Unit 5 - Design Project

Unit 5: Design Project (4 weeks - included Thanksgiving Break)

Welcome to the last unit for this semester!! 

You've explored many different types of technology this semester. We've been using a textbook that's written for K-12 teachers to support their use of technology to facilitate learning - with an emphasis on the 4 Cs. But where is the guidebook for students and teachers in higher education? What resource can your peers use to find tools that help them learn? 

For the final project, you each are going to serve as a data analyst and an author by surveying college students and designing a page in the e-book titled "Tools for Learning in Higher Education." We'll use The Design Process (see the image below) to facilitate this process. 

1. Think about things that are difficult for college students in terms of their learning: studying, tracking assignments, keeping track of in-person, hybrid, and fully online courses, contacting instructors, presenting information, etc. 

2. Brainstorm by using mind mapping tools (see p.165 of our textbook) or creating some bullet points in categories - however you like!

   • • Whichever strategy you choose, you will "think aloud" — write about what you are thinking as you brainstorm. This step should demonstrate that you did put some time into really thinking about the idea. 

3. In the "Step 1. Define the Problem" section on your "Design" page, insert a screenshot, photo, embed, etc. (whatever makes sense to you) of your brainstorming. Right below, write 3-5 sentences about your initial ideas regarding the potential academic challenges of college students.

   • • You will refine this initial idea later on (in Step 3) by collecting real data from students - so please avoid writing it as if it's your final conclusion.

4. Don't forget to PUBLISH your page! 

   • • If you embedded any Google files, change the share setting first - it must be viewable to "anyone with the link"

In this step, you are going to create your own survey to gather opinions from college students. Creating a survey itself is quite simple, but creating "good" questions is not as simple as it seems. Bad questions could lead to responses that are not meaningful at all - so we will start by learning how to create effective survey questions. 

Note: In a program/service evaluation training that I designed last year (with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at UGA), professionals from various industries practiced a task similar to the activities below. These activities will equip you with a basic knowledge for creating effective survey questions, a job skill that is highly valued in many industries!

PART 2 - Create a Survey (2pts)

1. Make sure you've completed the quiz above before you start this part. 

2. Create. Use Google Forms to create a survey with 4-6 questions (here is the video tutorial for Google Forms if you need it). Your survey should be anonymous. With this survey, you will find out:

   • • • What makes undergraduate students' academic life difficult (avoid creating loading/leading questions!).

       • If students need specific types of educational tools to address their challenges.

       • If they've discovered any tools that facilitated their learning.

       • If there are other students who have the same difficulties as you or if there are other difficulties that you had not considered. 

3. Share. Share the survey link with undergraduate students (not including students in this class). You should receive at least FIVE responses - it's a requirement for full credit, but the more, the better!

   • • • To get the survey link, click the 'Send' button in the upper right, then click the link icon in the 'Send via' section.

       • If you want me to review your survey questions before distributing the survey, just email me!

4. Summarize (2-4 paragraphs). Post these items under the section, "Step 2. Collect Information"

   • • • LINK to your survey 

       • EXPLANATION of the rationale behind your survey questions (1-2 paragraphs).

       • RESPONSES of the survey: You may insert the results either as a spreadsheet or as graphs (Google Forms will generate both). Here is how to view and manage form responses.

       • SUMMARY of the results (1-2 paragraphs):  Describe and analyze the results in your own words.

5. Don't forget to make all files public and PUBLISH your page!

PART 1 - Refine the Problem Statement

1. Based on what you've learned from Steps 1 and 2, choose ONE academic problem that can be solved (or at least alleviated) by a technology tool. 

2. In the "Step 3. Brainstorm & Analyze Ideas" section, write 1-2 paragraphs that state the academic problem you've selected based on the survey and why you've chosen it. 

   • 1. • Make sure to be as specific as possible. For example, if you'd like to work on "time management", decide which part of time management you'd like to focus on solving - is it for allocating time for assignments? Planning out a schedule for a productive day? Making schedules to prepare for exams? 

What higher education academic problem are you solving: staying on task, keeping track of deadlines, contacting instructors, organizing notes, effective studying, staying engaged in class, etc.? In Step 4, you're going to design a page in our collaborative book with ideas, strategies, and tools to solve the specific problem you identified. 

Instrctions:

1. Among the 3-5 tools you explained in Step 3, choose ONE tool that addresses your problem most effectively or efficiently.

2. Visit our shared Google Slide and create an e-book page using the template (did you know your textbook was created with slides, too?). Please maintain the font and the theme, and follow the detailed instructions on slide 2. An example page is posted on slide 4. 

3. Use the slide with your name in the lower right corner - I've duplicated the template slide for each one of you. 

4. Insert the screenshot of your e-book page in the "Step 4. Develop Solutions/ Build a Model" section of your Design page. Make the image big enough so we can read yours.

   • • You're keeping a record of your initial work in this step - you'll make some changes in Step 6.

PART 1 - Provide Feedback 

The very nature of posting your slide is to present it to others for feedback. If you're the first one to post your slide/book page - you may have to wait a couple of days and come back to this step.

1. View at least TWO classmates' slides and post comments. 

2. You should include the following in your comments (see slide 3 for detailed instructions).

   1. • 1) Commend on what your classmates did well or what was helpful to you.

      • 2) Include at least one suggestion on how to improve or what can be added. 

