Declarative Knowledge

Declarative knowledge concentrates on one particular subject or topic. There are three types of declarative knowledge: labels and names, facts and lists, and organized discourse. Labels and names sort of connects elements of knowledge together. Facts and lists represents the relationship between ideas and concepts. Organized discourse is when an learner can extract and explain knowledge, from text, for example.

I liked the grouping of the three type of  knowledge and that declarative knowledge seems to be a part of other learning constructs, not just one area. This type of knowledge is a solid epistemology in that it really creates a strong foundation of this type of learning. As a Designer, I can use and  build upon this. For example, I can  map out a flow of learning from my concepts maps and use this as a base.

Chapter 9

Concept Learning

Concept learning involves grouping ideas or concepts based on similar characteristics.  Understanding specific attributes allows a learner to use that concept or idea and categorize it. This way concrete (physical) or abstract (cognizance)  ideas can be processed by a learner. Two strategies to study this concept are, Inquiry (discovery and exploration) and expository (based on evidence given).

Almost a basic concept to me in terms of what these types of learning represents. However, from the viewpoint of a designer, these are very important. Makes you think and take a step back to make sure you are using the correct strategy. For example, I am doing a 3d computer based type of learning, but I need make sure the learners are aware of concepts as well. For me, I am leaning towards a more Inquiry-based approach.

Chapter 10

Learning Procedures

Learning procedures are a step-by-step approach to completing a task. Declarative knowledge is addressed here, as steps are listed and are required to take until completion. There are two forms of these procedures: Simple and complex.

This is a relates my ID project in a few ways. I have a procedural based project, as students need to follow steps that relatively simple in nature. However, as the project become more complex, so does the nature of the procedure. Issues may arise that aren’t being addressed and now this learning procedure has gone from simple to complex. This is something I need to be aware of as I proceed.

Chapter 11

Principle Learning

This methodology deals with the relationship between what concepts are being addressed. Examples of these concepts are cause/effect and if/then. In order for this strategy to be effective, some prior knowledge is required. These concepts come in the form of variables and learners can then predict the “effect” or the “then” when one or more variable is changed.

In terms of my ID project, “if/then” types of issues can be very valuable in teaching. Students can sort of reverse engineer problems in certain situations by examining the effects of this or that approach. For example, if the rig is bound to tight in certain areas, what can the weight modifier do to help? How do these work together. These types of issues.

Chapter 12

Problem Solving Instruction

This method of learning deals with the practice of problem solving. Multiple principles and rules are used to solve a problem instead a specific one. This task incorporates many types of methodologies; i.e. declarative knowledge, learned principles,  cognitive strategies, etc… A problem may be categorized as well-defined or ill-defined. Well-defined problems are those where the given information and the goal is clearly stated and usually have a small range of correct solutions. Ill-defined problems involve more unknowns.

Problem solving seems to play a significant role within virtually every type of instructional designed course. For me, problem solving is learning. Learners taking apart or putting together pieces of a puzzle, is what makes designing a course so fun. Understanding the boundaries of the knowledge given is what needs to be focused on. A designer needs to ask themselves, “Can learners put together the concepts and answers with the given information?”

Chapter 13

Cognitive Strategy Instruction

Cognitive strategy learning entails learning and thinking strategies to develop learning and to help solve problems. This form of learning suggests that individuals have procedures by which they can control their own mental processes. There are two types of cognitive strategies: learning and thinking.

I can see the difference between learning and thinking. At first I could understand how they can be confused as one in the same. However, thinking strategies enable a learner to sort of process the information into different areas and categorize it. Learners can then learn by applying and putting the information into situations via practical application.

Chapter 14

Attitude Learning

Attitude Learning deals with the process of forming or changing a perspective, attitude, or belief about a topic. This method occurs as change in a learner’s behavior, and the choices within a given situation. Three main instructional activities are important to the changing of attitudes. Learner must see the behavior demonstrated by a role model, practice the behavior, and receive reinforcement.

Reinforcement has such a big part in this. I realize that you have to define what is being reinforced, but in terms of learned behavior, this is a foundation. This way of learning doesn’t apply too much to my ID project, sans, the good grade one would get for doing what is asked of them. But in that way, reinforcement is key.

Chapter 15

Psychomotor Learning

Psychomotor Learning includes learning to execute coordinated muscular movements requiring correct and precise timing. (Think of someone playing a guitar.) Some skills require just a few steps (discrete) while others require a multiple of steps (continuous). Psychomotor skills can be closed or open. Closed skills are completed without influence from the environment, while open skills have environmental influences requiring  the learner to make continuous adjustments.

This learning method doesn’t really play too much into my ID project. There is the issues of actively using a keyboard and mouse, so there is that type of learning. This closed type of skill would be inherent in making a strictly computer based training module. Having said that, I appreciate this type of understanding. As designer, I think it is very easy to forget the physical when it comes to creating.

Smith, P. L., & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional design. Hoboken, N.J.: J. Wiley & Sons.

Click graphic to enlarge

Click graphic to enlarge

Users: Workshop participants include university faculty and professional staff with little to no familiarity with an iPad. Users may have used other mobile devices like phones, e-readers or tablets in the past. Reading level and diagram reading skills should be ranked as high.

Solution: These graphics were created to provide to first time iPad Users when they initially receive their device. Providing these graphics will help to break down what’s included with the device (a USB cable, charger, and a set of standard apps.)

The organization of the “Standard Apps” graphic proved to be a bit tricky. Users should walk away with the sense that all of the apps are equally important and separate from each other. Using the concept of chunking (as discussed on page 148), I arranged the app icons so that they were evenly spaced and recognizable. I also used chunking in the first graphic, separating the charger and USB cable so that they were close enough that they appeared related, but far enough apart that it apparent that they were two separate items. I also think labeling the two items helps to explain that they are separate.

User-Test: After having a friend review the graphic, he shared that overall he felt the design was strong and minimalistic. One suggestion that he had was to further increase the size of the app icons and move their labels underneath the graphics.

Changes I’ll Make: If I were to make any changes, I would increase the size of the app icons.

I had a very specific vision for this page in mind. Finding something that was close proved difficult. Once I settled on a template, I then had to add my content and adapt what they had to my vision. Surprisingly writing the content was difficult as well. I didn’t want to copy the example text, but couldn’t think of a concise way to say what I wanted. Without losing too much of the template’s structure, I was finally able to put together what, I feel, is a good home page. It links to all the important Ed Tech sites, including this blog. Hopefully I will be able to continue to use it into the future.

While I didn’t have to make the code from scratch, I was still a major player in the Design and Development of the site. The content is mine as are some of the ‘tweaks’ to the template. One of the hardest things for me to figure out was how to code the navigation menu. I played around with several types, and eventually got what I wanted from the code.

My EdTech Home Page

Daily Tasks

• Check and respond to email and messages from students.
• Check the discussion forums for new posts, reply as needed.
• Check for any completed assignments that have been turned in.

