EDU 295 633 Fall 2010 Course Syllabus Instructional Design for Online Learning Instructor: Kristin Machac The Faculty Bio button in Blackboard also contains your instructor s contact information, office hours, and additional notes. Email: kmachac@rappahannock.edu (preferred method of contact) Phone: (5) 772-2328 (please only contact this number in the event of an emergency) Office Hours: Available virtually by appointment Contact Policy: E-mail: Students who e-mail me Monday - Friday can ordinarily expect a response within 24 hours. Students who e-mail Friday evening - Sunday can ordinarily expect a response by 12:00 p.m. on Monday. Phone Messages: Although the instructor checks phone messages during the week, the preferred method of communication will always be e-mail. Phone messages will be returned within 1-2 business days. Room: Virtual (Web Course) Credits: 3 Course Description: IDOL, Instructional Design for Online Learning, is a ten week online course in which you will learn how to create and organize your online course according to the ASSURE Model of instructional design and the standards created by Quality Matters. IDOL is comprised of the following eight learning units: 1. Analyze Learners / Course Overview and Introduction 2. State Objectives / Learning Objectives 3. ADA Compliance 4. Select Methods, Media and Materials / Resources and Materials 5. Utilize Media and Materials / Multimedia Technology 6. Require Learner Participation / Learner Interaction 7. Evaluate and Revise / Assessment and Measurement 8. Follow-up and Self Reflection Throughout the ten week course learners will complete a course design project that includes a minimum of three learning deliverables within an online course site (Start Here, syllabus, and one complete learning unit). Upon successful completion of the course the learner will receive a certificate stating they are certified to design online courses for the VCCS. 1 P a g e
Course Prerequisites: Participants must have at least one year of experience teaching an online, hybrid, or Webenhanced course using the VCCS Blackboard course management system. Learners should also be comfortable using the Internet along with the basic operation of PCs, including installing software and browser plug-ins. Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course students will be able to: 1. Identify the six steps of the ASSURE model and explain how each step is used in designing lesson plans for a course 2. Summarize the eight (8) General Review Standards of the Quality Matters rubric, and design learning modules for an online course to meet the 17 essential 3-point review standards of the rubric 3. Complete a course design project that includes three separate deliverables in the form of a "Start Here" content area, a course syllabus, and at least one learning module that follows the guidelines of the ASSURE model and the QM rubric 4. Write course-level and module-level learning objectives that are observable and measurable 5. Apply the concept of alignment to ensure that assessment and measurement, resources and materials, learner interaction, and multimedia technology are all directly tied to the learning objectives of the course and learning modules 6. Identify basic principles and core concepts of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and design a statement that directs students to ADA policies and/or guidelines for the institution. 7. Identify the three forms of learner interaction within an online course and design activities which foster learner interaction 8. Select and create three multimedia elements and /or materials that support the learner's course outcomes as stated in their course design project 9. Design and develop assessment strategies that measure effective learning and assess student progress 10. Identify the key components, which you have learned throughout this course, and describe how you will utilize them within your own online learning environment 2 P a g e
Necessary Supplies The following textbooks will be required for this course. If you do not have a copy of the text please contact your instructor immediately. Textbook Author Building Online Learning Communities: Effective Strategies for the Virtual Classroom Rena M. Palloff and Keith Pratt ISBN 978-0-7879-8825-8 Textbook Author Preparing Instructional Objectives Robert F. Mager ISBN 1-879618-03-6 Supplemental Instructional Materials and Media (Required): Quality Matters Rubric for Online and Hybrid Courses 2008 2010 edition brochure Note: RCC instructors will receive a copy of this rubric with their texts. This workbook may also be purchased at the following site: QM Order Materials Site - order (1) QM Workbook ($25). Required A microphone is required to complete this course. Recommended A broadband internet connection is recommended for this course. Instructional Procedures: Instructional Approach: Communication, learner-to-learner and learner-to-instructor, is critical in an online course. Since we cannot have class discussions in the traditional sense, we will use various features built into Blackboard s Communication system in lieu of face-to-face interaction. E-mail: 3 P a g e
Each learner MUST have an active VCCS e-mail account. This will be the e-mail address that is used for any communication between you and your instructor. E-mail may be sent from learner-to-learner, or learner-to-instructor using the e-mail feature in Blackboard s Communication area. You MUST use your official VCCS e-mail account when sending and receiving email to and from your instructor and peers. Discussion Board (threaded discussion forum): This is also located in Blackboard s Communication area. Each threaded discussion is called a forum. Only the instructor can create forums, but learners may reply to any forum posted. There will also be a Help forum for learners to post and reply to questions (this keeps our e-mail to a minimum). Learner responsibilities: Learners enrolled in this course should continually monitor their learning, evaluating their own efforts, and actively seek help when needed in a timely manner. To successfully complete the IDOL Program, you will need to assume an active role in the learning process; ask questions, complete assignments, participate in discussion and group chat sessions, and complete all assignments. Instructor Responsibilities: It is my