Introduction

There are a number of things to consider when developing course content, whether that be for an in-person, hybrid or online class.  At the end of this workshop you will be able to:

1. Explain the concepts of learning objectives and instructional alignment.
2. Identify the 4 types of interaction present in courses.
3. Describe the technologies that can be used to facilitate student-content interaction.
4. Select a technology you want to learn more about.

* The "Effective Content Development" workshops have been designed to correspond to specific elements of the Quality Matters framework.

Learning Objectives and Instructional Alignment

(Image Source: qwickstep.com)

In a small group, visit this website from Carnegie Mellon and answer the following questions.  Choose a group recorder.

• What are the 3 main course components that must be aligned?  Why?
  
• What is a learning objective?  
• What is instructional alignment? 
• Why does changing one component of a course alter the others?
  
• Why should learning objectives not include statements of 'understand,' 'appreciate' or 'value?'

Considering the answers you provided to the above questions, ask yourself:

• Do you outline learning objectives in your course content? 
• Do you tie a learning objective to each assignment and assessment? 
• If you do not, how can you modify what you are currently doing to tie to an objective?
• How do the District's course competencies relate to learning objectives?

You might want to use Bloom's Taxonomy to assist you in creating learning objectives that address higher-order thinking skills. 

4 Types of Interaction

Research into in-person, hybrid and online instruction shows there are 4 types of interaction present.  In your small group, discuss the following questions.  

• What do you think the 4 types of interaction are? 
• How can you facilitate that interaction in your courses?

After your group comes up with its ideas, open and read the following handout and compare your group's ideas with the research.

Technologies to Develop Content

There are many technologies available to create engaging, interactive content - here are a few samples.  You will learn more about some of the tools in upcoming workshops.

• SoftChalk LessonBuilder to build online lessons and activities
• Watch this video overview of SoftChalk LessonBuilder
• Review this sample SoftChalk lesson
• Respondus to create surveys and assessments
• Jing to create online tutorials (or screencasts)
  

• WIMBA Voice tools to integrate audio announcements, podcasts, discussion
  

• Blogs/wikis for content presentation and student assignments
• Audio/video clips/video capture and editing to present concepts and for student assignments
• Webconferencing to host synchronous sessions MindMeister
  
• Social networking (such as Facebook, NING and Twitter) to engage students with mediums they already use and understand
• Graphics to illustrate key points and engage students with materials
• Podcasting to give audio materials students can refer to on-the-go
• Collaborative media (such as VoiceThread, Gliffy, Seesmic and Adobe® Buzzword®) encourage collaboration and interaction
• Animoto is a nifty online tool that you can use to create a video introduction of yourself (and for your students to use as well). We have materials and resources for using Animoto, or you can visit the Animoto website for more information (you will have to create a free account). You can also view this sample.
  

• Audacity is a free program that allows you to make voice recordings (and edit them) that can then be placed in a course management system or used as podcasts. For more information, visit the Audacity Website.
  

You can also look for previously created content. Someone else in your discipline may have already developed content - why recreate the wheel? Look to content repositories for sample materials including MERLOT, MIT Open Courseware, and yes even YouTube (there is even an EDU channel)! Many materials are available copyright-free, but if you have questions on copyright this is a great tutorial from Baruch College.

Click here to complete the evaluation survey!

Here's your chance to help us design next week's workshop!

Click here to participate in a Doodle survey about which tools you'd like us to teach you next week.