Weekly Tasks

• Review the upcoming tasks for the week.
• Check to make sure all hardware and software is working properly.
• Grade any assignments that have been turned in.
• Follow up with any students who are falling behind or who have not completed module requirements or turned in assignments.
• Contact any parents that need to be contacted – remember, contacting parents does not always have to be bearing bad news. Try calling a parent with good news once a week!

Critical Thinking Prompts

• Establish minimum posting requirements, and be sure to allow for adequate time between due dates to allow for reflection and meaningful responses.
• Assign groups for some assignments to promote collaboration between peers.
• Respond to selected posts to encourage critical thinking and engagement.
• Make an effort to respond to each student post (even if it is privately) to assure that all work is being read and evaluated.
• Model appropriate behavior and communication – remember, students will look to you as an example.

Part 2 – Discussion Forum Strategies

Suggested Activity: Find a creative way that you feel represents you the best to introduce yourself to other students. Create a comic, write a song, make a video, compose a story, whatever you would like – creativity is paramount. Some key things to focus on would be:

• Hobbies
• Family
• How you like to be addressed
• Personal anecdotes
• Personal musings
• Unique facts/qualities/talents that you possess

Suggested Activity: Send students on a scavenger hunt activity to find something that relates to the material. It could be a current event, a YouTube video, poem, story or photograph or specific website. Have students write a post about how the item relates to the material from the module, and then respond to others’ posts.

Suggested Activity: Present students with an ethical dilemma, and have them respond how they would deal with it. Do not allow students to view others’ responses until they post their response.

Suggested Activity: Allow students to harness their creativity, and have them create a “Wanted” poster similar to those found in old westerns, but have it describe something they wanted to learn more about. Whether it be a character or plotline from a book, a construct they may not have fully understood during instruction, or whatever else they feel charged by. Allow students time to respond to one-another’s “Wanted” posters to facilitate peer-based instruction.

Suggested Activity: As a writing activity, have students write about a person (real or fictional, depending on the lesson) whom they would like to meet. Have them elaborate on why they would like to meet them, what they would like to ask them, and to describe what they imagine their first encounter to be like in great detail. This will allow learners to see the individuals as whole people, complete with back-stories, personalities, etc.

Part 3 – Discussion Forum Assessment

Online Discussion Forum Checklist

• Initial post is made by the requested deadline.
• Post meets all the requirements for the assignment.
• The response is on-topic and furthers the conversation.
• Proper netiquette is observed, and posts are respectful.
• Any clarifying questions presented by peers are answered in a timely manner in a respectful way.
• Activity within the forums is consistent throughout the module and shows active engagement in the material.
• Student is actively engaged in and participates in group discussions and projects.
• In the event of personal emergencies, technical difficulties, or confusion regarding the set expectations, learners need to communicate with the instructor so that a resolution can be achieved.

Part 4 – Management Issues and Strategies

Lack of Participation

• This may indicate that students may either be lacking motivation, feel overwhelmed or are intimidated by the material or the instructor. Take charge of the situation early, and use active teaching strategies to engage students by rephrasing the question, or posting a response of your own. Contact students who are not actively participating via a private message and inquire about their lack of participation. There is usually a reason behind the behavior.

Students are waiting until the last minute to post and respond

• Quite commonly will you find students waiting until the last moment possible to post and respond to their discussion forums. If you find that your students are not motivated to complete their discussions on time on their own accord, set two due dates: the first for an “initial” post or response, and a second for collaboration or responses to peer materials. Make sure that the two dates are a few days apart.

A student dominating the conversation

• Frequently you will find a “tribe leader” arise if there is not an innate sense of leadership within the discussion forums. Try to take a more active leadership role in the forums, and if the student continues to dominate, contact them privately and encourage them to engage in deeper reflection before responding to allow others to voice their opinions as well.

Students have digressed from the original topic

• As an instructor, it is your responsibility to moderate the forums and help keep discussions on track. If a student presents an idea that is not correct, encourage them to further their reflection and perhaps make some additional conclusions. Offer some feedback to guide them in the right direction. Additionally, if the conversation seems to have derailed drastically, make sure to post a question, or a reflection which will bring the discussion back on track.

Students are not branching out ideas – limiting their understanding to what has been shared by others (groupthink)

• This can point to your original prompt not engaging deep enough reflection. Encourage students to reflect further by presenting open-ended questions that will encourage students to further reflect and answer with more in-depth discussions.

Students are misunderstanding key concepts

• As a moderator, it is your responsibility to make sure that the reflections and responses are correct and present correct information. If you see a trend in the discussions pointing to a misunderstanding, try to understand where the misunderstanding occurred and then present clarifying information in the forums. If it was an item in the module itself that caused the confusion, gather feedback from the participants on how it could be clarified or presented differently to prevent confusion in the future.

The course has a large enrolment, and voices are getting lost

• This is a common occurrence in large classes – the simplest solution is to create private groups for students to participate in. By creating smaller cohorts, students will be able to participate in an environment that replicates a small class, which will encourage participation, accountability and a thorough understanding of the material as students are less likely to disengage from the course.

Communication is aggressive or inappropriate

• This concern may certainly arise when students are passionate about a topic or conversation and may begin to take certain comments or opinions personally. Frequently this can be avoided by having the students complete a “refresher” course on Netiquette at the beginning of the term, but sometimes students need a friendly reminder to engage appropriately with one-another. If a particular student proves to be a repeated aggressor, communicate with them privately to express your concerns and address the behavior. If the issue persists, further action may need to be taken with administrators.

Original Idea

Suggested Activity: Allow students to self-assess their work at the end of each Module. Have each of them write up their successes, their challenges and what they wish they could have done differently. This creates an open line of communication between the student and the instructor, as well as allows the students to build a private space where they could be honest and share legitimate concerns regarding the course with the instructor. As the instructor, it is your responsibility to respond to each student individually and address his or her successes, failures and concerns. This will allow instructors to have their finger on the pulse of each student’s learning progress, and at the end of the course will give each student a narrative of their journey through the course.

I can think of times when I’ve visited websites and been annoyed that music automatically started playing in the background.  Often, there was no “off” button to be found either, so I tried to read the text faster or just left the site altogether.  I think that one of the reasons this type of situation started to be more common, including numerous pictures, animations, and sound effects as well, was because these were all novelty items that suddenly could be presented in a new way.  Everyone wanted to try it out, without thinking about the unintended consequences of their design.  Similarly, I can also think of visual presentations that have overused graphics.  It seemed that every slide “needed” to have an image.  Many of the graphics shown had little relation to the presentation or its key message.  Rather the author was trying to create metaphors of invoke a feeling among the audience, similar to the arousal theory that Clark and Mayer referenced when discussing the Coherence Principle.  Conversely, I have also seen presentations that have avoided the unnecessary distractions and kept the information presented on point.  The listener is able to digest the key points presented on screen while the presenter is filling in relevant details.

