Instructional Design Essentials (IDE) Blog Post Final Project

Here is the Final Project for the Instructional Design Essentials Class (IDE).   It is basically a shorten version of all the week's assignments.  So if you have read this, you have basically read the Week 1-4 posts.

IDE Final Project - The Plan for Class

Teaching Environment

The library instruction scenario I chose to use is a one-shot instruction session for a Freshman English course (ENGL 1301).  Students in this course are generally traditional students who are primarily in their first year of college.  The class always consists of 25 students and I will have them for a 75 minute session.  The class will be delivered in person, and I will incorporate a LibGuide so there may be online components.  Our classroom in the library has computers for everyone and a smart board. 

Students in this course all have a similar assignment which is to write an argumentative essay on a current issue topic.  As this is primarily a writing course students are applying practical knowledge but there is also a critical thinking component to deciding what to write and how to use sources, therefore the class is a combination of both the practical and theoretical.  In As an instructor, I try to give them practical knowledge, like how to access a database, and theoretical knowledge. 

Learning Outcomes

Students should know:

•          how to access the library catalog and library databases
•          how to formulate a search in each
•          how to determine if a source will be useful and reliable
•          how to determine if an article if scholarly
•          how to get help from a librarian

Assessment and Learning Theories

To start, I might give students a scenario similar to the following – You need to write an argumentative paper on offshore drilling.  Formulate a search using keywords to use in a library database that will give you credible and reliable results.  What databases did you use and why?  What search proved to be the most useful?

Learning goals for course	Ways of assessing this kind of learning	Actual-teaching learning activities	Helpful resources, people, things
how to access the library catalog and library databases	-Forward-looking scenario type questions- ex. You have an assignment for psychology what would be an appropriate database to use, etc.	-watch a video before hand -“real doing” going to the catalog and the databases	-online videos -online tutorials -Libguide
how to formulate a search in each	- Forward-looking scenario type questions (search in database with keywords) -Self-assessment – did you get good results	- in class brainstorming -“real doing” doing  search -reflective pair-share on how their searching went	- video on brainstorming - video on “ the right number of keywords  https://vimeo.com/12861706
how to determine if a source will be useful and reliable	-Forward-looking scenario described above	-Have students determine if a source is reliable and explain why according to the CRAAP method	-LibGuide -Librarian
how to determine if an article if scholarly	-Forward-looking scenario described above -self-assessment with tutorial	-have students determine if an article is scholarly and explain why -check self with tutorial	-LibGuide -Librarian -Tutorial at https://umich.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_4GzxIyQygbfNBU9&Q_JFE=0
how to get help from a librarian	Self-assessment – poll described above	-Quick poll about contacting a librarian	-LibGuide with poll

Teaching Tools and Technology

For my instruction class, I will be taking full advantage of the fact that our instruction room does have computers. The students will be asked to watch online videos and tutorials before coming to class, and during class they will be asked to use various databases and use online tutorials for self-assessment. Most of the materials will be presented on a LibGuide. Last semester, in another course I had students post keywords and synonyms in a Padlet I had embedded in a LibGuide.  I may try that approach again for this course.  Finally, I will have a poll embedded in my LibGuide as an additional activity.

Reflection 
I think that reading everyone’s post has been immensely helpful to me in planning this class and rethinking some of my own ideas.  Also, the materials on assessment have been very useful.  I have generally thought that assessment was something very formal and always geared towards something that provides data to show administrators, and although we do that sort of “assessment” at my library, it has not been as useful to me in determining the actual needs of my students.  This class has shown me how student learning activities can also be construed as assessment and given me ideas of how to incorporate these into a one-shot.  The backward design theory has also helped me really tie the assessment to the student goals.
 
Other Helpful Blogs 
I haven’t had as much time as I would have liked to read other blogs but I do plan on continuing to do so.  When I did read blogs I focused on those that were in situations similar to mine.  I also found the comments on my blog or discussion posts useful.  For instance, I am reconsidering having all my learning goals as they may just not be accomplished in a 75 minute one-shot.

Here are some blogs I found useful:  

https://abbyrovner.wordpress.com/2015/05/27/ide-final-project/ 
http://ucla-ide.blogspot.com/2015/05/final-project-julie.html 

I also enjoyed reading this one because I frequently teach a class similar to this Political Science class and I would like to revamp it as well -  http://m-librarian.blogspot.com/2015/05/ide-final-post.html

Critical Pedagogy

In general, I feel that critical pedagogy is essential to becoming a better instructor as is keeping abreast of the current literature.  I enjoyed many of the readings in this section and I hope to read more in the next few weeks.   In week 1, I liked the article/site on progressive pedagogies because I do believe that it summed up what we try to do with a student centered backwards design approach.  In week 4, I enjoyed the article on CMS systems and their impact on student learning.  It was a good companion to the blog I mention in my week 4 post on Libguides.

