Course Description

This course introduces participants to the systems approach to instructional design. The major components of instructional development models will be presented. This course provides introductory information about and application of skills and techniques necessary in the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of instruction (often referred to as the ADDIE model). The course will consider these issues at both at the curriculum (macro) and lesson (micro) level. These skills are particularly useful for efficient and cost-effective development of effective solutions to novel instructional problems. The emphasis in this course is on the development of materials-centered instruction (as opposed to teacher-mediated), that is, materials and resources that are developed to be the primary means that instruction is delivered. When done appropriately, the result is effective, stand-alone instruction which can be replicated and distributed. The current emphasis on online learning is well suited to this point of view. Course content will be based on a strong foundation of instructional and learning theory. Contrasting views and perspectives of instructional design will be considered, such as those based on very different learning philosophies (such as objectivism and constructivism). The philosophical foundation of this course is not that there is one procedure for design, but rather an approach that works best for a particular context, audience, and content. It should be noted that this course does not teach development techniques for specific media, even though some media development may be required.

This is an online class. A variety of synchronous (in real time) and asynchronous technologies (not in real time; e.g. email) will be used to teach this class. Of these, two deserve special notice right off by participants: 1) HorizonLive - a virtual classroom which permits synchronous sessions and interactions between the instructor and students with 2-way Internet audio; and 2) Pre-recorded "Impatica" presentations of course content. (Click here for more information about the HorizonLive classroom; more information about the pre-recorded Impatica presentations is below.)

This course follows the regulations outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. Call UGA Disability Services at (706) 542-8719 (voice) or (706) 542-8778 (TDD only) for information about architectural access and to arrange for sign language interpreters, assistive listening devices, large print, audio, or Braille. Please call the Disability Services Office to request the following: sign language interpreter, assistive listening device, large print, audio, or Braille. Students requiring special accommodation should talk to the instructor(s) before or after the class period, or by scheduling an appointment.

Dick, W., Carey, L., & Carey, J. O. (2001). The systematic design of instruction (5th ed.). New York: Longman.

Course objectives

At the end of the course, each participant will be able to:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the instructional development process.
2. generate rationales and critiques for using a systems approach to instructional design.
3. identify and summarize the major elements commonly included in instructional development models.
4. define terms used in the instructional development process.
5. demonstrate, in a team environment, the following competencies in the completion of an instructional development project:

6. function independently and cooperatively in team development activities.
7. compare and contrast various instructional design perspectives and philosophies.

Course Procedures

There are both synchronous and asynchronous aspects to this course. The primary course content is delivered asynchronously in two ways - textbook readings and pre-recorded presentations. Prior to each class each participant needs to:

1. Read the assigned chapter/s in the Dick, Carey, & Carey textbook, and then...
2. View a pre-recorded "Impatica" presentation of the assigned chapter/s.

These pre-recorded presentations are designed and narrated by the instructor. The average length of the pre-recorded presentations is about 45 minutes. (These presentations have been produced with a commercial tool called "Impatica", hence the naming convention used above.) These presentations will work on both Windows and Macintosh computers. The main technical requirement is that you must have an Internet browser that is "java enabled". These chapter presentations are available in the WebCT resource for this course. These required "readings and viewings" need to be completed with care prior to the respective scheduled class - again, they are your main means for acquiring the course content.

The entire class will then meet online according to the course calendar in the HorizonLive Virtual Classroom at our assigned time. Reading the assigned chapters and viewing the pre-recorded Impatica presentations are crucial to having a successful experience in each scheduled synchronous class meeting. The instructor will prepare a special interactive session based on the assumption that all participants are fully prepared. If you do not "read and view" the material ahead of time, you will likely be confused and disoriented.

Each scheduled class will meet from 10:30 am -12:45 pm. We will begin promptly at 10:30 am, so please log onto the UGA HorizonLive server about 15 minutes prior to this time to ensure you are all ready to go. Each class will begin with brief class updates and time for questions and answers. The instructor will then conduct an interactive session on the topic scheduled for that day. The purpose of the interactive session is to explore general themes and difficult concepts of the scheduled topic. Again, it is VERY important that all participants come to class having read the respective book chapter/s thoroughly (and any other assigned readings) AND having viewed the pre-recorded Impatica presentation/s.

An advantage of using the re-recorded presentations is that a significant part of the scheduled class time - about half - will be yours to organize and use as you wish. This final hour is an excellent time to work on Instructional Design Activities (IDAs) or meet with your team to discuss or work on the team project. Special time has deliberately been scheduled into the course schedule exclusively for team work. Because HorizonLive offers teams the chance to work synchronously with live Internet audio, teams should plan on using HorizonLive as a convenient way of holding team meetings. Similarly, the special groupware tools of WebCT will be available for team use as well. Of course, teams are free to meet anywhere they like, including 601 Aderhold Hall (our assigned classroom). Past experience suggests that teams should seriously consider trying to meet face-to-face during the course.

