Instructional Design Handbook
For Online Course Development
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A Resource for Portland State University Faculty
Last Date Modified: 02/19/07

Introduction

Background Information

Course Components
Exemplary Courses
Typical Instructional Design Process

Designing Your Course

Creating an Online Syllabus
Instructional Matrix for Online Course Design
Learning Objectives and Assessment
Transitioning Courses from Face-to-Face to Online
Bloom's Taxonomy

Additional References

Now that you have decided to offer your PSU course online, you may have concerns or confusion about what steps you need to follow to complete the transition from a face-to-face to a partially or fully online course. The purpose of this Faculty Handbook is to present a description of this course design process to PSU faculty and to assure them of the support and assistance provided by the instructional designers in the OIT Department. We hope that this document describes the procedures shared by the faculty (content experts) and the Instructional Designers to create the new, interactive online course sites that will provide successful learning and teaching objectives.

The process for designing online courses will vary with each individual course but there are definite steps taken to complete the design. You will work with one of the IRS Instructional Designers and form a partnership in this Course Design. You will bring to the meetings your expertise in the subject matter, familiarity with the course materials and an understanding of the course content areas. You also have an understanding of the planned course learning objectives as well as the success of the assessment tools measuring those objectives. Your background with all aspects of the course is invaluable to the online course design process as you work with the Instructional Designer.

The Instructional Designer will work closely with you to assure that your online course serves you and your students with successful completion of learning and teaching objectives. One role of the Designer is to learn the details of how you have taught this course in prior terms. Questions might include: In your face to face course where did the students experience difficulty? What assignments or projects did you include in your course content? What assessments were used to measure objectives? By having a detailed discussion of these factors, the Instructional Designer will begin to understand your teaching style with this course direct from the expert – you! The Designer then takes this information and generates a prototype lesson for your course using online tools within WebCT. In this manner, your familiarity with the course content and objectives will partner with the Designer's knowledge of the variety of tools and elements that will provide an interactive, pedagogically sound design for your course.

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Course Components

An online course can be broken down into five major components:

1) Course Design
2) Interaction and Collaboration
3) Use of Technology
4) Assessment and
5) Learner Support.

These components can take many forms within an online course. Since PSU uses WebCT for online courses, many of these components will show up in the form of course tools that have been specifically designed for WebCT. Additionally, a variety of multimedia elements may be used to enhance course goals and objectives. Below are short descriptions of each of the five major course components.

1. Course Design
Course Design includes instructional design elements such as course structure, learning objectives and instructional strategies. Selecting the most effective instructional strategies to facilitate learning is a matter of creativity and sound judgment. Choosing a strategy is a decision that you make that will allow students the maximum opportunity to meet the learning outcomes and succeed in the assessments that you have set for them.

In this time when education is undergoing major changes and learners have more choices than ever regarding their education, it is essential that we as instructors are able to deliberately, systematically, and thoughtfully design learning that will meet student needs.

2. Interaction and Collaboration
Courses in an online environment will have necessary but varying amounts of interaction and collaboration not only to reach course learning objectives, but to build an online community as well. Different methods may be used for Interaction/Collaboration depending on the types of interaction desired.

Different types of interaction include:

Learner-to-learner
Learner-to-content
Learner-to-instructor

Online courses create connections through these interactions called learning communities. A learning community is a specific kind of community. We define learning communities as groups of participants (students and teachers) who share a common goal: learning. However, learning that is active and collaborative does not just happen, and a learning community does not simply come into being because several folks are studying the same content within the same time period

Communities (or environments) created in cyberspace are "virtual" rather than physical. Thus, we must employ a different paradigm for defining online communities, where relationships, communication, education, and learning are virtual experiences free of the limitations of time, distance, or location.

3. Use of Technology
When used appropriately, technology can enhance and enable student learning. There are technologies available within the WebCT environment as well as external technologies that can be incorporated into the WebCT course. You and your Instructional Designer will have complete access to state-of-the-art hardware and software available through the Instructional Development Support Center 's fully-featured multimedia computing lab.

4. Assessment
Assessing what the student is learning is an essential component of well-designed instruction. The learning outcomes establish the criteria for evaluating student performance, and should lead to the kind of assessment that assures both the student and the instructor that learning is occurring.

5. Learner Support
Student tutorials, Help Desk, online library resources, downloading instructions and explanation of online tools are all examples of resources that may be made available to students as part of an online course.

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Exemplary Courses

These five components are used in a rubric by WebCT evaluators to choose the annual Exemplary Courses. To view the winners of the WebCT Exemplary Course Project and the scoring rubric please visit: http://www.webct.com/exemplary .

