IMPORTANCE OF A MODULE OVERVIEW
There is excitement, context, or curiosity created to stimulates students' interest in a topic.
When going to a bookstore or library, what is the first thing most people look at when they pick up a book that interests them? Is it the table of contents? The author or maybe the book summary? If the answer is the book summary, it also explains the importance of having a course module overview.
The book summary convinces people to read a book and creates a first impression on the reader, just like a course module overview creates that initial reaction from your students. That is why a course overview is an integral part of a course module. Before a student begins their module, described as a lesson, chapter, unit, or segment of instruction, the student should be introduced to the content and the module’s purpose.
The module overview summarizes what they will learn in the module, how it may build on previously learned information, and its relation to the course. It also helps students remember the main ideas, relevant information, and material covered in the course module.
Let’s break it down
Sample Module Overviews
Sample 1: Module Overview(Text)
Without even realizing it, we use the principles of psychology every day. Have we ever grounded a child for being disobedient? We are using negative punishment, a type of operant conditioning. Psychology studies behavior, emotion, and cognition. Psychologists work to understand people better and how and why we act in certain situations. In this module, we will review the history of psychology as a discipline. We will also discuss the variety of specialty areas in Psychology and the five fundamental goals of Psychology.
[ how it relates to the course ] Without even realizing it, we use the principles of psychology every day. Have we ever grounded a child for being disobedient? We are using negative punishment, a type of operant conditioning. Psychology studies behavior, emotion, and cognition. Psychologists work to understand people better and how and why we act in certain situations.
[ main ideas, relevant information, and material covered in the course module] In this module, we will review the history of psychology as a discipline. We will also discuss the variety of specialty areas in Psychology and the five fundamental goals of Psychology.
Sample 2: Module Overview(Text)
[ how it relates to the course ] Our previous lesson covered an introduction to chemistry and how it is found everywhere, not just in a lab setting. Drinking soda or having your plant hit sunlight, there is a chemical process happening. This module will cover the chemistry of life. Did you know that fruit is a rich source of biological macromolecules or large molecules needed for life?
[ main ideas, relevant information, and material covered in the course module] Carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and phosphorus can be found in living things and are the critical building blocks of life. We will discuss the importance of these building blocks, their unique properties, and how their interactions with other atoms help shape life molecules.
A module overview can compare to presenting a lecture or lesson in a face to face class. You do not just start lecturing about the lesson. There is excitement, context, or curiosity created to stimulate students’ interest in a topic and connect new information to previous information. So be creative in the module overview!
Please let me know what other topics you would like for me to discuss in the comments below. See you in the next post and please share with others if you find this information useful!
MAKING COURSE CONTENT EASY TO READ
Have you have ever visited a web page and can't find what you are looking for on the page.
Have you have ever visited a web page and can’t find what you are looking for on the page. Many users get frustrated right away when they can’t locate what they need on the page. In an online course, users feel the same way. If you create a page that is all text or has a very long scroll, your students will not be excited about the content. They will find it tedious to read through every line of text or paragraph to figure out the content. Creating an easy-to-read page is easy to do. You will want to make sure your content has the following:
Heading/Subheadings– helps to organize the content.
Chunking – don’t group too much text together, make sure you create short logical paragraphs.
Transitions – make sure your content transitions easily from one idea to another.
Images – enhances your message and keep students interested.
Bullets/Numbered Lists – helps students visually see essential information.
White Space – makes sure that the content is not overwhelming and is created when you chunk your content or create other groupings.
Let’s look at an example and break down the different elements.
Headers/Subheadings
Makes content easy to locate and creates a visually appealing page. Main header will use <h1> tags, while subheadings will use <h2>, <h3>, <h4> tags.
Chunking
Creating short paragraphs of information makes the content less intimidating and easier to read.
Transitions
Transitions help readers understand how the content is connected. If you create several paragraphs of content, make sure to incorporate transitional statements like:
In addition
In particular
For example
In fact
For this purpose
In conclusion
Images
Images reinforce the message. Use when appropriate.
Bullets/Numbered Lists
Helps students to locate key points and sort items.
