EDUC639: Assignments
1 Learning Environment Analysis Paper (10% of grade)
In preparation for designing your own technology-assisted learning environment, this activity provides an opportunity for you to practice analyzing contexts of learning designed by others. This is NOT an evaluation of whether the environment was successful in achieving its goal. More centrally, itis important to focus on “uncovering” the assumptions that appear to guide the design and practice in this setting, and to consider how those assumptions align or differ from your own. This is an individual paper (5 pgs) in which you will analyze a learning context of your choice. In your analysis you are asked to do the following:
Briefly describe the context and participants of the learning environment which you observed
Identify one of the key goals for understanding/learning within this context
Describe in detail how technology-assisted and other activities were designed to support that learning goal. What assumptions (about learners, learning, teaching, content, etc.) can you infer from the structure of these activities?
Imagine yourself as a teacher or learner in this environment. What things do you think would most influence your participation in this learning environment? In what ways do your own assumptions, expectations, goals, experiences align or differ from those observed in this environment?
2 Design Project and Practice (70% of grade)
In this class you will design a technology-assisted learning environment. This project is intended to provide an opportunity to meaningfully integrate and apply topics of discussion from the course. Students are strongly encouraged to work in small groups (approx 2-4 students), formed around shared interests in particular groups of learners and/or subject areas. Your final project should describe how you would structure/design a learning environment to support your targeted learning goals. Example lesson plans and materials should be included.
Design teams are expected to identify and build a relationship with a targeted “user” community for their learning environment. Some students may already be engaged in the design of learning environments and/or have an existing relationship with a community which has specific learning needs and goals. Design groups are strongly encouraged to build upon these experiences and relationships. Groups that come together around a shared learning interest but have no prior relationship with a targeted learning community will be assisted by the instructor in building those connections for this course. The design project consists on the following milestones. Design teams will create a webpage for their design. All related activities and presentations will be posted in the design’s webpage. On completion, the design’s webpage will serve as an electronic portfolio for the project.
2.1 Needs analysis (Due March 16th)
Each group will conduct a needs analysis to inform the design of the targeted learning environment. This analysis will be shared and discussed in class through powerpoint presentations. Each group will create a blog to present their needs analysis and, later on, their preliminary design to facilitate peer reviewing. Your group’s needs analysis should be framed with a specific learning community in mind and consider the following:
· Enduring understanding: Describe what you want learners to understand and/or be able to do. What motivates your choice of focus? What is difficult about learning the targeted understandings/skills? What’s worth “uncoverage”?
· Related learning challenges: What do you anticipate will be especially difficult in supporting learners toward your enduring understanding? What learning challenges do you expect to encounter?
· Target audience: Describe the targeted learner group. What are the design considerations related to this group of learners? (e.g. prior experience and knowledge, motivations, challenges, needs)
· Target site of implementation: Describe a context in which your learning environment might be used. How is your enduring understanding currently being addressed in this setting? (successes and failures, available resources and constraints)
2.2 Design Studio Presentations (Due Mar. 21st)
Each group will present a preliminary design to the class. This presentation will outline your group’s response to the issues identified in your needs analysis. In the design studio, you should be able to describe the overall approach you have decided to take in your design and the progress you have made so far. Your presentation should recap the general information (e.g. enduring understanding, learners, context of implementation) and describe in detail the technologies, activities, assignments, and participation structures you have planned to support your targeted learning goals. Your design should articulate a theory of learning and guiding design principles (as informed by class readings and discussions). The goal is to provide an opportunity to receive feedback from peers in support of preparing your final design projects. The presentation will also be made available in individual groups’ blogs for peer reviewing.
2.3 Design Studio Peer Feedback (due March 26th )
Each student will be assigned as a reviewer to another design group and be responsible for posting a feedback response to the design studio presentation. In the role of peer reviewer, you are asked to a) “mirror” back to the group what you understand as their working assumptions, b) ask clarifying questions about things that may need elaboration, c) reflect on what would best support YOU as a hypothetical learner in this environment, and d) share resources and suggestions.
2.4 Presentation of final design portfolio (due Apr. 16th)
On the last day of class, each group will have completed and posted the final design on the design’s webpage. Oral presentations of the designs will also be scheduled for the final day of class. The presentations will be open for GSE faculty and students to attend. They should recap information from the design studio presentations and provide more detailed and/or developed descriptions of your essential question, the use of technology in planned learning activities, assignments, materials and assessments.
3 Reviews of the readings and class participation (20%).
Everyone in this class, the instructor included, is considered both a learner and a teacher. The richness and meaningfulness of this course will depend greatly on the contribution of each member. Participation in classroom discussion is expected as well as class attendance and punctuality. Weekly reviews of the assigned readings will be posted on the class’s blog.
Acknowledgements: The content of the class activities and assignmnets is heavily influenced and at times verbatim taken from the syllabus that Dr Lisa Bouillion had created when she taught this course.