In light of the other principles presented thus far by Clark and Mayer, the Coherence Principle can at first seem to be out of place.  The Multimedia and Contiguity Principles encouraged text and graphics to be used together and the Modality and Redundancy Principles encouraged the use of audio.  Now, the Coherence Principle is saying not to use graphics and audio.  However, the difference is in the appropriate use of all of these elements.  Text, graphics, and audio all have their appropriate place in multimedia presentations.  The key is to keep things simple, easy to understand, and on point.  Overusing any one of these areas or overuse of multiple areas can only serve to distract and frustrate the learner.  When learners face a sensory overload, they won’t follow through with the desired learning.  This presents a problem for all involved.

I think that the Coherence Principle is valid and important to keep in mind when designing instruction.  After all, instruction is for the benefit of the learner, and so we will want to do all we can to present lessons that are easy to follow.  One area that I think breaks away from Clark and Mayer’s opinions, and they noted the lack of research in this area, is the use of background music and sound effects in games.  These have come to be an integrated part of nearly every game available, and while they can be muted or turned off, I’m sure most users would admit that the experience is not the same without them.  I think this becomes especially important with the rise of the use of gaming environments in education as well as games that reinforce learning.  The use of the background music and sound effects may prove more beneficial than detrimental in these situations.  It would be interesting to see research done in this regard.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction, 2nd edition. Pfeiffer: San Francisco, CA.

Mayer, R. E. (1999). Multimedia aids to problem-solving transfer. International Journal of Educational Research, 31(7), 611-623.

Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2000). A learner-centered approach to multimedia explanations: Deriving instructional design principles from cognitive theory. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, 2(2), 2004-07. Retrieved March 1, 2009 from
http://imej.wfu.edu/articles/2000/2/05/index.asp

During my first several years of teaching I was in violation of this principle. I told stories to try to capture the students’ attention, I included annoying animated gif’s, I even had slides so full of text that students intuitively tuned out. As my presentations evolved, so did my PowerPoint skills. Over the past few years, I have found myself spending more time deleting unnecessary information and simplifying diagrams and graphics down to their most rudimentary essentials. Consequently, as a result of this class, I am still trying to “weed” out any overly complex graphics or text that is not central to the main instructional goals of the lesson. Just the other day, I received a presentation on “how to register for classes” from a counselors that we are required to present to our class. Immediately after opening the file, I was turned off by all the text and unnecessary graphics and I knew my students would have a difficult time following the presented information. In a way, it reminded me of many of my old presentations and as a perfect example of what NOT to do when giving a presentation. While reading, I was also reminded about web pages and how my mind always subconsciously avoids web pages that are filled with extraneous graphics, text, and images. I think this is one reason why Google and sites like Craigslist have become successful; they are not inundated mass amounts of information.

The coherence principle, and other associated multimedia principles are all consistent with how we learn and how the brain processes information. For example, these principles, according to Morena and Mayer (2000) allow students to work easily with verbal and non-verbal representations of complex systems. The coherence principle, redundancy principle, contiguity principle are related in that they seek to not overload, or overwhelm senses. The aforementioned mentioned principles are also similar since they allow the brain to process and store information in an efficient manner; in essence, less is more.

Psychological theories are an inherent aspect of multimedia principles. Of the many learning theories out there, cognitive load theory plays an important role. As Morena and Mayer point out, “cognitive theory of multimedia learning draws on dual coding theory.” Moreover, Mayer (1999) writes, “humans have separate visual and verbal information processing systems” and “the idea that the capacities of the visual and auditory working memory systems are highly limited.” The coherence principle is based on the cognitive load theory and how we process information both verbally and visually. “Adding interesting but unnecessary material –including sounds, pictures, or words—to e-learning can harm the learning process by preventing the learner from processing essential information” (Clark and Mayer 2008).

With the emerging widespread use of multimedia these days, clearly more research needs to be done. The coherence principle at its crux relies on simplicity, which is a strong point to argue with. Furthermore, it seems like much of the empirical evidence supporting the coherence principle comes from studies done on sample populations consisting mostly of college students. As a high school teacher, I personally feel that many students these days experience overstimulated environments outside of school. Whether they are constantly listening to their mp3 player, playing video games, watching YouTube videos, they are always deeply immersed in a stimulated setting. Once these kids return to school, many of them often feel uninterested and subdued. The one aspect of the coherence principle I come into conflict with is on issue of background music. I think many game designers and proponents of arousal theory would tend to agree with me as well. As many of us know, the right type of music has spellbinding trance like characteristics that in some cases allow the learner to focus and even thrive in an educational surroundings. The actual academic content may not always be appealing to the learner, and music while not always productive for certain people may actually be conducive for students who often find themselves in a stifled learning environment.

References:

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). e-Learning and science of instruction: proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Mayer, R. (1999). Multimedia aids to problem-solving transfer. National Journal of Educational Research , 31, 611-623. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://edtech.mrooms.org/pluginfile.php/63213/mod_page/content/3/Multimedia%20aids%20article.pdf

Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. (2000, October). A Learner-Centered Approach to Multimedia Explanations: Deriving Instructional Design Principles from Cognitive Theory. IMEJ, 2. Retrieved April 5, 2013, from http://imej.wfu.edu/articles/2000/2/05/index.asp

I would say the post I chose did meet the criteria provide in my assessment tool.  There were three spelling errors, which would lower the Mechanics grade to 3-Good.  I pondered as to whether having no errors to get full credit is fair.  In a synchronous environment, having no errors would be a little too stringent.  In an asynchronous environment where one has the time to review and the availability of spellchecker, I don’t think it is unrealistic to expect correct spelling and grammar.

• What changes might you make in your teaching practice based on what you now know about facilitating effective online discussions?

I don’t teach online, so all of this was new to me.  Certain things, like responding in a reasonable time frame and monitoring the discussion, were things that I would have expected as part of an online course.  The idea of starting courses with an icebreaker activity was something I wouldn’t have thought was needed.  I teach in an environment with a revolving enrollment.  I don’t really have a “beginning” of a course.  There are two 3-week break sessions that split the year.  Coming back from these can be a little rocky as the students get acclimated to being back in class.  Having some icebreaker activities might be a good thing to do.

Another concept that I might try to incorporate is a variation of student-led discussions. For my GED classes, I have a set of 50 lessons that I run through, in a set order.  What I might do is let students have some choice in the lessons to be taught.  One way is to give them 3- 5 options at the beginning of class and, using their handheld devices, choose which lesson they want.

Another option would be to choose a student and let him/her make the choice.  This might be a strategy to get some of my less inclined students to take more of an ownership in the lesson, maybe motivating them to want to be involved.  I tell them all the time that they will pass their GED when they choose to put in the effort.  Some students take awhile to realize that, but once they begin to take personal responsibility to learn, they inevitably pass.  If I can find a way to come to that realization all the sooner, the better it will be for them.

• Summary

Once again, I struggled with how to begin this assignment (communication plan).  By the time I got through the readings, I noticed that the postings covered the same thoughts I had.  Instead of repeating others comments, I just commented on or asked questions about their findings.  I still wasn’t that much more aware of what I needed to include in my communication plan or what it should look like.  Then, James Russell posted if anyone wanted to collaborate on this project.  I immediately jumped at the chance, thinking that maybe others could help spur my thoughts.

