DETT 607: Instructional Design & Course Development in Distance Education
Assignments and Course Work
DETT 607 Learning Journal
Module 1
This course was one I was unsure about prior to starting the semester. I lacked confidence in my ability to successfully complete the bulk of the assignments required to pass the course. The first module was fairly easy, and consisted of content I was already familiar with from previous courses. I found that the overall process of instructional design was centered around pedagogy that focused on the student. That made sense to me, since the student was the consumer to the overall design and content of the course. The development phases were covered extensively, which included the context analysis, the learning design, and course development phases. This week I found the reading by Morrison, Ross and Kemp to provide a straightforward explanation of the phases, as well as a taxonomy of the overall instructional design process. Everything this week was new to me, and there was a lot of information to digest.
For the first module I learned how to conduct a needs, task, and goal analysis, how to identify learner characteristics and competencies, and how to write learning objectives. Of these tasks, I found the section on writing learning objectives to be the most interesting. I didn’t think it was that difficult to identify and describe learning objectives for a certain learning point. However, I found this to be one of the more time-consuming assignments, as there is so much more than I thought that goes into each and every learning objective. Even the way it is written is scrutinized! Regarding what I learned this module, I really felt as though the group discussions provided added value to my learning. The weekly conferences were positive and thorough, and concepts I didn’t fully understand were made clear by a great deal of student input. One of the things I enjoy most about the conferences is gaining an understanding of topics based on the experience and knowledge of my fellow classmates. This, I believe, is an invaluable element to online learning.
During this module I was required to complete and submit an original context analysis, and I felt that this was a tough assignment because I had no experience writing anything like this. I did very well, surprisingly enough, and am proud to include it above. It was a great way to conclude this module. Overall, I felt that I acquired invaluable skills this module. These new skills have added to the knowledge I’ve gained so far in this program, and I feel that this may end up being one of my more favorite courses. I can feel my lack of confidence subsiding and I can’t wait to start the next part of this course.
Module 2:
This module we covered learning design, and since I am a very creative and visual person, I began feeling as though this topic was definitely in my wheelhouse. Since I did so well in the first module, I felt very confident jumping into the material and getting ahead of schedule. The topic of Sequencing and Strategies was a bit confusing at first. However, the instructor broke the content down into manageable chunks that helped me to properly evaluate developed objectives so that I could determine an appropriate sequencing strategy to work with. This module focused on the Expanded Performance Content Matrix, which was quite easy to navigate. I felt as though there was so much to keep in mind for the learning design, making this module a bit unnerving to maneuver around. There was certainly a lot of content to remember. In addition, we covered learner needs, content expertise sequencing, instructional strategies when utilizing objectives, and message design.
The majority of subject matter came directly from the course text, which I found more than useful for the frequent moments of confusion. At times when my confidence was shaken, as a result of the large amount of information to retain, the text helped keep things straight. With that said, I did learn a lot of new material that I know I will find useful in the remaining courses of this program. Even though I am not a fan of developing strategies, I feel as though this course is making me want to focus my career goals on instructional design instead of teaching and training. We’ll see if I feel the same after the course is over! Again, the course discussion provided valuable information that I could never find in a text, and I am continuously surprised at the level of knowledge my fellow students have. What are they reading to learn so much more about these topics? How much experience did they have prior to starting the master’s program? Regardless, I am going to absorb as much information as I can from them, and hope one day I’m able to apply that knowledge to a career in distance education. I am thankful that a couple of the students were able to help me navigate through strategies and the ridiculous amount of graphics, charts and maps. I don’t think I would have done as well without them.
Module 3:
The final module of this course, and I’m almost sad that the semester is nearly over. I’ve been progressing through my mock-course and am so happy with how it is turning out. I used WebTycho as a platform, since that is the platform I am most familiar with, and was able to design a near photo-copy of what a real course would look like. Outside of its appearance, the content is what I am most proud of. I put a lot of time and energy into the actual content, and I know my grade will not suffer as a result of that work. I am a bit worried about the length of my assignment. I did way more than was required, but felt I couldn’t convey what I wanted without including the number of slides I did. Outside of this assignment, this module I learned the following: the three types of evaluation, setting up and altering course content, composing a course evaluation, assessment and evaluation tools, and determining the balance of content.
It seemed as though this module brought the content full-circle, as it seemed as though I was redirected towards learner analysis. We again covered the importance of learner characteristics and abilities, which are vital to course development (what this module focused on). This module was interesting and provided insight into a lot of the aspects and elements I see on a daily basis in my own courses. It was an eye-opening experience being able to cover evaluations and assessment tools. I prefer to write essays as an evaluative measure, as I feel these more adequately convey the amount of content the learner has acquired throughout the learning process. It was also interesting to learn more about LMS and the different platforms available in the distance education world.
The weekly conferences, again, made understanding the content a bit easier. Their experiences and understanding of the content provided added perspectives to draw from, providing me with a more well-rounded learning experience. I was excited to turn in the final version of my mock-course, but anxious to see the score I received. I was so thrilled to get an “A,” as this is one project I put the most into compared to every course I’ve taken so far. I can honestly admit, after taking this course I definitely want to shift my track to instructional design. This is something I want to spend a career doing, and plan on letting my student advisor know after this weekend. The instructor made this course fun and interesting, and I remained engaged the entire semester. On to the next course in my MDE journey….!
