Please access the Moodle site at this link.
Module Content
Framework for Module Design and Development. Donnelly and Fitzmaurice, 2005.
As a long-term project, the conceptual development of Assignment 5 evolved with other ETEC565a projects and assignments. Originally, I planned on creating a module for social media security, however, the concept was changed after the systematic visioning of the course concept in accordance with Framework for Module Design and Development provided by Donnelly and Fitzmaurice (2005).
Module 1 is designed to familiarize interns with the myriad of occupations available in the Canadian Armed Forces, impart the necessity for IT&E reorganization, and prepare them for successful integration into their new positions. The rationale for the module content is provided with dual foci: students must know the personnel their work will support (institution needs), and they also must have personal strategies to support their own success (learner needs). The module content and learning objectives align with with overarching course objectives stated in the introductory module. The module contains interactive media and opportunities for social participation.
Module Aims, Learning Outcomes, and Assessment Strategies
Assessment strategies in my content module are designed around Baxter, Elder and Glasser’s (1996) definitions of student competency, as cited in Anderson (2008). Design choices have been made to utilize strategies and features that support interaction (collaborative, peer-reviewed wiki) and autonomy (badge system), while concurrently reducing the burden on instructor time.
There are two forum activities that students must complete in this module. Both activities related to the forums provide trigger scenarios requiring students to provide coherent explanations and identify problem solutions. The second forum is separated into groups, allowing students to work more closely (Using Groups in Moodle, n.d.). By providing open-ended forum discussions, I hope to provide a means for deeper engagement with the content rather than just reiteration based on assessment expectations (Gibbs and Simpson, 2005). In reality, neither of these forums would be qualitatively assessed beyond the general guidelines provided in the introductory module.
The wiki assignment outlined in the introductory module and introduced in Module 1 is intended to deepen student knowledge of essential components of their internship as well as develop their online working skills, supporting the development of a learning community (Anderson, 2008). Transparency about the goals of this assignment helps to frame it as a productive learning activity, which has been shown by Gibbs and Simpson (2005) to be highly valued by learners. Help resources have been included for students unfamiliar with wikis or the Moodle environment, and the skeleton structure of the wiki has been provided to ground student interaction.
Moodle provides a self-tracking “checkbox” feature, but by setting activity completion requirements, instructors can automatically assess successful completion and students can track themselves. This supports Baxter, Elder and Glasser’s (1996) final competency of monitoring and adjusting activities (Anderson, 2008). While enabling badges in this fashion does not follow typical processes of gamification (as outlined by Abramovich, Schunn, & Higashi, 2013), it does exploit a Moodle feature to allow students access to their progress that does not detract from instructor resources.
Navigation Design, Accessibility, and User-Friendliness
In order to create a custom GUI and splash page, I began by seeking a conceptual understanding of use and best practices involved (Einarson, 2014). Because ETEC565a assignment guidelines state that a large portion of assessment relates to the calibre of web design, I felt that it was time to explore sophisticated pathways to GUIs, choosing to experiment with CSS and Java, the results of which can be found in the “Course Administration Documents” area (an area explained in the “selective release” section of this reflection). While I don’t feel like this exploration was completely wasted in terms of my professional development, it went largely unused in this assignment due to an analysis of Moodle functionality versus educational design requirements.
Coding attempts were frequently “scrubbed” by the Moodle HTML editor. Although eventually successful in rendering CSS buttons, I felt that their styling did not match the tone of the webpage as government tool. Eventually I achieved a more congruent look and feel with the use of java-scripted buttons. However, I found both CSS and Java coding to be subject to numerous accessibility errors and warnings identified by the W3C Markup Validation Service. Because of my intended Federal employment context, accessibility is not just a guideline, it is a requirement, and accessibility issues trumped Web 2.0 sophistication. It’s entirely possible that with more experience in CSS and/or Java, I would be able to create a navigational GUI that respects accessibility concerns.
The final GUI and splash page, although not incredibly complicated, is appropriate to the course context as well as adhering to the design principles I have learned through engagement with previous assignments and eLearning Toolkit activities. Navigational icons are equipped with alt-text for accessibility, explained on the splash page in case their logical symbols don’t make sense to learners, and link to content that adult learners value easy access to (Ausburn, 2004). Module indexes, created using Custom HTML blocks, are tailored to the different modules and contain GUI hotlinks. Most GUI icons come from DevianArt user StopDreaming and are licenced under a Creative Commons 3.0 license; however the navigational “left” and “right” arrows and the Canada flag logo are from the public domain.
Selective Release
Having amended the course schedule provided in the introductory module, content modules are set to selectively release based on dates corresponding with the schedule.
In response to instructor feedback from ETEC565a Assignment 2, I created a “Course Administration Documents” module to selectively release based on the user profile setting of Department: Administration. This is not a learning module, but instead is used for cloud storage and is not meant for student access. In theory, students could change their profile department to read “Administration,” but I feel it would not be likely to happen. To be safe, however, there is no sensitive data stored in the module.
References:
Abramovich, S., Schunn, C., Higashi, M. (2013) Are badges useful in education?: It depends upon the type of badge and expertise of learner. Educational Technology Research and Development, 61(2), 217-232. doi:10.1007/s11423-013-9289-2
Anderson, T. (2008). Towards a theory of online learning. In T. Anderson & F. Elloumi (Eds.), Theory and practice of online learning. Edmonton AB: Athabasca University. Retrieved from http://www.aupress.ca/books/120146/ebook/02_Anderson_2008-Theory_and_Practice_of_Online_Learning.pdf
Ausburn, L. (2004). Course design elements most valued by adult learners in blended online education environments: An American perspective. Educational Media International, 41(4), 327-337. Retrieved March 26, 2013, from http://www.uwec.edu/AcadAff/resources/edtech/upload/CourseDesignElementsMostValuedByAdultLearners.pdf
Donnelly, R., Firzmaurice, M. (2005). Designing modules for learning. In G. O’Neill, Moore, S., McMullin, B. (Eds), Emerging issues in the practice of university learning and teaching. Dublin:AISHE. Retrieved from http://www.aishe.org/readings/2005-1/donnelly-fitzmaurice-Designing_Modules_for_Learning.pdf
Einarson, N. (2014, March 15). Considerations for a Custom GUI. Learning Technologies [blog]. Retrieved March 31, 2014, from https://blogs.ubc.ca/einarson565a/2014/03/15/considerations-for-a-custom-gui/
Gibbs, G. & Simpson, C. (2005). Conditions under which assessment supports students’ learning. Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. Retrieved February 18, 2014, from http://www.open.ac.uk/fast/pdfs/Gibbs%20and%20Simpson%202004-05.pdf
Using Groups in Moodle. (n.d.). Centre for Learning Technology, the London School of Economics and Political Science. Retrieved March 28, 2014 from http://clt.lse.ac.uk/moodle/moodle-groups.pdf
Donnelly, R., Firzmaurice, M. Designing Modules for Learning. Emerging Issues in the Practice of University Learning and Teaching. O’Neill, G., Moore, S., McMullin, B. (Eds). Dublin:AISHE, 2005.
