Course Alignment Process in Backward Design

The Instructional Design team at Park University created a tool to facilitate the course development process, called the CLO-ULO-IRA Plan. We start with department-approved Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs), create Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) to address the CLOs, and then design learning activities that align with the ULOs. Learning objectives are built on Bloom’s Taxonomy. This tool ensures that each learning outcome is leveled appropriately in Bloom’s, and is introduced, reinforced, and then assessed with appropriate activities, creating a scaffolded learning experience. It checks the balance of ULOs to CLOs, identify gaps in the alignment, recognize opportunities for scaffolding, and facilitates the application of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) principles. The CLOULO-IRA Plan presents the entire structure of the course in a visual representation. This iterative process between the instructional designer and the SME frontloads the design component of development, creating a clear roadmap for a high-quality course. The completed CLO-ULO-IRA Plan is placed in each course for instructors. This process raised the quality of Park University courses and improved the process for collaborative course design. Multiple examples of the process will be demonstrated

Development of basic quantity surveying learning module through 21st century learning activity

Technical and Vocational Education in Malaysia (TVET) is one of the most important branches of education to produce a balanced human capital. Not only the skills in the field need to be emphasized, but the skills also need to be enhanced under the 'Eleventh Malaysia Plan ' (RMK-11). 21st century learning is a student centered learning process based on 4C’s elements which are communication, collaborative, critical thinking and creativity. The importance of producing 21st century learning based modules is essential to ensure that TVET students, especially at the Vocational College, are exposed to 21st century learning activities and can apply the 4C’s element. Therefore, this study was conducted to develop Basic Quantity Surveying Learning Module Through The 21st Century Learning Activity that tested its validity and credibility as reference material or teaching aids to assist teachers and students taking this course. This module design has two stages beginning with goal building and ending with a complete module that is ready to use. The module validation process involves using the instrument and involving three experts for verification. The evaluation of the module validation consists of a questionnaire consisting of 28 items based on the format and content of the module. The findings show that Basic Quantity Surveying Learning Module Through The 21st Century Learning Activity is highly validated. Analyst views are presented as a percentage. Based on the result, 96% agree on the design of the module while 98.46%. agree on the content of the module developed. Through the analysis of the findings, the Basic Quantity Surveying Module Through The 21st Century Learning Activities has high content validity

The Development of Learning Object Design System (LODS) for Instructional Designers

This project intended to build a platform for Instructional Designers (IDs) to analyse the content and document their inputs on the content analysis. The purpose of the system is to aid IDs in the process of content design and produce an efficient design plan for learning objects using technology, in this case Learning Object Design System (LODS). LODS is a system where the instructional designer record the findings from content analysis (learning outcome, scope of content, cognitive level of content, content structure, summary) as well as learning design attributes for the particular learning object (instructional approach, content presentation method, learning activities, assessment method). The system was initiated due to the absence of standardised procedures in the beginning phase of the learning object design which is content design. This is a case study involving interviews with experts and literature reviews to derive the attributes for the content analysis process. A set of guidelines was developed which highlighted the steps in analysing the content. These guidelines were then transformed into a Learning Object Design System (LODS). LODS enable the IDs to record, save, retrieve and print their input on the content analysis findings. The LODS is expected to aid the IDs in the decision making process as it provides step-by-step template with options. The documentation will become as easy as filling in forms as they would be automatically formatted into one standard version. LODS is expected to speed up the content production and simplify the IDs’ current work process. For further research, it is recommended to make the LODS as collaborative platform between IDs and SMEs to enhance the quality of learning objects. (Abstract from authors

Facilitating Collaborative Learning in 3D Virtual Worlds. A Qualitative Meta Study.

