Inspire Blog Category: Tips & Tricks

Project-based Learning (Part 3) – Practical Preparation

Ashlee M. C. Foster, MSEd | Instructional Design Specialist | Oregon State University Ecampus This is the final installment of a three-part series on project-based learning. The first two articles, Architecture for Authenticity and Mindful Design, explore the foundational elements of project-based learning. This article shifts our attention to generating practical application ideas for your unique course. This series will conclude with a showcase of an exemplary Ecampus course project.  Over the last couple of years, as an instructional designer, I have observed my faculty developers shifting how they assess student learning. Frequent and varied low-stakes assessments are replacing high-stakes exams, in their courses. Therefore, students increasingly have more opportunities to actively engage in meaningful ways. What an exciting time! … Project-based Learning (Part 3) – Practical Preparation
by · November 29, 2022

Writing Good Documentation for Online Courses or: How I became a Documentarian

In my last post, I wrote about how designing an ‘open course‘ empowers others to make desired edits more easily. One major component of an open course is providing adequate and accurate documentation for your intended audience. If you were handed a course to teach or redesign, what aspects about the course would you like to know? Probably as much as possible, which would require a strong set of documentation detailing design processes and decisions, learning outcomes, tutorials for using novel course elements, and so on. If you care about having a solid set of documentation for your courses, then you may be a ‘Documentarian‘. In this post, I look into some components of good documentation design from the software … Writing Good Documentation for Online Courses or: How I became a Documentarian
by · September 20, 2022

Project-based Learning (Part 2) – Mindful Design

Ashlee M. C. Foster, MSEd | Instructional Design Specialist | Oregon State University Ecampus Whether a pedagogical approach is affirmed by research and/or practical evidence intentional design and effective deployment of pedagogical strategies are essential. We will begin with an exploration of evidence-based design components, which build upon the characteristics of Project-based Learning (PjBL), as discussed in Project-based Learning (Part 1) – Architecture for Authenticity. Getting Started Begin with the end in mind. Take a moment to establish the outcomes, goals, and real-world connections that will underpin the project. Consider using the following elements as your guide.   Identify the Course Learning Outcomes (CLO) students should be able to demonstrate upon successful completion of the course Identify the intended project outcomes … Project-based Learning (Part 2) – Mindful Design
by · June 13, 2022

Assessment Design Considerations for Ungrading

Over the last couple of terms, I joined a series of reading sessions with instructional design colleagues to read Alfie Khon and Susan Blum’s book Ungrading. Why Rating Students Undermines Learning (and What to Do Instead) and discuss the practices and implications of this approach to reconceptualize assessment design and the place of grading. This two-part blog aims to capture the takeaways from those discussions including the main concepts, approaches, types of activities, implications, and challenges of adopting ungrading practices. This first part of the blog covers a brief overview of the concept of ungrading, its major benefits, and design considerations; and the second blog will include a summary of the types of ungrading practices and challenges to implementation ––all … Assessment Design Considerations for Ungrading
by · June 6, 2022

Project Based Learning – Architecture for Authenticity

By: Ashlee M. C. Foster MSEd, Instructional Design Specialist | Oregon State University Ecampus Did you know a pedagogical approach exists that positively impacts student academic achievement and engages them as active participants in learning? Great news…there is! Let me introduce you to the world of Project Based Learning (PBL).  What is PBL? PBL is a student-centered pedagogical approach where students, both individually and within small groups, engage with meaningful, relevant, and authentic projects which result in a product. Oftentimes, PBL is commonly associated and/or thought to be interchangeable with Problem Based Learning. However, there is a distinction between the two. The principal focus of PBL is on the active construction of knowledge. Additionally, student autonomy, beliefs, values, and motivations … Project Based Learning – Architecture for Authenticity
by · May 31, 2022