Once we met to discuss, I was able to focus more on the assignment and it was more clear.  I found three previous students communication plans online.  Reading through them, I was able to develop an outline of topics to include.  By this point, I was kicking in high gear.  The only that could slow me down was the rubric.  Being a math guy, rubrics are tough for me to write.  Luckily, James took the lead on that.  I added a few thoughts to the final rubric.  When we had finished, I looked back and couldn’t believe we had come up with a plan that I thought was comprehensive and clear, especially considering my total cluelessness at the beginning.

As an example of a failure to adhere to the Coherence Principle, consider this screen from a product called Sensei Geometry that I worked on in 1991-92 (Sensei Software, 1992). Back in those days, Mayer had not yet articulated the Coherence Principle, and it was common for us to add additional material to lessons to make them more interesting. One of my colleagues was particularly enthusiastic about this, and though I thought it cluttered up the lesson, I lost the battle. Note that in figure 1, there are three buttons that students can click to bring up pop-up windows with more information.

Figure 1

The “Euclid’s Line” button brings up some information about how Euclid defined a line (figure 2). This information may be somewhat interesting, but it is not directly related to the instructional objective for the screen, which is to help students understand what a line is.

Figure 2

The button labeled “A Mystery” is even more superfluous. It simply displays a poem—and not a very good poem at that! (See figure 3.) These two pop-up boxes are clear examples of extraneous words, and it could also be argued that the graphics in the poem are extraneous graphics as well.

Figure 3

In contrast, here is another screen (figure 4) from the same product that generally adheres to the Coherence Principle. The objective of this screen from a chapter on fractal geometry is to introduce a new type of fractal. The graphics are germane to the text. There are no extraneous words except perhaps for the Sierpinski button, which brings up a pop-up window with a brief mention of Wacław Sierpiński, who first described it. (You could debate the degree to which it is helpful to know the origin of the figure name.) In addition, the screen follows the Multimedia and Contiguity Principles (Clark & Mayer, 2011). When students click the word midpoints, the midpoints of the large triangle are shown; when they click remove, the center of the large blue triangle is removed (shown below); when they click repeat, an animation plays that shows a process of removing the centers of the smaller triangles, then the centers of the remaining smaller triangles, etc.; and when they click Sierpinski triangle, the completed figure is shown (figure 5). The text and images are in close proximity to one another, and the relevant words are synchronized with the display of the graphics through the interaction of clicking on the terms.

Figure 4

Figure 5

The Coherence Principle is somewhat different from the other principles we have studied so far. The other principles talk about the value of using words and graphics as well as when and how to use them. The Coherence Principle is more about what NOT to include. It is also the most counter-intuitive of the principles—without the research that backs it up, it would be easy to dismiss it.

However, the Coherence Principle makes sense when you consider the underlying cognitive theory. A prominent aspect of cognitive load theory is the dual channel assumption—the idea that we have a visual processing channel and an auditory processing channel. Cognitive load theory notes that the capacity of each channel is limited. In order for learning to occur, learners must actively process the new information and connect it with prior knowledge, which requires some cognitive capacity. If you overload cognitive capacity, it will interfere with active processing (Sweller, Van Merrienboer, & Paas, 1998). So including extraneous information, however well intended, can interfere with learning. Less is often more.

Personally, I find the Coherence Principle frustrating at times. I would love to be able to fill out an idea more fully, provide additional background information and context, and make connections with other ideas. The fact that doing so may interfere with learning the core concept bothers me. I also have a concern that consistently omitting some of this material may ultimately harm learning by providing a shallower and less connected understanding. Clark and Mayer note that we do not know if the Coherence Principle applies to longer term instructional programs or to high-knowledge learners (Clark & Mayer, 2011). The key would seem to be to find ways to include this information as part of the overall lesson, but in a way that does not overload cognitive capacity. Perhaps the additional background, context, and connections can be incorporated into a later (or earlier) part of the lesson, or a lesson on a different day. These are important questions to resolve.

References

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction: Proven guidelines for consumers and designers of multimedia learning (3rd ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Sensei Software. (1992). Geometry [computer software]. San Rafael: Brøderbund Software.

Sweller, J., Van Merrienboer, J. J., & Paas, F. G. (1998). Cognitive Architecture and Instructional Design. Educational Psychology Review, 10(3), 251–296. doi:10.1023/A:1022193728205

1. What is the Coherence Principle and its most important constraints/criteria?

The Coherence Principle recommends that lessons and/or presentations are “uncluttered” and kept simple for the learner (Clark & Mayer, 2011). The most important criteria for this principle is that all media included in a lesson must pertain directly to the content being taught. Although we tend to “add sounds, graphics, and words” to “spice up” our presentations, unless directly related to the content, these are called seductive details. (Clark & Mayer, 2011). These details are interesting and entertaining, but distract the learner from focusing on the main idea/s. In other words, they cause an overload the working memory. However, the Coherence Principle does not recommend that we leave out sounds, graphics, and words entirely. Doing this could leave us with a very boring lesson. The principle suggests that we strategically use these elements. For example, if using a diagram or graph in a lesson, it should be simple to read and understand. The diagram itself is the enhancing piece to the lesson, therefore it doesn’t need to be “spiced up” with lots of color, music, or extra detail. If we are going to use an audio clip or music clip in a presentation, the audio file itself is the enhancement to the lesson, therefore, there is no need to add text or play music behind the audio. This only creates more stress on the working memory.

2. Describe and/or include one example of successful and one example of unsuccessful attempts to apply the Coherence Principle in actual instruction and training you have experienced, especially as it might be implemented in PowerPoint-based instruction and training. Have you ever seen this principle violated or abused? Identify the violations, including citations as needed from your textbook.

Many times I find myself surfing the web for PowerPoint presentations on topics that I teach. I have come across many that are very well done, engaging, and straight to the point. Then there are some that leave me asking, what was the objective for that lesson? As an elementary teacher, I constantly strive for ways to make learning fun and engaging for students. With this in mind, I think that at times elementary teachers (including myself) are some of the worst when it comes to “over-doing it”. For this analysis, I decided to pull up two PowerPoints that I have seen used in fourth grade classrooms.

Here is one example that I felt had quite a bit of distraction and violation to the Coherence Principle. Example #1. This is definitely a fun and engaging presentation, however, I found several examples that violate this principle. I will just point out a couple examples.Take a look at the second slide. There were two issues that I found with this slide. 1) the frog at the bottom that says “I love learning about the world around me!” This graphic has no relevance to the theme of the lesson, therefore, creating a distraction to the learner. He is cute, but should be left out. 2) The picture of the earth is a good visual, although it is blurry and difficult to see. The graphics included in our presentations need to be clear and concise. Now jump ahead to slide 32. Here we see the four hemispheres of the earth, and a lot of arrows. The arrows makes this slide overwhelming and difficult to understand. It took me a minute to diagnose where each arrow was pointing, so I can only image what a child might be thinking while looking at this slide. Overall, the presentation had great content, examples, and practice opportunities. Though, in almost each slide there appear to be a lot going on. Whether it be text size, color, font, pictures, background color, etc.

