Course Description & Rationale	About the Instructor
Course Goals & Objectives	Course Graded Assignments
Course Policies	Reading Materials
Topics, Dates, & Readings	Grading System
Weekly Assignments	Projects & Due Dates

Mahnaz Moallem
Go to Mahanz Moallem home page

Education:
Ph.D., Instructional Systems Design--Instructional Technology
M.S., Educational Technology
Experience:
University Professor: 17 years
School Principal: 2 years
Elementary Teacher, Special Education: 4 years

Office	King 102-F
	910-962-4183
	910-962-3609
	moallemm@uncwil.edu
	Watson School of Education Department of Specialty Studies 601 South College Rd. Wilmington, NC 28403

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Course Rationale: EDN 301 is designed and developed to promote reflective thinking and critical decision making in pre service teachers. Given the premise that reflective thinking is required for effective teaching, EDN 301 prepares teachers to make informed and logical instructional decisions. Strategies for reflective thinking are approached at three levels: self reconstruction, action reconstruction and social reconstruction. At the self reconstruction level, clarification of underlying assumptions and pre dispositions of learning, teaching and instruction as well as consequences of instructional strategies used are discussed. At this level pre service teachers establish congruency between theory and practice and learn to assess implications and consequences of their actions and beliefs. At the action reconstruction level, acquisition of technical knowledge and skills and methodological awareness are emphasized. At this level, pre service teachers are encouraged to link theory of instructional design and development to practice and identify the relevancy of instructional strategies or activities and their links to performance objectives. At the social reconstruction level, the worthiness of actions and analyzing curriculum approaches and case studies are emphasized.

Important Note: This section of the course will be conducted online.  Regular class interactions, presentation of the materials, and group activities will be discussed "online" through real time chat groups and student responses to prompts from the instructor and/or other students. Assigned papers will be delivered and returned electronically.  Students will be required to attend ( in person) in four classes throughout the semester.
 

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Course Goals

• Gain rudimentary knowledge of contemporary thought and practice in learner's specialty area of curriculum;
• Gain knowledge of North Carolina school curriculum in learner's specialty area of curriculum;
• Develop precision in oral and written expression;
• Develop skill in instructional analysis and design of effective and valid objective-referenced instruction and assessment; and
• Develop awareness of advanced technologies for instruction.

1. Given a description of different external learning conditions, the learner will generate analysis of the condition by describing the learning theories being applied in the condition.
2. Given instructional content of his/her academic specialty, the learner will classify desired outcomes by domain and type of learning according to the Gagne taxonomy of learning outcomes.
3. Given content of a state-adopted textbook in his/her specialty area, the learner will demonstrate performance objectives by writing four or five component target objectives for a selected unit of instruction within that text.
4. Given a target objective for a selected unit of instruction, the learner will demonstrate learning task analysis by creating a learning hierarchy which specifies the order and relationship among those enabling objectives necessary to obtain the target objective.
5. Given an instructional objective of his/her creation, the learner will demonstrate external conditions of learning appropriate to the domain and type of the intended learning by producing a lesson design incorporating the nine functions of instruction specified by the Gagné-Briggs model.
6. Given the types, functions, and essential attributes of assessments, the learner will generate a philosophy of assessment which addresses diagnostic, formative, and summative assessment strategies.
7. Given descriptions of a series of intended learning outcomes, instructional settings, and audiences, the learner will demonstrate assessment alternatives by specifying appropriate instruments and/or procedures for each situation.
8. Given target objectives for a selected unit of instruction, the learner will demonstrate assessment design by producing a table of specifications to guide development of an instrument or procedure to measure achievement of intended learning outcomes for the selected unit.
9. Given target objectives for a selected unit of instruction, the learner will demonstrate valid assessment by producing a developmentally appropriate assessment instrument or procedure for each target objective.
10. Given target objectives for a selected unit of instruction, the learner will demonstrate selecting pertinent forms of media/technology and materials in order to achieve targeted objectives by producing a lesson design incorporating identified media/technology and materials.

Preparation for Online Discussions
Reading:  The class reading schedule indicates both the topic(s) to be discussed each week as well as the reading assignments (book chapters and/or articles) for that week. As learners, you are required to:

1. Read the assigned reading(s) and textbook chapter(s) in advance of the dates they are scheduled to be discussed in the forum; and
2. Prepare a minimum of two paragraph summary.

• State the definition of each concept you have learned (click here to see an example),
• Provide an example or description of the concept (click here to see an example), and
• Suggest applications of the concept for classroom practice (click here to see an example).

Your summaries are to be submitted every week (every Monday before mid-night). You will receive credit for your summaries (20 pts total) as part of your class participation. Failing to submit your summary at the beginning of each week means that you have missed the credit for that week. Summaries that are late (received after due date but before Friday of each week) will only receive partial credit. Weekly summaries that are submitted later than Friday of each week will not receive any credit.

