What is the link between instructional materials, objectives, and assessments?

 

It is very important for assessments to be aligned with the learning objectives and instructional materials because they all work together and support each other. Objectives and assessments are intertwined and both of these should be clarified before you begin to figure out what type of instructional materials you will use. While objectives state what is expected, assessment provides tools to determine whether the learning outcomes have been reached (Lamb, Annette, 2012-2014)."

Reasons your course should be aligned:

• First, alignment increases the probability that we will provide students with the opportunities to learn and practice the knowledge and skills that will be required on the various assessments we design.
• Second, when assessments and objectives are aligned, “good grades” are more likely to translate into “good learning” (Eberly, 2014)."

 In order for your course to be aligned you will need to make sure that the learning objective, assessments, and instructional strategies are aligned in your course. This is the only way that you will have effective learning in your course.

"A framework for reflection - The Triangle of Effective LearningBiggs (2003) argues that effective instruction is the result of the alignment of Learning Activities and Assessment with the intended Learning Outcomes or Objectives (Carey, Linda, 2014)."

 

When reflecting on your courses ask yourself these simple questions:

• "Do the learning outcomes flow from the previous session and do they progress students' knowledge, understanding and skills (Carey, Linda, 2014)?" Make sure that the students are taking away all the information that you wanted them to absorb from the course.
• Do the planned and enacted learning activities move students' learning towards the intended outcomes (Carey, Linda, 2014)?” You will have to think to yourself, what instructional materials can I provide that will strengthen the students’ knowledge of the learning objectives and get them ready for the assessments.
• Do the planned and enacted assessment activities allow students to demonstrate the knowledge, understanding and skills highlighted in the learning outcomes (Carey, Linda, 2014)?" It is important to create assessments that will showcase that the students attain the learning objectives that you set forth.

"If assessments are misaligned with learning objectives or instructional strategies, it can undermine both student motivation and learning (Eberly, 2014)." The student’s attention will most likely start to center their attention around whatever will direct them to obtain a good grade, which in fact they should be concentrating on learning what is critical.

References

Eberly Center, What is the difference between formative and summative assessment (2014). Carnegie Mellon. Retrieved from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html

Lamb, Annette. Inforamtion Inquiry: Instructional Strategies for Library & Information Professionals (2012-2014). Retrieved from http://eduscapes.com/instruction/8.htm

Assessment

 

"Assessment is the act of assessing, especially the evaluation of a student's achievement on a course (Dictionary.com, 2014)." Assessments allow the instructor to evaluate the student's performance. The two types of assessments that are significant in the instructional design process are formative assessment and summative assessment. "Assessments measures if and how students are learning and if the teaching methods are effectively relaying the intended messages (Formative and Summative Assessment)."

 

 

"The goal of formative assessment is to monitor student learning to provide ongoing feedback that can be used by instructors to improve their teaching and by students to improve their learning (Eberly, 2014)." Formative assessments generally are used to see if the learner is on the appropriate level or on the right track. Formative e assessment provides feedback and information during the instructional process, while learning is taking place and while learning is occurring (Formative and Summative Assessment)." It not only aids the learner but it also aids the instructor helping the instructor see what areas the students are having difficulty with and what areas they are thriving in.

 

"Formative assessments are generally low stakes, which means they have a low or no point value (Eberly, 2014)." Formative assessments generally occur before or during instruction. The purpose of formative assessment is to lead the instructor as they plan and improve instruction to enhance the students learning. Examples may include simple assignments such as a class discussions or homework review questions.

"The goal of summative assessment is to evaluate student learning at the end of an instructional unit by comparing it against some standard or benchmark (Eberly, 2014)." Unlike formative assessments summative assessments are generally very important and hefty assignments such as tests such as a final exam or final project. "Summative assessment take place after the learning has been completed and provides information and feedback that sums up the teaching and learning process (Formative and Summative Assessment)."


Summative assessments are considered high-stakes assessments because a grade is typically applied to the activity. "Summative assessment is more product-oriented and assesses the final product, whereas formative assessment focuses on the process toward completing the product (Summative and Formative Assessment)." Summative assessment generally is conducted at the end of the instruction. It allows the instructor and the student to know what level they are on and how much they have accomplished.

 

Although there are differences in a formative assessment and a summative assessment, they are both significant assessment that should not be over-looked in regards to instructional design. "The formative assessments check progress along the way, while the summative assessment serves sort of as the 'end survey (Lepi, K., 2014)."



 
References

Dictionary.com. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/assessment
 
Eberly Center, What is the difference between formative and summative assessment (2014). Carnegie Mellon. Retrieved from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/assessment/basics/formative-summative.html
 
Formative and Summative Assessment. Northern Illinois University, Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center. www.aswestern.edu

Lepi, Katie. The Key Differences Between Summative and Formative Assessment (2014). Retrieved from http://www.edudemic.com/summative-and-formative-assessments/

Role of Objectives in the ID Process

 

WHAT ARE LEARNING OBJECTIVES?

 

The third stage of the design process is to identify the goals and objectives. "Instructional objectives are specific, measurable, short-term, observable student behaviors that are the foundation upon which you can build lessons and assessments that helps to meet the overall course or lesson goals (Martin, Florence, 2011)."This stage is a very important because this is where you determine what the learner will learn after the instructional activity. It also helps instructors to plan learning from day to day. Learning objectives help to guide the learning activities, lets the learners know what to expect from the training, and opens the door for evaluations to be conducted to measure the effectiveness. "Objectives help to activate a mental set that focuses student attention and directs selective perception of specific lesson content (Gagne´, 1985)."

