COURSE SCHEDULE – EDCI335 SUMMER 2024

This course schedule contains links to all of the readings and required learning activities and assessments for the course. Bookmark it so that you can check it every week.

Learning Design for Technology-Mediated Environments

May 13 – June 28, 2024

Welcome to EDCI335! In this course we will be exploring the practice of learning design and its application to interactive learning environments. Follow this schedule for your weekly tasks and assignments.

There are three primary platforms used for this course

  • All course content can be found here on this WordPress site. You will also build your own WordPress site where you will create blog posts and all of the assignments for the course.
  • On Brightspace you’ll find the submission pages for each of the assignments, where you’ll post a link to your blog, and weekly Announcements.
  • We use Mattermost for questions, discussions and quick announcements.

Bookmark these sites so that you can return to them easily.

Week 1: Setting up the Learning Space + Learning, Motivation and Theory (May 13 – 19)

What is learning? What gets in the way of our learning and what supports it? In this first week we’ll be getting set up on WordPress and Mattermost, signing up for Learning Pod/Groups and exploring some of the foundational theories in Learning and Motivation that are used in Learning Design.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this week, you will be able to:

  • Define learning
  • Identify three prominent learning theories (behaviourism, constructivism, connectivism)
  • Describe some of the challenges and barriers to learning
  • Describe what motivates learners
  • Reflect on how you might use learning theory to improve your learning

Read/Watch

To Do by May 19

Week 2: Assessment (May 20 – 26)

How do we know when someone has learned something? How do we know that our evaluations of learning are meaningful and equitable? This week we take closer look at a key part of the learning design process – assessment.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this week you will be able to:

  • Examine the Reliability and Validity of assessment
  • Describe Assessment of/for/as learning
  • Define the difference between formative and summative assessment
  • How is feedback used in assessment?

Read/Watch

To do by May 26

  • Blog Post #1: Create a blog post in your WordPress site in response to the following questions (this is part of the requirements for Assgt 3 (Individual): Community Contributions – Selected Blog Post and Comments(25%)):
    • From what you’ve seen of the course so far and in the course outline, which of the assessment strategies in your reading this week are being used in this course? Which are not being used? What learning theories (from Week 1) do these connect to? How does it compare to other courses you’ve taken in your studies? Be specific in your examples and the theories and strategies that you’re connecting to.
    • Read and comment on the posts of your Learning Pod/Group members in their blogs. Link to these comments in your own blog. Comment on at least one post per week.
  • Start working with your Learning Pod on your Learning Resource Blueprint due June 3rd

Week 3: Learning Design I + Learning Design II (May 27 – June 3)

This week we take a deeper dive into what types of learning activities are most effective at promoting learning. We’ll be looking at David Merrill’s work on the First Principles of Instruction, a classic in the field, and learning how to design lessons around solving real world problems.

Read/Watch

To Do by June 3

    • Create Blog Post 2
    • Comment on at least one blog post of your learning pod members or another student in the course. Create a page in your own blog with links back to these posts.
    • Meet with your Learning Pod to discuss the instructional approaches you researched in Blog Post #2 and select one that aligns best with your topic in your Learning Blueprint.
    • Submit Assignment 1 (Group): Learning Blueprint assignment on Brightspace (due June 3rd). Only one member of your Learning Pod group needs to submit the assignment on your behalf.
    • Meet with your Learning Pod to begin drafting your Interactive Learning Resource, focusing on Assessment design. Look for alignment with your learning outcomes.

Week 4: Designing for Inclusion (June 3 – 9)

When we design for learning we need to pay attention to the learning environment that we create. Who does it serve? And who is excluded? What design decisions can we make that ensure that the fewest number of students experience barriers to their learning? The Universal Design for Learning principles are a helpful framework to check that your learning design is inclusive of as many learners as possible.

When have you felt excluded from a learning environment? What do you think could have been done to make it more inclusive?

Read/Watch

To Do by June 9

    • Read this week’s Announcements on Brightspace.
    • Create Blog Post 3. Comment on at least one of the blog posts of your learning pod members. Link these comments to a page on your own blog so that they can be reviewed. 
    • Meet with your Learning Pod to continue drafting your Interactive Learning Resource, paying particular attention to accessibility and inclusion in your learning design. 

Week 5: Design for Interaction + Technology in Learning (June 10-16)

How do learning designers think about interaction in online environments? How do learning designers encourage interaction? This week we take a look at learning activities that allow learners to apply the theories and principles that they’re learning, a practice that research has shown greatly increases learning retention. We’ll also take a look at technologies that support social interaction between learners, another powerful learning strategy.

What experiences have you had with interactivity in learning environments? How did the interaction (or lack of interaction) affect your learning? Your enjoyment? What impact has technology had on your learning?

Read/Watch

To do by June 16th

  • Read this week’s Announcements on Brightspace.
  • Create Blog Post 4 . Comment on at least one of the blog posts of your learning pod members or another student in the course.
  • Meet with your Learning Pod to continue drafting your Interactive Learning Resource, focusing on interaction design, the alignment of learning outcomes and activities/assignments with the affordances of technology. You will need to have a draft ready for review by June 19th.

Week 6+: Completion of Course (June 17 – 28)

This week you’ll you will use this last week to finish your Interactive Learning Resource with your Learning Pod/Group. You will also submit your blog for review, including all of your posts and comments, and choose the best post for grading.

To do by June 19th

To do by June 23rd

To do by June 28

Have a great summer!

Topics, readings, and schedule are approximate and may be changed. Although you are encouraged to follow the suggested timeline above, please feel free to work ahead at your own pace.