Initial Steps
Creating the Intro Module was a great experience and well timed personally and professionally. Personally, I am very interested in using various online learning tools and ETEC 565A has given me the opportunity to build a course Intro Module using Blackboard. The current courses that I work with are all face-to-face instruction. I have not had the opportunity to build an online course or teach an online course. I have taken a few Professional Development courses about using Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate, but I have not converted a face-to-face course into a Storyline and/or Captivate course.
The first major decision was to select which Learning Managements System that I will be using to build the Intro Module. The two Learning Management Systems were Moodle and Blackboard. I only have a very basic understanding of Moodle and I have used Blackboard as a student only. In order to pick which Learning Management System I conducted some initial research. The best resource was a Case Study written by Subramanian et al. (2014) titled, A Study of Comparison between Moodle and Blackboard based on Case Studies for Better LMS. The Case Study discussed the benefits, drawbacks, layouts, and architecture of both systems.
Subramanian et al. (2014) stated that “Blackboard Learning System is an industry-leading software application used to power virtual learning environments [and] the Blackboard Learning System is a comprehensive and flexible e-Learning software platform.” The layout and architecture of Blackboard is intriguing and well designed. Blackboard is very popular in higher education, and one of the most used Learning Management Systems. After reading the Case Study, I was leaning to Blackboard. The final reason was that Moodle is an open-source program. I might be able to have an opportunity to build using Moodle in the future because of the open-source nature of Moodle. Thus, Blackboard was my choice.
Tutorials 101 and Learning the System
My next step was to review some tutorials about how to build course content in Blackboard. The Blackboard Help Forum provided many different tutorials. I focused on the Instructor Course Content Forum and the Assessment Forum. These resources gave me a foundational knowledge about building my Intro Module (Blackboard Help, 2015).
With my newly found knowledge of Blackboard, I logged into the system and started learning by Trial and Error. At first, there were a lot of errors and mistakes and I was thankful for the delete button. Slowly I started to understand how to build different types of pages, course content, learning modules, and using the different tools such as the Discussion Board and the Quiz Tool. Before creating my “final” products, I produced draft versions of my Intro Module including my Quiz. When I was satisfied with my products, I made the final few changes and began the review. The Student Preview option is a great function. It allowed me to see my Intro Module, Quiz, and Discussion Board as if I was a student in the class. This was the best option for reviewing my work.
My Intro Module includes the following pages: Welcome to the Course, About G7 Validation and the Instructor, Validation in the Army, Assessments for the Module, and the Quiz. Also, there is a Discussion Board activity that is included in the Intro Module. The students will introduce themselves via embedded video.
Assessment Strategies
The Assessments for the Intro Module includes an introduction activity and a Quiz. The introduction activity allows for the students to get to know the other students in the course. The students will post a short introduction video (2-5 minutes). This will be completed during the first week of the course and will be posted on the Discussion Board Forum. The Quiz Assessment will also be completed during the first week of the course. The students will be required to read the entire Intro Module. The Quiz focuses mainly on the Validation in the Army section of the Intro Module. The Quiz includes 10 questions: 3 Multiple Choice, 3 Matching, 2 Short Answer, and 2 Essay Questions. The quiz has a time limit of 45 minutes. The Quiz includes questions about: The Definition of Validation in the Army, Purpose of Validation, the Six Cycles of CFITES, Effectiveness and Efficiency, Types of Validation, Data Collection Methods, Types of Data, and the Four Stages of Validation. The information that the students are being tested on is fundamental knowledge that needs to be mastered. The course will include additional assessments throughout the course. The following chart depicts the assessments that are required to be completed and the weight of the grade associated with each assignment.
| Assessment | Weight | Due Date |
| The Basics of Validation Quiz | 10% | End of Week 1 (Friday) |
| Create a Survey Template | 10% | End of Week 2 (Friday) |
| Develop an Electronic Survey | 20% | End of Week 3 (Friday) |
| Write the Validation Letter, 1st Hastener, and Final Hastener | 10% | End of Week 4 (Friday) |
| Create a Findings, Interpretation, Recommendation Chart | 20% | End of Week 5 (Friday) |
| Write the Validation Report | 20% | End of Week 6 (Friday) |
| Participation | 10% | Continuously Assessed |
Communication
The Army Training Validation Course will use both Synchronous and Asynchronous learning strategies. The group of students for the course will be between 5 – 10 students per each course serial. A majority of the course will be Asynchronous with a little bit of Synchronous learning included into the course.
Synchronous Learning
Synchronous Learning is an important element to an online course. Synchronous Learning provides “students and teachers with multiple ways of interacting, sharing, and the ability to collaborate and ask questions in real-time through synchronous learning technologies” (eLearners, 2012). A webcast will be conducted using the Defence Learning Network in order to utilize Synchronous Learning.
Before Module 2 is conducted in the course, there will be a synchronous learning activity. All course members will be required to participate in a 1 hour real time learning event. The instructor will discuss the four major stages of validation.
Asynchronous Learning
Asynchronous Learning is a very popular teaching strategy for online course as it gives students the ability to plan their own learning schedule. Students are given learning materials and activities to complete on their own time. Students can also work in a group setting through Asynchronous Learning. During the Army Training Validation Course, students will be given learning material, assignments, and group discussions that they will be completing by a certain date. The students can prepare their individual learning schedule best to meet their needs.
Communicating with the Students/Instructor
Communication for the Intro Module will be conducted in two different methods. Before the course starts, the instructor will send out a Welcome email to the students. This will include general instruction for the course, and a quick how to log in to Blackboard. Students will be provided with the instructor’s email address. Also, in course Blackboard messages will be used to update students about the course and provide reminders for upcoming assessments and activities.
The second method of communication is through the Discussion Board. The students will be able to use the Discussion Board forums to communicate with the instructor and other students. There will be a forum created for general questions and inquires. This forum will provide the students will timely answers to their questions. Final Thoughts Creating the Intro Module has been a challenging endeavor but a great learning experience. The practical nature of this assignment makes the learning enjoyable. The relevance of taking a course that is currently face-to-face and creating an online version will benefit me personally and professionally. I have gained a new sense of confidence in building an Intro Module and Course on a Learning Management System.
References
Blackboard. (2015). Instructor Tutorial Forum.. Blackboard Help. Retrieved from https://help. blackboard.com/enus/Learn/9.1_SP_10_and_SP_11/Instructor
e-Learners(2012). Synchronous vs. asynchronous classes. Retrieved from http://www.elearners.com/online-education-resources/online-learning/synchronous-vs-asynchronous-classes/
Subramanian, P., Zainuddin, N., Alatawi, S., Javabdeh, T., Hussin, A. (2014). A study of comparison between moodle and blackboard based on case studies for better lms. Journal of Information Systems Research and Innovation, 6, 26-33. Retrieved from http://www.moodlebites.com/pluginfile.php/26295/mod_resource/content/1/Pub4_ComparisonBetw enMoodleAndBlackboard.pdf