Artefact 2 | A Learning Object

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(2) Instructional Design & Development: These competencies involve applying instructional design models, concepts and skills to solve instructional problems in Distance Education. Examples of these competencies are (2.1) Discuss the implications of personal perspectives and epistemological orientations for the teaching-learning process, (2.2) Apply systems theory and systems analysis techniques to instructional design situations in distance education, (2.3) Describe and apply a range of learning and motivational theories to instructional design situations in distance education,(2.4) Describe the activities of the instructional design process and the advantages and disadvantages of using them in distance education, (2.5) Develop instructional products or learning objects in distance education, (2.6) Discuss the common criticisms and controversies relating to the use of traditional and emerging instructional design models in distance education, (2.7) Apply instructional design principles and models in distance education, in your workplace, or in other instructional contexts.

Artefact 2

I developed a learning object (LO) in MDDE 604 for use in the Power Engineering programs at BCIT. The LO was built with Udutu, the online learning and authoring software. I owe many thanks to my MDDE 604 professor for introducing me to Udutu. Working with this web-based application proved to be a very good alternative to proprietary presentation software and equally good support to the activities available in learning management systems. Artefact 2 is the Part A of my MDDE 604 final assignment. The following is a link to LO:

Artefact 2

Main and other supporting files can be downloaded from the "File(s) to Download" section.

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A Learning Object

This LO is a product of a series of assignments and underpins the inventive nature of web-based technologies. Developed through a conventional process (i.e. needs assessment, instructional analysis, student assessment, etc.), the LO is an example of how an alternative online course authoring platform allows one to easily develop and deploy a course module. It became evident to me that Udutu interface mirrors the instructional design process by permitting the designer to structure the LO around learning outcomes, provide multimedia-rich content (i.e. Udutu supports major types of graphic, sound, and video formats that are optimized for web delivery) and select assessment methods. In addition, Udutu allowed me to build a glossary and it automatically generated a course map that, I think, helps online learners to track their progress. 

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Glossary

Udutu's built in Glossary Tool
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Course Map

Udutu's built-in Course Map
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Reflections on the Peer-review

Developing the LO required a peer-review in which a classmate and I worked together by critiquing each other’s work.

I always felt lucky to work with high calibre individuals during the Program but I was nervous when I had to present the LO to my classmate for peer-review. Her comments were significant for me because I found out that I needed to improve the readability of my textual content (she recommended reducing the length of my sentences and the number of multi-syllabic words). On the other hand she was impressed with my use of media and organized, coherent and minimalistic approach to presentation. She also provided positive comments on the alignment of objectives with exercises and practical skills. In the end, the symbiotic nature of the peer-review process was valuable for me as it required a solid understanding of instructional design when critiquing my partner’s work and it also provided me with opportunities to improve my LO.

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Reflections on the Course and LO

MDDE 604, my sixth course, was largely a hands-on course where I had many opportunities to draw on my prior knowledge and skills that I gained in the Program. For example, in Assignment 1, I carried out the first stages of instructional system design process, which involved a needs assessment and proposal writing. In the needs assessment, I identified a problem relating to what the Standardization of Power Engineer Examinations Committee (SOPEEC) does not have in its syllabi but the operating engineers need to know when working in the Industry: basic understanding of how computers work.


“Engineers today, need to be fully conversant with the principals of modern Distributed Control Systems technologies and also have the knowledge and ability to troubleshoot and carry out repairs to these computer-based networked instrumentation and control systems.”
MDDE 604 Assignment 1


Next I looked into several models including problem, discrepancy and innovation models and I found the innovation model the most appropriate for this project as it could address the changes in the field of power engineering.

In the proposal section, I utilized systems theory to analyze the characteristics of the learning/teaching environment. This step was important for me, in that, it allowed me to better understand the various layers of the environment however, I now think that I did not employ a deep critical analysis.

Assignment 2 was challenging for two reasons. First, due to the controversies relating to writing behavioral objectives and second, the task of writing learning objectives. Some educators believe that writing detailed statements of learning outcome leads to lower levels of learning; there are studies suggesting no significant differences between courses with and without learning objectives (see page 2 in the supporting file). However, behavioral objectives are widely accepted as a necessary component of the instructional design process and the challenge is how specific or general the objectives should be.

Given the task of writing learning objectives, I was tempted to over-analyze the unit of instruction and ended up writing 3 learning goals comprising 10 corresponding learning objectives. My professor commented1:

“Personally, I would just have one learning goal and lump these together”

and warned:

“The level of analysis should be comfortable and logical – too much analysis and you end up with too many nitty gritty objectives and courses end up being overstuffed with content, and over evaluated – drives both students and learners bonkers”.

I think these temptations were due to my aspirations to put what I had been learning in 604 and courses that came before it to work. For example incorporating learning goals in three domains (i.e. cognitive, psychomotor and affective) and matching them with appropriate learning activities was important for me.  A detailed account of LO development is presented in the main supporting file under “File(s) to Download” section.

1:Permission to use this graded assignment as artefact was received by email on 11/25/2010.

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Learning Goals and Type of Learning

Learning Goals and Type of Learning | An Extract from Assignment 2
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@work | LO Repository

While I have not used the LO in my own teaching yet, partly because I currently have only one, it is the beginning of a LO repository that I would like to build. In this repository, I have plans to include interactive LOs for topics my students frequently struggle with and need to spend more time on their own than normally allocated in the course outlines.

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Related Competencies

Primary Competency: 2. Instructional Design & Development including 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7.

Secondary Competencies: 1. Problem Solving, Analysis, & Decision Making including 1.1, 1.2, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8., 3. Communication Technologies and Networking including 3.5 Apply these technologies in distance education and in real-life instructional contexts and 6. Management, Organization and Leadership 6.1

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File(s) to Download

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