LEYI ZHU
Project Reflection
During my study in the IPT program, I developed several projects in different courses. These projects synthesized my understanding about ID theories and learning theories, and demonstrated my skills and competencies to apply those theories into practice. In this reflection part, I will elaborate what I have learnt from each project, present a self-evaluation based on my current understanding, and discuss my thoughts on how to redesign or improve the project.
Project 1:Accounting Training for New Employees without Accounting Background
Overview
This project was developed in the course EIPT 6143, Instructional Design I. It was my first ID project in this program. Based on my previous work experience, I designed an accounting training course as a part of the new employees' orientation program for an accounting firm. The goal of this training was to equip the new employees from non-accounting majors with adequate accounting knowledge. The training was designed as a lecture-based face-to-face course, in which I applied a direct instruction method with relative strategies.
Reflection
This project provided an opportunity for me to practice the instructional systematic design process. Based on Smith & Ragan (2005), I conducted the needs and context analysis, task analysis, learner analysis, instructional design, and developed the evaluation plan. Through this project, I learned the essential steps in a typical instructional design process. Actually, this process is not strange to me. I had learned similar process models in business courses. In my understanding, all these processes are related to finding the best solution to solve a specific problem. However, the instructional design process was also different because it concerns more about how effective learning will take place, which I am totally a novice. During the process of the development of this project, I was really overwhelmed by so many details. But now when I look back to this experience, I really appreciate this project which helped me build the blueprint of ID area.
Self-evaluation
I did a very detailed analysis work on this project based on the guidelines provided by my professor, Dr. Hardre. Especially in task analysis part, I classified the type of learning outcomes based Bloom’s taxonomy (Bloom, et al., 1956), Gagne’s classifications of learning outcomes (Gagne, 1985) and Anderson’s ACT* theory (Anderson, 1983). According to Simth and Ragan (2005), task analysis also includes information-processing analysis and prerequisite analysis. I decomposed each learning objective into its constituent parts as detail as possible. This step really was really helpful when I designed the instructional sequence because I have a clear structure map of the whole content.
However, constrained by my limited knowledge about learning theory and instructional theory at that time, the theoretical rationale for this project were not strong enough. I had not built my holistic design thinking yet. Especially in instructional plan design part, I proposed instructional strategies mostly based on my intuition and experience, then found the theories to support the strategies. This was totally to put the cart before the horse.
Overall, I viewed this project as an opportunity to practice instructional systematic design process and an enlightenment of instructional design theories and models.
How to Redesign
If now I have a chance to redesign this project, the biggest change will at the instructional plan part. Based on my current perspective about how effective learning will take place, I will not apply a very traditional instructor-centered approach to design this training course. My belief about learning is rooted in social learning theory and situated learning theory. Learning happens in a social context and learning is a process that individual absorb the information, integrate it with personal experience, and construct understanding with reflection.
Based on the project background information, I will use case-based learning as the predominant approach to design this course. In the previous design, case-study was also used as providing learner a practice to assess and apply their understanding about domain knowledge. However, in redesign, I will employ cases as enabling context (Hannafin, Land & Oliver, 1999) to establish the learning goal and situate the learning process in more meaningful context. Meanwhile, I will emphasize on group activity to increase the opportunities of sharing of multiple perspectives and positive interactions. I will still value the expertise of the trainer (who is supposed to be the senior manager) and design question-prompts for the trainer to facilitate activities. In addition,the trainer also provides modeling about the expert thinking methods through those question-prompts
For example, one of the learning objectives was: the learner can recognize the types of stakeholders and identify each requirement of financial statements. A case will provide as the context. The students will be required to discuss how many types of stakeholders in this case. Then they have to determine the three primary stakeholders. Each group will play the role of one of the stakeholders. The group will have to identify what kind of information they want to know from the financial statements and to establish the information disclosure requirements for the financial statements.
Conclusion
My redesign employs a totally different way from my previous design, which reflects my development in the understanding about learning theories and instructional theories. Before I get to know these ID related models and theories, my design idea was totally influenced and restricted by my previous learning experience as a student or a trainee. The program helps me get a deeper understanding of learning and instruction, based on which I gradually develop my own perspectives about how to design effective instructional interventions to facilitate learning in various contexts.
