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NORTHCENTRAL UNIVERSITYASSIGNMENT COVER SHEET

Learner: Liliana Ware

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EL7003 Dr. Glen Gatin

Instructional Design and Engaging E-Learning Activities

8 - Designing an e-Learning Course

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Dr. Gatin,Here is Assignment 8. Let me know if I need to revise anything. It’s on my Wiki.Thank you VERY much!

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Designing an e-Learning Course

The activities presented in this paper are designed for a one-credit semester long course for

first-generation college students. This mandatory course is designed to assist these students in

navigating college life and thus help increase their success rate. Being the first time these

students have to face the academic rigor of higher education, and not having parental support due

to their lack of experience, it will be important to form relationships early so they feel

comfortable asking questions and sharing concerns or apprehensions they might have about this

new phase in their lives.

A survey (SENSE , Survey of Entering Student Engagement) conducted in 2007, by CCSSE

(Community College Survey of Student Engagement) found that first-year students’ express

varied ranges of the expectations they have when they start college. On the other hand, faculty’s

concerns deal with the students’ commitment and how much they understand about the factors

they can help them succeed. The survey also reveals that 40% of entering students receive

advising mainly from their friends, family, and other students. The report recognizes that

orientations and student success programs provide students with valuable information to

transition to college. Furthermore, these programs are powerful opportunities to get connected,

build relationships, feel like they belong, and get information for resources to succeed.

Introductory/Icebreaker Activities

According to Conrad & Donaldson (2011), icebreaker activities have the purpose of

providing presence of the individual in the online class and also open the lines of

communication, hopefully smooth, non-threatening communication. Meyer (2002) in Conrad &

Donaldson states that in an online environment, first introductions and casual conversations are

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harder to come across because the visual clues are missing. This makes the instructor’s role of

welcoming students more important than in face-to-face classes.

Conrad & Donaldson explain that icebreaker activities are meant to acknowledge the

personal aspect of the students and not so much the academic side. They believe that icebreaker

activities are important as their purpose is to try to humanize the technical environment where

online classes occur. The first few minutes (or couple of days in online instruction) of a class are

crucial as they set the tone for how the class will run and also for how well or not the interactions

will develop. It is important to plan the icebreaker activities as they will set the tone of the class.

Effective introductory activities are “fun, creative, and expressive (pg. 52).”

Goals:

learners will find out information about other students in the class

learners will interact with other students in the class

learners will share experiences and in perhaps finding our similar experiences, may feel

the class is a support group for being a first-generation college student

Kavanagh, Murphy & Wood (2011) explore the influence of icebreakers in the life of

students transitioning into college life. They hope that through the use of these introductory

activities, the learners will find a vibrant learning environment that is inclusive and that are

enthusiastic about being in class. The authors concentrate on relationships between learner-

instructor and student-student. The first sessions of a class are important because they are the

beginning of a relationship between the instructor and the students as well as between student

and student. Icebreaker activities do not have to be only about the course content, indeed it is

better if the topics discussed in these activities are of a more personal nature. This more personal

approach has the advantage that it is something that the learner does not have to work at, s/he

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already knows the answers to the questions. Kavanagh, et al. state that icebreakers activities

have the purpose of making learners share as much information about several aspects of their

personal lives and their backgrounds as possible. Such an exercise also gives learners the

opportunity to realize that others have similar backgrounds and other similarities too.

The research conducted by Kavanagh, et al. (2011) highlights the fact that icebreaker

activities develop softer skills through social integration to help students feel like they belong.

The comments from students who participated in the research study were positive. Students feel

that these activities have a major impact on how connected they feel within the group and within

the course. This is especially beneficial for first-generation college students.