Here is one example that I felt showed the Coherence Principle quite well. Example #2. The pictures and text in this presentation are very relevant and do not create distraction. All of the text is done in the same format and size, so it doesn’t create an overload for the learner. The slides are simple and don’t contain a ton of content, again, this allows the learner to stay focused the main idea of the presentation.

3. Discuss the relationship of the Coherence Principle to other Multimedia Learning Principles examined thus far in your readings.

The Coherence Principle goes hand-in-hand with other Multimedia Learning Principles that we have explored this year. Each of the Principles we have discussed (Multimedia, Contiguity, Modality, and Redundancy) have a common purpose – that whatever media is used in a presentation, it is appropriate for the age/level of the learner, and clearly and simply supports the main theme of the lesson. Each Principle shapes e-learning presentations. We’ve learned that using graphics in presentations are more effective for communicating information to learners (Multimedia). We talked about the importance of labeling the graphics so that they are more easily understood (Contiguity). We then learned that moving written text into audio or spoken form is also more effective than creating a slide of just text and reading it to the audience (Modality). Next, we narrow in on the exact content we are including in our presentation. It is better to show a graphic and explain it rather than show a graphic and explain it while having the learner read text at the same time (Redundancy). Presentations should all be focused and simple to the main idea. This is where the Coherence Principle comes in. It forces us to choose our graphics carefully and meaningfully, so that we do not create distraction for the audience.

4. Discuss the relationship of the Coherence Principle to fundamental theories of psychology as described by Clark & Mayer in your textbook.

Often we think the more interesting and exciting a presentation is (with music, sounds, pictures, etc.), the more engaged a student will be and therefore they will learn more. However this arousal theory, has been proven untrue by psychology theories related to all of the multimedia principles we have talked about. Clark & Mayer (2011) tell us that interest is based off personal desire or want. We cannot make a student passionate about something, it must something that they want to engage in or learn about. When there is a multitude of sounds, graphics, text, and audio in a presentation it takes the learners attention off the main content. This relates to the cognitive theory of multimedia. This theory states that “adding redundant on-screen text [graphics, sounds, etc.] to a multimedia presentation could overload the visual channel.” (Clark & Mayer, 2011). The Coherence Principle requires that the media used in a presentation is purposeful. Meaning, that it is simple and to the point. The goal is that the learner uses his/her working memory to process the content instead of sort through the media to get to the content.

5. What do you personally like or dislike about this principle? Present a coherent, informed opinion and explain why you hold this opinion. Are there any limitations or qualifications of the principle (caveats) which the authors did not consider and, if so, what are they?

The Coherence Principle is actually one of my favorite, because it requires simplicity. The amount of time in a school day is already limited in general, so everything I do has a purpose or objective. Being a fourth grade teacher, we are covering a lot of fundamental skills. My students need to be able to perform certain skills fluently, which means I need to clearly demonstrate them. I have intentionally begun to make my PowerPoint presentations using this principle (along with the others that we have discussed). Over the last few weeks I have noticed a definite increase in my students’ ability to perform certain tasks. It is evident that they are more engaged, when I have less on my slides, simply by the questions they are beginning to ask regarding the content. Perhaps I also am more partial to this principle because I am generally a very organized person. I hate clutter. This trickles into how I teach and organize presentations. As for the authors missing anything in their limitations and qualifications, I cannot make specific suggestions. For my needs and the level of my learners, this principle is great. It’s easy to get caught up in the “cutesy” side of teaching (especially with the younger grades). In my experience, keeping things focused and simple have been a success.

References:

Clark, R. C. & Mayer, R.E. (2011). E-learning and the science of instruction. San Fransisco, CA: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Mayer, R. E. (1999). Multimedia aids to problem-solving transfer. International Journal of Educational Research, 31(7), 611-623.

Moreno, R., & Mayer, R. E. (2000). A learner-centered approach to multimedia explanations: Deriving instructional design principles from cognitive theory. Interactive Multimedia Electronic Journal of Computer-Enhanced Learning, 2(2), 2004-07. Retrieved March 1, 2009.

This communication plan was designed through a collaborative effort of James Russell and Joseph Bodnar.

ROUTINE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS

Check messages in reasonable time frame.  Conventional philosophy is to check daily and reply within 24-48 hours.  For me, I know that I personally like to get replies quickly.  My plan would be to make every effort to respond right away to messages received (as I would want), even if it was just to say I would look into the question and respond more fully later.

Provide ample ways to be contacted.  At the very minimum, provide a phone number and an e-mail address.  Other means include text and social media sites.  For more immediate contact forms (phone and text) provide time frames when you will be available.

Monitor student participation.  Closely monitor discussions for abuses (listed under Management Issues and Strategies).  By confronting abuses quickly, you can ‘nip it in the bud” (as Deputy Barney Fife would say).  Many disagreements occur over misunderstandings that get out of hand.  A neutral party intervention can allow for them to be resolved before that point.

Check social boards to keep abreast of concerns.  Social boards can be a great source for the teacher.  Participation is not needed.

Check tech help forums.  Monitor and provide students with assistance and resources to help correct such issues.

Make notes of students posts.  These will come in handy when providing feedback, interjecting questions and grading.

Check/update course links.  It can be very frustrating when students click on a link and the page no longer exists.  Regular checking of links, especially before the module begins, can help ensure students don’t waste time.

DISCUSSION FORUM STRATEGIES

Introductions.  The instructor and each student will post an introduction.  The introduction will include a favorite activity/hobby, something interesting they would like to share and identify a favorite lesson or activity they enjoyed or learned from during their school career.  Icebreakers are a good way of introducing oneself.

Learning Logs.  Students could keep a weekly log of activities, assignments, and readings they completed during the course,  similar to a learning log.  Each week the instructor would provide a list of expected work to be completed and during the week each student would create and update a post of work completed, struggles and obstacles overcome, what they learned, enjoyed or struggled with.

Forum Guidelines.  The teacher should provide detailed guidelines, including due dates, number of communications and type expected, netiquette expectations, etc.  Here is an example of a Netiquette page that could be used.

Student-led discussions.  Every student should have an opportunity to me the facilitator of a discussion.  The student should create their own question for other students’ responses and moderate the discussion by following the example of the instructor and this communication plan.  Here is a good starting point.

Quizzes/Scavenger Hunt.  To promote more reading of students’ posts, the instructor could take notes of key points made by students.  Using these notes, the instructor crafts a quiz or scavenger hunt for the students to complete, which would require them to read their classmates’ posts.

Groups.  If the class is large, it is a good idea to break it up into groups for discussion forums.  The groups can be permanent for the entire length of the course or they could change regularly.  Allowing students some choice in the group they belong to can help ease them into discussions.  There may be a need for the instructor to set the groups, but even then, a hybrid model would work well.  An example of this would be having students choose groups based upon the time zone they live in.  Each group would have a limited number of slots available per time zone.  This would force students to have to learn how to account for this issue.

