Time in Development 1 months

My Role Instructor, instructional designer

Tools used in Development Canvas (LMS)

Challenge

• Learners have difficulty in English newspaper reading comprehension due to their limited level of English proficency and lack of political/culture knowledge background. 

• Learners have no previous experience of reading English newspaper and have little interest in news that are not related to their daily life in general. 

• Big class size: 50+ of students taking the class, which means there are fewer opportunities to individualize the learning experience and spend more one­-on-­one time with each student.

• Some students are experiencing technological issues because they are not familiar or accustomed to learning through computer-based training. 

Solution

• I chose the blended learning method to deliver the lesson. In this blended learning, learners need to watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home while engaging in concepts in the classroom with the guidance of the instructor. 

• I chose Canvas as the learning management system to publish all the learning material and conduct online activities. Canvas allows the teacher to publish multimedia content in the system, set up discussion activities, grade and comment student assignments. Canva is also designed easy to use and supports mobile devices, so the learner can get familiar with the system quickly. 

• To increase online engagement, I divided students into small study groups and assigned study partners, so that students could share their ideas, try to solve problem by themselves, and learn from each other.

• I developed a communication plan to track the learning process and increase the teacher-student interaction. 

Result

• After reading/watching online materials, participating online discussion, and doing their own research, the learners are able to know the techniques about how to read English newspaper.

• Every single learner is getting high quality interaction with group members, partner, and the instructor, through which their comprehension skills, writing skills and critical thinking skills are practiced. 

• Learners feel more comfortable and develop interest in reading English newspaper.