I recommend you discipline yourself to work until 12:45 pm each day, even if the entire class signs off much earlier.

Student Support of HorizonLive

UGA provides special support to students enrolled in classes that use the HorizonLive classroom. Students may get assistance by e-mailing hlive@uga.edu or calling Student Technology Support (STS) at 706-542-3333. The STS help desk is open from 9am-10pm Monday through Thursday, 9am-5pm Friday, and 1-7pm Saturday and Sunday.

Course requirements/evaluation

Grading Scale

A 91-100%
B 81-90%
C 71-80%
D 61-70%
F Below 61%

Attendance/Participation (individual): Everyone is expected to attend each online class and be punctual (I will keep a record of attendance). A variety of in-class activities are planned. Many of these activities are group-based, so come prepared to interact. We will use many different online technologies to accomplish this, including the group discussion tools in WebCT and HorizonLive. In many settings, instructional design is a team effort. This requires an understanding of group dynamics and interpersonal communication. Friction between team members often develops based on incompatibilities between abilities, personalities and personal needs (e.g. need for power, need for affiliation, need for achievement, etc.). My goal is for you to gain a better understanding of these concepts through experience. Realize that if you are absent, even for valid reasons, you are still responsible for the material and assignments discussed in each and every class.

Informal Activity - Learning from Media Activity (individual): Purpose: To experience first-hand what it feels like to learn exclusively from educational media on a topic of the participant's choice; To reflect on the role and value of media-based resources for learning.

As the name suggests, this is meant as an informal, fun assignment to gain some experience of what it feels like to learn from instructional media without assistance or benefit from a teacher or trainer. Your task is to identify a subject or topic on which you have genuine interest in learning, find and go through instructional materials designed to teach the topic, then write a brief written reflection (about 200 words) about the experience (this is submitted to your Participant Profile). You are free as well to choose the scope of the learning experience and the type of instructional materials. However, you are encouraged to experience a range of media, such as "self-help" or "how to" books, videos, and the Internet. (The public library is a great place to look for resources.) Though not required, you are also invited to give a brief 5 minute oral report about your experience during class. Check the course schedule below for the due date.

Informal Activity - WWILD Team (individual): Purpose: To use and contribute to a specialized online educational learning community focused on exploiting experiential activities for learning; To recognize the scope and diversity of online educational materials in order to reflect on the role of media-based resources for learning.

All participants are required to join the World Wide Interactive Learning Design (WWILD) Team (http://it.coe.uga.edu/wwild), an online resource and learning community sponsored by the IT Department and made available to the public free-of-charge. WWILD Team members look for and review interactive modules (or learning objects) found on the Internet. An interactive module is any self-contained, short, interactive experience that is relevant to school-based learning — they are not lessons, but resources for lessons and learning. Examples include small-scale simulations, games, and even drills. All participants are required to do the following: 1) join the WWILD Team and submit a complete member profile; 2) find on the Internet and submit to the WWILD Team database at least 5 interactive modules that are not already part of the WWILD Team database; 3) submit at least 5 reviews of interactive modules in the WWILD Team database. (Note: It is acceptable to review interactive modules that you submit.) (Refer to the WWILD Team web site for more information about the WWILD Team.) Becoming familiar with this resource, and other similar online repositories, should be helpful when you begin work on your lesson designs. It is acceptable to use material you find on the Internet as part of your lessons, assuming of course, that you adhere to all copyright regulations. Check the course schedule below for the due date.

Instructional Design Activities (individual). Purpose: To give each participant the opportunity to individually practice the particular instructional design skill being introduced and discussed at that time; each IDA is focused on helping everyone understand equally the particular skill and process highlighted in the IDA.

IDAs are designed to enhance, extend, and support course content. These are completed individually and are meant to give you some initial practice in each of the major themes of the course. Each participant completes each IDA on the team project topic. Feedback will be provided initially through team discussion. Teams are expected to review all of the respective team member IDAs and use them as the basis for completing one and only one team IDA. Teams should feel free to "copy and paste" the best responses from the individual IDAs into their one team IDA, though each team is likewise free to submit something completely new. The instructor will formally review and provide feedback only to the team's IDA. Teams should view each of their Team IDAs as the first draft of the respective phase of their team project. The IDAs are meant to be "low stress", so if you find yourself sweating over them, you are missing the point! You can even invent data or hypothetical situations, reports, events, etc. because the purpose of each IDA is to give you some quick, initial practice applying the respective design skill. After the team completes their Team IDA, each participant is then required to write a brief reflection (100-200 words) that addresses addresses misconceptions or errors in their individual IDA (the length of a reflection will largely depend on the degree to which an individual notes problems with their individual IDAs). Please note that the instructor will informally review the individual IDAs and reflections. Individuals who demonstrate misconceptions, errors, or other inadequacies in their individual IDAs that are not addressed sufficiently in their reflections will be asked to redo the IDA with the goal of ensuring that each participant fully understand that particular phase of instructional design. Teams therefore need to identify their project topic early on in order for team members to use the IDAs as the first step in their projects.