Roles.  Role-playing can be a great way to have a discussion.  Taking on roles requires the student to think of an issue, not from their own point of view, but from that of another person – one that might be in total contradiction to their own.

Roles can also be used to group students.  Students can join a group by choosing a role in that group.  Then, the groups can be jumbled so that all the same roles are put in a group. This group would have a discussion to develop their points of view.  Then the student would return to their original group and participate in the discussion from that point of view.

Frequently asked questions.  This is a section that gets updated every time the course is taught.  When students have questions, they can search here first.  If the question is new, then it can be added on at that time and for the future.

DISCUSSION FORUM ASSESSMENT

Communication Plan Rubric

MANAGEMENT ISSUES AND STRATEGIES (CONTINGENCY PLAN)

Over-posting/Under-posting.  These two issues are related.  Sometimes under-posting (student makes only the minimal attempt to post) is a result of students being intimidated by others who post many times (over-posting).  In order to control over-posting, students should be limit to one post and one or two replies before the first deadline.  Over-posting is included in the rubric (above), but students will be given an opportunity to adjust before having reduction.

Not all under-posting is a result of over-posting.  A student new to online classes may be uncertain of the whats, whens, whys and hows of posting.  The may be naturally introverted and uncomfortable.  Like over-posting, under-posting can affect the grade and the student needs the chance to adapt.  Both issues require careful guidance from the instructor.

Inappropriate posts.  Inappropriate posts will be deleted and the instructor will handle this on a case by case basis.  This could result in receiving a zero for participation in discussion boards.

Confrontational posts.  Confrontational posts should be avoided if at all possible.  It is important to keep in mind that what you write could be perceived by someone else as confrontational.  Please be aware of your tone and voice when contributing.

Misunderstood posts.  Sometimes the above three issues can be the result of a misunderstood post.  A good rule to follow is to respond outside the forum in a document. Then, come back after a little while and review what you wrote as if you were a different person.  Do you have questions about what you wrote?  Does the tone “sound” appropriate?  As a course moves forward and you develop relationships with your classmates, maybe you can share with one of them for their thoughts.  Remember, that the nature of asynchronous learning is that it is more time-involving, so you don’t need to post immediately.

Late posts.  To prevent students from posting at the very last minute, separate deadlines are created for initial postings and responses.  However, waiting until the deadlines to post doesn’t allow students to fully engage with their classmates and get the most from the discussion.

Poor quality posts.  A good rule to follow is to record your comments in a venue outside the discussion forum.  Then, before copy and pasting your post, wait some time (like the next day).  Go back and reread your comment.  Does it still make sense?  If not, adjust and then wait some more.  Another idea is to ask a classmate to review your post first and ask them if they have any questions.

Technical issues.  Technical issues can and do arise.  Please contact the instructor as soon as possible with an explanation and he/she will deal with this on a case by case basis.

“Vanilla” posts.  Often, students find it difficult to post comments that disagree with another student’s post (especially among older, adult students).  A requirement that students post a certain amount of opposing point of view comments is necessary.  A good rule of thumb would be 20-25% of the post should be taking an opposing view.  Even if you agree with a post, it is a good idea to post an opposing view.  By forcing yourself to try and look at the other side of the issue, you might find some valid points, allowing yourself a more complete understanding of an issue.

References:

http://aliciaedtechlog.blogspot.com/

http://bcraneedtechblog.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/edtech-523-communication-plan-for-discussion-forums/

http://barbedtech523.wordpress.com/communication-plan/

My rubric below focuses on short discussions about homework problems:

I believe I meet 3 of the 4 criteria, but strive to work on the fourth, ‘Post helps aid understanding’. Although this is intended for my math class, I think we all struggle with a substantial post that adds to the discussion. I appreciated one of my classmates this week pointing out a pertinent issue of “what do we post when all the main point shave been made to a discussion?” This is especially true in larger courses, with a number of similar responses. I think the key is to either separate students into small groups, or make sure there is enough new material to add a comment. For my own class, I will monitor the frequently asked questions, and add discussion questions about a module if homework questions are not generating enough commentary.

In my own teaching, I have been redesigning a course I was given, and will be using message boards for the first time this summer. The summer session offers an intense 9 week session, so I am hopeful that students will have more interaction and engagement than they normally do over the 9-month version of the course. Hopefully this encourages my regular students to post, once they see examples of other students postings and conversations. I will require 10 posts per semester, which will normally work out to once every 1-2 weeks, so about once a day for the summer students. My initial goal is to encourage them to start a mathematical discourse, and help each other understand the homework.

Click graphic to enlarge

Users: Workshop participants include university faculty and professional staff with little to no familiarity with an iPad. Users may have used other mobile devices like phones, e-readers or tablets in the past. Reading level and diagram reading skills should be ranked as high.

Solution: This graphic was created to be used in a class discussion regarding optional accessories for the iPad. Workshop participants will use this grid to help create an informational sheet about accessories they might like to use with their device. In creating the graphic, I selected colors that were of similar hues and saturation and a mix of primary and secondary colors (p. 264, p. 271). I selected white for the text and icons inside each box to maximize contrast and legibility. Eventually, a guide for third-party accessories may be created by the instructor for this course and she would use the colors portrayed here to categorize and highlight different items.

User-Test: After having a friend review the graphic, he shared that he enjoyed the simplistic design of this graphic. One piece of feedback he provided was  to consider making the text in each box a bit larger and change it to bold.

Changes I’ll Make: The idea to increase the legibility of the text will help to improve legibility and is something I’ll add in my next rendition of the graphic.

Overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem

Module 4 was a transition period because I was ending one group project while I was getting started with another, and in between we had Spring Break, when my wife and I traveled a few days to Jordan and Israel. I agreed to work with one group to develop an online resource for online teachers and work with some other students to develop some discussion questions for the upcoming module.  This gave me collaboration opportunities where we met in Google Hangouts, shared a Google Doc, and exchanged friendly emails. I’m glad that I did both as I was able to use some of the work from the online resource as a reference in my communication plan.

Doing homework at the Dead Sea.

Additionally, I was able to work ahead  by reading the material for the next module so I could prepare the discussion questions I will present.  Lastly, I would like to comment about chapter 9  on “Transformative Learning” in Building Online Learning Communities. This chapter was very inspirational for me because it described so much of what learning online has meant for me.  It also aligns with my philosophy on learning and teaching.  This chapter meant so much to me, since it is affirming my desire to grow confident learners through online education.

The other course textbook, Learning in Real Time, helped me to envision the role of synchronous communication in online learning.  As I was reading through this text I had to think of discussion questions, but my mind was really opened to the power of synchronous communication for building an online community.

Self Evaluation Using My Grading Scale

It seems natural for me to transition my skills as a teacher to the online environment.  I enjoyed putting together my grading scale for online discussions. My experience as a teacher has helped me know how to clarify expectations and also prevent problems with students before they happen.  Of course, I imagine students that range from a typical pre-teen to a solid full-fledged teen, which are the age groups that I have been working with the last few years.  Also, my grading has been influenced a little bit by the IB Curriculum, which is my current grading standard.

