Designing Instructionally Sound Courses

Kristina Leonardo, Senior ConsultantBlackboard, Inc. April 14, 2005

About the Trainer

Kristina M. Leonardo

• Senior Consultant, Blackboard Training

• Professional ExperienceCourseware/Web Designer, Center for

Teaching, Learning & Technology, Pace University

Adjunct Professor, CSIS, Pace University

Agenda

• Course Demo

• ADDIE Instructional Design Model

• Designing a Blackboard Course– Course Menu– Text Box Editor– Course Tools

• Best Practices of Effective Course Design

The ADDIE Instructional Design Model

• Analyze

• Design

• Develop

• Implement

• Evaluate

Analysis

• Who are the intended learners?

• What do they need to learn?

• What are the delivery options?

• What constraints exist?

• How much time exists to develop the course?

• What will the students do to determine competency?

Interface v. Instructional Design

• Instructional Design: The systematic process of translating principles of learning and instruction into specifications for instructional materials and activities*

• Interface Design: The process of developing a consistent, user-friendly, attractive layout

*Smith & Ragan, Instructional Design, 1993

Instructional Course Design

• Write course objectives• Develop the course syllabus• Develop the course outline and schedule• Design the course’s organization; outline

units, lessons, and modules • Identify learning activities

– Reading assignments– Writing assignments– Oral presentations– Discussions

Interface Course Design

• Simplicity

• Consistency

• Identity/Personalizing your Course

• User-Friendly Navigation

• Compatibility

• Universality

• Layout

• Font/Colors

• Multimedia

Development

• Generate and deploy course documents and materials for delivery

• Obtain and/or create the required media – Different multimedia formats to ensure the

learners' preferences can be met

• Determine the appropriate interactions • Plan activities and student group work to help

construct a sense of community – General Questions Discussion Forum– Support Links

Implementation

• Initial contact letter– How/when to log in– Textbook information

• Deliver the instruction as designed• Provide constant feedback to students• Be prepared for technical problems to

occur • Be flexible- adjust a particular teaching

strategy if necessary

Evaluation

• Plan several points during the course when students can provide anonymous feedback

• Collect, process, analyze and interpret data to determine whether education has met its objectives

• Identify aspects of the process that should be strengthened

• Conduct formative evaluations to improve the course and summative evaluations to judge the effect of the course

Planning a Blackboard Course

• Brainstorm ideas– Course Objectives– Learning Materials

• Login your Blackboard course site• Customize the look and feel of your course

(create new navigation buttons, if needed)• Define your content organization style• Upload content • Test run your course

Text Box Editor: WYSIWYG & Spell-Check• Blackboard’s WYSIWYG

functionality appears throughout the Blackboard Learning System application in standard text boxes, including the content and assessment areas.

• The application has full spell check capabilities for all text boxes.

• Blackboard’s WYSIWYG capabilities include:– Font Type, Size, and

Coloring– Multimedia support

including Images, Audio, Video, Flash, Real, and more

– Drag and Drop support

– Tables and Hyperlinks

– Undo and Redo support

What is Effective Course Design?

• Formal planning of a course and the creation of activities and events, with a focus on effective learning outcome, that will help your students to learn independently and collaboratively

• A plan to create activities and present your content in ways that motivate your students

Source: You Can Teach Online: Building A Creative Learning Environment. by Gary S. Moore, Kathryn Winograd, Dan Lange

Three Steps to Effective Course Design

• Identify desired outcome and results - Learning objectives : Task Analysis, User Analysis

• Determine and Plan how you will present and teach your course- Prepare syllabus for a web-based course- Create learning materials and activities

• Plan instructional strategies or activities that will assess your students and the effectiveness of your course- Course activities - Quizzes, tests, preview tests, survey, course evaluation

Source: Understanding by Design. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 1998 by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe

Best Practices for Effective Course Design

• Encourage Contact between Students and Faculty

• Develop Reciprocity and Cooperation Among Students

• Use Active Learning Techniques

• Give Prompt Feedback

• Emphasize Time on Task

• Communicate High Expectation

• Respect Diverse Talents and Ways of Learning

Blackboard Training ServicesVisit http://education.blackboard.com

for more information about . . .• Onsite Training Workshops• Online Training Courses• Regional Training Events• Building Blocks Training• Technical Training – Coming Soon!

If you have any questions, please email educationalservices@blackboard.com

Thank you for choosing Blackboard!