Basics of Instructional design

I really appreciate the instructional material and the instructors of this program who presented everything in a decent way. I think I’ll be ready to create my own course in few months.

The collaborative learning is a key to human learning. So the interaction that takes place on Discussion board plays an important role. The ideas those may never come my mind are discussed here.

Many of the points discussed in the lectures were new and I was really surprised to read ”How people read online.” All these things added a new dimension to the way I perceived my course before. Instructional design is such an important component of any online or on-ground that it may lead students to either finish the course successfully or drop in the middle. A few basic things related to the design such as color choice, font selection, chunking information in digestible parts, questions placement, using cues, explanatory text, and many more things brought my attention to the fact that a course design is not simply putting some text together along with few presentations and videos. It is much more than that. As teachers we should redefine and redesign the teaching material such that it does not overload the working   memory of the students. The design of the course must align with the learner’s learning style.

If we want our students to pay attention to the material, it should be developed as a coherent structure, and integrated with existing knowledge. We should make sure that every media is relevant to the learning outcome and not included just for its sake. I think some interactive graphics within each section of the lesson should help learners balance intrinsic load with  germane events.

Discussion Boards work

I got answers to a few question though DB. That is why DB are so much important in online classes. Discussion forums are a fertile medium for sharing and development of the ideas. I usually learn more through DB as compared to the readings or lectures because learning is a collaborative activity. The forums which involved discussion on why e-portfolio is important offers multi-staged discussion and it encouraged a deeper level of learning and understanding. While finding answer to the this question I was pushed to extend my current bounds of knowledge and right on what I wasn't much aware of. Thus, I gained maximum understanding of the topic through reading and articulating. These kinds of questions develop experiential and reflective learning. They also enable students to articulate and re-articulate the topics those are being discussed and talked about. Discussion boards provide a platform of comparing ideas, open and transparent to all students in the class.

I liked working on the e-portfolio. I’ll have to work on re-building my resume as it hasn't be updated for a while. I’m not sure if a resume is always a part of a portfolio. I also don’t know if a career e-portfolio replaces a resume or rather it is a way to supplement it in the job market. I've tried seeking a job from last two years, so not very much aware of the current trends in the market.

Instructional Design Principles

After reading this weeks’ material I’m convinced that effective instructional design depends on sensitivity to the cognitive load which, depends on an understanding of how the human mind works.  There are many things about the presentation of the instructional design that I was not aware of. As I began reading Clark and Moreno & Mayer’s article I came to know how pictorial and verbal material is associated with cognitive structures.

I think that a presentation should be broken down into digestible ‘sub-sets’ alternating between a few seconds of narration followed by a few seconds of corresponding animation. Moreno & Mayer found in their experiment (2002) found that people with high-spatial ability have to put less effort in holding and manipulating mental images whereas low-spatial learners may not be benefited of simultaneous presentation. This may require them to devote more time in cognitive processing to hold mental images.

Moreover, segmenting helps in making meaningful subsets of the instructional material. I find when any video/power point is presented with animation continuously, with no breaks between segments; I can make sense from the first segment. But, the additional processes of organizing and integration of information presented in next becomes difficult because my mind is still processing the information presented in the previous segment. Thus, a useful practice is to use the technique that can be called weeding. Weeding reduces load and make the multimedia narration as concise and coherent as possible.

This week gave me an insight on designing my course using multimedia such that it can foster learning. 

Selecting an Educational video

The week started with a lot of excitement about the two courses I’m taking in the winter quarter. I read the article “Appropriate Use of Media in Education” on the very first day. The book Building Expertise: Cognitive Methods for Training and Performance Improvement by Ruth C. Clark presents very insightful ideas on the theoretical framework for developing practical instructional methods. I visited her website: http://clarktraining.com/  to read more about her.  There are many informational articles on the company’s blog. 

The article “Appropriate Use of Media in Education” discusses different forms of multimedia and their appropriate use. I totally agree with the point that, “. Video can help gain and hold the attention of learners.”

A few points came to my mind. I think these points are imperative while selecting and creating a video  for a classroom or a training.

Learners interest: While creating video learner’s vested interest in the learning, those help them to acquire knowledge or develop new skills, should be kept in mind.

