Santos Alvarado

EDTC 6325: Educational Communications

E-Learning Design Project

Project Description:

EDTC 6325 – E-Learning Design Project. Students will develop an E-Learning Module using an open source courseware management system. The E-Learning Module will include a module description, outline, 4 self-contained lessons, and a final assessment. The E-Learning Module project is divided into six parts:

• Part 1: E-Learning Module Proposal
• Part 2: Module Description and Outline
• Part 3: Moodle Interface Design
• Part 4: Adding Content (Overviews, Assignments, and Discussion Activities)
• Part 5: Adding Assessments (Developing Online Quizzes)
• Part 6: Adding Multimedia (Developing Multimedia Presentations)

Brief Description of the project:  This e-learning module is stored in the Edtech Moodle Portal Page.  This instructional module will train teachers how to use "Progreso ISD Blackboard System". Participants will learn about this educational technology software, in which they can incorporate into the classroom that will enhance student learning and parent communication.

Responsibilities Met:

Responsibility 2: Design. The candidate will design instruction (or human performance strategies) to meet the needs of learners. Design documents and projects must show evidence of analysis of problem situation, awareness of unique characteristics of intended audience and implications for instruction, selection and implementation instructional strategies consistent with analysis of the learning situation and intended learners, selection and justification of appropriate medias, and evidence of both formative and summative evaluation strategies. 

2.1 Demonstrates ability to perform analysis and documentation of instructional need or opportunity resulting in student-centered, performance based instructional objectives based upon, and appropriate for, a specific audience.

2.1 The project proposal of my E-learning module outlines the instructional need for integrating Progreso ISD Blackboard System into the classroom. After the specific goal was written, the goal itself had to be broken down into sub-goals. Performance objectives had to be integrated into each goal to create a step-by-step instructional training. Instructional videos were created for each sub-goal, for participants to understand their responsibility.

2.2 Demonstrates ability to perform comprehensive task analysis of an instructional objective.

2.2 The instructional goal of this instructional training is as follows: Teachers completing this e-learning module will be able to use Blackboard to communicate with students and their parents and distribute course materials and supplemental resources. will be met if each of the five sub-goals is completed.  In order to met the instructional goal, the goal was divided to five sub-goals. Each sub-goal is followed by performance objectives that participants must complete in order to move to the next sub-goal. E-Learning Module

2.3 Demonstrates ability to select and integrate into instruction a variety of research-based instructional strategies.

2.3 Mayer's Multimedia Principles was applied when designing and creating the e-learning module. According to Mayer, people learn better from images and words than from words alone. For this reason, I created screenshots of all the necessary steps that needed to be completed for each sub-goals lesson. Detailed step-by-step instruction was associated with each screenshot. E-Learning Website

2.4 Demonstrates ability to develop and select appropriate assessment instruments.

2.4 Each lesson of the e-learning module had to assess the learning using quizzes, discussion questions, and assignments. Each quiz consist of multiple choice, matching questions and true/false  which asses the participants comprehension of specific lesson completed. The assignment will allow the learner to apply the skills they learned by completing an assignment and submitting it through the specific lesson.  The discussion questions are given so the participants use their critical thinking skills to reinforce the module lesson.

2.5 The assessments developed were developed to target the intended audience of the e-learning module. The results gathered from the evaluations provide feedback in order to make revisions and enhance the deliverables of the e-learning module.

Responsibility 3: Development, Utilization and Management. The candidate will develop, utilize and manage a variety of media and instructional technologies to deliver instruction to students.

3.1 Demonstrates ability to develop instruction using a minimum of three different medias.

3.1 The project was developed in Moodle, a web application to create modular internet-based courses. A various web 2.0 applications and software was used to enhance the e-learning module. SnagIt was used to create screenshots of my desktop for each of the lessons in the e-learning module, and incorporated graphics within each screenshot. This was done to provide visuals for the participants to accomplish the each sub-goals objective. The use of Moodle was used to create and organize the e-learning module. The Camtasia software was used to create instructional videos for each lesson. 

3.2 Applies research-based rationale for the selection and utilization of technologies for learning.

3.2 The technologies implemented into the e-learning module were selected based on the Mayer's Multimedia Principles. The integration of visuals within the module was to assist the participants in completing the e-learning module. The Dick & Carey model was also utilized in creating the e-module.

3.3 Demonstrates ability to manage projects and evaluate progress and improvement.

3.3 The course instructor provided the students wit ha course calendar with activities and due dates. A printed checklist of the calendar helped me to manage the project. By having the project divided into sections helped me focus on certain parts of each of the sub-goal at a time. Once feedback was provided from the instructor, revision were than made based on the suggestions received.

3.4 Uses the results of evaluation methods to revise and update instructional materials.

3.4 Immediate revisions were made to the e-learning module after receiving feedback in order to ensure the goals and objectives were clear and consistent. This was done to ensure the instructional strategies were clear to the participants to achieve the goals and objectives.

Responsibility 4: Evaluation. The candidate uses incisive and relevant assessment and evaluation techniques (e.g., product or project which uses formative and/or summative evaluations). Candidate demonstrates the ability to evaluate quality of instructional materials and instructional systems using appropriate methodologies. Candidate also demonstrates the ability to use formative and summative assessment methodologies to ascertain the effectiveness of instruction in meeting instructional goals.

4.1 Demonstrates ability to use formative evaluation strategies to evaluate the quality of instruction.

4.1 Instructor and peer evaluations were conducted to provide me with constructive feedback and suggestions in order to improve effectiveness of the e-learning module.

4.3 Demonstrates ability to select a variety of appropriate assessment instruments and use those instruments to assess effectiveness of instruction in meeting instructional objectives.

4.3 Assessment instruments were used in this e-learning module: Discussion Questions, Quizzes, and Assignment. The discussion question was used to enhance the lesson objectives by having the participants use critical thinking skills to answer the question. Quizzes consisted of multiple choice, matching and true/false questions, and were developed to assess the participants comprehension of the lesson completed. Participants were required to complete an assignment which they could demonstrate their knowledge by applying the skills learning for each module lesson.

4.4 Documents results from formative evaluations and uses those results to revise instructional materials, and/or instructional development process.

4.4 Lesson deliverables were revised after receiving instructor and peer feedback and suggestions. Revisions were made immediately to ensure the instructional goals were being met, and in order to continue to the next part of the project.  

Modifications Made

The following modifications were made through out the course:

• Module description was too long, I had to cut down to 2 sentences
• Instructional goal was edited and revised because it was too long.
• Performance objectives were re-worded
• Performance Objectives were rewritten to add a verb to each sentence.