Instructional Design Essentials (IDE) Blog Post Week 4

This week's assignment was to consider the technologies used in delivery the course we have been developing in the past three weeks.

Think about the readings in regard to your final project for this course.

In a new blog post, answer the following:

1.    What technologies (and these can be old, new, or emerging) might be most appropriate for your final project? 

For my instruction class I will not be using a lot of new and innovative technologies because of the time constraints, but I will be taking full advantage of the fact that our instruction room does have computers. The students will be asked to watch online videos and tutorials before coming to class, and during class they will be asked to use various databases and use online tutorials for self-assessment. Most of the materials will be presented on a LibGuide. Last semester, in another course I had students post keywords and synonyms in a Padlet I had embedded in a LibGuide.  I may try that approach again for this course.  Finally, I will have a poll embedded in my LibGuide as an additional activity.

On a side note, I did just finish reading the blog post by Alison Hicks entitled LibGuides: Pedagogy to Oppress?  http://www.hybridpedagogy.com/journal/libguides-pedagogy-to-oppress/ and I found it to be very interesting and it would probably be of interest to others in the Instruction Design Essentials class that use LibGuides.  I am planning on tweaking all my LibGuides to move away from the “best resources” type lists and more towards more of  an ACRL framework type organization of material presented.

2.    Does your final project align with any of the trends represented in the Horizon Report you reviewed? 

The Horizon Report for Higher Ed did discuss the online, in-person hybrid courses and I think my course will be a sort of hybrid,  Even though there is a one-shot in person session, I am hoping the students will use the LibGuide both before and after the one-shot.  The report, also mentions the flipped classroom and I do try to include elements of a “flipped classroom” by having students view some tutorials before class. 

3.    How does your choice of technology enhance or improve instruction, or motivate learners?

I am still struggling with how I will motivate students, but my aim with the technology I use in the course is to be all inclusive and to address different learning styles.  I have learned that at the community college level, there are students that are less technologically inclined than others so incorporating very new trends is not always an option.  Like our readings stated, I try not to include technology for technologies state.  I will definitely be using the consider, review, identify, assess and select model before using new technologies.

Instructional Design Essentials (IDE) Blog Post Week 3

In Week 3 of IDE we discussed learning theories.  Here is this week's assignment:

Discuss which theory/ies might be most applicable to your instruction and outline a specific activity/assignment/exercise that would facilitate learning according to that theory.

I think that cognitivism and constructivist theories are the types of learning theories that appeal to me most.  The activities I use when teaching about keyword searching facilitate learning according to the cognitivist theory.  According to the video we were to watch on cognitivism, and the Learning Theory for Librarians article, cognitivism draws on prior knowledge, breaks down new concepts into parts, and often gives some sort of visual representation or models to show how these parts work together in the concept.  The activities I use for keyword searching follow this pattern.  I activate students prior knowledge by explaining that they all use keywords in google and wikipedia and I explain how searching in a database is similar to what they have already done.  I then explain how it is different and have them brainstorm keywords which are visually represented on a whiteboard with similar keywords or synonyms lumped together.  We then talk about how to form an actual search and I visually draw the searches for them (Boolean).  Finally, students use a bit of constructivism (constructivism video) by getting into groups and practicing what they have learned and presenting their searches, and the reasoning behind their searches, to each other. 

Next, consider what you learned from Small's article on motivation and address how you are going to motivate your learners/students

According to the Small article on motivation, "motivation is inextricably linked to the motivational quality of the instruction they receive."  I found this idea to quite scary.  It seems like many of our students are unmotivated to do research and certainly seem hesitant to become more information literate.  Does that mean it is all the instructor/librarian's fault?  I don't believe the article meant to imply this but certainly it is tied to our instruction techniques.  In the past I believe I have relied heavily on the "achievement motivation" discussed in the article.  I explain that they will need this information to do well on their paper and on their future school work.  After, reading this article I would like to try to add in more motivational factors, in particular "inquiry arousal" and curiosity.  I know that I have in the past had success in using topics like "tattooing" to find scholarly research.  Students usually doubt that there are scholarly articles and books and such on the topic and thus the class is a bit more interesting to them.  I think I will try and find more topics like this or use interesting facts or things that have been in the news.  Another librarian on our campus always opens up instruction with discussing the time Jeremy Renner was a velociraptor.   

This usually gets a good response from students who are generally just told not to use Wikipedia because it could be wrong and never given an example. They seem to be more motivated to use other forms of sources after seeing this.  Although, if I am going to try this technique I'd rather use this:

I will certainly have to think more about how I can motivate students to want to become information literate individuals.