Forum's Weekly Discussions:  In our weekly forum discussions we will be sharing the concepts and ideas from the assigned reading(s), and we will be analyzing and looking at practical applications of such concepts and ideas.  Forum discussions are our virtual class interactions and must be taken very seriously.  It is important for you to be prepared for the weekly discussions, just as you would for real classroom meetings. You are also expected to actively participate in all of the forum discussions. Being prepared and being an active participant in the forum means that you:

1. have read the assigned materials and completed your summary for each week;
2. are involved in forum discussion (minimum of four individual responses must be posted for each week's discussion)
3. have participated in small group activities/cases studies by contributing your ideas (as indicated in the team leader's evaluation sheet);
4. have formulated thoughtful ideas and questions, or raised important concerns about issues when posting responses in the forum. (The content of your posted responses will be as important as the number of the posted responses). When I evaluate your weekly participation, I will look for responses that ask relevant questions, suggest thoughtful ideas, raise important issues, or shared reflective comments relevant to the discussion topic.

Tests: 3 tests will be administered during the semester to assess your knowledge and ability to apply basic concepts related to designing, developing and conducting instruction. A combination of closed ended and open-ended questions will be used for the tests. The emphasis of the tests will be on application of knowledge and demonstration of skills. If you can do everything stated in the performance objectives, you should have no problem performing well on the tests.

All tests will be administered live. Tests will be worth 120 points (40 pts each).
Class Attendance for all tests is mandatory. Exceptions, including make-up tests, are granted only for documented emergencies.

Instructional Development Project:  The instructional development project is the core assignment of EDN 301. As early into the semester as practical, you are asked to begin designing an instructional program (course) utilizing the principles and theories of instructional design. This will be a team project with up to three members in a team. Each member of a team must participate equally in completing the task, and each team member must provide a summary of their tasks. If otherwise is reported by the members of the group (at any time), the individual(s) will be asked to work on their own to complete the project. Additionally, each member of the team is required to complete the teamwork evaluation sheet upon completing each part of the project (see Appendix B). This evaluation sheet must be e-mailed to the instructor and will be confidential. The purpose of the evaluation sheet is for the instructor to prevent any group problems that may occur. Each group is expected to report the group's problem upon its occurrences to the instructor as soon as possible.

Also, upon completion of each part of the project, each group is required to score (self-assess) its own product using the scoring criteria (Appendix E click on Appendix E to view it ) being developed for that part of the project. The completed scoring sheet (self-assessment) must be attached to each part of the project when it is ready to be submitted to the instructor.

The project is comprised of three parts: Part One (click on Part one to view it ) and Two (click on "Two" to view it) will be accomplished by the team. Part Three (click on Part Three to view it) will be an individually designed lesson plan which addresses one or a set of objectives identified by the team's analysis.

The components of the project will be discussed in the forum as much as possible. Although different parts of the project are built upon each other, students are required to submit (as a group) each part separately on the date indicated in the schedule. Each part will be returned and graded with comments for revision if poorly done. Project parts that are graded less than B may be revised and resubmitted with the next part.

Projects that are submitted late are penalized (4 pts will be lost for each day).

More information on the project is provided on the attached materials (see Appendix C (click on Appendix C to view it) . The Sample Projects from previous semesters are on reserve in Randall Library for your reference. They may be used as references but not as a way to develop the project. This is due to the changes that are made in the content and procedure of the project each semester.

This assignment will be worth 120 points (40 pts each part).

5. Mid and End of Semester Self Evaluation:  For this assignment you are asked to do an evaluation of yourself in relation to what you learned in this class (your growth). This will not count in any way toward your final grade, however, it is required to complete the course (see Appendix D).

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Attendance & Participation: Even though a student’s physical presence on campus will be required only four times as indicated in the schedule, students must make a commitment to be available for online chats, to respond promptly to all communications and to deliver assignments on the dates they are due.  Your chance of a grade above B is slim if you have been silent in the forum for three weeks. Being silent in more than six weekly forum discussions may result in a failing grade.

Tests: The tests draw from the assigned reading(s), but they also cover material from forum discussions, instructors notes and presentations and/or small group performance activities. You will be held responsible for all posted information, discussions and activities, and are expected to read information and messages that are posted or archived throughout the course.
Attendance for all tests is mandatory. Exceptions, including make-up tests, are granted only for documented emergencies.

Assignments: Summary assignments are to be submitted every week (every Monday before mid-night).  Failing to submit your summary at the beginning of each week means that you have missed the credit for that week. Summaries that are late (received before Friday of each week) will only receive partial credit. Weekly summaries that are submitted later than Friday of each week will not receive any credit.

Projects: Although different parts of the project are built upon each other, you are required to submit (as a group) each part separately on the date indicated in the schedule. Each part will be returned and graded and with comments for revision if poorly done. Project parts that are graded less than B may be revised and resubmitted with the next part.
Projects that are submitted late are penalized (4 pts will be lost for each day).
 

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1. Gagne, R. M. & Driscoll, M. P. (1988). Essentials of learning for instruction. New Jersey: Englewood Cliffs.
2. Reiser, R. A. & Dick, W. (1996, 2nd edition). Planning instruction: A guide to teachers. Boston: Allen and Bacon.
3. *Supplementary Reading articles (see the attached list).
4. Airasian, P. W.(1996). Assessment in the Classroom. NY: McGraw-Hill, Inc.

* The copy of the supplemental reading articles (click here to view the list of articles) are archived in Randall Library.

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Final course grades will be determined by the percentage of points accumulated on class participation, tests and the project. The total number of points that can be accumulated is 310. The following scale will be used to determine course grades.

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