Week 5

If I were tasked to teach a new online course, I would start by determining my target group. I would consider all of the information that I had available pertaining to my students and plan my approach accordingly. If I did not have much to go by, I would formulate a fairly extensive assessment and present it to my students in the first week. The data that I would hope to obtain includes: cognitive abilities, personal backgrounds, career paths/career goals, attitudes and interests, experience with the technologies that could be utilized and what their expectations are for the course.

If it were a small group of students, I would opt to use more individualized instruction designed to promote communication between students and the instructor. In event of a larger group, I would divide the class into subgroups for better manageability of class discussions and group projects. Next I would look at the level of comprehension in the subject matter being taught. If I had a broad range, I would assign more group projects and match the more advanced students up with those who were the least knowledgeable. If the assessment showed a high level of understanding, then I would go into more detail within particular areas of the content and increase the pace that the topics were covered within each module. If the results showed a low overall level of understanding, my focus would be more on the basic concepts; instruction would be delivered at a slower pace and would be more generalized. The information derived from the personal interests and career goals assessment would help establish discussion topics and projects.

I would already have the basic skeleton of my course established based on the key principles of the content and the goals that I have for the students. I would adopt a variation of the learner-directed design approach. Students would be granted the freedom to choose between several options within modules, however I would keep the content linear. Requirements would be placed on student feedback, due dates and participation. Goals would be assigned to each module and students would be tested at the conclusion of each module to assess the module’s effectiveness. Lesson plans would be broken up into sections containing various resources/information supporting the content as well as student goals. I would make a conscious effort not to rely too much on technology, but would integrate a balanced mix of technological resources. For each media used to convey the content, I would have an alternate means of achieving the instructional goals in place.

In summary, I would first focus on addressing Foley’s basic principles of good instructional design based on the target audience, the content or subject matter and the desired outcomes. I would be sure to provide clear guidelines to my students and do my best to facilitate meaningful collaboration. Optional assignments would be available based on students’ feedback and the desired outcomes for the course. Goals would be set from module to module and constant feedback would be gathered and the information resulting from formative evaluations would serve as the basis for the development of future lessons.