It is also a little unfair evaluating myself with my own grading scale, and this is based on two factors.  First, I made the grading scale based on general ideas that I have used when I respond to a discussion prompt.  This will likely work in my favor because I know what I like in a response, because it is often what I do.  However, the second factor does not work in my favor so much.  I am probably my own worst critic, so using my grading scale with my perception would probably cause me to nit-pick details in my response. When I consider my experience, while using my own scale to evaluate myself, I would not make any changes to my scale.

Nonetheless, I think of my last post which responded to one of the students who posted a discussion question.  I know that I didn’t do all the tasks that were associated with the research of his writing prompt, so I would probably loose about 3 points there.  I make up some ground in the area of content for posting some relevant information. I really wanted to discuss Chapter 9, which was one of the required readings and no one made a prompt that addressed this chapter, so I took the opportunity to steer the discussion in this direction, but at the same time I did address many things in the response.

There were many opportunities to respond to other students’ posts and I know I met the minimum requirement, and my posts are generally very thoughtful, so I received all 10 points.  Finally, I am a language teacher so I have developed many skills for using language in communication.  I make occasional mistakes with my writing, but I usually make a point to review, and I pride myself on my creative approach to writing, especially the introductions.  I know I took care of these details in my response, so I received 5 points for each scale.  Oops! I did not include any picture or media to accompany it, but at least I made up for it in this post.  This brings my total score to 32 of 35 points in that post.

Changes to Discussion Facilitation

Even though I have not facilitated a full scale discussion yet, I can already imagine some of the challenges associated with it.  I already know what it is like to feel overwhelmed with reviewing many writing assignments, so I could imagine the work load easily getting out of hand if students are constantly posting lengthy responses.  I would have to get to know certain features of the LMS that allow me to review overall activity.  Even though I want my students to write with quality and to feel like they are writing with a purpose, I know half of my job is complete just by getting them to do that.  In other words, I won’t feel that it is necessary to read every word, especially for the student responses.  I would have to learn some teacher shortcuts for reviewing these, as well as encourage more peer review and accountability among the students.

This communication plan is considering the communication role of the teacher and the student.  It encompasses considerations for the administration, content delivery, peer to peer communication, and assigned work done during an online language course.  It is divided into four parts.

PART 1: ROUTINE ADMINISTRATIVE TASKS

Every Work Day

• Check General Questions or Technical Problems Forum
• Reply to direct contact inquiries
• Post any relevant updates in the News Forum
• Set up  or solicit a communication appointment with 1-2 students

2-3 Days Into a Module

• Check for activity on discussion forums and provide feedback
• Scan LMS for activity or monitor the flow of multiple step activity
• Dedicate time to grading or offering feedback from previous module
• Finish grading most activities from previous module
• Display and comment on poll results if a poll given the first day of the module

2-3 Days Before Module Ends

• Scan LMS for lack of activity and contact students or parents as necessary
• Check discussion forum and monitor student feedback
• Be available for an informal synchronous discussion (offer different times on different days)
  
• Prepare supplemental resources for the next module

PART 2: DISCUSSION FORUM STRATEGIES

At the Beginning of the Course

1. At this point, you should present your prepared orientation of the course, which includes: a teacher introduction, a tour of the course webpage, rules of netiquette, warning about password safety and other security issues, and completing an icebreaker activity with a teacher example.  Also review the  Orientation Guide for Preparing New Online Learners.
2. For the first activities, ask the students to update their course profile with a short biography.
3. Also, ask them to complete a poll or brief survey about previous experience in online courses.  If possible, allow the students to see the ongoing statistical results of the poll or survey, so they can compare themselves with the overall level of their peers. 
4. Lastly, whether it is an icebreaker activity or an assigned post, require the students to upload (with their post) an image within the LMS.  This will help them gain confidence with the technical aspect and the user friendliness of the LMS.  The Caption Contest is just one example of an icebreaker that will allow students to accomplish this goal.

Throughout the Course

1. For each module, the students will be provided instructions for posting in a discussion, as well as a minimum requirement for responses to other students. 
2. Each module will provide a prompt that sets the standard for content.  In the “Discussion Forum Assessment” (below)guidelines are provided for the quality of peer responses.  Equal consideration will be given to the use of language and the unique expression, or creativity, of each post. For more information, review the following section.

PART 3: DISCUSSION FORUM ASSESSMENT

Each discussion is worth 35 points.  The grading scales below will indicate how the total point values will be calculated for each discussion.  Review the tips for each scale.  These will indicate the best strategy to maximize your discussion forum grade.

Content Scale: 1-15

Tip: Read the discussion prompt thoroughly.  Make sure you have addressed all of the content requested in the prompt.  Some prompts will have more than one question.  Also, reread any written posts to make sure your ideas are clear for the reader.  Use appropriate structure of sentences and paragraphs as necessary. If the response to the content is unclear, this will affect your overall grade.

Peer Response Scale: 1-10

Tip: When responding to peers, make sure that at least two responses are thoughtful and complete.  For example, a thoughtful response goes beyond the “Good job” or “I like it” and reflects on what the other student has written. Here are some general examples: Your response can connect your own personal experiences to what your peer has written, it can question your peer to seek clarification or ask about his or her sources or opinion, or it could offer constructive criticism about their argument or opinion.  Be cautious with constructive criticism, since the person, who wrote the post, has feelings.  In order to avoid a war of words, be gentle and/or gracious with your criticisms.

Language Use Scale: 1-5

Tip: Make sure that you are checking for general correctness in spelling, vocabulary, capitalization, and punctuation. Also, because this is a language course, text language should be used lightly (not more than 2-3 occurrences in a post).  In other words, make sure your words are complete.  Smiley-cons are acceptable when appropriate.

Creativity Scale: 1-5

Tip: Each person is unique in their own expression, however to tip the creativity scale in your favor you can consider the following.  Look for opportunities to write creative introductions to your posts.  Consider inserting an image, drawing, or video that supports your content.  Add a link to text when you are referencing something that is not directly related to the material or it is not considered general knowledge.

Note: Inappropriate posts or responses may be removed and will affect your grade.  Depending on the severity of the inappropriateness, further action may be taken against the student as indicated in the Code of Conduct.  If your profile security has been violated or breached, communicate this to your professor as quickly as possible, and try to remedy the situation if you can (for example: changing the password, making sure you log out from public computers, etc.).

PART 4:  MANAGEMENT ISSUES AND STRATEGIES (CONTINGENCY PLAN)

When working with a group of students online, there are possible issues that will arise, requiring the teacher to respond with communication strategies.  Consider the following communication needs to confront the related issues.

Individual Communication

1. As noted in the section “Part 1: Routine Administrative Tasks”, an online teacher will be watching for inactivity in individual students and make contact with those students or parents a priority. 
2. Other issues that might require a teacher to make individual contact, is when a student shows any dominant characteristics in general, by trying to control discussions or responses, or perhaps he or she may exhibit dominant characteristics in group activities.  Although this may be difficult to perceive online, if there are any repeated actions by one student that may be deemed as unhealthy for group communication, it should first be dealt with by communicating privately with that student. 
3. If offenses have occurred between 2 students and it has escalated to a heated exchange, it may be necessary to meet with those students privately during a small group chat.