BACK
Project 2: Energy Consumption
Project 3: Enhance the Collaborative Learning in Active Learning Classroom​
Overview
I collaborated with my classmate, Qian Wang, to develop this project in the course EIPT 6423, Web-based Design in 2015 spring. This was my first online course design project. We proposed a web-based learning environment with a series of learning courses and a learning community to help learners to establish a positive attitude toward sustainable development and build long-term energy conservation plan in their daily life. Due to the time constraints, we developed four sub learning modules and the learning community to support the stand-alone course learning. In this group project, we worked together to determine the overall design framework and the structure of learning environment. I was responsible for designing and developing the first two learning modules by Adobe Captivate 8 as part of the individual work.
Reflection
The most valuable course I learnt from this project is the difference between informational and instructional presentations. Before this course, I had a very vague understanding about what was an effective web-based learning format. At the first design stage, we focused more on how to use multimedia technology to make the information presentation and content more innovative and attractive. With the progress of learning, I gradually realized that multimedia technologies were not only useful in presenting information, but also as cognitive tools to support the whole learning process. According to Merrill(2002), the first five principles of learning include engaging learner in solving real-world problems, activating existing knowledge as foundation for new knowledge, demonstrating the new knowledge to learner, and providing opportunities to practice and integrate knowledge. Therefore, an effective E-learning environment includes various absorb-type activities, do-type activities, and connect-type activities supported by advanced technology tools (Horton, 2012).
Self-Evaluation
In this project, I think I did a good job in incorporating different types of activities to provide learners with interactions to absorb and practice information by taking advantage of the merits of multimedia tools. The overall interface design and the learning flow are interactive. The theoretical rationale for this project was rooted in situated learning theory, which believes learning is situated. Knowledge is a part of product of activity, context, and culture it is developed and used. Therefore, I developed a specific goal-based scenario in each learning module, which made the topics more relevant and useful to learners’ daily life.
In addition, I used the Adobe Captivate 8 to develop the learning module. This was my first time to use this software. I explored different functions to realize the design ideas in various ways. This project provided me a good practice to use new software.
The area that can be improved in this project would be the task analysis. The learning goal we identified for this project was really focus on higher order thinking skills including both cognitive and affective domains. However, the learning modules I developed still focused on more lower level skills, such as how to calculate the electricity consumption, how to identify the pros and cons of different energy sources, etc. It seemed there still was a gap between our learning goal and the series of learning modules.
We argued that the computer-based program was more appropriate to generate objective feedback to learners rather than personalized feedback. Therefore, the learning modules were more focused on information presenting and practices with computer-generated feedback. As to say the activities to support higher order thinking skills, such as analyzing, synthesizing, and integrating, we remediated learning module by building a learning community for learners to share multiple perspectives and get peer or even expert feedback.
In terms of how to effectively link the community with the learning modules and how these instructional methods can cooperate together to achieve the learning goals, we didn’t provide a clear explanation for that. We just chunked a big problem into several independent pieces. A more holistic framework is needed to link all the instructional components together to achieve the learning goal.
How to Redesign
To redesign this project, I will try to employ the framework of open learning environment (Hannafin, Land & Oliver, 1999). The learning environment will provide an externally induced macro and micro-contexts. Macro level context provides learners with an overall and higher level understanding of the issue which aims to cultivate learner’s attention and interests toward the environment issue at a more comprehensive level. For example, the macro context for this project would be the energy crisis we as human may face in the near future and the consideration of the sustainable development of our earth. Micro context will focus on a specific problem that is narrow in scope. Micro contexts present the detailed tasks to be undertaken with relevant concepts and skills. Learners can learn relevant critical concepts and practice essential skills through the tasks. Micro context for this project could be exploring the green energies and their impact on environment. Micro contexts will present progressively challenges to support learner extend their understanding and capability to construct the awareness and solutions to the more complex macro context. In this framework, learning modules can be better linked to the overarching learning goal.
In addition, more scaffolding strategies will be considered. Conceptual scaffolding strategies will be stressed in learning modules, such as question prompts, to guide learners to what to consider and how to think. Procedural scaffolding and strategic scaffolding will also be addressed to provide the learners with hints about effective learning strategies, such as how to collect information, how to effectively use learning community to support learning, etc.
