Inspire Blog

Working with Texts in Online Courses

TEXT(S) There’s been some discussion recently about students and lectures and attention spans.* As conversation about this turned to how students grapple with long form texts in an online course, I thought it might be useful to gather some ideas on course design and working with texts in online courses. Structure your course around the texts not the weeks Some instructors structure their reading intensive course around the books that are read. A module per book with multiple discussion boards and prompts per book. This subtly shifts the focus from what am I doing this week to what is this book doing. For example, in ENG 210 Literatures of the World: Asia, Jeff Fearnside structured the course around the five … Working with Texts in Online Courses
by · October 23, 2015

Gagné’s Nine Instructional Events Online

Half a century has passed since educational psychologist Robert Gagné published his influential book, The Conditions of Learning, but his ideas are relevant to online and hybrid learning even today. He presciently wrote, “The real point to be made is that use of a variety of instructional modes is both feasible and potentially effective. . . . What is needed in each case is thoughtful design and management of the learning environment.” Gagné popularized the concept of nine “instructional events.” Each represents a step in the teaching and learning process: Gain learners’ attention Inform students of learning objective Stimulate recall of prior knowledge Present stimulus material (content) Provide learning guidance Elicit performance (practice) Provide feedback Assess performance Enhance retention and … Gagné’s Nine Instructional Events Online
by · September 4, 2015

Reflecting on Learning

“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” ― John Dewey Reflection can be a powerful addition to any module or course both for instructors and for students. Instructors can inform themselves about student learning and whether their teaching is effective. Students can deepen their learning through reflection.   Reflecting both on knowledge gained as well as areas of confusion can be valuable. What types of reflective activities are of use in an online course?   Two of the simplest activities to incorporate in a course are the Muddiest Point activity or the One Minute Paper activity.   Both are short activities in which students answer questions after a brief reflection on their learning. Muddiest Point: What concept was … Reflecting on Learning
by · August 14, 2015

Modular Course Design at OSU Ecampus

Why Modular Course Design The Course Development & Training team at Oregon State University Ecampus promotes modular course design in our online courses. Laura Crowder (2011) defines modular content as “a collection of learning resources developed as a single learning object”. The major benefits of modular course design include: Saving time in the development and updating of course content Modular components are easily repurposed across courses Student learning is improved since the content is presented in smaller chunks Modular Course Design in Online Education Modular course design has been highly recommended by various pioneers in online education. Stephen Downes (Downes, 1998) stated in “The Future of Online Learning” that, “…Online courses will be modular. A course – especially from the … Modular Course Design at OSU Ecampus
by · August 7, 2015

Citations in Online Discussions

In the classroom we often discuss readings and other sources of information. Because students are often accustomed to digital communications in which sources are rarely cited, they can benefit from guidance concerning your expectations regarding citation. The instructor for TCE 512, Psychology of the Adolescent, worked with Ecampus to create an infographic through which she provides such guidance. This infographic is licensed under a Creative Commons license, so you can feel free to download and post it in your own courses. Also, remember that we enjoy collaborating with Ecampus instructors to create innovative resources, so if you have any interesting ideas we would love to work with you!
by · July 20, 2015