Whole Group Communication

1. There are instances when a teacher notices undesirable activity in public places and perhaps it needs to be addressed with the whole group. 
   1. If a heated exchange between 2 or more students escalates to an inappropriate level, the teacher may need to consider censoring communication and addressing the whole group about the problem. 
   2. A similar type of teacher intervention may be necessary when a discussion gets off track and the main topic is no longer being discussed.  In this case, consider posting a reminder on the thread or in a general forum area, which reminds students of the topic or redirects them, and if necessary, a thread can be frozen or removed if the discussion is creating a strong diversion. 
2. Other situations that may call for whole group communication is when a teacher perceives that there is either a lack of whole group activity or a common misconception among many responses. 
   1. In the case of misconceptions, the teacher can address this with more clarity about the instructions, or create an alternative presentation that describes the common misconception, or a presentation that either offers more guidance for the students or even shows a teacher example. 
   2. In the case of whole group inactivity, the teacher can reach out to the whole group through various forms of communication and solicit feedback and try to determine if there is a problem with the material or tasks. 
   3. However, what might work best is gathering information from regular contact with the students and use it to form a poll or survey that can be distributed to the whole group.  By soliciting the students in this way, it is less intimidating for them to voice their opinion or concerns, which are related to the course.

My selected objective is to create learning activities for my online classroom that will increase student’s interactive involvement.  The motivation in choosing this objective is my belief that more active commitment and involvement by the student in the learning process naturally creates more interest in the subject matter and that enhances their learning.  The specific objective of increased interactive learning is of particular importance in the online classroom and in social theory courses where students struggle to understand abstract theoretical concepts and identifying the relevance of old ideas to current social issues.

What I learned from this assignment confirms my belief that there exists a positive relationship in the online classroom between increased levels of interaction and student learning.  Research studies clearly show a significant relationship between high levels of interaction among and between students, classmates and content, and increased learning and satisfaction.

I also discovered some things about myself doing this assignment: 1) that there is much for me to learn in the field of education technology and, 2) that I am fascinated by the potential for increased learning through unique and creative instructional design.  I’m beginning to understand, too, that the creation and delivery of high quality learning is multi-dimensional.  For instance, the activities I have in mind to increase interaction in my social theory course will involve knowledge and skill in 1) adult learning theory; 2) sociological theory; 3) social media tools and applications for creating attractive and functional blogs, and Pinboards, i.e. Pinterest, 4) locating appropriate visual materials online; and 5) an understanding of any potential copyright issues. Taken together, at this moment, it seems rather overwhelming!

Subject Area/Grade Level: Mathematics/Community College

Objective: To inform the college of the advantages/disadvantages of the flipped classroom, as they consider moving to this model for the developmental math courses.

Pre-research Discussion:  The flipped classroom is the latest trend in teaching and learning.  Many teachers are moving to this model, but how effective is it?  An investigation will be done to see how this is working at other community colleges, and results will be summarized to my department leaders.

Post-research Discussion:  

There is an abundance of papers written on this topic, many of them recent.  It seems that most results support implementation of this method of instruction.

In the paper Peer Instruction: Ten Years of Experience and Results, an exhaustive study is detailed on the advantages of peer instruction, an activity similar to what would take place in the flipped classroom during face-to-face time.  The study indicates an advantage when incorporating this type of teaching when compared to traditional lecture.  In fact, there was a large statistical difference in the success of the students in each group.  The group that incorporated this method scored almost two standard deviations higher than the group taught in the traditional lecture settings (Crouch & Mazur, 2001).

In a separate study done at Ohio State University investigating the flipped classroom, Strayer (2007) describes his experiment in a statistics course done for his dissertation at Ohio State.  This is the type of data I am looking for but on a larger scale, and this is what I propose to do at my college.  The author did a controlled experiment in two of his statistics courses, one taught traditionally as a lecture, the other taught as a flipped class.  He found students resistant to the flipped classroom.  They felt it was unstructured and felt less comfortable in the environment than those students in his lecture course.  The good part about that each group had the same teacher and expectations, that bad part is that he only did this with two courses. You cannot draw significant conclusions from such a small sample, but I do see how there would be resistance(from the student’s perspective) to the model.

The study done by Stewart (2012) is very relevant to what we do at our school.  The results of this study show the advantages of using an online math program called MyMahtLab.  We use this program, and often debate the value of it.  This is a program we would most likely use in the flipped classroom.  The findings that support the benefits of this program are certainly encouraging and help to recommend the use of this program while students are outside the classroom.

I was not able to find sound statistical studies done at the college level comparing to large groups in developmental mathematics(one taught traditionally, the other taught with the flipped model), although there is ample evidence suggesting the benefits of the model overall.  I think the best advice I can give my department leaders will be to conduct our own research.

I suggest our control group will be 10 sections of our traditional lecture course for one developmental math course.  I design the flipped classroom and apply this model to 10 sections of the same course.  We keep everything we can the same (grading policy, exams, assignments, instructors, etc.) and compare the results.

References:

Riendeau, D. (2012). Flipping the Classroom. The Physics Teacher, 50, 507.

Crouch, C. H., & Mazur, E. (2001). Peer instruction: Ten years of experience and results.

       American Journal of Physics, 69, 970.

Stewart, P. (2012). Closing the math achievement gap: Institutions find success with

      MyMathLab. Diverse: Issues in Higher Education, 29 (3) 12­13.

Lage, M. J., Platt, G. J., & Treglia, M. (2000). Inverting the classroom: A gateway to

      creating an inclusive learning environment. The Journal of Economic Education, 31(1),

      30-43.

Strayer, J. F. (2007). The effects of the classroom flip on the learning environment: a

      comparison of learning activity in a traditional classroom and a flip classroom that 

       used an intelligent tutoring system. The Ohio State University.

The resources referenced in the episode follow:

Los Alamos National Laboratory: Periodic Table of Elements
Chemical Education Digital Library: Periodic Table Live!
Chemical Heritage Foundation: Path to the Periodic Table
Chemical Heritage Foundation: It’s Elemental
Science Net Links: Cycle of Life 1 – Food Chain
Science Net Links: Cycle of Life 2 – Food Webs
Science Bob: Q&A
Sheppard Software: Food Chain Game
NOAA: How Are Clouds Named and Who Named Them?
UCAR: Cloud Types
National Geographic: Clouds Photo Gallery

Music Attribution:  Sunshine (version 2) by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a CC Attribution 3.0.
http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1100628
.

The two AECT Standards that were addressed through this project were 1.2 Message Design and 2.4 Integrated Technologies.  This assignment required pre-planning for the substance of the podcast.  This needed to be thorough and detailed to produce a favorable result.  Also, this project made use of computer software for the recording, editing, mixing, and publishing of the podcast.