Lessons Learned in Design and Development of Synchronous Online Courses: A Case Study
The purpose of this report is to conduct a retrospective internship and field studies examining the design and development process of five synchronous online courses and, in turn, to provide a reflection on …. in continuing education.
Chapter 1: Introduction
- About the host organization
- Expected duties and outcomes
- The scope and objectives of the internship
- supervision method
Chapter 2: Literature Review
A summary of any background research or analysis that informed decisions about how to undertake the project’s activities and how the literature supported the project.
Background/definitions of distance education & continuing professional development, online continuing education, synchronous online education
Advantages and disadvantages of synchronous online learning
RQ1: What is the process for designing and developing a synchronous online course at SCS?
RQ2: What is the instructional design strategy for eLearning projects at School?
RQ3: What is the relationship between instructional designer and course developer?
Adult learning theory (design)
My point of view: One learning theory can never stand on its own and the School should not approach learning theory from one angle.
- Andragogy
- Experiential learning
- Focuses on learning through experience and reflection. This is a hands-on approach that is accompanied by a self-reflexive and metacognitive process
- Encourages students to collaborate while solving open-ended problems
- Quality factors for experiential continuing education
- Applying Experiential Learning Principle: Implications for instructional course design
- Transformational learning
- Uses disorienting dilemmas to challenge students’ preconceptions
- Encourages critical thinking
- Prepares students to engage and question their underlying assumptions about their world
- Results in a transformation of perspective
Best practices in online education (evaluate)
- Seven Principles for Good Practice (Chickering and Gamson,1987)
- Three interactions model (Moore and Kearsley, 1996): teacher-student interaction, student-student interaction, and student-content interaction
- Community of Inquiry Model (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2001): teaching presence, social presence, and cognitive presence
- Ways to spot level of learner engagement
Working with SMEs: Collaborative Framework
- Through a consultative approach
Instructional Designer as a thinking partner and chief online learning strategist
- The roles and scope of the instructional designer and SME in the framework of an online course design project in continuing education
- Effective conflict resolution strategies
- interpersonal communication skills to provide feedback and drive course revisions
Chapter 3: Description of the Project
This section should include a comprehensive account of the activities carried out during the internship, typically in case study format. What specific components of the Educational Technology program were instrumental in preparing you to carry out the tasks required by the internship?
Design Process (description of phases)
- The School’s online course design roots in ADDIE model (question about if it’s the best one?)
key components that to provide support to SMEs
- Aligning course content, learning outcomes, learning experiences, and evaluation strategies
- Learning Objectives In-Depth
Project 1:
Project 2:
Project 3:
Project 4:
Project 5:
Chapter 4: Reflections on the Internship Process
This section should address the following questions:
Strengths:
- How did you benefit from the internship?
Bridge theory and practice
- How did the host organization benefit from the internship?
What instructor said about my support?
Areas of growth:
- Did you encounter major gaps between your preparation and required performance?
- Did you encounter major problems in carrying out the internship? If so, how did you address them?
- Did the host organization encounter major problems? If so, how did it address them?
- Given the opportunity to do the project again, what would you do differently?
Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations
Based on the experience gained, discuss recommendations you offer to:
- The Educatonal Techonlogy Program
- The Internship component of the Program
- The Host Organization
- Future Internship students
