Chapter 1

Designing e-learning

Definition of e-learning

E-learning is the use of electronic technologies to create learning experience.

The Range of Online Experience

A course with some on-line elements

A Hybrid Course

A course taught entirely on line

Varieties of e-learning

1. Standalone courses (taken by solo learner)2. Games and Simulations3. Mobile Learning 4. Social Learning5. Virtual Classroom Course

What is instructional design?

ID includes• Goals• Teaching strategies• Content • Technology choices

General Steps 1. Identify your main goals (Goals of the course- based on standards, curriculum- )

2. Analyze learners’ need (what type of students?)3. Identify what to teach (based on your experience and #1)4. Set learning objectives (Goals of the lesson- more specific than goals)

5. Identify prerequisites

6. Pick the approach to meet each objective (general approach for each objective (e,g,. Group/individual Written/practical active/passive )

7. Decide the teaching sequence of your objectives

8. Create objects to accomplish objectivesA. Create testsB. Select learning activitiesC. Choose media

1- Identify your main goals

Types of goals1. Financial2. Intellectual (educational)3. Costumers4. Employees5. Operations (improving efficiency)6. Reputation

2-Analyze learners’ need1. Motivation for learning2. Psychomotor skills3. Attitude and mindset4. Mental discipline (ability to recognize and respond wisely)5. Communication skills6. Social skills7. Talents and intelligences8. Media preferences9. Background knowledge and experience10. Learning conditions11. Locus of control12. Style of prior education13. Digital fluency

3- Identify what to teach (Education)

1. Identify essentials (curriculum and standards)

2. Analyze the gap between real and ideal performance (what they need for their future job) - [Design for how People Learn (2012), by Julie Dirksen.]

3. Analyze How people learn (learning theories) Telling Ain't Training 2nd editionBy Harold D. Stolovitch, Erica Keeps

4. Ask “those who should know” (best practices – online resources BUT don’t blindly copy)

5. Analyze critical incidents (academic failures)

6. Don’t let the “content committee” decide (don’t blindly follow them. Rely on your own experience and abilities)

3- Identify what to teach (other organizations)

1. Identify essentials (give them a task to see what they need and what they don’t need– give them resources and let them work together , let them get help from the expert and the internet)

2. Analyze the gap between real and ideal performance (difference between novice and expert behavior, between successful and unsuccessful work)

3. Analyze How the work is done (goals, jobs, tasks, decisions, and actions)

4. Ask “those who should know” (those who have directly observed the learners or workers)

5. Analyze critical incidents (work incidents)

6. Don’t let the “content committee” decide (don’t blindly follow them)

4- Set learning objectivesVery important (from objectives we identify prerequisites, learning activities, and tests)

Has 3 parts• Intent (What will be learned)• Learners (target learner)???• Prerequisites (skills, knowledge, attitudes)

• Intent = The student will understand the concept of the Derivative.• Learners = 8th grades, students who already finished their ch 6 projects.• Prerequisites= Given 4 theorems that he/she has never seen, the student will

formulate a proof for each theorem by drawing on elements from previous sources and will rate them together to form a pattern proof—with 80% accuracy.

Good Objectives

• Clear• Specific• Worthy

Primary and secondary objectives

Primary• Create (has to be original; not from scratch; could be an object, a concept, a plan)

• Decide (Yes/No- Accept/Reject- How many- How much- which one - going beyond following procedures / making judgment)

• Do (performing a procedure without having to make decisions, procedures could be mental or physical)

Secondary• Know (recall, knowing how to find, knowing how things work)

• Believe (the learner is convinced that…)

• Feel (how students will feel about…)

Question

• Answering a multiple choice test is a “Know” or a “Decide” objective?

• Create a website account using Weebly.Is this a “Create” or a “Know” objective?

Synonyms

Primary• Create (build, design, draw, compose, synthesize, author, pen, conceive, form, formulate,

invent)

• Decide (choose, pick, select, rate, rank, prioritize, vote, resolve, judge, conclude, differentiate, discriminate, filter)

• Do (perform, operate, act, construct, build, carry out, accomplish, arrange, complete)

Secondary• Know (understand, recall, remember, appreciate, be informed, comprehend, recite, cite)

• Believe (have faith that, trust, rely on, accept, affirm, think that, be convinced, expect, deem, maintain, presume, assume)

• Feel (sense, suffer, experience emotions)

5- Identify prerequisites

• Identify your high value objectives• You may need to create a lower-level objective

to serve as pre-req for the top level• Identify what each objective requires• List prerequisites • Eliminate unnecessary objectives• Say “no” to “know” objectives• Don’t forget feel objectives

6- Pick the approach to meet each objective

1. Standalone e-learning2. Games and simulations3. Virtual-classroom e-learning4. Physical-classroom learning5. Coaching (mentoring-tutoring)

6. Referring to learning resources7. Searching online resources8. Interacting with a social network9. Letting learners find the solution on their own10. Changing external factors (in some organizations, often, the best way to meet an

objective is not learning or information- Campus online security)-

11. Blending if necessary

7- Decide the teaching sequence of your objectives

• Bottom up (teach basics first then show the whole picture)

• Top down (show the whole picture first, then teach details)

• Sideways (learners choose how to start and continue)

8- Create objects to accomplish objectives

A learning object is a chunk of electronic content that can be accessed individually and that completely accomplishes a single learning objective and can prove it.

Learning Objects

• May contain text, graphics, animation, video, voice, music, and other media

• Can be accessed individually through a menu, search engine, or just a Next button

• Appears to the learner to be separate from other objects• The completely accomplishes a single learning objective• Contains the means to verify that the objective was met.• Can serve multiple purposes and may contain other learning

objects.

Turn objectives into learning objects

• Each objective leads us to create a learning object that completely accomplishes the learning objective and can prove it.

• The objective is the starting point, the end point, and a constant reference when designing the object.

• Anything that does not contribute to accomplishing this objective should be omitted immediately.

Create Tests

• Tests clarify the objectives• You can use tests to pre-test learners• Test is the best guide to designing learning

activities• Tests can serve as learning activity• Tests can guide you in the development of

content

Select learning activities

Select learning activities

Select learning activities

To accomplish learning objectives, we typically require 3 types of learning activities:• Absorb• Do • Connect

“Absorb” activities

• Reading text• Watching animation• Listening to narrationLearner is physically passive but mentally active

Examples of Absorb

• Presentations• Readings• Stories by the teacher• Field trips

“Do” activities

• Practice a procedure• Play a game• Answer questionsThe learner practices, explores, and discovers

Examples of Do

• Practice by applying their skills• Discovery (experimenting and exploring)• Games and simulations ( discovery in a safe

environment, gain insight, and confidence)

“Connect” activities

Connect what they are learning to their work, their lives, and their prior knowledge

Examples of Connect

• Ponder (stop and think about the subject more broadly and deeply)

• Questioning (let learners ask questions and obtain answers to their individual questions)

• Stories told by students (requires learners to share their experiences)

• Job aids (checklists, manuals, glossaries, calculators, templates, models)

• Research (identify learning resources on their own)

Summary of step 8 (creating objects)

1. Start with objectives2. Consider 3 types of activities (Absorb, Do,

Connect)3. For each type describe the actual experience4. Specify the order of the activities

Examples

Appropriate activities for your type of objective

Choose Media

• Each object may require a different mix of text, graphics, sound, voice, music, animation, and video.

• What medium is essential to accomplish my objective?

• What medium could you not do without?

Examples

Compare ADDIE with Horton’s model

ADDIE Horton

Analyze Analyze

Design Design

DevelopBuildImplement

Evaluate Test