Tag: instructional-design

Fostering Learning in Training

As part of my ED 601 course on Instructional Design and Development, I have been using the ADDIE Model to develop a training session for the teachers at my school. I am currently in the Design phase of this process, which includes determining the strategies I might use in the training. For this reflection, I am focusing on two strategies: assessing prior knowledge and incorporating multimedia instruction. In this post, I will discuss how these strategies foster learning and provide guidelines for using them. I will also share examples of each strategy.

Assessing Prior Knowledge: Pre-Assessment

According to Brown and Green (2024), identifying prior knowledge of a topic or skill is a critical component of understanding learners and designing effective instruction. Prior knowledge can be identified in several ways, including pre-assessments, concept maps, K-W-L charts, probing questions, and formative assessments. Since my training session focuses on using the basic features of a Chromebook and troubleshooting common issues, I believe a short pre-assessment will help me determine how familiar teachers are with these features. This pre-assessment can be administered electronically before the training session.

Note. From Using Pre-assessment data to design more effectively [Video], by Caitlin Tucker, 4 March 2024, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvaTgjHF50E)

Pre-assessments benefit both instructors and learners. Studies have shown that pre-assessing not only provides feedback to instructors about learners’ understanding but also serves as a “metacognitive ‘reality check’—highlighting the gaps in one’s knowledge and facilitating a search for relevant information during subsequent study” (Pan et al., 2020, p. 544). Guskey and McTighe (2016) outline six benefits of using pre-assessment as part of instruction:

  • Identifying learners’ prior knowledge and skills
  • Monitoring student progress by providing baseline data
  • Communicating expectations about what will be learned
  • Focusing learners’ attention on learning targets rather than the activities they will engage in
  • Checking for preconceived ideas or misunderstandings so they can be addressed directly during instruction
  • Identifying learners’ interests, talents, and preferred ways of learning

Guskey and McTighe (2016) also provide three guidelines for the effective use of pre-assessments. First, it is important to clarify the purposes of pre-assessment. From a design perspective, determine why you are pre-assessing, what data you intend to uncover, and how you will collect the information. It is also crucial to communicate to learners that the pre-assessment is intended to help address their needs and will not be used for grading purposes. Second, use the pre-assessment data to take action: review skills or knowledge that may be lacking, address misconceptions, provide targeted instruction, or differentiate instruction. Finally, be careful not to overuse pre-assessments. They are most useful when they provide information you do not already have or cannot anticipate in advance. When used, pre-assessments should be brief, easy to administer, and easy to interpret.

Here is an example of a pre- and post-assessment I used when I taught algebra: Unit 7 “I Can…” Statements. I found this was a low-stress and easy way for my students to let me know what they felt like they knew or did not know. My students appreciated the check lists because the lists helped them identify areas they needed to focus on when preparing for their summative assessments.

Multimedia Instruction

Multimedia instruction focuses on lessons that incorporate “words (such as spoken or printed text) and pictures (such as illustrations, graphs, maps, photos, animations, or videos)” (Mayer, 2008, p. 760). According to Brown and Green (2024), the visual display of information plays an important part in effectively communicating information so that it is easy for learners to understand and process. It follows then that instructional designers need to know basic visual design principles as well as principles for designing effective multimedia instruction. Even if some work is completed by a commercial artist, the instructional designer must ensure that the final project helps the learner understand the content.

Through his research, Mayer (2012) developed twelve principles for designing effective multimedia instruction. These principles are based on three assumptions about learners: (1) they use two distinct channels for processing visual and auditory information, (2) they have a limited capacity for processing information, and (3) they must be actively engaged in the learning process. The twelve principles are categorized into three areas: reducing extraneous processing, managing essential processing, and fostering generative processing. The graphic below illustrates these three areas and the twelve principles.

The Digital Learning Institute (2024) has a blog post that provides more specific information about the twelve principles for designing multimedia instruction, along with examples of each principle. Some of these principles overlap with basic visual design principles. I have encountered some of these principles when completing online training modules. In particular, I find the segmenting principle beneficial as a learner. Rather than being presented with a continuous stream of information, I have an easier time processing and understanding the material when it is broken into more manageable pieces. I also feel that I have more agency when I can control when I am ready to move on to the next piece of information.

Final Thoughts

When considering the Design phase of the ADDIE model, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of keeping the learner in mind. This involves using information about learners’ prior knowledge and preconceived ideas to design instruction that meets their specific needs, which may vary from group to group. Equally important is considering how information is presented to learners. Most of the training I conduct with teachers involves technology, which requires demonstrating how to use it. To do this effectively, I combine visuals and words. Keeping Mayer’s twelve principles for multimedia instruction in mind will help me present information in a way that fosters learner engagement and facilitates efficient processing.

References

Brown, A. H., & Green, T. D. (2024). Essentials of instructional design: Connecting fundamental principles with process and practice (5th ed.). Routledge. 

Digital Learning Institute. (2024). Mayer’s 12 principles of multimedia learning. Retrieved July 22, 2024, from https://www.digitallearninginstitute.com/blog/mayers-principles-multimedia-learning 

Guskey, T. R., & McTighe, J. (2016). Pre-assessment: Promises and cautions. Educational Leadership, 73(7), 38–43. 

Mayer, R. E. (2008). Applying the science of learning: Evidence-based principles for the design of multimedia instruction. American Psychologist, 63(8), 760-769.

Mayer, R. E. (2012). Multimedia learning (2nd ed.). Cambridge University Press. 

