Designing Instructionally
Sound Courses
Kristina Leonardo, Senior Consultant
Blackboard, Inc.
April 14, 2005
About the Trainer
Kristina M. Leonardo
• Senior Consultant, Blackboard Training
• Professional Experience
Courseware/Web Designer, Center for
Teaching, Learning & Technology, Pace
University
Adjunct Professor, CSIS, Pace University
Agenda
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Course Demo
ADDIE Instructional Design Model
Designing a Blackboard Course
– Course Menu
– Text Box Editor
– Course Tools
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Best Practices of Effective Course Design
The ADDIE Instructional Design
Model
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Analyze
Design
Develop
Implement
Evaluate
Analysis
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Who are the intended learners?
What do they need to learn?
What are the delivery options?
What constraints exist?
How much time exists to develop the
course?
• What will the students do to determine
competency?
Interface v. Instructional Design
• Instructional Design: The systematic
process of translating principles of
learning and instruction into
specifications for instructional materials
and activities*
• Interface Design: The process of
developing a consistent, user-friendly,
attractive layout
*Smith & Ragan, Instructional Design, 1993
Instructional Course Design
• Write course objectives
• Develop the course syllabus
• Develop the course outline and
schedule
• Design the course’s organization;
outline units, lessons, and modules
• Identify learning activities
– Reading assignments
– Writing assignments
– Oral presentations
– Discussions
Interface Course Design
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Simplicity
Consistency
Identity/Personalizing your Course
User-Friendly Navigation
Compatibility
Universality
Layout
Font/Colors
Multimedia
Development
• Generate and deploy course documents
and materials for delivery
• Obtain and/or create the required media
– Different multimedia formats to ensure the
learners' preferences can be met
• Determine the appropriate interactions
• Plan activities and student group work
to help construct a sense of community
– General Questions Discussion Forum
– Support Links
Implementation
• Initial contact letter
– How/when to log in
– Textbook information
• Deliver the instruction as designed
• Provide constant feedback to students
• Be prepared for technical problems to
occur
• Be flexible- adjust a particular teaching
strategy if necessary
Evaluation
• Plan several points during the course
when students can provide anonymous
feedback
• Collect, process, analyze and interpret
data to determine whether education has
met its objectives
• Identify aspects of the process that should
be strengthened
• Conduct formative evaluations to improve
the course and summative evaluations to
judge the effect of the course
Planning a Blackboard Course
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Brainstorm ideas
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Course Objectives
Learning Materials
Login your Blackboard course site
Customize the look and feel of your course
(create new navigation buttons, if needed)
Define your content organization style
Upload content
Test run your course
Text Box Editor: WYSIWYG & Spell-Check
• Blackboard’s WYSIWYG
functionality appears
throughout the
Blackboard Learning
System application in
standard text boxes,
including the content and
assessment areas.
• The application has full
spell check capabilities
for all text boxes.
• Blackboard’s WYSIWYG
capabilities include:
– Font Type, Size, and
Coloring
– Multimedia support
including Images,
Audio, Video, Flash,
Real, and more
– Drag and Drop
support
– Tables and Hyperlinks
– Undo and Redo
support
What is Effective Course Design?
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Formal planning of a course and the
creation of activities and events, with a
focus on effective learning outcome, that
will help your students to learn
independently and collaboratively
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A plan to create activities and present your
content in ways that motivate your students
Source: You Can Teach Online: Building A Creative Learning Environment.
by Gary S. Moore, Kathryn Winograd, Dan Lange
Three Steps to Effective Course
Design
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Identify desired outcome and results
- Learning objectives : Task Analysis, User Analysis
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Determine and Plan how you will present and
teach your course
- Prepare syllabus for a web-based course
- Create learning materials and activities
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Plan instructional strategies or activities that will
assess your students and the effectiveness of
your course
- Course activities
- Quizzes, tests, preview tests, survey, course evaluation
Source: Understanding by Design. Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. 1998
by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe
Best Practices for
Effective Course Design
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Encourage Contact
between Students
and Faculty
Develop Reciprocity
and Cooperation
Among Students
Use Active Learning
Techniques
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Give Prompt
Feedback
Emphasize Time on
Task
Communicate High
Expectation
Respect Diverse
Talents and Ways of
Learning
Blackboard Training Services
Visit
http://education.blackboard.com
for more information about . . .
• Onsite Training Workshops
• Online Training Courses
• Regional Training Events
• Building Blocks Training
• Technical Training – Coming
Soon!
If you have any questions, please
email
educationalservices@blackboard.com
Thank you for choosing Blackboard!