This master thesis serves to investigate how collaborative learning can be facilitated in 3D virtual environments. The objective was to see how 3D virtual worlds could be applied when conducting collaborative learning, both formal and informal. I was also interested in reflection as a part of collaborative learning processes, and chose to integrate this into my research questions: 1. How can 3D virtual worlds, like SecondLife, facilitate collaborative learning? 2. How can one use virtual worlds for collaborative learning-purposes in both formal and informal learning situations? 3. In what way can reflection be beneficial to collaborative learning in virtual worlds? SecondLife is a widely used 3D virtual world, utilized in a variety of learning situations. Its design and layout seem conducive to creating spaces that facilitate collaboration, and supports both formal and informal learning. I have used a variety of theoretical frameworks and perspectives to structure the thesis, and form the basis for the discussions and conclusions. I have utilized constructivist learning theory to describe the collaborative learning facilitated through virtual environments. This is due to the generous focus on collaboration and team-work throughout this thesis. As collaborative-learning situations enable the creation of shared practices and understanding, I will discuss the perspectives surrounding communities of practice, first coined by Lave and Wenger (Wenger 2000). Computer-supported collaborative learning is a perspective that serves to integrate technology and learning, and I have relied on this to contextualize the examples used, the CAMO-project being one of them. Its objective was to create cultural awareness in military operations, through collaborative simulations in a virtual Afghan village. The other example involved nursing students, who practiced communication skills with fatally ill patients and their relatives. Both examples highlights the opportunities for collaborative learning in virtual environments. Taking advantage of new technology for learning purposes, could create new possibilities for learning, maybe particularly collaborative learning. This is an important topic, as it could facilitate better and more motivating learning methods. Research Method and Data Analysis As this thesis is a qualitative Meta study, I relied on interviewing as my main data collecting method. I interviewed three practitioners within the field of technology and learning. They had earlier collaborated as facilitators in the CAMO-project, and also possessed a variety of experiences with 3D virtual worlds and learning. The data collected was analyzed and categorized through an iterative process. I worked with the transcribed interviews and notes, in several stages to analyze and attain the best categorizations for the data gathered. These five categories included: 1. SecondLife as a Learning Environment, 2. Comparison Between Different 3D Virtual Worlds, 3. Collaborative Learning, 4. Formal and Informal Learning and 5.Dialogue and Reflection. These categories helped me present the most valuable data andformed the basis for the discussion. Findings and Main Conclusions The informants and the theoretical framework both supported 3D virtual worlds and the opportunities within these platforms to contain great potential for collaborative work. As collaborative learning requires participants to socially interact and communicate with each other, the suitability relies on the communication options and features within the learning platform. SecondLife and other 3D virtual worlds are often created to serve as arenas for socialization, they are therefore well equipped with the necessary communication tools. To facilitate both formal and informal learning there are aspects that need to be present. Within 3D virtual worlds there needs to be possibilities to plan and design formally structured exercises, as well as unstructured informal activities. The informants were generally favorable to utilizing virtual environments for informal learning purposes, but disagreed on the formal learning possibilities. However, there are numerous examples of 3D virtual worlds being utilized for formal learning practices, and all the informants have had positive experiences with lectures and seminars conducted virtually. Reflective practice, most notably known through the work of Donald. A. Schön, proposes the importance of dialogues and reflection sessions, for participants in collaborative learning activities (Schön, 1983). This was a major part of the CAMO-project, and enabled the participants to express, challenge and reflect on the learning experience. The informants were unanimous in their perceived importance of reflection, to attain the most valuable learning outcome. They saw this as an important aspect of collaborative learning

The Collaborative Professional Learning Cycle (CPLC): implementing a voice and choice approach to teacher professional development

Existing research consistently supports the idea that there are 5 effective practices in professional development for educators. However, there is limited research pertaining to the utilization of co-teaching as an effective practice of professional development. The purpose of this study was to design and implement a process of professional learning that incorporates co-teaching and allows teachers to have voice and choice in professional development and to investigate the effects of this implementation. Through reviewing research on professional development practices, various professional development models, district impact on professional development, and democratic practices, I was able to create a professional learning model. What I call the “Collaborative Professional Learning Cycle” (CPLC) focuses on the needs of teachers where professional learning happens with instructional coaches as outlined by the needs of teachers. The 5 components of a Collaborative Professional Learning Cycle are: (a) Identify the problem, (b) Research, (c) Plan, (d) Implement, and (e) Revise/Reflect. In order to put my model into action, I implemented the CPLC with two sets of instructional coaches and teachers. I used 2 elementary general education classroom teachers and paired them with 2 district level instructional coaches. The school is a rural Title I school with 18 classroom teachers. The school serves approximately 370 students. I received interest from 12 of the 18 eligible staff members. While implementing the Collaborative Professional Learning Cycle, I investigated what participants experienced during the CPLC and its different phases and components. I also examined whether participating in the CPLC caused the teachers’ instructional practices to change. To gather data during implementation, I used the Instructional Quality Assessment (IQA), individual interviews, participant observation, and individual surveys. I analyzed this data using Spradley’s (2016) coding process. The findings from my study of implementation of the CPLC confirmed that teachers are eager to have a different modality of professional development. The Collaborative Professional Learning Cycle is an approach to professional development that can meet the needs of teachers because it is continuous, collaborative, and intentional. The study also showed that this approach to professional development can cause change in a teacher’s instructional practices and motivate teachers to implement new strategies. As a result of implementation of CPLC, coaches were inspired to continue using this kind of professional development to provide teachers with coaching and instruction that is aligned to a teacher’s needs

