EDN 301

Instructional Design and Evaluation

Online Section

• Given the description of an external learning condition, the learner will apply appropriate learning theories for the analysis of the learning condition.

• Given the instructional content of his/her academic specialty, the learner will identify the domain and type of learning of the instruction content based on Gagné’s taxonomy of learning outcomes.

• Given curricular materials for the area of his/her specialty, the learner will write four-component performance objectives for a selected instructional unit.

• Given a terminal objective of a selected instructional unit, the learner will perform learning task analysis by creating a learning hierarchy specifying the sequence and relationship among the enabling objectives required for obtaining the terminal objective.

• Given an instructional objective of a unit, the learner will produce a lesson design incorporating the nine events of instruction specified in the Gagné-Briggs model.

• Given an instructional objective of a unit, the learner will select or develop appropriate media/technology and materials in order to achieve the objective.

• Given a description of an intended learning outcome, instructional setting, and audience, the learner will develop an effective assessment plan.

• Given an instructional objective of a unit, the learner will develop sample assessment instruments or procedures to measure the objectives.

Assessment Opportunities

There will be several assessment opportunities throughout the course for you to demonstrate your knowledge of instructional design and evaluation. The two classifications of assessment opportunities are quizzes and practicums.

First, you will have a syllabus quiz over the content of this syllabus. Since I consider the syllabus a contract between myself and my students, it's review is paramount. Major concepts, policies and procedures indicated in the syllabus will be included on the quiz. Please see the course schedule for due dates. This quiz may only be taken once.

There will be three, open note/open text content-based quizzes over course content. Although anything is "fair game", I will not ask questions such as "what is the third letter on the 4th page?" as that won't demonstrate your knowledge of the content (the objective of content-based quizzes). Please see the course schedule for due dates. You may take each of these assessments twice and your score will be averaged. There will be no make-up opportunities for these assessments.

There will be three practicums spaced fairly evenly throughout the semester. I'm going to advise you to build on each assignment instead of start from scratch--choose your topics wisely.You will submit these projects via the digital dropbox (please see dropbox directions on WebCT page). These projects MUST be submitted in either Word or RTF format. If you are using Works or WordPerfect, make sure that you save as an RTF (Rich Text File). I will not accept any other format and any file submitted in the wrong format will be subject to the late work policy. See late work policy regarding the practicum projects.

IMPORTANT--Although I would like to be able to grade each tiny component, just a bit at a time, I have found it to be an inefficient use of time to look at multiple "drafts" of the practicum projects as I often cannot see the big picture. While I'll be happy to answer specific questions, I will only look at one rough draft per practicum per group or per person. The digital dropbox only allows me to view submissions after the due date and time (which is the option that also allows you to resubmit before the due date/time). The one rough draft can be sent to me via private email. I generally cannot review drafts submitted less than 24 hours before the due date and time. Additionally, an incomplete draft won't give me the whole picture. Please remember this when you submit a partial draft.

Also important--I have had several people submit the "wrong file" via the dropbox. Since you have the opportunity to make changes at any time before the due date/time (and can review the file that you submitted), "wrong files" submitted after the due date/time will be subject to the same late penalty as applies to any practicum submission (please see late work policy for practicums 1 & 2 and practicum 3).

Practicum #1--For this project, you will take what you have learned about the theories and practices in instructional design and begin the analysis and design portions of developing instruction. Using the given models and taxonomies, you will identify the learners and specific learner characteristics for this project as if you were a full-time educator. You will also decide upon a category of tasks, using Gagne's Domains of Learning, and identify best practices for teaching in your chosen domain. See project information sheet and rubric for specifics of the project.

Practicum #2--For this project, you will take what you have developed for Practicum #1 and build on it with the knowledge you have gained regarding standards-based education. Given a specific domain of learning (identified in Practicum #1), identify the specific North Carolina State Standards associated with your chosen topic. At this point, you will develop an instructional plan for your given topic, including a plan and rationale for media selection. See project information sheet and rubric for specifics of the project.

