I believe that learning should be fun and that learners should enjoy the learning process. Effective learning design and assessment of learning starts proper planning, strategization, and understanding the diverse and unique needs of the learners.
Design of Online Learning Environments
(Artifact for The Design of Assessment and Evaluation)
For IT 532, Online Learning Environments, I designed a hypothetical open access course to educate and inform citizens of Rutherford County on recycling efforts and how to participate. I chose to use the Canvas learning management system as a sandbox to design proof of concept. In planning the course, I developed a detailed course blueprint outlining each content module and how they would connect to one another. Blueprint included learning objectives, instructional strategies, learning activities, and assessments for each module. The course was designed an ADDIE Model of development which began with an analysis of learner demographics and needs to inform the design. While this was a hypothetical project and a demonstration as proof of concept and how it would look and feel in a learning management system, I utilized a Constructivist approach that emphasized modeling, scaffolding, self-directed learning, and collaborative activities rooted in learner’s personal experiences.
This project was a solo effort of my own and was completed for a class project in the Spring of 2024.
This project highlights my expertise in curriculum design, assessment development, instructional strategies, the ADDIE framework, adult learning, and lesson planning.
AECT Standards:
- AECT Standard 1: Content Knowledge – I demonstrated the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage theoretical and practical applications of educational technologies and processes. Specifically, I addressed:
- Ethics (1.5): I developed an online instructional course that supports diverse learners, ensuring the design meets accessibility standards and is inclusive to all ages and learning backgrounds.
- AECT Standard 2: Content Pedagogy – I developed as a reflective practitioner and demonstrated effective implementation of educational technologies and processes based on contemporary content and pedagogy. This was achieved by:
- Creating (2.1): Designing a flexible learning environment through the integration of asynchronous modules.
- Using (2.2): Incorporating educational technologies, such as videos and quizzes, to specifically enhance learning outcomes.
- Assessing/Evaluating (2.3): Assessing mastery of learning objectives through the use of diverse and targeted course assignments.
- Ethics (2.5): Ensuring inclusive access by providing deliverables that can be saved and forwarded to mobile devices.
- AECT Standard 3: Learning Environments – I facilitated learning by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning environments. I demonstrated this through:
- Using (3.2): Implementing varied teaching strategies to optimize the instructional experience.
- Assessing/Evaluating (3.3): Utilizing assessments to evaluate learner outcomes and measure knowledge retention.
- Managing (3.5): Conducting an analysis of the learning environment to ensure effectiveness and technical stability.
- Diversity of Learners (3.6): Implementing strategies that accommodate the needs of a diverse learner population within the digital environment.
- AECT Standard 4: Professional Knowledge and Skills – I designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated technology-rich learning environments within a supportive community of practice. My professional work included:
- Collaborative/Reflective Practice (4.1): Demonstrating consistent reflective practice for each course module to ensure continuous improvement.
- Managing (4.3): Establishing clear and measurable learning goals to guide the instructional design.
- Assessing/Evaluating (4.4): Applying effective instructional strategies that are directly aligned with the project’s goals.
- Ethics (4.5): Maintaining professional standards by ensuring instructional strategies were appropriate and ethically sound for the target audience.
- AECT Standard 5: Research – I explored, evaluated, synthesized, and applied methods of inquiry to enhance learning and improve performance. I demonstrated this by:
- Theoretical Foundations (5.1): Incorporating research-based learning strategies as the foundation for the course design.
- Assessing/Evaluating (5.3): Utilizing research-validated tools and assessments to enhance student performance.
- Ethics (5.4): Following established research and design procedures to ensure the ethical implementation of learning tools.
Recycle It Right, Rutherford County!
Interactive Video Assessment (Alternate Design)
In my design for the Recycle it Right! version for Canvas, I created a character to guide and interact with the learner. I chose the name “LISA” which is an anagram for Learn, Identify, Sort, Act, which is a simple, mnemonic step that learners can remember to help them recycle effectively.
This was a video based assessment designed for an alternate design of the Recycle It Right, Rutherford County! platformed in the Canvas learning management system.
The following tutorial was created in Genially as a mid-lesson review:
Mixed Paper Item Assessment
As a way to encourage learners to have fun and remember what they are learning, I created an interactive assessment and review for learners to visually identify mixed paper types and test their knowledge. This was a video based assessment designed for an alternate design of the Recycle It Right, Rutherford County! platformed in the Canvas learning management system.
