ETEC 565 HJD e-portfolio

“My style determines my course design.” 

My Style

 

This was my big ‘AHA’ moment when working through the investigations and explorations into learning management systems. WebCT, Blackboard, Moodle, or other LMS (learning management systems) all have features, affordances and related applications that make the online learning experience available, interactive and engaging. What makes each product work in the best way for the students, be they young learners, higher education learners or adult life long learners, is a course designer, or team of designers, who have learned their style.

This can mean two things.

1. The designer knows who they are as a designer. They are aware of their unique style in their design, aren’t afraid to try new things but keep true to who they are as individuals and as course creators. They design with intention. The LMS used is not so much irrelevant as being secondary to their course design mission. The affordances of the tools used will be made to fit their vision of the design or they will find another way to make it work.
2. The designer knows who they are designing for. They are aware of the learners’ unique styles and bring those elements to the forefront when they are designing. Again, the LMS  is secondary to this process since the tools selected will fit the style of those using them because those are the ones the designer will select.

So with this newly found insight, I delved into the comparisons and work of creating elements in WebCT and in Moodle. I discovered that I have learned a lot about my style. I select tools and ways of doing things that fit my style. I have found resources (print, people and web based media), to help me create what I needed to do. They were there when I got stuck and couldn’t get something to work the way the instructions or design vision dictated. My style of persistence and problem solving ensured that I would succeed when it was important to maintain my design vision.

My course creation, in both WebCT and Moodle, were seriously impacted, in a good way, by the course instructor who strongly encouraged but did not require that I create content outside of the LMS. This one small ‘suggestion’ has opened a world of possibility in my design capability and vision. Yet again, my personal style and my design style were enhanced by the choices I am able to make as I work toward creating course content. My style and selection of affordances will influence the selection of the best fit for the style of the students of my proposed course.

Ah, enlightenment leads to self discovery!  I guess you could say I’m still learning my style, LMS style!