Practicum #3--For this project, you will take what you have developed for Practicum #1 and #2 and build on it with the knowledge you have gained regarding assessment, implementation and evaluation. During this phase, you will develop assessments for your topic and create and implementation and evaluation plan for your instruction. See project sheet for specifics of the project. Make certain that you note that no late projects will be accepted for this practicum.

Late Work Policy:

Discussion postings are due on the due date and by the due time. In the event that you choose to turn in a posting after the due date and time, it will be given ½ (50%) credit for 24 hours after which time the posting will not be graded.

You must turn your practicum assignments and any other materials into me via the digital dropbox at the time that the assignment is due. The digital dropbox will close immediately after the due time. If you cannot upload your project, it is after the due time. If you cannot submit your project via the dropbox because you are late (even a few minutes makes a difference), you can earn no more than 50% credit (no exceptions) on the first two practicum projects (see exception for the third practicum). This policy is also subject to the 24 hour rule mentioned in the above posting paragraph. After 24 hours, the project will neither be accepted nor graded. Do not wait until the last minute to upload your project--the WebCT clock controls the dropbox. "But I forgot my..." is not an acceptable excuse. Additionally, timestamps will be checked to make certain that the work was actually completed on time.

The exception to this policy is for the final P3 project. It will not be accepted after the due date/time under ANY circumstances.

WebCT Discussions

Your initial personal reflection write-ups are due by the due date specified in the schedule by 9:00PM on the Mondays that we have discussions (no later).

The reading write-up will consist of a personal reflection on what you read. Simple chapter summaries are not acceptable. A chapter reflection requires that you go beyond the content of the chapter, applying what you read to what you already know based upon your own personal experience. Anyone can open a textbook, type up a paragraph or two taken verbatim from the text (people try to do this every semester).

Additionally, make sure that you tie your experience to the chapter. I'd venture to say that you'd be surprised by the number of write-ups which seem to be a personal reflection of what is wrong with education or even what the poster did the past week (they seem to forget about the chapter!). I won't count your posting if it isn't relevant to the content we are supposed to be discussing.

Now for the specifics of the assignment. Essentially, what you will do is review and reflect on what you've read based upon your own personal experiences. You will earn 1/2 of your total posting points with this posting. It should be approximately one page long (never less than a page). If you post less than a page in length, you will not receive points for your initial posting. Do not, under any circumstance, post an attachment of your reflection. Very few people read attachments and they often don't come through well. I will not count attachments of reflections as postings.

In addition, you will also need to post follow-up responses to other class member's reflections. That is how you earn the other half of your points. One initial posting and one follow-up is the bare minimum and will earn you a score of 70 (C) for that write-up. If you want an "A", you must take a more active role in class participation. Because students panic without a set number, strive for one initial posting and one follow-up postings. I reserve the right to heavily weigh the quality as well as the quantity of your write-ups. I will not count non-contributory postings ("Good point, Bob" or "I agree, Sue") so please do not post them as they only add to the number of postings in our very active class. I reserve the right to remove such postings from the bulletin boards.

Make absolutely, positively CERTAIN that you use "Quote" and not "Reply" to respond to people's postings. Quote allows everyone to see the posting to which you are responding.

Listen carefully--I take the "Discussion" part of the Discussion Forum very, very seriously. If your follow-up looks something like this:

"I really liked your write up, Jane. I think that school reform is a very important issue today. It's something that I think about all the time. My school district is no exception. Good write-up."

please do not expect to earn full points. I have to admit that I am not sympathetic to the "but everything has already been discussed" or "I really need a face-to-face environment" excuses. If everything has already been discussed (in your mind), create a new topic. If you feel that you need a F2F environment, use this course as a method for expanding your horizons. Not only will you learn about I/D, but you will also (hopefully) discover that if you try, you can have interesting, challenging discussions at a distance.

