Instructional Design Models – The Pebble-in-the-Pond model
Recently, instructional design has come under attack from a variety of angles. Many instructional designers today are veering away from linear models of instructional design, such as the ADDIE, to newer ones that look at the principles of instructional design and not the procedures. Two academics, Sims and Merrill, are currently approaching instructional design through their own models.
Silber (2010)...
Learning theories, diverse students and creating content
This paper examines four learning theories and the diversity of students, in an online learning environment. An online secondary classroom includes a range of students. There are students that are self-sufficient in contrast to students with learning difficulties. Instructional designers need to consider the diversity of students when creating an instructional plan. The four learning theories include:...
Theories of Distance Education
“The term instructional design refers to the systematic and reflective process of translating principles of learning and instruction into plans for instructional materials, activities, information resources, and evaluation” (Smith & Ragan, 2005, p. 4). Merrill (2007) used the term designer-by-assignment for individuals with content expertise and no instructional design training. Designers-by-assignment...
Instructional Technologies used in K-12 Education
Distance education has been available to K-12 students for over 100 years, and though distance education technologies have changed over the years, some of the original technologies are still being used. The technologies that have been used in K-12 distance education are described in the below figure. Distance education technologies began with instructional films then moved on to print or correspondence,...
Paris Massacres
In a face-to-face classroom, you can easily moderate a discussion on the Paris Massacres that occurred on Friday, November 13, 2015.
The question is, how do you moderate an emotional (anger-filled, confusing, etc.) discussion topic, in a continuing enrolling online class (students starting and finishing at their pace)?
Do you have a discussion within your online class or as a whole school? Russel Tarr...
Readability Test
At what grade level is your online course aimed? Is it senior high school or elementary? Researchers have been concerned about the readability of content that high school students are reading in different subject levels (Hittleman & Robinson, 1975). Hittleman & Robinson, (1975) suggest that rewriting the content may not be a solution because the concept loads were above the readers understanding...
Adobe Youth Voices Community Changes
As of July 17, 2015, the Adobe Youth Voices (AYV) website will be changing and the AYV Community features will no longer be available, which includes the ability to login to access to the Forums, Media Review, and Member Directory.
This was a great community. When I first started teaching online — all my digital media classes were how to use this program or that program. I would have to update...
Exams and quizzes
Exams and quizzes are methods through which to determine the proficiency of the learner. Exams can be written face-to-face (F2F) or online. I have my students in my academic courses complete both F2F and online quizzes. My non-academic classes are project based and do not have any F2F exams, however, they do have online quizzes. Having online auto-graded quizzes provides immediate feedback to the learner...
Where do you get your content?
Twelve steps for making the content relevant, up-to-date, and appropriate to student level. (These are from Online Course Improvement Program from New Mexico State University.)
Verify content, materials, and resources align to learning objectives.
Verify content, materials, and resources relate to the course.
Properly cite resources and materials including copyright.
Confirm materials and resources...
Engaging Online Learners
This is a SCORM activity that was made with Articulate Storyline. There are four activities with audio, articles and movies. You may have to wait a few seconds for each page to load. Please be patient.