Activity 1: Found Someone Who (Watkins, 2005)

Instructor:

requests from each learner to email instructor a characteristic, experience, and/or

possession that other learners in the course are unlikely to know about them

randomly assigns and emails the characteristics, experiences and/or possessions to

learners in the course, making sure that the learner does not receive his/her own

creates a forum in the course’s asynchronous discussion board for this activity

monitors questions and responses to ensure the activity is conducted properly

Learners:

post questions to try to identify which learner corresponds to the characteristic assigned

by the instructor

the questions cannot ask who has the characteristic, but rather they can only ask related

questions that would provide clues about those individuals who meet the requirements of

their search

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when the learner believes they know who has their assigned characteristics, they post the

names in the discussion forum

review the posting to determine if they accurately selected the right person

This activity provides learners with an opportunity, in an informal, ungraded activity, to

exchange information and connect with others in the class. That small connection is a very

positive benefit of this activity. One drawback on the activity may be if students do not like to

share their personal information for whatever reason, making student participation in this activity

not 100%. Another difficulty we may encounter is delays in responses from learners, causing the

activity not be completed as scheduled.

Collaborative/Team Experiences

Interaction in an online class may sound to some like an oxymoron concept. Online

classes may seem like the perfect place for introvert, shy students who have a hard time

communicating. Online classes may appear to be a safe environment where students can hide

behind a screen and simply act as plain receivers. Some may feel that online students are only

passive recipients of knowledge (Gulati, 2008). But we need to realize that most of these

scenarios can happen in a face-to-face class also: students who do not participate in discussions

and just receive information from their instructors.

Herrick (in Enonbun, 2010) explains that there are two perspectives about learning, one is

that education isolates the learner from all social interaction and that education is a one-on-one

relationship that takes place between the learner and the material being learned. The other

perspective is the progressive view of education, where the social aspect of learning is

recognized. Conversations, interactions with the instructor and other students in the class, and

the application of knowledge received in class become a focal point in the learning process.

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Collaborative team activities in online classes provide opportunities for students to

contribute and to question information discussed in class. An effective online class has a set up

for activities that allows students to interact with the instructor as well as with other students in

the class. Jahng, Nielsen & Chan (2010) state that currently, online instruction offers

collaborative learning methods like whole group discussions and small group discussions placed

on synchronous or asynchronous boards. Whole group discussions lend themselves better to

achieve certain goals; similarly, small group discussions are better suited for other kinds of goals.

As such, instructors need to evaluate which type of activity brings the most benefits for the goal

intended. Jahng, et al. point out that small group discussions allow for learners to engage on a

deeper and more active level in the learning process. A small group environment provides an

emotionally safer place where interaction happens with fewer members. Even when group

activities represent an excellent way to exchange information in an online class, the authors

wisely warn us of factors that may hinder the most effective communication, factors such as the

lack of emotional and social clues in written communication, misunderstandings due to writing

styles, or just trying to avoid arguments and conflicts would make discussions superficial.

As mentioned earlier, the course is a one-credit course offered to assist with the success

of first-generation students. The lessons will be on study skills, support services, contact with

professors, financial issues, advising and counseling, and more. It is likely that the students in

this class will not be able to go to their parents for questions on higher education matters,

therefore effective small groups become so important from the start of the class as they can

deliver a welcoming atmosphere where students can freely and without reservations ask

questions and express their thoughts about going to college for the first time.

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Through this collaborative small group activity we can accomplish critical attributes of

independence from the instructor (Jahng, et al., 2010) and also build strong interdependence

between learners. These types of activities are student-centered, where the instructor has a

moderator role, and is not a participant in the group discussions or collaborations. These team

activities also allow for strong social presence and interactions in a collaborative learning

environment, which is supported by constructivism (Jahng, et al.) theory.

Constructivism is centered on students, not on the teacher (Baylor, 2005). Activities

using constructivism theory help build knowledge (not only receiving it passively) and create

learning. Constructivist methods foster meaningful learning activities and have students exercise

higher order thinking. Driscoll (2000, in Baylor) indicates that constructivist teaching places

learning in complex and realistic situations, provides for social negotiation, supports different

perspectives, urges ownership in learning and celebrates students’ awareness that they are

building their knowledge.

