One of the components of my second assignment is ETEC- 565A is to document my project. I’ve decided to write posts as I work through through my project.

I’ve begun thinking about the Introductory Module that I will develop. Since I don’t teach, or develop education resources, I’ve decided to build my module around the Art History course I took in the Fall of 2014. The course is a second year, university, Art History course focusing on the evolution of Modernism starting in 1750. The course contains students who are taking it as an elective and those majoring in Art History.

Since I’m not a subject matter expert in this field, I won’t be able to verify that I’ve selected the best resources/content; however, I will use the content that I have from the course and use the lecture notes I still have as a basis for the content.

For this assignment, I have decided to use Moodle. I have no experience with this application. I have begun watching tutorials to become familiar with the functionality and overall, it looks fairly straightforward. Since my group evaluated Moodle for my first assignment, I feel confident that Moodle will meet the needs of my module in terms of flexibility and for various interactions.

This being the first learning module that I’ve developed, I’ve decided to refer to the literature. This morning I read Fink’s A Self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. In it, she provides worksheets to assist in developing a course. For this post, I’ve decided to use Fink’s first worksheet to think out the Situational Factors of the module I’ll be developing.

1- Specific Context of the Teaching/Learning Situation

• How many students are in the class?
  • For this purposes of this assignment, there will be 40 registered students.
• Is the course lower division, upper division, or graduate level?
  • This course is a “lower” level course, in the sense that it may be the first Art History course taken by a student.
• How Long and frequent are the class meetings?
  • This class will be delivered online. There will be weekly discussions.

2. General Context of the Learning Situation

• What learning expectation are placed on this course, or curriculum by:
  • University- It is expected the students in this course will understand the evolution of modernism from 1750-1900. Students will also learn to discuss and identify the formal elements of a painting.
  • The profession- It is expected that students who take this course will understand the elements and context of modernism and be able to use the knowledge acquired from this course to continue to develop their knowledge of Art History.
  • Society- It is expected that students of Art History will be able to contribute to the dialogue around Art.

3. Nature of the Subject

• Is this subject primarily theoretical, practical, or a combination?
  • The subject is a combination of theoretical and practical. There is theory around what is considered modern art, the formal analysis etc, but the history and artifacts of art history are quite practical.
• Is the subject primarily convergent, or divergent?
  • I would think that the subject is convergent. The discussion and study of Art History create a unified view on what art came before us and the context for which art is now created.

4. Characteristics of the Learners

• What is the life situation of the learners (e.g. working, family, professional goals?).
  • The learners come from various walks of life. There are young people starting their academic experience, professionals seeking to acquire new knowledge and retired individuals.
• What prior knowledge, experience, and initial feelings do students usually have about this subject?
  • Students may, or may not have prior knowledge to Art History before taking this course. Generally students are positive about taking an Art History course as their often not a required course, it’s not a professional course and those taking the courses tend to take them for their own knowledge.
• What are their learning goals, expectation?
  • I would say that the main goal/expectation for learners is to walk away from the course with more knowledge on the topic. To be able to identify artistic styles of the period being studied and who were the main influencers of the style.

5.  Characteristics of the Teacher?

• What beliefs and values does the teacher have about teaching and learning?
  • Since I am the teacher in this context, I definitely favour a constructive, collaborative teaching and learning style. I will try to build this into my module.
• What level of knowledge, or familiarity does s/he have with this subject?
  • I am familiar with this subject, but am by no means a subject matter expert.
• What are his/her strengths in teaching?
  • I think my strength in teaching would be my ability to foster a collaborative, friendly environment. I will try to also develop this in my module.

Fink, L. D. (2005). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Retrieved June 15, 2015 from Dee Fink & Associates website:http://www.deefinkandassociates.com/GuidetoCourseDesignAug05.pdf