This course was one I was unsure about prior to starting the semester. I lacked confidence in my ability to successfully complete the bulk of the assignments required to pass the course. The first module was fairly easy, and consisted of content I was already familiar with from previous courses. I found that the overall process of instructional design was centered around pedagogy that focused on the student. That made sense to me, since the student was the consumer to the overall design and content of the course. The development phases were covered extensively, which included the context analysis, the learning design, and course development phases. This week I found the reading by Morrison, Ross and Kemp to provide a straightforward explanation of the phases, as well as a taxonomy of the overall instructional design process. Everything this week was new to me, and there was a lot of information to digest.
For the first module I learned how to conduct a needs, task, and goal analysis, how to identify learner characteristics and competencies, and how to write learning objectives. Of these tasks, I found the section on writing learning objectives to be the most interesting. I didn’t think it was that difficult to identify and describe learning objectives for a certain learning point. However, I found this to be one of the more time-consuming assignments, as there is so much more than I thought that goes into each and every learning objective. Even the way it is written is scrutinized! Regarding what I learned this module, I really felt as though the group discussions provided added value to my learning. The weekly conferences were positive and thorough, and concepts I didn’t fully understand were made clear by a great deal of student input. One of the things I enjoy most about the conferences is gaining an understanding of topics based on the experience and knowledge of my fellow classmates. This, I believe, is an invaluable element to online learning.
During this module I was required to complete and submit an original context analysis, and I felt that this was a tough assignment because I had no experience writing anything like this. I did very well, surprisingly enough, and am proud to include it above. It was a great way to conclude this module. Overall, I felt that I acquired invaluable skills this module. These new skills have added to the knowledge I’ve gained so far in this program, and I feel that this may end up being one of my more favorite courses. I can feel my lack of confidence subsiding and I can’t wait to start the next part of this course.
Module 2:
This module we covered learning design, and since I am a very creative and visual person, I began feeling as though this topic was definitely in my wheelhouse. Since I did so well in the first module, I felt very confident jumping into the material and getting ahead of schedule. The topic of Sequencing and Strategies was a bit confusing at first. However, the instructor broke the content down into manageable chunks that helped me to properly evaluate developed objectives so that I could determine an appropriate sequencing strategy to work with. This module focused on the Expanded Performance Content Matrix, which was quite easy to navigate. I felt as though there was so much to keep in mind for the learning design, making this module a bit unnerving to maneuver around. There was certainly a lot of content to remember. In addition, we covered learner needs, content expertise sequencing, instructional strategies when utilizing objectives, and message design.
The majority of subject matter came directly from the course text, which I found more than useful for the frequent moments of confusion. At times when my confidence was shaken, as a result of the large amount of information to retain, the text helped keep things straight. With that said, I did learn a lot of new material that I know I will find useful in the remaining courses of this program. Even though I am not a fan of developing strategies, I feel as though this course is making me want to focus my career goals on instructional design instead of teaching and training. We’ll see if I feel the same after the course is over! Again, the course discussion provided valuable information that I could never find in a text, and I am continuously surprised at the level of knowledge my fellow students have. What are they reading to learn so much more about these topics? How much experience did they have prior to starting the master’s program? Regardless, I am going to absorb as much information as I can from them, and hope one day I’m able to apply that knowledge to a career in distance education. I am thankful that a couple of the students were able to help me navigate through strategies and the ridiculous amount of graphics, charts and maps. I don’t think I would have done as well without them.
Module 3:
The final module of this course, and I’m almost sad that the semester is nearly over. I’ve been progressing through my mock-course and am so happy with how it is turning out. I used WebTycho as a platform, since that is the platform I am most familiar with, and was able to design a near photo-copy of what a real course would look like. Outside of its appearance, the content is what I am most proud of. I put a lot of time and energy into the actual content, and I know my grade will not suffer as a result of that work. I am a bit worried about the length of my assignment. I did way more than was required, but felt I couldn’t convey what I wanted without including the number of slides I did. Outside of this assignment, this module I learned the following: the three types of evaluation, setting up and altering course content, composing a course evaluation, assessment and evaluation tools, and determining the balance of content.
It seemed as though this module brought the content full-circle, as it seemed as though I was redirected towards learner analysis. We again covered the importance of learner characteristics and abilities, which are vital to course development (what this module focused on). This module was interesting and provided insight into a lot of the aspects and elements I see on a daily basis in my own courses. It was an eye-opening experience being able to cover evaluations and assessment tools. I prefer to write essays as an evaluative measure, as I feel these more adequately convey the amount of content the learner has acquired throughout the learning process. It was also interesting to learn more about LMS and the different platforms available in the distance education world.
The weekly conferences, again, made understanding the content a bit easier. Their experiences and understanding of the content provided added perspectives to draw from, providing me with a more well-rounded learning experience. I was excited to turn in the final version of my mock-course, but anxious to see the score I received. I was so thrilled to get an “A,” as this is one project I put the most into compared to every course I’ve taken so far. I can honestly admit, after taking this course I definitely want to shift my track to instructional design. This is something I want to spend a career doing, and plan on letting my student advisor know after this weekend. The instructor made this course fun and interesting, and I remained engaged the entire semester. On to the next course in my MDE journey….!