As you work with your instructional designer, the two of you will decide how you want to approach these necessary components, in other words, what tools you will choose to use and to what extent.

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Typical Instructional Design Process
(Approx. 07 weeks initial development for each course)

1. Designer meets with instructor to get the following information (approx. 2 hours):

• Syllabus
• Learning Outcomes – What do you want the students to be able to DO when they complete the class?
• Identify Problem Areas—Where do students have the most difficulty?
• Outline of how the class is currently taught—Which topics are covered each week? If it is a new class, then begin to discuss how it would break down into weekly lessons. What types of assignments/assessments are currently part of the class? In the instructors opinion, how effective are these assessments?
• Discuss any changes the instructor specifically wants to see.
• Instructor turns over all electronic resources that are currently available—PowerPoint presentations, Word documents, images, links to other sites, etc.

2. The Designer takes all of the above information and generates a prototype lesson (approx. 2 weeks).

• WebCT templates for text, images, and interactions
• Blanks for learning games
• Blanks or partial-fills for interactive objects (streamed video, flash, etc.)
• Descriptions of interactions
• Descriptions of assessments or samples

3. Designer and instructor meet to review the prototype (approx. 1 hour):

• What works/does not work conceptually?
• Where are the holes in the design?
• What is a reasonable schedule to complete one lesson?

4. Designer creates one week's lesson in its entirety (approx. 1 week)

• Deconstructs lesson into learning objects
• Creates all objects and populates them as appropriate
• Loads all objects into content management system
• Reconstructs lesson through calls to content management system
• Talks to instructor about any content-specific questions that need more information

5. Designer and instructor meet to review the completed lesson (approx. 1 hour)

Following review, any corrections are made. These corrections should be very minor at this stage.

6. Repeat lesson completion and review process of #4 and #5 for remaining lessons

The process and template used to create the single lesson is now repeated for all weeks of the term. After the first week is completed, the designer should be able to manage two lessons a week—providing all the information is available to the designer. The Designer and Instructor should be in constant check with each other throughout the process. The designer will ask content questions that need clarification. As the designer completes a lesson, the instructor would review it and offer any comments/corrections that are necessary.

7. QA Check (approx. 1 week)

Course goes through a QA testing phase with an instructional designer who was not involved in the course design process. If possible, it is also good to have a student or TA work through all the interactive exercises.

8. Course Pilot, Review, and Maintenance

The first time the course is taught online it is considered a pilot. It is typical for up to 25% of the course to need changes after the first teaching. These changes are based on instructor experience with teaching the course, student feedback on what worked effectively and what did not, and typical changes that may be needed due to current events or areas the instructor had not previously identified as important.

A maintenance schedule is then agreed upon. At a minimum, courses should go through a review once every two years. However, for courses that are reliant on new data (e.g., current events, cutting edge research, etc.) it is possible that review would occur annually.

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Creating an Online Syllabus

The same things should be included in an online syllabus as in a traditional classroom. The key difference is you need to be even more explicit with your instructions. The chart below, developed by Florida State University , provides a handy checklist for developing an effective online syllabus.

Use this checklist to make sure your online syllabus has the necessary elements:

Course name/number, semester, and instructor name

Instructor's contact information including technical support contact information

Course description and learning objectives/outcomes

Prerequisites and/or technical requirements for the course

Required text materials along with how and where to purchase/view material

Explanation of grading criteria and breakdown of grading components including:

(1) A list of quizzes, assignments, and class participation with grade percentage or points
(2) Criteria for passing grade and
(3) Policies for late work

Participation standard including the minimum number of postings per unit/module/week and the standard for quality of postings

Online organization and technical instructions including how students should proceed each week, where to post discussions and assignments, how to label assignments sent to instructor via e-mail

Course calendar including topics, assignments, readings, and quizzes

Additional institutional policies, procedures, and resources relevant to your course and/or university

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Instructional Matrix for Online Course Design

The matrix was created to be a working document for the instructor (content expert) and the instructional designer (ID). The original matrix template provides working spaces for: lesson description (thumbnail format to explain the purpose of lesson; learning objectives (what do you want the students to learn from each lesson); F2F strategy (how you teach this course in a classroom setting); Online teaching strategies (ID suggests the choices of technology that would capture the F2F course in the online modality for next meeting with the instructor); objective assessment (does the assessment measure the outcome of the learning objectives). However, the actual course matrix can be designed to meet the special needs of specific online courses. This matrix contains all important factors for this transition to online teaching and learning for the instructor and the instructional designer. This tool provides focus in the discussion of the design and navigability of the online course design.