Activity 2 - Expectations about the course

Instructor:

has the learners email the instructor two expectations they have for the course

reviews expectations and groups them in five to seven categories

creates a forum in the course’s asynchronous discussion board for this activity, one per

group

posts the grouped expectations on the board

forms small groups (3 to 8 learners) randomly

emails learners:

A. names of members of their small group

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B. emails for each group member

C. directions for this activity:

This course is designed entirely for you. Every activity, discussion, or

information exchange will hopefully better inform and prepare you for college

life. Everyone in this class is expected to participate in order for each one of us to

benefit from each other’s background, expertise, wisdom, personality, and also

from each other’s doubts and insecurities. I urge to participate openly and ask

questions frequently.

In this activity each group member will participate in the small group discussions

for each of the course expectations posted on the discussion board, everyone

needs to submit their input. Discuss if this is an important expectation for you or

not and rate it on a scale from one to five, one being not important at all and five

being extremely important. After everyone has offered feedback on the

asynchronous discussion board assigned to this activity, one member of the group

will post a summary of the group’s discussions and tally and average each of the

expectations.

reviews the discussions in each group and encourages learners to review and comment on

the discussions

Learners:

email instructor two expectations for the course

access the asynchronous discussion board for this activity

participate in the discussion by reviewing and commenting on the expectations posted,

everyone in the group will have to contribute at least once

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rate each expectation from one to five, one being the lowest importance and five being

very important for learner

when each member has posted at least one comment on each of the expectations, one of

the members of the group will summarize all the feedback and post a group response and

tally

Time: minimum of once-a-day participation for each group member, the activity will take place

over a period of three days

Goals:

learners will reflect on what they expect to get from taking this course and how important

it is for each of them

learners will learn of others’ opinions, thus increasing their points of view

learners will collaborate to produce one outcome, even when they do not agree with that

outcome 100%

learners will practice how to post on discussions and how to review ideas and provide

feedback

Evaluation:

It will be valuable for the instructor to find out what each learner’s expectations are for the

course. S/he can use this information to plan or adjust future lessons so students receive

meaningful information, therefore buy-in. It is likely that there will be common expectations

and students can identify with each other. Sharing expectations with each other will offer the

learner relief that they are not the only ones who have apprehensions, doubts, issues, etc.

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Content Activity

Back when communication and transportation were not as easily accessible as they are

these days, knowledge was also confined to smaller areas and kept only by certain people. The

people who possessed the knowledge were viewed as holders of power: judges, philosophers,

teachers, and the like. It was important to pass knowledge on to others, but it was done in a way

that the one who had the knowledge was delivering it in a one-way communication, similar to

the way traditional teaching has taken place. These teachers instructed their students, they gave

information. Instructivism followed this model: the teacher has all the knowledge and the

students passively receive this information.

Instructivism (Baylor, 2005) focuses on teaching in a systematic, linear way. Followers

of this theory believe on clearly identifying goals and methodically designing teaching activities

to meet their academic goals. Baylor describes the activities in this traditional teaching style as

favoring a more teacher-directed approach translated in lectures, worksheets and videos, for

example. Baylor’s study of tools using instructivism theory and constructivism theory found that

there was no significant difference in teachers’ performance, motivation or perceived value of

the different tools. Tracey (2009) defines instructivist teaching as an authoritarian experience

where teachers imparted knowledge and learners were passive.

Activity 3: Video about CLC

The content activity selected for this course is a video that gives an overview of the

College of Lake County. It is intended to present information to parents of first-generation

students about the different offices that can help students. The video was done in Spanish to

provide parents with a more trusting environment so parents become more familiar with CLC

and are able to better understand where to go if they need help. The video will be part of the

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orientation for first-generation students. Although this activity is not directly intended for

learners, it could prove helpful. The purpose of the activity is for the learner to ask his/her parent

to view the video. After viewing the video, we hope parents can be more understanding and

supportive of their children’s academic lives.

Based on the perspective of instructivism, a video was selected because the purpose of

this activity is for the parents to receive information, there is no need for the parents to interact or

collaborate. In fact, if this activity were designed as a collaborative experience, the participation

or collaboration would pose an obstacle. It is best for parents just to receive information, in a

passive way – instructivism is the best theoretical framework to apply to this activity.

