Reflection: Instructional Design and Online Biology Courses

Image Credit: onlineeducationcourse.org

What can I say about what I learned about
instructional design and developing courses? I have actually learned a lot of information I can take and apply to developing my courses. Biology courses in general have a lot of complex topics and I have learned that with more careful design of these courses, students can actually learn more material. While I worked hard at the design of my courses and worked to make sure students had all the resources that they needed, I never realized how much a good design played into student success. There are a few concepts that stick out to me when I reflect back on what I learned this summer, but they all boil down to one major theme: design for student learning.

Design for Student Learning: Don't You Already do That? 

Image Credit: Flickr photo by Giuliana Forsythe

Well.. yes and no. Before taking this class, I worked hard to create online courses that my students
can learn the material about various topics in biology. I design a course based on what I thought the best layout would be. Basically, I worked to make sure my courses were organized and contained the most useful information to help students learn. What I did not realize, however, is that students can learn more information with careful design where the student needs incorporated directly into the design.

What does that mean?

It means that by designing a course with all aspects of the course for the student, the student will better learn the material in the course. Too often, I was focusing on the material and content I wanted the student to learn without giving a lot of thought to organization, layout, and design in general. Yes, my courses were organized, but they were organized to my liking. Yes, I worked hard on course layout, but they were designed to my specifications. While I took a lot of feedback from students on their needs and what they needed to be successful with the material, I gave little thought to how organization and presentation played a role in their learning.

Funny how we think we are doing everything we can to ensure student success... and we keep learning more about what their needs are and how we can help them succeed.

What Can I Change?

Now that I know that design and organization is just as important as content and information, I can work to provide a better learning environment for my students. I plan on thinking more about the student in the seemingly small details as opposed to just the content and material. How does that work? That is where the design comes in.

Connections: 

One big thing that I will start to do is to make connections for my students even in the design and layout of the course. One big thing I learned is that students have trouble in the online courses connecting what they are learning to why they are learning it. This can be done by making sure the connections are made clear in the design process. It is essential to make sure that each assessment or activity is connected visually to the learning outcomes. During the design process, I plan on making sure all activities and assignments are linked to a learning outcome or objective that a student can see. Making those connections will help the student learn. It, however, can only be successful during the design process. I need to make sure that students know why they are learning what they are learning. I think it is common for professors to assume that the students know why they need to know something. It is not, however, as clear to the student as we sometimes assume. In the online environment, it is especially important that we take steps to point out those connections.

Layout and Organization: 

Image credit: edtech.ku.edu

Another aspect I will be incorporating into my instructional design process is to focus more on the student perspective when designing the course layout and organizational theme. While I always focus on the student for the materials and content, I think I have failed at really looking at the student needs for the layout and organization. I have come to realize that the layout and organization of my courses have been what I like and what I think is best. From now on, I will focus more on what students need with regard to organization and layout. Perhaps my organizational layout is not what is best for my students. Not only will I obtain student feedback on how the class is going and what they are learning, I plan on asking students for feedback on the design and layout of the course. Perhaps I can gather more insight on student needs with regard to organization. I have learned that even layout and organization plays a big role in student learning and I intend to focus more on this aspect to help my students learn.

 Wrap Up

While I have learned a lot about instructional design, I have summarized some key points I plan on focusing on in my online science courses. I want to help my students learn the best that they can and I believe that good instructional design methods can play a huge role in helping the student meet their learning goals. While I still have a long way to go in this area, I have learned a lot of information to take and apply to my online courses. As long as I keep learning and looking for ways to improve the experience for my students, I will continue to make online science courses a wonderful option for my students.