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Saved by Gary Motteram
on March 28, 2012 at 1:32:02 pm
 

Capturing experiences of designing and running virtual courses

 

WP1 is designed to explore models of the design process in creating courses in virtual worlds. To this end we have put together a series of questions we would like to ask our partners in Euroversity about their experiences in designing and running virtual courses. We will try to gather information that will help us to shape some form of ‘good’ practice in designing virtual courses. This document starts off with two examples of life-cycle models taken from the literature on which we could base questions to be asked to partners about their experiences.

 

We would be grateful for some feedback from our partners on a) whether we are asking relevant and useful questions to capture your experiences of designing and running courses in virtual worlds, and b) whether there are other elements of designing and running courses in a virtual world that we are missing, and c) thoughts on how we might go about collecting this data from our partners in the most efficient way. We would also be interested in suggestions of other useful models, or literature on this subject.

 

Here’s an example of the way life-cycle has been depicted in the literature for e-learning courses:

 

Based on Varlamis and Apostolakis (2006, p.60)

 

The life-cycle of the e-learning process from the planning and preparation of a course to the consumption by the learners is depicted in Figure 1. The life cycle, as presented in Figure 1, comprises of four phases, namely: the design phase, where the targets and requirements are specified, the production phase, where content is produced, assembled and packaged for distribution, the deployment phase, which requires the collaboration of learners in order to distribute the appropriate content per case, and the assessment phase, where the outcome of the whole process is evaluated.  http://fire.dit.hua.gr/~varlamis/Varlamis-papers/J6.pdf

 

Design

                  Specify targets

                  Learner profiling

                  Competencies

Production (resources and materials)

                  Content production

                  Content assembling                                           Content storage

                  Content packaging

Deployment

                  Collaboration of learners

Assessment

                  Learners and process evaluation

 

 

We can also look at the ADDIE model for a similar conceptualisation of ‘life-cycle’.

 

ADDIE Model

(Rod Sims see: http://www.jld.qut.edu.au/publications/vol1no2/)

 

The generic term for the five-phase instructional design model consisting of Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.  Each step has an outcome that feeds into the next step in the sequence.  There are probably over 100+ different variations of the generic ADDIE model.

The five phases of ADDIE are as follows: 

Analysis

During analysis, the designer identifies the learning problem, the goals and objectives, the audience’s needs, existing knowledge, and any other relevant characteristics.  Analysis also considers the learning environment, any constraints, the delivery options, and the timeline for the project.

Design

A systematic process of specifying learning objectives.  Detailed storyboards and prototypes are often made, and the look and feel, graphic design, user-interface and content is determined here.

Development

The actual creation (production) of the content and learning materials based on the Design phase.

Implementation

During implementation, the plan is put into action and a procedure for training the learner and teacher is developed.  Materials are delivered or distributed to the student group. After delivery, the effectiveness of the training materials is evaluated.

Evaluation

This phase consists of (1) formative and (2) summative evaluation. Formative evaluation is present in each stage of the ADDIE process. Summative evaluation consists of tests designed for criterion-related referenced items and providing opportunities for feedback from the users.  Revisions are made as necessary.

 

Rapid prototyping (continual feedback) has sometimes been cited as a way to improve the generic ADDIE model.

http://www.learning-theories.com/addie-model.html

A useful blog about ID:

http://michaelhanley.ie/elearningcurve/e-learning-development-project-lifecycle-1-introduction/2010/01/07/

 

 

 

Our version of questions to be asked about designing and running courses in virtual worlds:

Pre-course preparation:

Decision making process

What was your starting point in thinking about the design of the virtual course? For example, did you make use of any instructional design models from the literature or any other model? If you did not make use of any existing models, what initial decisions did you take to design your course?

If you used an instructional design model for your virtual course, was this model driven by any learning or teaching theories?  Similarly, if you did not use a model, was your decision making about the design of your virtual course guided by any teaching or learning theories?

Aims/objectives

Learners

Are students of other institutions engaged?

Have the participants received previous SL training? In which format [video tutorials, workshops]/ how long?

Logistics-timetabling

How will virtual worlds be implemented?  As blended learning, as distant learning, compulsory,…

How are the sessions organized? [number of participants/ duration]

Course syllabus  (didactics)

Have the activities/ tasks that are going to be part of the course been tested before the course?

Who has designed the activities/tasks? [instructor self or external]

Do all the activities/tasks have the same design format/criteria?

How are these activities/tasks linked to their actual course content? [if the course is not entirely given in SL]

What is the SL tasks/activities weight in the course grade?

                  Production (resources and materials)

                  What resources have been prepared for your course?

Do participants have access to preparatory documents before tasks/activities take place in SL?

During the course

Did learners have access to technical support during the sessions? [if so, in which form?]

What technical issues were experienced, if any? Most frequently experienced issues?

If there were technical issues, how were they dealt with/resolved? Most common ways of solving issues?

How was the interaction/communication between tutors and learners/learners and learners during the classes/outside of the classes?

Were resources shared/used/distributed effectively?

Post- course

Was there any formative assessment (week by week), if so, how was this done?

How was the whole course evaluated? [by what means-e.g. interviews? and who did the evaluation?]

Evaluation of tasks/materials:

Are tasks/activities evaluated individually?

How have the tasks/activities contributed to the goals of the course?

How have the resources/materials contributed to the goals of the course?

How has the evaluation been used?

Dissemination?

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