Proof of Product

Concept Document for e-Learning Course: Digital Tools for Teachers

Terminal Objective:

The course “Digital Tools for Teachers” increases student engagement in the classroom by incorporating student-centric digital tools. After successfully completing the course, K-12 educators will be able to integrate instructional videos into a lesson to maintain 90% student engagement during a 15-minute learning period.

Role in Project:

This course was designed as a proof of concept for the course Instructional System Design. I was assigned a group of 3 other team members in which we designed aspects of the course individually, then came together to create a collaborate final version of each document.

Digital Tools for Teachers

Project Overview

Here is an outline of the e-Learning course “Digital Tools for Teachers”.

a) Goal Analysis

The course “Digital Tools for Teachers” aims to increase student engagement in the classroom by incorporating student-centric digital tools. Figure 1. Shows a content-approach diagram depicting the topics teachers will encounter as they move towards proficiency in this problem-solving strategies learning goal.

After successfully completing the course, K-12 educators will be able to integrate instructional videos into a lesson to maintain 90% student engagement during a 15-minute learning period. As we conducted the analysis, we accounted for certain factors that could alter the difficulty of completing the necessary steps. These factors include if the teacher has access to use the tools, especially those that come with a cost and if the digital tools being used are designed to work well to engage the age group they teach.

To achieve complete mastery of digital tool utilization in the classroom, the learner will successfully complete the 6 modules in “Digital Tools for Teachers” shown in the content oriented goal analysis diagram in Figure 1 below.

b) Subordinate Skills Analysis

The subordinate skills analysis shown in Figure 2.1 focuses on Module 1 as it depicts the steps and skills required to implement teacher created, student-centric videos in the classroom.

The critical skills required include the ability to interpret interest inventories, create a standards-based script for a 15-minute instructional period, create a video based on a script, present a video in a face-to-face or online classroom, then lastly, evaluate student engagement during the instructional period. Each critical skill has corresponding subset of skills at the rule, concept, and/or a discrimination level.

Entry skills are those skills that fall beneath the dashed line and refer to skills learners are expected to have acquired prior to enrolling in this course. Figure 2.2 is a continuation of Figure 2.1 and demonstrates the additional steps needed to complete steps 1.2 and 1.3.

This diagram also shows the verbal information needed to support the intellectual skills.

c) Learner Analysis

Learners enrolled in the web-based course “Digital Tools for Teachers” may complete the course and deliver instruction in various locations. The performance setting context analysis shown in Table 2 discusses the range of site locations as well as the availability, or lack of resources learners will have when implementing their new skills to their work site. Since the course uses an e-learning platform, educators will complete the course either in their own home, at work, or anywhere with internet and hardware compatibility, which may coincide with where they are going to be performing the skills learned throughout this course or may differ, depending on each individual learner. Because there is a large variance in performance and learner setting, the settings may overlap in some cases. Learners may learn and practice their new skills in a face-to-face setting or online setting. Where a learner completes the course may or may not be the same as where they practice their new knowledge and implications are listed for each scenario in Table 2 and Table 3.

d) Context Analysis

Since the skills acquired in this course pertain to incorporating technology, the performance setting may be that of an online or face-to-face nature with many varying resources and site locations. The performance context analysis shown in Table 2 shows the level of managerial support, physical aspects of the site, social aspects of the site, and relevance of the skills honed Learners will use their new skills in various locations as well since the course is aimed at delivering instruction both online and in face-to-face classrooms. Table 3 shows the learning context analysis for “Digital Tools for Teachers” in which the number of nature of sites, site compatibility with instructional needs, site compatibility with learner needs, and feasibility for simulating the workplace are discussed.

a) Instructional Strategy

The instructional strategy detailed in the following report follows Hunter’s Elements of Lesson Design (Hunter, 1990), is grounded in Knowles’ Adult learning principle, and encompasses a teacher-directed approach. This blended course, which will be delivered through synchronous and asynchronous sessions in a web-based platform, educates working professionals through a procedural rule where direct instruction is the most appropriate. Table 1. below describes proposed instructional strategies to incorporate in the e-learning course “Digital Tools for Teachers”, specifically, Module 1: Creating Instructional Videos. The table explains the seven key elements within Module 1 and provides descriptions of each along with interaction type and media tool selection.

b) Learner Assessment Alignment Table

Table 2 shows the Individual Learner Assessment Alignment Table for the e-learning course “Digital Tools for Teachers”. Each subordinate skill, as defined in the Subordinate Skills Analysis, has been used to create a set of 5 enabling goals which are listed in the first column, titled “skills” in Table 2. Each enabling objective is classified according to Gagne's’ Taxonomy in column 3 of Table 2. A suggested method in which the learner should prove that the objective has been met– both type and form are included in column 4 and the last column in Table 2 discusses the recommended criteria a student must prove to show they have mastered the learning objective.

Figure 1 shows the flow of navigating through the web-based course “Digital Tools for Teachers”. The hybrid course offers 6 modules in which learners will be able to navigate to from the home page. The course website will also contain important resources for learners which include: a course overview, FAQ section, help section, contact, and additional resources. Learners are encouraged to follow the horizontal flow as depicted in boxes 3110-3170 as they move through the instructional events of Unit 1: Integrating Teacher-Created Instructional Videos.

The instructor guide provides helpful guidance for an instructor as they facilitate the hybrid course “Digital Tools for Teachers”. The guide focuses on Module 1: Integration of Teacher-Created Instructional Videos as the guide for modules 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are still under development. The guide overviews the following topics: - Materials for instruction (synchronous and asynchronous) - Resources and Visuals Table with Instructor Notes for Instructional Events - Appendix with resources for course attached Instructor should reference this guide as they facilitate each synchronous lesson. Tips for asynchronous lessons are also included in Table 1.