Selecting an educational video:The videos must be selected after watching a range of educational videos/clips, so as to find the best fit for its intended purpose. There is a plethora of videos, ranging from home-made videos to the videos made by professionals. Therefore, one needs to spend time in selecting a most suitable  one.

Dealing with ethical issues: If you find a video on youtube or dailymotion or Vimeo it does mean that it is free for downloading and anyone can use it. A number of times the videos have copyright restrictions and can not be used without permission. For a free video, you always have to provide reference of the video just like we do it for a book or an article. 

Introduction and a summary: While  creating an educational video for a classroom or training, a good practice is to take a few minutes to introduce viewers to the key points and the highlights of the video they are going to watch. Similarly, provide a brief summary of the relevant points at the end.

Length of the video: What is the ideal length of a video. The answer depends upon the viewers’ age and the interest level. Any video between 8 to 12 minutes is ideal. It is best to present long explanations in the form of short clips rather than making a long video. This would retain the attention of the viewers and provide them a better understanding of the concepts being presented.

Quality of the video: The quality of a video matters a lot. While preparing a   video, a close attention should be paid to the sound clarity, lights(if it is being recorded live),and the streaming issues.

A Flipped Classroom

Created by Knewton and Column Five Media

How much do we know about our environment?

I keep reading data and findings in the educational field in books and on websites, but somehow I feel that a strong connection between the findings and the changes in education system is lacking. Researchers, practitioners and policy makers should work collaboratively making use of relevant, useful research in improving the education system as a whole.

When I was doing my M.Sc. in Environment and ecology, I had to prepare a research project for the final semester. I was looking for a relevant topic. I happened to visit Centre for Science and Environment located in New Delhi, where I watched a short documentary on sewage and its disposal, which is now available on youtube(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bEZgcGdeZ4). When people were asked the simple questions such as where does drinking water comes from and what happens to the sewage, many of them couldn't answer!

Rather than thinking on the topic the film was made for, I started thinking- how much do our students really know about the environment despite of studying various chapters on Environmental issues in the science books. Thus, I decided to do research on the topic ’Environmental Awareness among high school students’. What I found was that 40 % of the high school students couldn’t answer the simple questions related to the environmental issues because whatever they read was just the bookish knowledge and that was only for answering questions in exams.

 I showed my findings to the principal of the school I was working in. She immediately made an action plan for the next academic year so as to enhance the environmental awareness among the students. The plan included activities such as debates, dramas, tree planting, annual quiz, showing documentary films and demonstrations for students throughout the year.

Thus, my research findings helped in effective restructuring of the instructional methods in environmental science

Game mechanics

Gamigication.org defines game mechanics as the building blocks that can be applied and combined to gamify any non-game context. The purpose of a game mechanic is to present interactivity in a game so that it guides the player towards a fun experience. Game mechanics are more about specifying what there is in the game, how everything behaves, and how the player can interact with the game. Game mechanics are about helping players discover the need of being involved in the game itself. They shouldn’t alone be fun, instead, they should have enough fun to get players to stick with the process and find it useful. Using game mechanics effectively is very important in a game design process.

Some game mechanics have been used for centuries (money, points), whereas  others are relatively new such as feedback loops, virtual gifts and money, loyalty programs and leaderboards. Even in the simple game design mechanics that are technically complex. Some of the simplest games mechanics have been discussed by Greg Siering Indiana University, Bloomington. : http://citl.indiana.edu/news/newsStories/dir-mar2012.php

Another important thing to note here is that game mechanics controls the player’s experience by ‘removing some alternatives and emphasizing others.’ Game mechanics must be placed in opposition to one another to include the element of interactivity in a game. The game using only one mechanic presents no interactivity and no choices. The game mechanics should be woven much like the legs of a tripod, creating a space for interactivity so that players can operate within the game. Will Wright calls it a possibility space which is ‘the sum of all the potential gameplay experiences, sort of the wave function of game design.’ There are several game mechanics (as many as 300) and all games use mechanics. Game designers use different theories and styles to select the mechanics those are ultimately important to the game and to have a fun and engaging experience.

Take a look at Samsung Nation’s website(you need not log in or become a member!) using what different game mechanics to solve Samsung's business problem and bring more visitors to the site. The site was developed with so that consumers can interact with their products and write product reviews to register products that they've already bought. The website uses game mechanics like leaderboards and badges to reward achievements. The whole idea to encourage consumers to buy more products.