responsibility to help learners grow and learn. This means that I will try to provide clear instructions for all projects, answer questions about the assignments, identify additional resources as necessary, provide review questions and study guides for assessments, and provide rubrics and other criteria for evaluation of projects. This is never a static course - referenced readings, software versions and hardware specifications can change quickly. In this environment, the instructor is always evaluating, revising and clarifying questions and problems. Course Feedback: Learners who e-mail me Monday Thursday will ordinarily receive a response within 24 hours. Learners who e-mail me Friday Sunday may expect a response by 5 pm on Monday. All projects that are completed and received by the due date will be graded and returned to the learner within 7 days. Learners are expected to retain an electronic copy of all work submitted. If transmission of the work fails, learners are expected to resend the document under directions of the instructor. Projects will be submitted in Blackboard either through a discussion thread or via the assignment features. Learners are expected to verify their own Blackboard responses by returning to the appropriate place in Blackboard after the work has been posted. 4 P a g e
Course Schedule: Learners will complete the following assignments by the specified due date (late work will NOT be accepted). Specific requirements for each assignment are spelled out in the assignment section of Blackboard. Note: The following schedule is intended to provide a relative framework for course topics and assignments. Due to the nature of online courses, including delivery mode, and potential technical glitches, problems will likely occur that will affect the actual schedule. Additionally, course adjustments may be based upon on-going class progress assessments. Additions and deletions will occur at the instructor's discretion. For all discussion forums please note that you will NOT receive full credit unless you post and reply to a minimum of two of your peers. Assignment Topic Due Date Points 1 Using the discussion board, please take a moment to introduce yourself, upload a picture of yourself or some other representation (avatar). Wed. Oct. 6 15 2 Unit 1 Course Overview Discussion Activity Fri. Oct. 8 Sun. Oct. 10 3 Instructional Goal and Analysis of Learners Fri. Oct. 15 45 4 Unit 1 Course Design Project Sun. Oct. 17 75 *Instructor Graded 5 Unit 2 Group Discussion Activity Original Post Group Peer Responses Due: Wed. Oct. 20 Fri. Oct. 22 6 Unit 2 Course Design Project Sun. Oct. 24 75 5 P a g e
*Instructor Graded 7 Unit 2 Self-Check Objectives Quiz Sun. Oct. 24 25 8 Unit 3 Discussion Board Activity Existing Learning Object Wed. Oct. 27 Fri. Oct. 29 9 Unit 4 Web AIM Screen Reader Simulation Wed. Nov. 3 30 10 Unit 4 Image Check Fri. Nov. 5 30 11 Unit 4 Course Design Project Sun. Nov. 7 75 *Instructor Graded 12 Unit 5 Discussion Activity Utilizing Media Wed. Nov. 10 Fri. Nov. 12 13 Unit 5 Course Design Project Sun. Nov. 14 75 14 Unit 6 Discussion Activity Learner Interaction Voice Board Wed. Nov. 17 Fri. Nov. 19 15 Unit 6 Learner Interaction Quiz Sun. Nov. 21 25 16 Unit 6 Course Design Project Sun. Nov. 21 75 6 P a g e
17 Unit 7 Discussion Activity - Rubrics Thanksgiving Break Nov. 25 28 18 Unit 7 Group Discussion Activity Aligning Objectives and Assessments Group Peer Responses Due: Wed. Nov. 24 Tue. Nov. 30 Wed. Dec. 1 Fri. Dec. 3 19 Unit 7 Course Design Project Sun. Dec. 5 75 *Instructor Graded 20 Unit 8 Self Reflection and Course Feedback Fri. Dec. 10 100 Total 1000 Please Note: All Course Design Projects will be assessed according to the relevant Quality Matters standards. You will become familiar with these standards as you move through this course. Grading Criteria: You must complete ALL assignments and achieve a minimum of 800 points (80%), simply receiving 800 points will not allow to become certified, you must complete all assignments and discussions, in order to successfully pass this course and receive your certificate. Student Support Services: Rapphannock Community College provides a rich set of academic support services for its students. The Office of Student Success staff will help you navigate your way through admissions, financial aid, testing, tutoring, and more. Additionally, they provide academic and career counseling and they are available to answer your questions about the transfer planning process. You will find a wealth of information on their website which can be accessed by clicking the Student Support Services at http://www.rappahannock.edu/studentservices/index.shtml Student Conduct: Discussion board posts will be monitored by the instructor. Students are expected to maintain proper netiquette while communicating with their classmates. If you re not familiar with the 7 P a g e
core rules of netiquette, the following website provides a nice overview: http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html Attendance Policy: Students are expected to login to the Blackboard site, and check their student email account at least three times a week. Students, who do not participate in the discussions, and are not completing the practice quizzes, will be dropped from the course. Honor Code: The student is expected to pledge that all work is his/her own. If it should become apparent that the work submitted by a student is not his/her own, the instructor must report the violation to the honor council. Please refer to the Student's Handbook. To further define the limits for student interaction when working on a project solution, the following guidelines have been set: 1. At no time should a student access another student's file(s). 2. A student who copies, in whole or part of, another student's work will be considered to have plagiarized the original. 3. With regard to assignments other than tests or quizzes, a student may consult with other students concerning problem areas only after independent efforts have failed to produce the desired results. Discussion of possible solutions will enhance the learning process for all involved, but at no time is a student to copy another student's solution. If it is determined an unbalanced partnership is present, the instructor may require an additional project to be done by the non-contributing member. 8 P a g e