2.

Feelings

The meeting had a relaxed feel but a very businesslike approach.  This was the second meeting so it was important that enough momentum be built at today’s meeting for the project to take off!

Evaluation

Here are the minutes of the second meeting of The Compostivists:

Group Members:            Allesio Gemma, Gerard Kilkenny, Michael McKeever, Rachel Maguire

Group Project:                Composting

Meeting 2 (Date):            Saturday 12th October 2016

Meeting 2 (Location):    DIT Kevin Street, Dublin 2

The group convened for a second three hour F2F meeting to further consider and develop the group’s Instructional Design / eAuthoring project. The following summarises progress to date:

• Storyboard Mk1 Microsoft PowerPoint file (developed by Allesio and Rachel)
• Authoring Mk1 Adobe Captivate and Microsoft PowerPoint files (developed by Gerry)
• Webcourses LMS Module (organised by Mick)

Note:     Allesio and Rachel decided to use Microsoft PowerPoint instead of Articulate Storyline for storyboarding.

The group reviewed Storyboard Mk1 mainly by referencing the ‘Site Plan’ (flow chart) contained in the Powerpoint Mk1 file. The group discussed, and ultimately agreed on, the merits of including the following revisions to Storyboard Mk2:

• having an engaging launch to the Captivate lesson, in order to grab the students’ interest   and pull them in. This is called a lesson ‘hook’. This could be a short video or animation
• having a short section, early in the Captivate lesson, on separating the different types of waste for grey bin, green bin, brown bin
• the location and types of assessment (called ‘quizes’ in Captivate) within the Captivate lesson (assessment at the start for adaptive learning and assessment post-tutorial for summative assessment)
• customising the background and ‘Actors’ (a feature of Captivate) used in the Captivate lesson for the two types of user:  child and adult
• implementing adaptive learning by using the ‘branching’ feature of Captivate
• having links from an ‘About the Group’ section to each group member’s ePortfolios.

The group made the following decisions:

1. To create a Storyboard Mk 2 file to include the items outlined above (Allesio and Rachel)
2. To investigate how to use the Captivate features ‘Actors’, ‘Branching’ and ‘Assessment’ (Gerry).
3. To provide expert knowledge on composting for the Captivate lesson (Mick)
4. To source appropriate digital content for the Captivate lesson (Allesio, Rachel, Gerry, Mick).

The group agreed to distribute work in progress, which will be new versions of the PowerPoint storyboards, Captivate lessons and digital content, via email. Communication will continue to be by email, WhatsApp and possibly by Webcourses to have a group meeting via videoconferencing later in the life cycle of the project.

Analysis

This was a good second meeting for our group.  We reviewed Storyboard Mk1 and made decisions on how we will arrive at Storyboard Mk2.

Conclusions

The group decided to wait until the second iteration of the storyboard is completed before having its next meeting which it is hoped will be a virtual meeting via Webcourses.

Personal Action Plans

Further learning with Adobe Captivate 9.

Instructional Design & eAuthoring Module (Week 3)

The following is a reflection on the Tuesday morning class that took place on 8th November 2016 from 10:00 to 13:00 using Gibbs Reflective Cycle.

Description

According to the hard copy Module Handbook 2016/17, today’s class was to address the following topics (and to include the guest lecturer Clare Gormley as well as Library colleagues):

• eLearning Toolkit and reflection on experience as a past graduate(Clare Gormley)
• Defining learning outcomes, defining activity within a resource
• Using the Library for your annotated bibliography (Library colleagues)
• Group elevator pitches (5 mins each)

In reality, the topics for today’s class were:

• Personas
• Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Learning Outcomes?)
• The Universal Design Process
• Models for Learning Design (ADDIE and the 7Cs)
• The most important components of learning

All of the five topics were dealt with by Damian Gordon and none were delivered by Pauline Rooney.

eLearning Toolkit and reflection on experience as a past graduate was not dealt with today.  Clare Gormley did not appear today nor was any reference made to her.

Using the Library for your annotated bibliography was not dealt with today.  Library colleagues did not appear today nor was any reference made to them.

There were no Group elevator pitches (5 mins each) nor was any reference made to them.

The Personas section of today’s class was about the creation of fictional characters to guide your design.  Rather than designing your artefact for every possible user, the idea of personas is that you design for small number of fictional users.  These users can be illustrated as basic silhouetted figures of (say) a child, a grandmother, a disabled person, etc.  The need for personas was initially identified in the mid 1990s in the marketing sector, followed quickly by the software sector.  An example of a user profile for a particular persona could be:

Name: Susan Normal
Age: 18 years old
Size: 5’8″

The Learning Outcomes section of today’s class was an examination of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives that I had previously seen in Module 1 (Learning Theories).

