Assignment 10 - Using Graphics to Fulfill an Instructional Need
Jessica Foley (Hingle) jhingle@vt.edu
December 1, 2007
I.
Goal/Purpose Statement
The goal of this lesson will be to inform dog owners about the signs,
symptoms, and both symptomatic and long term treatments for dogs with
allergies. At the conclusion of the lesson, learners will be able to recognize the
signs and symptoms of a dog that is experiencing an allergic reaction and
administer the appropriate symptomatic and desensitization treatments.
II.
Needs Assessment
A. Instructional Problem
Allergic reactions in dogs are commonly misdiagnosed and mistreated by
pet owners, but can lead to serious health issues if not properly addressed
in time. Basic instruction on how to recognize and treat the short term
symptoms with veterinarian recommended over-the-counter medications
as well as information on how to administer the prescription
desensitization serums will help to raise awareness and lessen the burden
on the veterinarian after the diagnosis has been made. The graphics used
in the presentation will depict the visual signs that a dog’s reaction is
allergic, as opposed to a flea infestation, and show the learner how to
administer the pills and shots needed to remedy the situation. The graphics
will be beneficial because the learner will have a visual reference to help
guide their learning. For instance, a picture of a dog with red paws is
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easier to comprehend than a simple verbal description.
B. Learner Profile
The audience consists of dog owners who have one or more dogs that have
been diagnosed with allergies. The majority of these owners will be
experienced in the basic care of dogs, but most likely have never
administered a pill or injection. The owners will have prior knowledge
about the standard behaviors of their dogs as well as knowledge of the
change in behavior that prompted a visit to the veterinarian.
III.
Instructional Strategy Outline
A. Preinstructional Activities
The learners will be receiving this instruction at a point where they have
enough concern to visit the veterinarian with their dog and obtain the
allergy diagnosis. The majority of their pets will be experiencing an
extreme amount of itching or swelling, along with the associated anxiety,
and they will be very interested in their dog returning to “normal.” To
spark their interest, images of healthy dogs without allergic reactions will
be used. At that point, the goal will be introduced to inform the learner
that the obtained skills will hopefully help to return their dog to the
depicted state of health. The learners will also be told that in order to
perform the necessary skills, they must be completely comfortable with
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controlling and handling their dog and not be uncomfortable around
needles. Learner will be informed that those who perform the skills well
will have the convenience of being able to administer the medications at
home, while learners that are unable to master the skill or are not
comfortable with the skill will have to return to the clinic every other day
to have the technician perform the tasks.
B. Information Presentation
For the first section of the lesson, learners will be shown images of
common types of allergic reaction symptoms. They will also be shown an
example of a common symptom that is not attributed to allergic reactions.
For the second section of the lesson, learners will be exposed to the
standard process for diagnosing and treating allergies in dogs. Checkmarks
will orient them to where they are in the process.
For the third section of the lesson, learners will be given instructions for
administering over-the-counter pills to their dog in order to reduce the
amount of itching. Visuals will accompany each of the steps so that the
learner will be familiar with what the process looks like.
For the fourth section of the lesson, learners will be given instructions for
administering the desensitization injections that will hopefully prevent the
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dog from having more allergic reactions. Injections can be intimidating to
administer, so the visuals will help the learner to feel more comfortable
with the process. A chart will be displayed to show how the dosage is
increased over time.
C. Learner Participation
After each of the sections, a veterinarian technician will assist the learner
with performing the steps on the dog. For this, sugar pills and saline will
be used instead of actual antihistamines and desensitization serum. The
technician will be able to provide immediate feedback and support to the
learner as they are walking through the steps. At this point the learner can
ask any questions and the technician can assist with problems that arise.
D. Testing
In this situation I do not feel it is appropriate to have an entry skills test or
pre-test because the range of knowledge will be too great and unfamiliar
learners might feel overwhelmed by the topics that the questions address.
The assumption will be that the dog owner is completely unfamiliar with
the skills and every aspect of the skill set will be covered. This way, any
misconceptions about the topics will also be realized by the learners. A
post-test will be administered at the end of the lesson, to prove to the
veterinarian technician that the learner is able to perform the pill and
injection administration skills without assistance. They had previously
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practiced the skill with assistance, but this time they must perform the
actions on their own to ensure that the dog can be cared for at home.
E. Follow-through Activities
Following the test, the learners who did not perform well will be given
unlimited opportunities to try again, with or without the assistance of the
veterinarian technician. They may discover that their particular dog
requires two individuals in order to be administered pills or injections,
which is fine. That is something that is important for the owner to be
aware of so that they can enlist another family member or friend for
assistance. Additionally, the technician will be available at any point in
time if the learner needs to return for additional instruction or to ask
questions. Learner who performed well will have the convenience of being
able to administer the medications at home, while learners that are unable
to master the skill or are not comfortable with the skill will have to return
to the clinic every other day to have the technician perform the tasks.
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IV.
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Identification of Graphic Needs
A. List of Graphics
Graphic
Brief
Description of
Graphic
Preinstructional
activities
1
Healthy dog
Obtained
without
modification
Information
presentation
Learner
participation
Testing
Follow
through
activities
Actual Graphic
Role of Graphic
in Instruction
This picture
of a healthy,
happy dog is
intended to
motivate the
learner to
want to
administer
pills and
injections to
eliminate the
allergy issues.
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2
Dog
scratching
Obtained
without
modification
Intended to
visually
demonstrate
the constant,
intense, and
rough
scratching on
the neck is a
sign of skin
irritation.
3
Dog with red
toes
Obtained,
but needs
modification
Intended to
demonstrate
what irritated
skin will look
like between
the dog’s toes,
the easiest
place to spot
it.
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4
Fleas in dog
fur
Obtained,
but needs
modification
Shows what a
flea
infestation
looks like and
serves as a
non-example
of an allergic
symptom.
5
Chart of
treatment
steps
Created
with draw
program
Intended to
orient the
learner with
where they
are in the
treatment
process.
Link to full size image
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6
Antihistamine
pills
Created
(digital
camera)
Intended to
show the
learner that
generic overthe counter
medication
can be used.
7
Opening
dog’s mouth
to administer
pill
Created
(digital
camera)
Intended to
give a visual
example of
how to safely
administer a
pill.
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8
Holding dogs
mouth closed
to swallow
9
“Now you try
it!” sign
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Created
(digital
camera)
Intended to
give a visual
example of
how to
encourage the
dog to
swallow a
pill.
Created with
artistic text
Intended to
trigger the
learner to turn
to their dog
and attempt
the pill
administration
process with
the
technician’s
assistance
(participation
phase).
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10
Syringe
diagram
Obtained
without
modification
Intended to
familiarize the
learner with
the parts of
the syringe.
11
Filling
syringe
Created
(digital
camera)
Intended to
visually
demonstrate
filling the
syringe with
serum.
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12
Direction of
syringe
needle
Obtained,
but need
modification
Intended to
demonstrate
the orientation
of the “eyehole” of the
syringe.
13
Administering
shot
Created
(digital
camera)
Intended to
visually
demonstrate
how to inject
the serum
under the
gathered skin.
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14
“Now you try
it!” sign
15
Shot schedule
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Created with
artistic text
Intended to
trigger the
learner to turn
to their dog
and attempt
the serum
injection
process with
the
technician’s
assistance
(participation
phase).
Created
with draw
program
Intended to
visually
represent the
injection
schedule.
Link to full size image
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16
“Now
demonstrate
both
procedures!”
sign
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Created
with
artistic
text
14
Intended to
trigger the
learner to turn
to their dog
and attempt
the both
processes
without
assistance
(testing
phase).