Rapid Instructional Design: Increasing Educator Capacity for Developing E-learning Solutions

Dr Iain Doherty and I spoke for approximately 20 minutes on rapid instructional design as a process for allowing educators to quickly and easily author elearning episodes to enhance their teaching. We made particular mention of the need for quality control and evaluation of the learning designs in the rapid instructional design process. We took questions for five minutes. We were asked about how we would evaluate the impact of the learning designs and discussion lead to the conclusion that there is a need to show benefit at the level of student learning. We were also asked about how we would ensure the quality of the designs. We suggested that we would work with the educators to help them with their designs. This led to further discussion about whether quality control would necessarily slow down the rapid instructional design process. Finally, one attendee let us know that she was about to start a PhD looking at Faculty development. We met with the attendee after our session and agreed to provide previous research along with our session paper.Our paper presents the initial plan and theoretical groundwork for the rapid development of elearning solutions using Web 2.0 applications and services. The development of this model has been a collaborative venture and we outline the particular challenges at each institution that have led us to work together to develop this solution. We show how the developed model will enable each institution to meet both their particular elearning challenges and their shared elearning challenges. Through mapping the three-stage rapid development model to ten strategies for achieving rapid instructional design results we clearly demonstrate the potential of our model for achieving the desired results. We conclude by outlining some of the anticipated challenges of implementing a rapid authoring and deployment model for elearning

Re-imagining A Learning Program For New Faculty: An Opportunity To Enhance Institutional Capacity

This case study of one Ontario, mid-sized community college explores collaborative leadership processes and practices to shift the structure and conceptualization of a learning program for newly hired faculty members from a prescribed, linear model to a self-directed, multi-modal program. Examining organizational structure, institutional culture, adult learning theory, and systems thinking, the question, how can a professional development program best support new faculty in their teaching practice and new role, is addressed. The Change Path Model, grassroots and relational leadership practices are strategies utilized to guide the process for change. A distributed leadership approach is advocated to share decision making, embrace a new approach to an existing program and build institutional capacity. Democratic principles of inclusion, equity and empowerment underpin a dialogic approach to shifting mindsets to enact change. Building on the literature supporting socially constructed knowledge, communities of practice and inquiry, principles of andragogy, and universal design for learning, are proposed as mechanisms to reimagine the current program while simultaneously build institutional capacity and community. This organizational improvement plan proposes a reimagined vision to an existing program, that gives new faculty agency over their learning, while managing growth, meeting institutional obligations, and remaining accountable

Penerapan Model Pembelajaran Matematika Realistik Pada Pembelajaran Penjumlahan Untuk Meningkatkan Hasil Belajar Siswa Kelas III

Mathematics as one subject in school is considered very important role because it can enhance students' knowledge of mathematics in logical thinking , rational , critical , accurate , effective , and efficient . Therefore , knowledge of mathematics must be mastered by the students as early as possible . Most of the learning process that is used by teachers is that conventional learning lectures, discussion and administration tasks . In this case , the learning process is dominated by the teacher . Based on the background of the implementation of such measures , formulated the general problem , namely by applying a learning model Is Realistic Mathematics in addition to improve learning outcomes of students of class III Elementary School 11 Estuary Pawan ? the general purpose of research is to improve the ability of teachers to plan the implementation of learning , the ability of teachers to implement learning and learning outcomes of primary school third-grade students . The method of research using descriptive methods , forms of research is action research collaborative in nature , with basic research obtained from teachers and from students . The data was collected using direct observation techniques and outcomes assessment . Instrument used to collect the data was the observation sheet by using the checklist guidelines . This study resulted in the conclusion that the design of learning mathematics through the implementation of realistic mathematics learning model in addition to improve learning outcomes of students of class III 11 public elementary schools Pawan Estuary . Student learning outcomes in the first cycle of 48.35 with thoroughness 4 of 20 students or 20 % , and the second cycle of 55.5 with 17 people thoroughness of 20 students or 80 % . Thus the increase in the average 6.58 and completeness of 60%