Conclusion
Our proposal for this project proposed a very broad and comprehensive learning goal to help learners to establish a positive attitude toward sustainable development and build long-term energy conservation plan in their daily life. However, we jumped into the detailed tasks design directly without having planned a holistic framework for this learning environment first. Therefore, there came a gap between our actual design and the initial goal presented for this project. To construct a holistic framework of the learning environment is the rationale for my redesign idea. At the time when I worked on the proposal, I had not learn any instructional design theory yet. I cared more about how to apply multimedia elements in a web-based learning project. However, when I review this project with more solid theoretical basis, I can identify the problems more clearly.
Overview
This project demonstrated my knowledge and skills about how to apply solid learning theories and instructional theories to develop effective instructional interventions. I designed this project in the course EIPT 6343, Instructional Models and Strategies for Multimedia Development. This project was a faculty training program, which intends to help faculty to apply effective collaborative learning principles in active learning classrooms to engage students and enhance learning.
Reflection
Unlike the previous two projects, this was my first project in which I intentionally applied specific instructional theories into the instructional plan design. My first project focused more on the instructional systematic design process and the second project addressed a specific instructional media -- web-based learning design. Therefore, the designs of instructional plan section were the most obvious weaknesses in those two projects. In this project, I also did a front-end analysis, but more attention was paid to instructional plan part.
Another valuable takeaway in this project was the understanding of how different philosophical paradigms influence instructional theories. I designed two versions of projects based on the same context. This practice really helped me to get a deeper understanding of instructional theories from different epistemologies.
Self-evaluation
Overall speaking, the two versions of design reflected my understanding about instructional theories under different paradigms and received very positive feedback from my instructor, Dr. Ge.
From an objectivism paradigm, the explicit goal of instructional design is more efficient “knowledge transmission” (Jonassen, 1991). Therefore, the instructor pays more attention to present and elaborate information. A direct approach based on Gagne’s nine events is a typical instructional design solution from the objectivism perspective. I classified the learning objectives into verbal information, intellectual skills and cognitive strategies. To illustrate verbal information, I incorporated videos and lectures to present the information based on the sequence of general to detail. Meanwhile, I designed individual practice and group activities to provide opportunities to develop intellectual skills and cognitive strategies. The overall instructional plan was detailed and comprehensive. However, I found the design of activities could be more innovative, especially because this training program was assumed to take advantages of facilities in the Active Learning Classroom and integrate the advantage of technology features.
Another important philosophy paradigm is constructivism. It maintains that learning is a process that an individual constructs the perception based on personal social and physical experience (Jonassen, 1991). I developed a conceptual learning model based on the problem-based learning approach, including six critical steps: 1) define the problem scope; 2) elaborate the context of the problem; 3) conceptualize the problem; 4) identify critical strategies; 5) develop solutions; 6) evaluation. In this model, learners are encouraged to inquire, elaborate, conceptualize, make decisions and reflect. Nevertheless, I did not take a good consideration of the learners’ level of cognitive skills in problem-based learning based on the feedback from Dr. Ge. Therefore, this model was not appropriate for the novice learner.
How to redesign
If I have the chance to redesign this project, especially for the second version, the design based on problem-based learning approach, I would like to incorporate case study considering the learners’ prior knowledge of the learning content. I will avoid oversimplifying the knowledge and the problem and I will not let the learners to jump into solving the complex problem directly. Instead, I will design an introductory/warm up part to encourage learners to share personal experiences and provide good and bad working examples for learners to compare and conclude the pros and cons. Through conceptualizing the characteristics of the cases, learners can be better facilitated to transfer or expand understanding to solve more complex problems.
Conclusion
This project provided me an opportunity to practice how to apply instructional theory to design effective instructions. Instructional design is a systematic process. It needs a comprehensive and thorough consideration of the implications from the analysis of need, context, learner, and task to instructional plan, and aligns instructional approaches and strategies with the underlying view of learning.
Reference
Horton, W. K. (2012). E-learning by design. San Francisco, CA: Pfeiffer.
Smith, P. L., & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional design (3rd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Merrill. M. D. (2002). First principles of instruction. Education Technology Research Development, 50(3), 43–59.
Jonassen, D. H. (1991). Objectivism versus constructivism: Do we need a new philosophical paradigm? Educational Technology Research and Development, 39(3), 5–14. http://doi.org/10.1007/BF02296434
Hannafin, M., Land, S. & Oliver, K. (1999). Open Learning Environments: Foundations, methods, and models. In C.M., Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (Vol. 2, pp. 115–140). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associate.