 

 

 

 

 

The three highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are:

Evaluation (Critical thinking)
Synthesis (Creativity)
Analysis

The three lowest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy are:

Application
Comprehension
Knowledge

Note 1:  Damian Gordon thinks that the three higher level learning objectives (above) are on the same level.
Note 2:  Damian Gordon doesn’t like the terms ‘lower order’ versus ‘higher order’.

The evolution from Bloom’s 1956 model to Lori Anderson’s 2001 model was progressed further in 2009 when Mike Fisher produced a learning tools version of Bloom’s Taxonomy.

http://digigogy.blogspot.ie/2009/02/digital-blooms-visual.html
https://www.diigo.com/profile/mikefisher821

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Universal Design Process section of today’s class looked at the following stages:

The Discover Phase
The Definition Phase
The Development Stage
The Delivery Stage

The Models for Learning Design section of today’s class looked at the following two models:

(1) ADDIE Model for Learning Design (in which there are 5 phases):

Analysis
Design
Development
Implementation
Evaluation

Remarkably, it appears that the ADDIE model wasn’t specifically developed by any single author.

(2) The 7Cs of Learning Design (in which there are 7 phases):

Conceptualise (Vision)
Create (Activity)
Communicate (Activity)
Collaborate (Activity)
Consider (Activity)
Combine (Synthesis)
Consolidate (Implementation)

The 7Cs is a Learning Design Workshop that evolved in 2012 from an older Open University Learning Design Initiative (OULDI) project for which Professor Grainne Conole was the lead investigator.  Since Professor Conole had at this stage moved to the University of Leicester, this institution was given the opportunity to trial and explore the OULDI resources as part of the initiative.

The Most Important Components of Learning section of today’s class looked at some of the findings of John Hattie’s (Australian Researcher) work.  Damian said that he is a ‘fan’ of John Hattie and that he has great time for him.

Damian referred to the following John Hattie’s publication:

Hattie, J. (2003). Teachers Make a Difference, What is the research evidence?.

Hattie found that feedback is the most important aspect of learning.  Here are the four most important aspects of learning according to Hattie’s research with the ‘Effect Size’ number after each:

Feedback (1.13)
Students prior cognitive ability (1.04)
Instructional quality (1.00)
Direct Instruction (0.82)

Feelings

I very much enjoyed today’s class even though only one of the four topics that were on the agenda for today – Benjamin Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives (Learning Outcomes) – was actually delivered.  I felt that all of the areas that were covered were ‘taught’ very well by Damian.

Evaluation

Since today was Week 3, it was important that today’s class dealt with ‘Models of Learning Design’ (ADDIE and the 7 Cs) and ‘Personas’ to feed into the design of my group’s storyboard for our ‘Composting’ project.  However, I think that these should have been covered in last week’s class that was meant to gave dealt with ‘Storyboarding and Personas’.

Analysis

I prefer when a topic is covered with more depth and history.  The 7Cs of Learning Design is something that evolved over a couple of years into a workshop.  ADDIE is a model whereas the 7Cs is a workshop.  Moreover, the 7Cs workshop uses specific tools (e.g. Blackboard to collaborate) and nether this fact, nor any of the tools, were mentioned in today’s class.  In my opinion, the lectures in a Level 9 course should have more depth.  As a Maths teacher, one of the things that really improved my teaching was becoming extremely au fait with the history of mathematics in my early years of teaching.

Conclusions

It looks like there is going to continue to be misalignment between the classes as described in the hard copy Module Handbook 2016/17, the class itself and the Webcourses materials for the classes.  This is not trivial.  There are four components to the assessment.  It makes sense that if today’s class was to deal with using the Library for my annotated bibliography, then I would schedule time this week to go to the Library.  (The Library section never happened, Library staff never appeared and no reference to these facts were made by Damian and Pauline).  If last week’s class had dealt with personas (instead of this week), then it would have made sense to build on this during ‘homework’ by devoting the week to the storyboard aspect of the ‘Composting’ project.

Personal Action Plans

Source the 11 books on the Essential Reading List for Instructional Design.

Further reading on Instructional Design models (e.g. Dick and Carey).

Begin reading for, and writing, my annotated bibliographies.