3. Make sure your comments display your FULL NAME - whether in your username or in your comment.

**If someone already has at least 2 comments and there are other slides/book pages available - please spread the wealth :)

PART 2 - Receive Feedback 

1. Reply to the comments you received. 

   • • DO NOT "resolve" the comments (=clicking the checkmark of the comment) as it will remove the comments and the commenters cannot get credit for them. 

2. Please express gratitude for the feedback and share your respectful thoughts on their idea.

PART 3 - Post Screenshots

1. Take screenshots of 1) your feedback comments to others and 2) other students' comments on your slide.

2. Post them in the "Step 5. Present Your Ideas to Others for Feedback" section. Make sure to adjust the size of the images and organize them in a clear and readable manner.

   1. 1. • The goal of posting screenshot images on your website is to document your design process experience. So, it's perfectly fine if you receive additional comments on your slide after posting the screenshot - it would be ideal to post the most recent screenshots, but don't worry if you didn't.

This is the step to improve your design and finalize your work! 

1. Review the comments on your slide. 

2. Improve the content of your slide. You have the option to: 1) follow all the suggestions from your classmates; 2) select some of the suggestions; 3) don't follow any suggestions and make your own revisions. 

   1. • It's fine if you don't accept any suggestions because you're the one who understands your project's goals the best. Even if you choose not to use peer feedback, it may have prompted you to consider aspects you hadn't previously considered. You may also prefer to make your own decisions. It's entirely up to you!

      • Just make sure you improve your content in any way at this stage.

3. Upload a screenshot of your updated slide page under the "Step 6. Improve Your Design" section of the Design page, (again, make sure the size of the image is big enough to read). 

4. Under the screenshot, provide an explanation of what was updated and the reasons for these updates.

   1. • Feel free to highlight the updated sections by editing the screenshot with arrows or boxes.

PART 1 - Reflection Essay (6pts)

Please make a new Google Doc for the reflection and embed it on your "Design" page. Make absolutely sure that you change the share option (viewable to anyone with the link) BEFORE you insert it onto your website. If you don't change this option, I cannot see it - which means I cannot grade it. 

Spend some time writing about your thoughts on the following questions. Create a simple outline for your paper - some bullet points about what you will talk about for each paragraph. Your finished document should be around 800 words.

** Use font Arial 12pt, line spacing: 1.5, proofread for typos!

Include the following:

1. 1. What is your current understanding of the role educational technology can play in helping students organize their learning, support students’ creativity, and provide opportunities for inquiry and critical thinking? (references to specific tools and readings here are a good idea.) 

      1. • Remember that technological tools are NOT something that can solve all problems in classrooms. What are your thoughts on the roles technology plays in teaching and learning?

   2. Based on what you’ve learned so far, what are important considerations for teachers and students for selecting educational technology tools and/or solutions? 

      1. • You now know that selecting "good" or "state-of-art" tools is not enough :). 

   3. Which ISTE Standards  relates to the problem or tool you selected for this unit? Copy and paste the relevant standard(s) and explain why they are related to your work in this unit in detail.

   4. What’s an idea from our class that you can see using after this semester?

Proofread your writing with the grading criteria below.

• Do you cite and include readings from this course?

• Do you effectively demonstrate your acquired knowledge and skills?

• Do you demonstrate your own active thinking and engagement with the information and activities so far? 

• Does it look like college-level writing? - click here to see my expectations & suggestions. 

• Does it look like a final draft (no typos or grammatical errors)?

** You can write this paper in a couple of different ways: 

• • Option One: A standard essay that contains a paragraph or two for each of the questions listed above.

  • Option Two: A letter to a P12 teacher (choose a more specific grade range) to give an overview of how educational technology might support teaching and learning. 

  • Option Three: If you have a different idea for the essay, please check with me (hyejin.hwang@uga.edu) for approval by the end of this unit (Dec 1).

PART 2 - Last Greetings! (1pt)

While asynchronous, I believe this course - especially this semester - has created a great learning community where we've interacted and learned from one another. Now, it's time to share our final takeaways and extend best wishes to each other. 

In this Padlet, post your reflection by including:

• • Your biggest takeaway from this course. 

  • One tip (or more if you'd like) to share with EDIT2000E students in the upcoming semester. How can they make the most out of this course? (This may be shared with them!)

  •  An encouraging send-off for your classmates. Life in college can be fun yet difficult at times, so it's always a good idea to spread love and support. End your post with any supportive messages, best wishes, or an inspiring quote.

  • Leave thank-you messages on the others' posts!

PART 1 - Check Your Grade!

Now that you've submitted all of your assignments, please check in eLC that all of your grades have been recorded properly.  I know that you do your very best to make sure all of your tasks are submitted correctly - with shared Google Docs/Slides and published webpages - but sometimes mistakes are made. It's so much better to get it all cleared up before the end of the semester. 

Remember - all tasks can be resubmitted. You just have to let me know that you've made corrections. I DO NOT get any kind of alert when you post new or resubmitted tasks - you have to send an email (hyejin.hwang@uga.edu) to let me know. 

My goal is for everyone to be successful in this class and for the grades posted in eLC to properly display the work you've submitted - so you are helping me, not bothering me, if you let me know of an error or resubmission.

PART 2 - End-of-Course Evaluations

I always welcome feedback as it provides an opportunity for me to learn from you and to make improvements to our course for future classes. The anonymous end-of-course evaluation will be available here later. I'll send out an email and an eLC announcement when the College of Education opens the evaluation. 

Although you sign in with your UGA MyID and student number - your evaluations remain anonymous to me and I do not see the evaluations until well after final grades are posted in Athena. Thank you for taking the time to complete it.