EDU-658 - Instructional Design and Application: A Reflection

Image Credit: P. Williams

 It has been a busy summer. On top of teaching 4 sections of microbiology and a nutrition course, I have also been completing my last course in the Online Teaching and Instructional Design program. In this course, we are tasked with developing an online course for one of our courses. In essence, this should be fairly simple for me since I teach a few sections on online courses every year. While I had some of the starting work done, I did not realize how much moving from one learning management system to another would be not only additional work as well as part of a reflective process that would key me in to some changes I need to make in the future.
 
My online course I have developed is Microbiology. One reason is because I teach microbiology on a regular basis and it really is my passion. Another, because I am always looking for ways to improve that course and make it better in the online environment.

Switching Learning Management Systems

Image Credit: University of Oregon IT Department

My first task was moving from the Blackboard learning management system to Canvas. Mostly, this was done for ease of grading and viewing for my instructor. I cannot add access to my blackboard courses at my place of employment, so moving systems was the best option for me. It also helped me get used to moving from system to system. While my college has no plans on moving learning management systems, it could be beneficial to at least have experience in moving material just in case I need to do that in the future. Honestly, it was not an easy process. In the end, I ended up building from scratch and adding materials I used to the new course shell.

Image Credit: @Cognitive Performance Group

Another aspect I had to plan for was creating a blueprint for the summer and a course orientation module. The blueprint was fairly standard and I do those, in some capacity, when I develop my courses. I decided to use the ADDIE model of instructional design.  While I did use ADDIE in my design process, I am one of those instructional designers that uses a mash-up of a variety of models in my design process. I have posted a blog on this in the past. You can check out that blog here.

In essence, I have been using ADDIE for years. So, the development of my online courses have always been developed using ADDIE. I like the feel of moving through a set of steps to get to a desired outcome and then being able to evaluate how the design worked in the live setting. I also like that each time the ADDIE process is completed, I can redesign my courses using that model. This course development was no different. I merged ideas from my already developed courses in blackboard and used ADDIE to "redevelop" them in Canvas. This system has worked well for me and I will likely to continue to use this method throughout my future design processes.

The remaining parts of the blueprint were also helpful. It was really beneficial to put the learning outcomes in the blueprint document. It really helped me think through the design process. In fact, I have found ways of revamping my courses in the future using this "blueprint" approach. I think every time I redesign a course, I am going to use a blueprint to guide me in the process.

The Orientation / Start Here Area

Image Credit: P. Williams

This was an area that was so challenging for me.  I typically work backwards on this area. When creating my online courses, I like to complete my orientation at the end of the process. I like to film video and audio using aspects of the course to help students get acquainted with their expectations. However, in this course, the orientation assignment was due before the course development (Pathway). This caused me a little anxiety and I actually struggled to make my orientation before my course. While I got it completed, it was a challenge to be able to incorporate the topics I want to incorporate when the course was not completed. So, in the end, some aspects of the orientation I would have had in my course were left out of the orientation because I did not have them created or organized yet. I think I will go back to completing my orientation module as the last part of the creative process in the future. It seems to work best for me.

Something I learned about and added to my orientation and plan on adding to all my courses is videos and details of each of the different technology types that are used and instructions on using them throughout the course. While I always provided instructions, in this course, I decided to have more information and a page dedicated to each technology. It was like a help area that the students could look back on. Many times, students never revisit the orientation module because they are "finished" with it. In my redesign, I wanted to make sure students could see it as a module they could return to for help. I think my redesign of the orientation and the addition of the help and resources for each technology will help change students attitudes and perspectives on the orientation and its usefulness.

The Course

Image Credit: P. Williams

This part of the course was actually fun for me. While I had many of the resources I use in the course already together, I could focus on some design aspects of the course in order to make the course "look" better. One big change I made in the course is the course "buttons". In blackboard, all the tabs are listed on the left side of the page and students can click them to get where they are going. In this course, I changed how they were displayed. I was able to be creative with buttons. This was very exciting for me. I used images of perti dishes and made them "clickable" buttons to get students directed to different modules.

In the image to the left, each image on the screen is a clickable button to take students to different areas and different modules. Overall, it does not add to the content material, but it does look a lot better. It could help guide students and could make them find the course visually appealing.

Other aspects of the design of the course were similar to what I already do. One difference in this design was getting used to a new learning management system. There were so many differences between how to create something in Canvas versus Blackboard. It was a little overwhelming. After some perseverance, I was able to get it completed. In the end, it was great to see what it looked like from the student perspective.

Wrap Up

In the end, I have gained a lot of new insight. Once big idea is that I need to start using a blueprint in the design process. While it takes a lot of time to plan out, in the end it can save time and help keep things organized. Also, my course changed some from my original blueprint, but I was able to use it to help guide me in the design process. The blueprint really helped me keep my thoughts together.

I also learned how important it was to keep updating and modifying my courses to keep things from getting "dull". While I always update content and materials, this course helped me realize how important it is to make the course look interesting. Adding the perti dishes as clickable buttons for each module helped make the course look better while also giving me "new life" in the design process. It made it exciting for me again. I think that updating the "look" just as important as keeping content updated. We, as designers, must keep the passion alive and this really helped.

In the end, I gained a lot from this course and have a renewed excitement in the design process. Looking froward to what is ahead...