A special IDA online workspace has been created exclusively for this class and can be accessed at your class participant page (the same page at which you can update your class profile). It is important to note that this workspace has absolutely nothing to do with either HorizonLive or WebCT; it has been programmed separately by the instructor. You choose the username and password to access it and therefore these can be entirely different than those used to access HorizonLive or WebCT. All IDAs - individual and team - will be shared with the entire class.

Instructional Design Portfolio (team): Purpose: To practice all of the instructional design skills and techniques in an authentic project; to gain initial experience in working in a team.

You will work in teams of 4-6 to design a course consisting of two or more units. Each team will create various documents that are traditionally found in real-world design reports. Each unit will consist of two or more lessons with at least one unique lesson design by each member on the team. Think of your course as the solution to a clearly defined instructional problem. The purpose of the project is for participants to demonstrate skills in planning and carrying out: a) needs assessments; b) instructional analyses; c) design plans (for courses, units, and lessons); d) media selection analyses; e) instructional development; and f) formative evaluations. Each team must identify and work with a client in order to complete this project (a K-12 teacher or administrator can be a client, even if the person is a team member). Class time will be set aside for teams to present progress reports of their projects to the class. The independent project will be evaluated based on a project report that documents all of the phases carried out in the design of your entire course. The problem and goal that you and your team members choose to work on may be related to the problem/goal defined by an individual member (and partially "solved" in the IDAs) or it may be a new problem/goal defined by the team. Your team will be required to submit 3 brief progress reports online. You and your teammates will need to identify your instructional problem/goal at mid-term (as part of progress report #2). The work for the Instructional Design Portfolio will be completed via e-mail, chat sessions, face-to-face interactions, etc. -- in other words, whatever form(s) of communication work best for you and your team mates. We will make full use of the group discussion tools available with WebCT and HorizonLive.

All individual members of teams will be asked to complete a confidential team evaluation at the end of course. Part of this evaluation will be the opportunity to critique the work/contribution of your teammates.

Resources:

• Click here for guidelines on completing the report for the team instructional design portfolio.
• Click here for a special PowerPoint file containing slides relevant only to the team project pulled from various classes over the Summer semester (subject to change/updating this semester).

e-Poster Session (team): Purpose: To share your team's work via a PowerPoint presentation with other classmates, future EDIT 6170 students, and visitors to the course web site; special time will be dedicated on the last class for each group to briefly present their project and be available to answer questions in an informal setting (similar to a "design fair").

You will participate in an e-Poster session at the end of the term. The poster session will provide our community with an opportunity to showcase and archive group design projects and to share success stories with each other. Your e-Poster should be created using an appropriate presentation application (e.g., MS PowerPoint, Web page). The e-Poster should be as self-explanatory as possible so that your main job is to answer questions from those attending the session. The e-Poster presentation format provides a mechanism for in-depth discussion of your project, but this is possible only if the display includes enough information so that others can scan and quickly get a basic idea of what you were doing for your project. Figures and tables should be kept as simple as possible, so that the viewer can readily take away the main message. A brief, large type heading of no more than one or two lines should be provided above each illustration, with more detailed information added in smaller type beneath the illustration (as needed). In addition to the display, you may also consider putting links to artifacts from your project, including images, instructional materials, specific Design Portfolio documents, etc.

Course Schedule
Subject to change throughout the semester - check this web page frequently for updates. (The title of each topic is a link to the PowerPoint file used in the Impatica presentations.)

Closing comments and cautions

This course, due to its strong application orientation, is highly activity-based. In completing the instructional design portfolio, it is important that teams identify their problem area early and pace their work appropriately. The instructional design portfolio consists of many phases which build one upon the other. Teams who wait until late in the course to begin may experience "log jams" and may find it difficult to complete the project with high quality, thus risking a lower grade and, more importantly, less professional gain. This is particularly true when working with a client. Often, you will have to arrange activities based on schedules and problems other than your own, perhaps waiting several days or weeks for the opportunity to complete some aspect of your project. Often, participants enter a course thinking that they can always take an "incomplete" if they decide they will not complete the course requirements on time. Keep in mind that I follow the university guidelines regarding an incomplete grade which reserve this for unforeseen circumstances or emergencies, not merely a failure to complete the work on time. I am confident that those who heed this warning will be able to complete the course with sufficient time to produce a high quality product while gaining personal and professional satisfaction. Also, as noted in the course description, this course does not teach techniques for developing specific media even though some media development will be required. This apparent contradiction will be resolved by considering the instructional product that each participant produces as a "prototype" of their intended design. For example, even though one might decide that computer-assisted instruction is the ideal instructional medium, a print-based prototype might be developed and evaluated instead.