Course design

Cultural sensitivities must be taken into account in course design

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Introduction

See also Social media landscape and Teaching health library users

What is online learning?

Online learning - also elearning - is the facilitation of learning through electronic means, and the most common communication platform is the web. Online learning eliminates restrictions of time and place. In face-to-face (F2F) learning we must learn at specific times and places, and measure success with assessment methods that are used to evaluate the speed of one's ability to learn not whether they are ready or not. Online learning can be an effective kind of "blended learning" where preparation or qualification for F2F learning is done online first. This eliminates the time that often gets wasted when some learners are prepared and others are not. Online learning can cover the fundamental concepts or knowledge that learners will need for a really interactive session or team building exercise. E-learning can take place with several learners and instructors simultaneously, (synchronous), or with each learner working at their own preferred time and pace (asynchronous). You'll still have the ability to catch up on what others have said, and sometimes asynchronous discussions are more thoughtful. Learners can form their own learning communities and mentor each other or work alone. In online learning restrictions no longer apply. They were caused by the limits on a human instructor's ability to deal with variables.

Philosophies of learning

There have been many philosophies about learning, but three more commonly used:

Constructivism

Constructivism is a theory of learning based on the premise that we construct our own understanding based on past experiences. Each new learning experience is approached with a "mental model" in place and learning occurs as we adjust our thinking to accommodate new ideas and circumstances. This philosophy is currently in vogue with instructional designers. In online learning, it lends itself to creating case-studies and scenarios.

Cognitivism

Cognitivism is best described as learning established through continuity, structures and repetition. Observing others in the same situation as well as personal reinforcement are contributors to learning retention. Online learning makes it easy for learners to repeat lessons and to associate sound with text or images with concepts, etc.

Behaviourism

Behaviorism is a theory of animal and human learning that focuses on conditioning based on response to stimuli. Responses can be recorded quantitively based on observable changes in behaviours. Behaviourism is often used in game design, and works well with reinforcement techniques used in online learning and computer-based training.

Basic principles of pedagogy

In 1956, Benjamin Bloom proposed a way to measure the level of intellectual behaviour within learning. He was able to break learning into six levels within the cognitive domain, beginning with a simple recall of facts, through abstract levels to the highest level of intellectual capacity (which is classified as evaluation). Bloom includes verb examples to act as a guide for measuring these levels of learning. Someone restating a fact or definition would be demonstrating learning in the knowledge domain, whereas someone assessing or predicting a concept would be demonstrating within the evaluation domain. By using these levels of learning which Bloom calls a taxonomy, as a guide to the outcomes of your course, you can gauge learning retention. This concept, along with learning retention, is discussed in detail below.

Evaluation

Definition: The student can appraise, assess or critique the concept on a basis of specific criteria.

Verbs: appraise, argue, assess, attach, choose compare, defend estimate, judge, predict, rate, core, select, support, value, evaluate.

Synthesis

Definition: The student originates and combines ideas into a product, plan, or proposal that is new to him or her.

Verbs: arrange, assemble, collect, compose, construct, create, design, develop, formulate, manage, organize, plan, prepare, propose, set up, write.

Analysis

Definition: The student distinguishes, classifies, and relates the evidence, assumptions, or structure of the statement or question.

Verbs: analyze, appraise, calculate, categorize, compare, contrast, criticize, differentiate, discriminate, distinguish, examine, experiment, question, test

Application

Definition: The student selects and uses data and principles to complete a problem or task with a minimum of direction.

Verbs: apply, choose, demonstrate, dramatize, employ, illustrate, interpret, operate, practice, schedule, sketch, solve, use, write.

Comprehension

Definition: The student translates or comprehends information based on prior learning.

Verbs: classify, describe, discuss, explain, express, identify, indicate, locate, recognize, report, restate, review, select, translate.

Knowledge

Definition: The student recalls or recognizes information, ideas, and principles in the approximate form in which they were learned.

Verbs: arrange, define, duplicate, label, list, memorize, name, order, recognize, relate, recall, repeat, reproduce state.

What are Learning Outcomes?

The single most important question you should ask when beginning to design a course is "What are the learning outcomes I want to achieve?" A second question might be "How will I know that I've achieved them?" Defining measurable learning outcomes is perhaps the most difficult step in course design, but well worth the effort if you want to succeed. A learning outcome is also the result you want to achieve and that can be expressed as a statement of what learners will be able to do as a result of each learning activity. These learning goals are usually expressed as knowledge, skills or attitudes. The statement may describe any desired knowledge, attitudes, skills or behaviours as a result of the learning activities. It is important that it be expressed in such a way that is measurable. The statement will serve as a guideline for content, instruction and evaluation, and should convey what should be accomplished once the learner has completed your course.

Writing Learning Outcomes

When you define desired learning outcomes for your students (referred to as demonstrable competencies) remember your intended audience. What do need to demonstrate they know when they finish the course? What specific skills do they need to know? Are there obstacles or other factors to consider? In taking that into consideration, a good learning outcome will be written with three distinguishing characteristics:

1. The learning activity must be observable by the instructor
2. The learning activity must be measurable by the instructor
3. The learning activity must be completed by the students

If actions taken by students in learning activities cannot be assessed, then learning outcomes do not meet the above characteristics. A learning outcome such as this:

• Participants will understand the 6 levels of knowledge in Bloom's taxonomy

Is not as measurable as:

• Participants will list and describe the 6 levels of knowledge in Bloom's taxonomy

In the second example, learners have a better understanding of what is expected of them. Another point is wording; since performance should be observable and measurable, the verbs chosen for each outcome should be action verbs. Sample action verbs are: discuss, explain, apply, utilize, demonstrate, list, analyze, critique