White Space
Creates a visually appealing page and content. Content is not overwhelming and easier to understand.
In conclusion, creating clear and intuitive content and avoiding a cluttered page will facilitate learning, help students understand their lesson, and quickly locate the information they need.
I hope you enjoyed reading this post! Please post below how you design your course content and other methods you use to help students understand the course content.
WHY SHOULD I USE GRAPHICS IN MY COURSE?
When you think of graphics, you do not necessarily think of education. So how do graphics fit into education?
When you think of graphics, you do not necessarily think of education. So how do graphics fit into education? We all know that people respond to images. Images can evoke different emotions. Images can be funny, sad, meaningful, or capture a certain feeling. When you graphically present a concept or lesson, students understand it better because it enhances your written content. It also helps students find course content easily and might even help them to remember the information. Using images for your content in a significant way will help create an excellent online course and content.
Types of Computer Graphics
There are two types of graphics that you can use for images. You can use:
Raster (also known as bitmap images)– uses dots called pixels (short for picture element) to represent pictures. The dots are squared-shaped, and each pixel is assigned a set of coordinates. Raster images when made larger will lose their smooth appearance and appear jagged.
Vector – the computer works with the relationship between the pixels rather than the location of the pixels themselves. It uses a mathematical algorithm to connect the various point and paths of an image. This helps the image remain smooth at any size or resolution.
Resolution
Images are described as high or low-resolution images. Resolution is the measurement of the output quality of an image.
PPI (pixels per inch) – refers to screen resolution
PPI is the number of pixels displayed in an image. The images you see on your computer screen are displayed in pixels. The PPI is how your image is displayed. The higher the resolution, the bigger the image and the better it is displayed on your screen.
DPI (dots per inch) – refers to print resolution
DPI measures the resolution for your printer. It refers to the dots of ink or tuner used by your printing device to print your text and graphics. The more dots, the better and sharper your image will print.
File formats
Your file format is how your computer “reads” the document. Whenever you save a document, it always saves it in the format of the computer program you are using. If you want to save an image or document to be recognized by other programs, you need to save your file as cross-platform compatible. Cross-platform compatible means it is supported by many of the most commonly used image editing/graphic softwares.
Most common types of Raster formats:
BMP – developed by Microsoft and is the format used on Windows operating system.
PSD (Photoshop Document) – Adobe Photoshop native format.
TIFF (Tagged Image File Format ) – Cross Platform, best used for high quality printing. This type of format uses lossless compression. Lossless compression means this type of file writes a large file that loses no data. Best use for high-resolution printing of images. Not recommend for the internet.
JPG/JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Groups)- Cross Platform, best used for web and photography prints. Most commonly used for photography on the web, although it reduces the size by about 50%. This is considered lossy compression since some of the quality is lost.
GIF (Graphics Interchange Format )- Cross Platform, best used for web especially animated images. Not to be used for photographs.
PNG (Portable Network Graphics) – Cross Platform, best used for web. Superior lossless compression. It is an improved replacement for GIF.
Most common Vector format:
EPS (Encapsulated PostScript)- can be used in many illustration softwares such as Adobe Illustrator.
AI (Adobe Illustrator Artwork ) – Adobe Illustrator native format.
What kind of image formats should I use for my course?
For the most part, the types of formats you should be using are:
JPG/JPEG – If you teach a course that uses a lot of photography. It will be a good idea to use JPG format since this format uses a wide range of colors and the file size is not so big that you will have a hard time uploading to your course and your students will be able to download easily.
GIF – are used mainly for simple images, symbols, icons, and animations. GIF is a low-resolution file and only supports 256 colors.
PNG – supports both small and big image sizes and supports transparency and lossless. PNG can be used for digital art, logos, icons or symbols. It has a lot of versatility.
I hope this information helps you understand the types of image formats available to you when designing your course. How are you using images in your course? If you have any suggestions or comments, please leave a comment below!
I CREATED LEARNING OBJECTIVES, NOW WHAT?
After designing learning objectives, what activities will help achieve the learning objectives?