Your follow-up responses are also due by 9:00PM on Thursdays, on the weeks that we have discussions, according to the schedule. This does not mean that you can wait until the last minute, post a bunch of minimal postings and expect to earn full points. As I mentioned above, I take the "discussion" portion of this course very seriously. I expect you to "talk" to each other (even if it is a "virtual" talk). This is a wonderful venue for talking to other pre-service or inservice educators about what's happening with them as it relates to the chapters. I can't tell you how many "lightbulb" moments we've had and how many students have shared stories that were meaningful and, at times, job-impacting. Why, if I had a nickel...well, I couldn't quite retire but give me a few more semesters and I'll be there :) There is absolutely no expectation that you work weekends. If you get things done during the week, you can take weekends off.

I take these discussions so seriously that I will have a couple of random posting checkups during the class. I can see how many postings you have read, how many times that you've been online and many, many other statistics. Just a hint: Marking the postings as "read" will not show up in the stats as "read"--only physically opening the posting and reading it will count. Each posting checkup will be worth 100 points. How will you be graded? It's easy! You will be graded by the number of postings that you have read, divided by the total number of postings (in other words, your percentage). If there have been 100 total postings posted and you have read 89 of these postings, you will earn 89/100 points. If there have been 262 postings and you have read 47 of the postings, you will earn 18/100 points as only 18% of the total postings have been read. If you have questions about this section, let me know.

I am a very hands-off (laissez-faire) kind of listserv facilitator. I much prefer the students to guide the discussion of the listserv because professor-types can be a bit intimidating (but since I don't wear tweed jackets with elbow patches and half glasses... :). I can "bring you back" if misconceptions begin to appear. With that said, I still usually post more frequently than anyone else in class. Rest assured, I don't respond to every posting. You'd probably get rather tired of hearing my "voice" if I did that. I will, however, answer specific questions, if you have them.

IMPORTANT!

If I believed in spinning, animated graphics, you'd see one above!

One important suggestion...please read "Dr. S's Important Info" postings first. I usually answer important questions and clarify information in that forum. I cannot tell you how many e-mail messages are answered every semester with "Please check Dr. S's Important Info". If I haven't answered your question on that forum, feel free to e-mail me (and claim your prize as the first to ask for clarification!).

See discussion rubric on main WebCT page for requirements.

Grading Rubrics:

You are required to actually "read" the rubrics before you turn the assignments in. If you decide that you don't want to complete some, most or all of the assignment, I will grade your assignment based on the rubric and based upon what you turn in. Also, you might want to rethink combining sections of a practicum (they are separated for a reason). I do occasionally allow minor "redos"...but only under certain circumstances and ONLY if a good attempt was made (according to the rubrics). I will not regrade under all circumstances OR if a good attempt was not made.

Grading/Assignment Points

Grading Scale (before posting checkups)

**Please note: I will NOT "round up" to an "A" if you have 2024 points turned in assignments late or did not turn in an assignment. The same applies for the "B", "C" & "D" categories.

What you can expect from me

Online classes are very time consuming as they are almost like tutoring each student (or perhaps a group of students) on an almost individual basis! However, I love this vehicle for delivery as it helps so many students. What you don't see is the hundreds--even thousands of email messages that I get during any given semester. Just be patient--I'll get back with you.

Generally, you can expect me to respond to get back with you within 24 hours (max--I'm usually very speedy in my response). I will usually respond within the hours of 8-5, M-R and before noon on Friday. After noon on Friday through the weekends, I will respond on the following Monday. Also, I grade as quickly as possible because I know the importance of feedback. Although I cannot give a specific timeframe, rest assured that I am working as quickly as possible. I do have to admit (in all honesty) that I will put grading of the discussions on hold as responding to postings (and/or email), reading postings (I read them all), or grading practicum projects takes precedence. Usually, students know where they stand with postings if they've been an active participant. Often, that part of the course becomes rather "transparent" as the discussions just seem to flow.

Practicum feedback can be found by going back to the digital dropbox, clicking on the "graded" link, and viewing the html rubric feedback file. Since the case studies will be group projects, only the submitter will be able to view feedback through the dropbox. For the rest of y'all, I will email your feedback to you.

Dr. Summerville's Policies & Procedures (lots of critical info found here--keep reading!)