Pan, S. C., Schmitt, A. G., Bjork, E. L., & Sana, F. (2020). Pretesting reduces mind wandering and enhances learning during online lectures. Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 9(4), 542-554.  

Tucker, C. (2024, March 4). Using pre-assessment data to design more effectively [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvaTgjHF50E

My Experience with Distance Learning

As part of a course I am taking on distance education, I was asked to reflect on my own experience with distance learning. Specifically, I was asked to think about one positive experience and one negative experience. The origin of distance education can be traced back to correspondence courses conducted through the mail. Since then the method of delivering online courses has evolved as technologies have evolved.

Note. From A Brief History of Distance Education. [Video], by Drexel University Online, 18 December 2017, YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NfQDnVLZSA)

Regardless of the method of delivery, one of the defining characteristics of distance education is the separation of the student and the teacher in terms of location and time (Simonson & Zvacek, 2024). Researchers have defined best practices to help make the experiences of the remote learner equivalent to those of the in-person learner. Some of these best practices can be seen in the graphic below.

Note. From Course design: Best practices for teaching online. [Photograph], by Andrew Salcido and Jessica Cole, 10 September 2018, Arizona State University (https://teachonline.asu.edu/2018/09/best-practices-for-teaching-online/).

The Positive

One of the positive experiences I had with distance learning dealt with a recurring activity I completed with my classmates. In this particular class, we were assigned to small groups at the beginning of the online course. Toward the end of each module of the course, the small groups scheduled a convenient time for all the members to meet via Zoom and discuss the readings from the modules and share the connections we were making between the course content and our personal experiences. We then reflected on our discussions and chose part of the discussion to focus on in a blog post.

There are several reasons this specific activity was favorable to me. First, this activity promoted a student-centered learning environment. As Simonson and Zvacek point out, a student-centered learning environment “strongly promotes active learning, collaboration, mastery of course material, and student control over the learning process” (2024, p. 111). By using the Internet and Zoom as a vehicle for interactivity, we engaged in active learning as we discussed the connections we made with the course material. In their review of the literature, Johnson et al. (2023) found distance learner’s perceptions of connection to others and course content are critical factors in effective online learning.

Next,  incorporating learner autonomy and involvement is an essential component of distance education (Simonson & Zvacek, 2024). My group and I were provided autonomy in what topics we chose to focus on in our discussions as well as when we would meet via Zoom to have our discussions. These interactions helped me to appreciate how the content of the course could be applied and used in different contexts based on the varied experiences shared by all of my group members. Interaction is an important component of effective distance education. Simonson and Zvacek state that “student to student and student to content interaction are the most important” (2024, p. 78).  Other studies have also found that incorporating small groups into discussions increases participation and engages students in deeper conversations (Winger, 2022).

The second part of this activity required me to reflect on the group discussion and focus on something that resonated with me and my experiences. Again, this encouraged autonomy in my choice of what I would focus on for my blog post. I was also provided a choice of what media I would include in the blog post to enhance my post. The blog postings served as a means for me to demonstrate my understanding of the course material. This type of reflection is important in distance learning because it helps students connect with course content “through reflection that focuses on finding relationships and relevance of course content to their own life experience” (Johnson et al., 2023, p. 373).

The Negative

The only negative experience I have had with distance learning relates to feedback. In one of the first online courses I took in graduate school, we were introduced to blogs as a medium for reflection. There was a little bit of a learning curve that went along with creating a blog from scratch and then learning to incorporate different media within a blog post. There was plenty of information on the Internet that discussed how to utilize the features of the blog host I chose to use. What was frustrating was waiting to receive feedback from the instructor as to whether I was being critical enough in my blog reflections. On several occasions, I would not have feedback from a blog post before the next blog post would be due. This made me apprehensive and unsure of the quality of my work at the beginning of my first semester back in graduate school. Simonson & Zvacek (2024) reported that timely and useful feedback helps to develop stronger relationships between instructors and students. Other studies have also shown that timely, specific feedback helps learners reflect on their performance and make changes to increase their learning outcomes (Weru, 2023).

Lingering Thoughts

I am pleased to say that lag time in feedback is the only negative experience I have encountered with the distance learning courses I have completed. When reflecting on my first year in an online graduate program, I am very happy with the experiences I have had. Compared to the face-to-face program I completed for my master’s degree, I feel like I am putting in as much if not more work in this online program. I also feel like I am also spending more time reflecting and applying what I am learning in my coursework to my professional life.

References

Drexel University Online. (2017, December 18). A brief history of distance education. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NfQDnVLZSA

Johnson, C. C., Walton, J. B., Strickler, L., & Elliott, J. B. (2023). Online teaching in K-12 education in the United States: A systematic review. Review of Educational Research, 93(3), 353–411. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543221105550

Salcido, A., & Cole, J. (2018, September 10). Best practices for teaching online [Infographic]. Arizona State University. https://teachonline.asu.edu/2018/09/best-practices-for-teaching-online/


Simonson, M. R., & Zvacek, S. (2024). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (8th ed.). Information Age Publishing, Inc.


Weru, N. (2023). The role of instructors support and feedback on the performance of online and distance Learning. International Journal of Online and Distance Learning, 4(1), 35-46. https://doi.org/10.47604/ijodl.2001


Winger, A. (2022). Deepening discussion in online learning through high-impact practices. The Quarterly Review of Distance Education, 23(3), 129–134.