After designing learning objectives, what activities will help achieve the learning objectives? Depending on the subject area, there are various types of activities that a student can complete. A well-designed course module will have assignments, opportunities for discussion, collaboration, quizzes, exams, test, labs and practices exercises.
How Course Activities Help Student Learn
Assignments – helps students to understand the concepts and ideas presented in the course.
Discussion/Collaboration – help to facilitate communication between the students.
Quizzes/Tests/Exams/Labs/Practice Exercises – these assessments help identify any knowledge deficiencies and help students focus on the areas they need to review.
Course Activities
Using Bloom’s Taxonomy, Let’s go over the different activities you can design in your course.
Activities:
Code
Concept Mapping
Ice Breaker
Practice Quiz/Exam/Test
Read
Activities:
Discussion Forums
Debate
Oral Reports
Quiz, Exam, Test
Review (Play, Movie, Audio, Book, etcetera.)
Wikis
Activities:
Art Project
Group Problem Solving/Presentations/Reports
Interview
Journaling
Laboratory Experiments
Portfolios, Presentations
Simulations
Activities:
Brainstorming
Essay
Fieldwork
Group Reports/Debugging
Reflection
Activities:
Article Critique
Case Briefs
Case Studies
Document Analysis
Literature Review
Peer Editing/Review
Activities:
Audio Recording
Blogging
Gaming
Graphic Design
Individual Project
Video Creation
Web Design
Things to Consider when Designing Course Activities
Once you decide on the learning activities for your course module, you need to consider the following:
Learning Objectives – do the activities align with your with your learning objectives? Will the students achieve the skills you outlined in your objectives?
Relevancy – are the activities relevant to your course and the learning process? Do they promote learning and have an educational purpose?
Technical requirement – do students need to use specific software or create an online account to access certain tools? Are you familiar with the technology that you want your students to use? Are your students? Do not assume students are familiar with any technology you want to use in your course.
Designing your activities is an important step in your course module design process. By creating activities that align with your objectives, you not only make sure that your students have a successful learning outcome, but you also keep your students engaged and on task.
Do you agree with the activities that I used to match with Bloom’s Taxonomy? Why or why not? What activities do you like to use in your course? Please share it below!
CREATIVE COMMONS, AN EDUCATOR’S BEST FRIEND
It might be frustrating to find a cool image or video and not know if you are authorized to use it in your course.
As educators, you often want to use external content or resources to help students learn and make your course content more exciting and appealing. You might find interesting content online, but as much as you might want to use any content you see, you need to keep in mind that you are not always legally allowed to use it.
It might be frustrating to find a cool image or video and not know if you are authorized to use it in your course. So what can you do to make sure that you are not infringing on copyright-protected items? The solution will be to use Creative Commons licenses.
What is a Creative Commons License?
Creative Commons licenses allow you to use work created by different authors. You can use text, images, audio, video, and other content as long as you give the creator the appropriate attribution. There are six types of licenses. They range from allowing you to use the content as freely as you need, to content being somewhat restrictive. The license that you will want to use most would be the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY). This license means you can distribute, remix, modify and build upon the original work as long as the creator is given the appropriate credit.
By offering their work in Creative Commons, the creators are offered certain protection levels. All you need to do is make sure you do not infringe on those rights by giving the creators the correct attribution based on the license they offer.
Where can I Find Content Licensed under Creative Commons (CC)?
Creative Commons website – allows you to search for CC licensed content. Its search feature allows you to search across more than 300 million images!
Find OER – provides links to search for CC licensed work to use in your courses.
Wikimedia Commons – allows you to search CC licensed educational media.
Google Advance Search – by using Google Advance Search, you can put a filter to search for content that is free to use, share or modify.
Internet Archive: – American digital library that allows you to access free collections of digitized materials that include images, books, audio, movies, and more!
Flickr Commons – search for images that users have offered under CC license.
You can see how I used Creative Commons for my post Anatomy of a Learning Objective. The two images on the post were both licensed under Creative Commons.
Creative Commons helps educators create rich course content without worry. It allows educators to support each other and draw from each other in different ways to improve learner performance while at the same time enhancing their skills and understanding.
Please share in the comments below the ways you are using Creative Common in your class!
