Designing an elearning activity

Table of Contents

1. Designing an E-learning activity
2. Offline version
3. Blended learning and technology
4. What is Instructional Design?
5. Analysis
6. Learning outcomes
7. Learning taxonomies
8. Class room interaction
9. Assessment and constructive alignment
10. Computer aided assessment
11. Design
12. Evaluation
13. Summary

Class room interaction

How will the online materials be blended into the class environment? Together with learning outcomes, you will need to be aware of the learning model you are trying to teach by. Will it be constructivist, behavioural, reflective or conversational?

Four examples are summarised below:

• Behaviourism: This is the School of Psychology that relates to behaviour as a central component of learning. Beginning with central findings of Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) a Russian Noble Prize winning Physiologist, about 'conditioning reflex'. Pavlov provided the basis of behaviourism highlighting the importance of stimulus for learning.

• Cognitive learning theory: Relating closely to how cognitive skills develop. This set of theories is underpinned by cognitive science and the development of psychology

• Constructivism: The theory of constructivism is based upon the thinking of John Dewey, an American philosopher (1859-1952), who questioned traditional epistemology (theories of knowledge), Dewey instead came to believe that:

"...the theory of knowledge must begin with a consideration of the development of knowledge as an adaptive human response to environing conditions aimed at an active restructuring of these conditions. Unlike traditional approaches in the theory of knowledge, which saw thought as a subjective primitive out of which knowledge was composed."

• Conversation model of learning: This model is developed by Diana Laurillard from her seminal text Rethinking University Teaching, breaking away from the traditional instructional mode of lecturing, Laurillard argues that dialogue between teacher and student should be advocated, following from the Socratic method of question and answer.

The above were excerpted from this simple guide outlining the differences between some of the more commonly used

Teaching and Learning Models and Approaches, available here:

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/ccs/elearn/teach_and_learn_models.htm

This document entitled "Learning to Design: an overview of instructional design models", outlines fundamental differences of designing instructional documents.