Course Activity Map II

I have been using Inspiration to create CAMs, but I have recently been working in Visual Understanding Environment (VUE), an open-source mapping program from Tufts University.

I really like the crisp graphics in the workspace and in the exported files.

Course Activity Map

A Course Activity Map (CAM) is an Instructional Design tool that facilitates communication between Instructional Designers, Course Facililtators and other members of an online course design team. CAMs use symbols based on the OAR model to plot the connections between goals, content and activities in Blackboard. CAMs represent the ratio between Acquisition Activities (opportunities for students to gain knowledge and skills) and Application Activities (opportunities for students to demonstrate knowledge and skills).

Online Course Syllabus Template Tool

At FACT we have developed the Online Syllabus Template Tool (OSTT) to provide instructors developing online courses for higher education with:

- a context-specific syllabus structure consistent with the OAR model
- a sample syllabus that models best practices
- an easy-to-modify Microsoft Word template

The OSTT is an Adobe .pdf file that can be opened in the free Adobe Reader program. Users can navigate in the tool just as they would in a web page by mousing over buttons and clicking. Users can use "show info"/"hide info" buttons to toogle between a pageview that shows the sample language and or a pageview that shows descriptive information.

A download of the OSTT is available here.

Merrill's First Principles Situated in the OAR Model Domains

Merrill's First Principles of Instruction (2002, 2006) state that learning is promoted when:

• Instruction takes place in the context of real-world tasks that are progressively difficult
• Learners activate relative cognitive structures by recalling or demonstrating prior knowledge or experience
• Learners observe a demonstration of new knowledge
• Learners apply new knowledge, receiving feedback and coaching that is gradually withdrawn
• Learners integrate their new knowledge by reflecting on, discussing, defending, presenting new knowledge and creating personal ways to use it

We have developed a instructional design model which situates Merrill's First Principles in the OAR Model domains:



The task (or problem) is a Resource and the core component available to influence and/or measure student behavior. Objectives are statements created to define and/or measure desired student behavior. Activities are opportunities created to inlfluence and/or measure defined student behavior.

There are two types of Activities: Acquisition and Application. Merrill's activate and demonstration phases are Acquisition Activities, where opportunities to gain knowledge and skills are created to influence defined student behavior. Merrill's apply and integrate phases are Application Activities, where opportunities to demonstrate knowledge and skills are created to influence and/or measure defined student behavior.

References:

Merrill, M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59.

Merrill, M. D. (2006). First principles of instruction: a synthesis. Trends and Issues in Instructional Design and Technology (2nd Ed.). Prentice-Hall, Inc.

OAR model page on Wikipedia

I have created a page on Wikipedia describing the OAR model: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OAR_model

I would appreciate feedback from interested parties!

Discovering and Documenting Faculty Pedagogical and Technological Beliefs

The Subject Matter Expert Personal Resources Inventory (SMEPRI) is a context-specific instructional tool developed to aid Instructional Designers in understanding the pedagogical and technological beliefs of Instructors. It is not designed to conduct an exhaustive inquiry, but rather to gather critical data from a short interview.

The SMEPRI gathers qualitative and quantitative data from four categories: time, experience, attitude and pedagogy. In our practice, Instructional Designers use this data as the development foundation for new online courses delivered through our learning management system-- Blackboard. We have seen that course designs based on the Subject Matter Expert/Facilitator's beliefs provide the greatest opportunity for alignment with their practices.

If you are interested in learning more about the SMEPRI, please contact me at george.joeckel@usu.edu.

Pedagogical Beliefs in Online Courses

Here is another excerpt from a chapter my colleagues and I have in publication:

"Our experience has led us to conclude that the pedagogical beliefs held by the SME/F are the best instructional foundation for original designs of courses delivered online through a LMS. This conclusion is supported by Ertmer's (2005) examination of the research conducted on teacher beliefs: '…beliefs are far more influential than knowledge in determining how individuals organize and define tasks and problems' (p. 28). She also draws a direct connection between pedagogical beliefs and technology skills:

Given that these [technology] skills are unlikely to be used unless they fit with teachers’ existing pedagogical beliefs, it is imperative that educators increase their understanding of and ability to address teacher beliefs, as part of their efforts to increase teachers' technology skills and uses (Ertmer, 2005, p. 37).

Ertmer (2005) demonstrates how pedagogical beliefs have a global effect on a teacher’s perceptions about new instructional tools and practices when she states 'Even new information (about technology, alternative teaching methods, etc.), if attended to at all, will be filtered through these existing belief systems' (p. 30). Our instructional process recognizes and embraces this filter by systematically exploring, documenting, and integrating the SME/F’s pedagogical beliefs into the course design."

We have created an Instructional Tool to facilitate the systematic discovery and integration of pedagogical beliefs called the Subject Matter Expert Personal Resource Inventory (SMEPRI). In an upcoming post I will provide more information on this tool.


Reference:

Joeckel III, G.L.; Jeon, T.; Gardner, J. (2009). Instructional Challenges in Higher Education Online Courses Delivered Through A Learning Management System By Subject Matter Experts. In H. Song (Ed.), Distance Learning Technology, Current Instruction, and the Future of Education: Applications of Today, Practices of Tomorrow, Idea Group Publishing, New York. Chapter accepted for publication.