Interactive activities

Li (2010) explains that in constructivism learners build knowledge from their experience

and that people form their understanding and knowledge of the world when they encounter and

reflect on those experiences. She adds that, “constructivism is often connected with teaching

methods that promote active learning, learning by doing.” Online instruction bases its activities

on these thoughts. The activities in online classes are intended for the student to construct their

knowledge from experience and reflection. But Gulati (2008) critiques online instructors

because many of them believe they are following constructivist theory. He states that educators

in online classes need to go deeper into how they conduct their activities to truly adhere to

constructivist theory. For example, in the cases he examined for his study, the decisions or

suggestions made by the learners on the topics discussed were not considered important. While

Gulati (2008) does not completely negate the positive impact of participation in online class

discussions, he does encourage instructors to take a closer look at what constructivism means

and therefore provide more opportunities for experiencing trust, safety and power when they

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design their online classes. These are good pointers for those of us who wish to make online

instruction more meaningful to learners.

Activity 4: 20 Questions

Instructor assigns groups of four or five learners

Instructor emails learners list of who is in their group

Instructor creates a forum

Instructor emails:

o instructions

o list of six people who work at CLC

Each group is to discuss what questions they can submit in order to try to guess who their

person is

After consensus, only one learner emails a question to instructor

Instructor responds to each of the questions with a "Yes" or "No" or with one-word

answers

When group thinks they have identified who the assigned person is, they can email

instructor the name - or they have to email their guess after 20 questions

Instructor reveals if the groups got the person right or not

The following week all six CLC people who were the subject of the questions will

present to the class to expand on what they do at CLC (these people can be faculty, staff

in financial aid, admissions, the bookstore, the cafeteria, or administrators).

The different activities selected for this course are set in different theoretical frameworks.

Depending on the purpose of the activity, a more traditional, teacher-centered approach may

be the most effective. For example, the use of a video, a passive activity, is better suited for

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parents who would otherwise have a hard time completing interactive activities. As for the

other activities, the most effective method is for students to communicate, exchange ideas,

meditate on the information, and form their own knowledge. These activities align with

constructivism theory to provide the best learning environment, where learners reflect, guess,

draw conclusions, submit questions, and form concepts and ideas in their minds, thus making

the learning process their own. With the fast advancement of technology it will be crucial to

ponder on these theoretical foundations to determine if they still accommodate the needs of

developing environments. This opens the doors for exciting opportunities for future research

in the area of online learning.

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References

Baylor, A. (2005). A comparative analysis and validation of instructivism and constructivism self-reflective tool (IPSRT and CPSRT) for novice instructional planners. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education. 13(3): 433-457. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/200084492/13826D72B151CD1E1AB/1?accountid=28180

Conrad, R. & Donaldson. (2011). Engaging the online learner: Activities and resources for creative instruction. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.

Enonbun, O. (2010). Constructivism and web 2.0 in the emerging learning era: A global perspective. Journal of Strategic Innovation and Sustainability, 6(4), 17-27. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/898988477?accountid=28180

Gulati, S. (2008). Compulsory participation in online discussions: Is this constructivism or normalisation of learning? Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 45(2), 183-192. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/210674033?accountid=28180

Jahng, N., Nielsen, W. S., & Chan, E. K. (2010). Collaborative learning in an online course: A comparison of communication patterns in small and whole group activities. Journal of Distance Education (Online) 24(2), 39-58. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy1.ncu.edu/docview/868331079/1381A5DB84078813166/1?accountid=28180

Tracey, R. (2009). Instructivism, constructivism or connectivism? Training and Development in Australia, 36(6), 8-9. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/208560390?accountid=28180

University of Texas. (2007) SENSE - Survey of Entering Student Engagement. Retrieved from http://www.ccsse.org/sense/SENSE_report07-FINAL.pdf

Watkins, R. (2005). 75 e-Learning activities: Making online learning interactive John Wiley & Sons, Pfeiffer, San Francisco, CA.