ANATOMY OF A LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Learning Objectives are essential parts of any course module and course.
Designing your online course is not merely about creating content and sharing your passion for the subject you are teaching. You also need to make sure that what you are teaching is being learned. How do you ensure that this happens?
Learning Objectives are essential parts of any course module and course. Learning Objectives communicate to the student what they will learn after completing a learning module and be confident they will make measurable progress. They also help define what the instructor expects of them for the particular lesson and what the course accomplishes. Learning objectives in each of your course modules are good practice and make for a well-designed course.
When designing your learning objectives, you should ask yourself the following questions:
What will the students be learning?
What level of thinking will be used to process the content?
What observable student behavior will serve to show that the student has learned what they are supposed to?
What are the conditions (materials, time limits, etc.) that the student will expect to work under?
What is the level of mastery? What will satisfy you?
Bloom’s Taxonomy
Bloom’s Taxonomy Verbs by Fractus Learning is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Created in 1956 by Psychologist Benjamin Bloom, Bloom’s Taxonomy is the most extensively used scale to demonstrate the level of expertise required for measurable student outcomes. Verbs in Bloom’s Taxonomy are measurable and help instructors create assignments and assessments that are quantifiable. These verbs are useful in planning lessons and curriculum.
There are six levels of knowledge in Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Knowledge -is measured by asking questions to see what they have remembered from a lesson—for example, a multiple-choice test.
Comprehension – determines their level of understanding by asking students to summarize, describe or discuss a topic.
Application – students apply what they have learned in real-life situations.
Analysis -students analyze a problem and provide supporting evidence as to how they solved the problem.
Synthesis – students merge information they have learned to provide new ideas and solutions.
Evaluation – students use the knowledge they have acquired to evaluate and apply their learning using evidence, observations, and other criteria determined by the student.
Bloom’s Taxonomy by Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Generic license.
Remember -is measured by asking questions to see what they have remembered from a lesson—for example, a multiple-choice test.
Understand – determines their level of understanding by asking students to summarize, describe or discuss a topic.
Apply – students apply what they have learned in real-life situations.
Analyze -students analyze a problem and provide supporting evidence as to how they solved the problem.
Evaluate – students use the knowledge they have acquired to evaluate and apply their learning using evidence, observations, and other criteria determined by the student
Create – students merge information they have learned to provide new ideas and solutions.
Let’s break it down!
Sample Objectives
Sample 1: Learning Objective (Text)
Students will be able to draw on Sketchpad the four life cycles of a butterfly after reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Conditions – Sketchpad, reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Cognitive Process – draw (Remember) (Knowledge)
Content – life cycles of a butterfly
Observable Proving Behavior – drawing on Sketchpad the life cycles of a butterfly
Standard of Mastery – drawing the four life cycles of a butterfly
Sample 2: Learning Objective (Text)
After a lesson on Linear Algebra, students will be able to correctly solve at least 8 out of 10 algebra problems using Linear Algebra.
Conditions – lesson on Linear Algebra
Cognitive Process – solve (Apply) (Application)
Content – Linear Algebra
Observable Proving Behavior – correctly solve algebra problems using Linear Algebra
Standard of Mastery – at least 8 of 10 Linear Algebra problems
Sample 3: Learning Objective (Text)
Given the website, Linkedin.com and Chapter 4 in their textbook, students will create a Linkedin profile to effectively navigate the Linkedin interface and assess how Linkedin can be used to connect with peers and professional networking activities.
Conditions – Linkedin website, Chapter 4 of textbook
Cognitive Process – create (Create) (Synthesis)
Content – assess how Linkedin can be used to connect with peers and professional networking activities
Observable Proving Behavior – Linkedin profile
Standard of Mastery – effectively navigate the Linkedin profile
Objective Builder
Developed by the University of Central Florida , use the Objective Builder Tool and create your objectives with this easy-use tool!
While it can be a bit daunting creating learning objectives, correctly done objectives are the first step in creating a high-quality course module and instruction.
What difficulties have you encountered creating learning objectives? Hopefully, this post has provided helpful information! Please let me know what other topics you would like for me to discuss in the comments below. See you in the next post!