Scope

The purpose of this Canvas course was to gain knowledge and experience in designing, developing, and implementing a Learning Management System to provide an online course learning experience. Overall, this Canvas course provides only a unit but could be included in the overall semester course of any high school Psychology class. This assignment included information from all units of the EDET 755 course and was used as proof that I can successfully create an online course.

Role

This Canvas course was designed and developed independently by me. I was also the SME, as I have years of experience teaching the content in an in-person and blended learning setting.

Instructional Design

When designing and developing this course, learner characteristics, instructional objectives, content sequencing, instructional strategies, evaluation instruments and development of instruction were utilized. The MRK model was utilized by incorporating content sequencing to present the course information in a way to help the learner understand better (Morrison et.al., 2013). This was present in the Canvas course by having students complete the modules in order. Aspects from the MRK model is also evident with pre-instructional strategies such as an overview and objectives being provided.  The design phase in ADDIE was also utilized to design this course by selecting instructional methods and medias (Allen, 2006).

Related Performance Indicators

AECT Standard 1: Candidates demonstrate the knowledge necessary to create, use, assess, and manage theoretical and practical application of educational technologies and processes (Association for Educational Communications and Technology, 2012).

Indicators:

• Creating: Candidates demonstrate the ability to create instructional materials and learning environments using a variety of systems approaches.

• Using: Candidates demonstrate the ability to select and use technological resources and processes to support student learning and to enhance their pedagogy.

Reflection

When creating this course in the learning management system Canvas, it was neat to see it from the aspect of an instructor as I only had experience with Canvas as a student. I also got to explore Canvas and see just how different it is from the other LMS’s I have utilized in the past to gain a better since of the pros and cons of each. For example, Canvas has a more minimalist and updated look than Schoology, whereas Schoology has more assessment tools that incorporate labeling images. As for creating my course on Canvas, I felt the course was a great example of the overall types of assessments I utilize and incorporate in my teaching, like utilizing projects, video quizzes, and assignments. I feel this course would be just as effective online as in person. Overall, my experience with creating a course on Canvas was positive, and I would gladly have Canvas as the LMS my job utilizes. The only struggles I found when utilizing Canvas were just the initial figuring out of what tools were best, such as whether to integrate a Google Form or implement internal Canvas assessment features. In the end, I utilized both features.

Creating a fully online course was easy due to my experience with blended learning. Due to recent events, I already had materials that worked for in-person or online. When creating this course, I, however, made sure to focus on videos for better comprehension since I would not be lecturing and only providing slideshow notes for the main course content. This made me reflect that I also should be utilizing more videos in my classroom, as students may comprehend the video and my lecture better. Additionally, an aspect of this Canvas course was to create an introduction video that went over how to navigate the course and what the expectations were. This was a new feature I have never done and overall, if I were to teach an online course in the future, it would be a feature I would utilize. I believe that incorporating a video presentation for each module or week is super effective for online learning. This provides the learners to see you and/or hear your voice and go over the expectations for the module, what is all due for that model, and for any other announcements to be made. I feel these videos make the instructor appear more friendly and involved.