Examples of individualized instructional matrices are linked below:

Example Matrix 1
Example Matrix 2
Example Matrix 3

Click on the link below in order to obtain a blank matrix template:

Instructional Design Matrix

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Learning Objectives and Assessment

The assessment tools and the learning objectives have a direct effect on each other. The learning objectives must be observable, only cover one objective, and relate to the outcome. The outcome must be directly connected to the chosen assessment tool. You cannot separate these two ingredients in a plan for a course that is successful in both the learning and the teaching objectives.

Learning Objective Checklist

Do the learning objectives:

State clear expectations?

Represent culminating performances of learning and achievement?

Describe performances that are significant, essential, and verifiable?

State only ONE performance per outcome

Refer to learning that is transferable?

LO should not dictate curriculum content, but could be a number of different ways to achieve the outcome

Reflect the overriding principles of equity and farness and accommodate the needs of diverse learners

Represent the minimal acceptable level of performance to be considered successful

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Transitioning Courses from Face-to-Face to Online

The transition of a classroom-based (F2F) to partially or fully online course is dependent on the partnership between the instructor with the instructional designer. On the first table below, the instructor and the instructional designer can discuss the interactions used within the classroom setting. From that topic, the two can look at web interaction tools on the table and discuss the potential use of the chosen tools within the course design.

As the instructor wants to learn more details about software program options available for her/his online course, the second table explains the purpose of a variety of software tools for course design purposes.

Translation of Classroom-based Interactions to the Web

* Adapted and updated from Lynch, M. (1998). Facilitating knowledge construction and communication on the Internet. The Technology Source.

 Software Program Options for Web-based Development and Delivery

 The PSU Team regularly uses many software programs in the development and delivery of web-based training. We are competent on both PC and MAC platforms, and have some Unix and Database Management capabilities. We have experts in each area and most team members have expertise in multiple programs. In addition, as unique educational needs become apparent, this team has the capability to search for and find new software and learn how to use it, or to write software programs themselves. A listing of the most common packages we regularly use in the design, development and delivery of web-based training is below:

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Bloom's Taxonomy

Bloom's Taxonomy is used to help identify learning objectives and their respective assessment strategies. In the field of instructional design, Bloom's Taxonomy is often used to assist both designers and instructors in clearly defining the objectives of a lesson. The site listed below provides an overview of the taxonomy in addition to a cognitive taxonomy circle that can help guide you through writing lesson objectives.

http://www.apa.org/ed/new_blooms.html

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User Support Services

User Support Services answer questions about computer hardware and software, networking, accessing the network from off-campus, obtaining an e-mail/network account, and much more. If your request is better handled by someone with more expertise in a particular area, USS staff members will refer you to the appropriate technical contact. No appointment is necessary. To access the USS website please go to: http://www.uss.pdx.edu/

WebCT and Instructional Design Support

PSU's instructional design staff are available to assist faculty in the design and implementation of a variety of modalities for distributed learning, including partially and fully online course offerings. You can reach the team via email at webct@pdx.edu or by calling the Center for Academic Excellence at 503.725.8327.

PSU Online

The PSU Online Team is made up of members of both the Distributed Education team in the Department of Instruction and Research Services, as well as the Distance Learning team in the School of Extended Studies.

Instructional Development Support Center

The Instructional Development Support Center (IDSC) is a fully-equipped multimedia computing lab and media production facility, available to all graduate students and faculty at PSU. We specialize by providing guidance and resources to users developing instructional media and research-based materials. You may access the IDSC web site at: http://www.idsc.pdx.edu

Distance Learning Center

The Distance Learning Center provides an ideal setting for videoconferencing and distributed education programs of all descriptions. Its four classrooms, seating between twenty and fifty people, have built-in audiovisual and television support to create an environment suited to local and remote clients. Visit the DLC at: http://www.irs.pdx.edu/dlc/

Classroom and Audio Visual Services

Classroom and Audio Visual Services is dedicated to serving the equipment and technology needs of the classroom-based instructor. This department serves three important constituencies-- Audio/visual equipment checkout and maintenance, technology classroom support, and classroom computing. Learn more by visiting the CAVS website at: http://www.cavs.pdx.edu/

Designer Tutorials

A series of online video tutorials are provided for faculty who desire assistance with WebCT tools and functions. These tutorials cover each WebCT tool and talk you through the step by step process.

You may access these tutorials at: http://www.psuonline.pdx.edu/faq_faculty.php

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