The following tutorial was created in Genially as a end-of-lesson review:
Stand Alone: Single-Stream Recycling Interactive Media Lesson
(Artifact of An Assessment and Evaluation)
This is a stand-alone interactive lesson for single-stream recycling that relies on images for learners to recognize and associate with how to correctly recycle. I tried to keep text to a minimum with an emphasis on images with recurring color motifs to encourage knowledge retention.
The following tutorial was created in Genially as a stand-alone lesson:
For IT 573, Introduction of Multimedia in Instruction, I designed an interactive microlesson related to the other projects I have created for educating and informing citizens of Rutherford County on recycling efforts and how to participate. I chose to use Genially which offered a video-based interactive learning experience that was not a full course, but a microlearning tutorial. In planning the tutorial, I developed a detailed blueprint outlining each page in the tutorial that follows a sequence of learning related to the most common household items which are eligible for recycling. Blueprint included learning objectives, instructional strategies, learning activities, and assessments for each module. The tutorial was designed using an ADDIE Model of development which began with an analysis of learner demographics and needs to inform the design. This project was intended as a “go live” project that could be implemented upon completion and “live” on Rutherford County’s Solid Waste website, needing only minimal maintenance and updates. I utilized a Constructivist approach that emphasized modeling, scaffolding, self-directed learning, and collaborative activities rooted in learner’s personal experiences.
This project was a solo effort of my own and was completed as a class project in the Spring of 2024. This project highlights my expertise in curriculum design, assessment development, instructional strategies, the ADDIE framework, adult learning, and lesson planning.
AECT Standards:
- AECT Standard 1: Content Knowledge – I demonstrated the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage theoretical and practical applications of educational technologies and processes. Specifically, I addressed:
- Ethics (1.5): I developed an online instructional course designed to support diverse learners by meeting accessibility standards and ensuring inclusivity for all ages and learning backgrounds.
- AECT Standard 2: Content Pedagogy – I developed as a reflective practitioner and demonstrated effective implementation of educational technologies and processes based on contemporary content and pedagogy. This was achieved by:
- Creating (2.1): Designing a flexible learning environment through the integration of asynchronous modules.
- Using (2.2): Incorporating educational technologies, such as videos and quizzes, to specifically enhance learning outcomes.
- Assessing/Evaluating (2.3): Assessing mastery of learning objectives through the implementation of diverse and targeted course assignments.
- Ethics (2.5): Ensuring inclusive access by providing deliverables that can be saved and forwarded to mobile devices.
- AECT Standard 3: Learning Environments – I facilitated learning by creating, using, evaluating, and managing effective learning environments. I demonstrated this through:
- Using (3.2): Implementing varied teaching strategies to optimize the instructional experience and delivery.
- Assessing/Evaluating (3.3): Utilizing assessments to evaluate learner outcomes and measure long-term knowledge retention.
- Ethics (3.5): Conducting an analysis of the learning environment to ensure technical stability and effective support for instructional goals.
- Diversity of Learners (3.6): Accommodating a wide range of learning needs through the use of diverse instructional strategies and accessible design within the digital space.
- AECT Standard 4: Professional Knowledge and Skills – I designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated technology-rich learning environments within a supportive community of practice. My professional work included:
- Collaborative/Reflective Practice (4.1): Demonstrating consistent reflective practice during the development of each course module to ensure continuous improvement.
- Managing (4.3): Establishing clear, measurable learning goals to guide the overall instructional design of the project.
- Assessing/Evaluating (4.4): Applying effective instructional strategies that are directly aligned with the project’s established goals.
- Ethics (4.5): Maintaining professional standards by ensuring all instructional strategies were appropriate and ethically sound for the target audience.
- AECT Standard 5: Research – I explored, evaluated, synthesized, and applied methods of inquiry to enhance learning and improve performance. I demonstrated this by:
- Theoretical Foundations (5.1): Incorporating research-based learning strategies as the core foundation for the course design.
- Assessing/Evaluating (5.3): Utilizing research-validated tools and assessments to enhance and measure learner performance.
- Ethics (5.4): Following established research and design procedures to ensure the ethical and effective implementation of the online instructional course.