Transforming Your Course Design for Effective Blended Learning

1. http://tinyurl.com/blended-design Download Me!

2. Go to Wiki Begin the Transformation: Mapping the Course Veronica Diaz, PhD Associate Director EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative, EDUCAUSE

3. Your Redesign Toolbox • Have these handy • Using Bloom’s Taxonomy for Objective Development • Mapping Your Course: re(Designing) for Blended Delivery • Blended Course and Syllabus Samples (website from wiki) • Aligning Your Course Components for Blended Delivery

4. Converting or Creating? • Pros and cons • Pitfalls and opportunities

5. 3 Basic Redesign Steps • Identify course content for each module • Write learning objectives for each module • Consider each learning objective or each learning objective set and reference and utilize diverse instructional strategy possibilities

6. Starting with Objectives • Bloom’s Taxonomy • Address depth of learning • First step in creating modules • Guide alignment

7. Bloom’s Taxonomy • Focus on learner performance/outcomes • For each module • What do they need to know? • What do they need to be able to do? • What will they know as a result of my instruction? • What can they learn in other ways?

8. Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy

9. Why Modules? • “7 +/-2 rule” • Support consistency in look and feel • Easier to find course content • Content becomes/feels more manageable • Prevents information overload • Allows students to focus on content rather than form Source: Blending In, March 2007

10. Module Possibilities • Content “chunks” • Let the content set the chunks • Content organized in conceptually related blocks Source: Blending In, March 2007

11. Course Organization • Dates/week • Topic • Readings • Section • Unit • Module

13. 5 Principles of Successful Course Redesign • Redesign the whole course. • Encourage active learning. • Provide students with individualized assistance. • Build in ongoing assessment and prompt feedback. • Ensure sufficient time on task and monitor student progress. http://thencat.org/PlanRes/R2R_PrinCR.htm

17. Mapping Your Course: Part I DO: 40 MINUTES • Review current course • Map current course (may do portion) • Map a selected module READ & DISCUSS: 10 MINUTES • The checkpoint questions

18. Discuss: Checkpoint Questions, I • In your original (pre-redesigned) course, how well balanced was the content between what the instructor does and what the student does to deliver and interact with the course content? • How granular, action-oriented, and specific are your current course objectives? Are they such that they are able to guide you through a redesign process?

19. Discuss: Checkpoint Questions, I • Are their any segments of your module where you or your students have had particular difficulty in conveying or comprehending course content or concepts? • In other words, could the course redesign help you to improve or address particular challenges in the course?

20. Discuss: Checkpoint Questions, I • How rich and diverse are the activities in the original (pre-redesigned) course • (i.e., lecture, readings, activities, research, writing, projects, discussions, demonstrations, multimedia, cases, teamwork, assessments or others)?

21. Questions

22. Mapping Your Course: Part II • Review only • Module redesign • Preview the checkpoint questions

25. Preview: Checkpoint Questions, II • In reviewing your content activities or interactions, do you feel like the content you selected to deliver face-to-face is best suited for that delivery mode? And the online content best suited for that delivery mode?

26. Preview: Checkpoint Questions, II • How are you using the online or out of class time? To • reinforce content, • practice content, • demonstrate evidence of content mastery, • apply content, • add time on task, • introduce new content, or • other? • Considering areas of particular difficulty in conveying or comprehending course content or concepts in this module, what mechanisms are you using (online or face-to-face) to support learning?

27. Questions

28. Mapping Your Course: Part III • Scheduling/calendaring • Objectives • Activities • Alignment • Depth • Assessment • Technology

30. Key Mapping Considerations

31. Accountability and Integration Ask (handout) • What is the role of out of class time? • How can I maximize the face-to-face class time? • How can I make sure my students are prepared for face-to-face class time? • Reinforcement • Practice • Provide evidence • Application • Additional time on task • Introduce new content • Other

32. Blended Course Redesign Checklist Handout

33. Alignment: --Objectives--Assessments--Instructional materials and resources --Learning activities and engagement --Learning technologies Handout

34. Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy

35. Take-Aways • Consider and reconsider how you use your in-class time: success can hinge on this • Remember that a blended course can be confusing to students: strive to clarify • Redesign takes time • Initial • And long-term (always a work in progress) • Takes 3-4 terms to develop instructional competency in blended learning • Be thoughtful about design and reflective about your instruction (journal)

36. Questions

37. Veronica Diaz, PhD Associate Director EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative EDUCAUSE … vdiaz@educause.edu http://www.educause.edu/eli