 

KEY COMPONENTS OF A LEARNING OBJECTIVE

The key components of a learning objective are all objectives should be SMART.

Specific, Measurable or observable, Attainable for the learners within planned time and planned conditions, Relevant and results-oriented, and targeted to the learner and be at the chosen learning level.

"A well-written objective should describe a learning outcome; it should not describe a learning activity. A student-oriented objective focuses on the learner, not on the teacher, and if an instructional objective is not observable (or does not describe an observable product), it leads to unclear expectations and it will be difficult to determine whether or not it had been reached (Instructional Objectives)."

 
BLOOM'S TAXONOMY

 

Benjamin Bloom with other collaborators created this framework called Bloom's Taxonomy. "Taxonomy simply means "classification," so the well-known taxonomy of learning objectives is an attempt (within the behavioral paradigm) to classify forms and levels of learning (Atherton, JS, 2013)." Bloom's taxonomy is a classification chart of multiple objectives that educators can use to create their learning objectives. The objectives are separated into six different categories such as Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation.

 
 
EXAMPLES OF LEARNING OBJECTIVES

 

Good Examples of Effective Objectives

Be able to drive a car.

Be able to write a check.

 

 

 

   

Bad Examples of Ineffective Objectives

Be able to understand how science

Develop an appreciation for dance

 




CREATE AN EFFECTIVE LEARNING OBJECTIVE

To create an effective learning objective, begin your objective sentence with something similar to, "At the end of this training the students will be able to:"

1. Select an action word from Bloom's Taxonomy; do not use words that require an explanation or clarification.

2. To create attainable learning objectives name the condition that the performance will take place such as: on a paper exam

3. Make sure that you create objectives that target the audience and match the action verb selected.

REFERENCES

Atherton J S (2013) Learning and Teaching; Bloom's taxonomy [On-line: UK] retrieved 30 June 2014 from http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm

Bloom's taxonomy http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/bloomtax.htm#ixzz369XxsN6g
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives

http://education.stateuniversity.com/pages/2098/Instructional-Objectives.html">Instructional Objectives - Characteristics of a Well-Written Objective, Characteristics of a Useful Objective, Kinds of Instructional Objectives
 

Gagne´, R. M., Wager, W. W., Golas, K. C., & Keller, J. M. (2005). Principles of instructional design (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth=Thompson Learning.

 
Martin, Florence. (2011). Instructional Design and the Importance of Instructional Alignment. Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.  

 

 

How does Chunking Impact Content Development?

Chunking is a memory strategy where you "chunk" or group information together in a relevant way to make remembering easier. According to Kaveti, "chunking is a technique course designers use to break information and then reorder the learning modules into chunks that make sense (Kaveti, 2000-2014)."
 
When you break information down into smaller learning modules, learners are able to navigate effortlessly and they are more apt to remember more of the content while making fewer mistakes. "The reason the brain needs this assistance is because working memory, which is where we manipulate information, holds a limited amount of information at one time (Malamed, 2014)." Using chunking is helpful because a person's working memory has a limited capacity. "People can hold from five to nine units of information in working memory at one time, with the average number of memorable units being about 7 (Ormord, p.168)." 

In the example below (Figure 1.1), the learner is expected to learn the numbers, 1, 9, 7, and 8. Instead of trying to remember the numbers individually, we chunk the numbers together to make 1978. Since the numbers are chunked together as a year and  this assists the learner in remembering the information effortlessly.

Figure1.1

 

 

Chunking helps so that the learner is not overloaded with so much content that the learner is no longer retaining the content. Learners are more eager to engage in content if it is chunked together and more open to learning the content. "Chunking information is particularly important for online learning (Malamed, 2014)." When there is a large amount of information learners become overwhelmed and uninterested, they are also less likely to retain the information.

Chunking also increases the probability that you can quickly find information if the content is chunked together. When chunking, organize your information into small paragraphs of content. "When information is given in small chunks, it enhances the working memory of the learners (Kaveti, 2000-2014)."

Figure 1.2

In the example above (Figure 1.2), EXAMPLE 1 shows several shapes scattered all inside of the rectangle which makes it is difficult to determine what all the shapes in the box are and how many of each shape there is. EXAMPLE 1 is clearly confusing which makes it very hard to remember how many of each shape there is. In EXAMPLE 2, we used the chunking technique, where we grouped the shapes that are alike together and you can clearly see what shapes are there and how many there is of each shape.

People's lives are so busy that chunking is a beneficial method of retaining information that it needed. If we exceed our working memory, as the saying goes, if you do not use it...you will lose it. "This is a big challenge for a course designer, it means that if you are explaining something complex and the learner must hold several factors in mind to understand it, you will need to chunk information into bite-sized pieces (Malamed, 2014)."

References

 

 

Kaveti, Vandana. Importance of Content Chunking for Effective eLearning Development (2000-2014). CommLab India. Retrieved June 23, 2014 from http://blog.commlabindia.com/elearning-design/importance-content-chunking

Malamed, Connie. Chunking Information for Instructional Design 2014. Retrieved June 23, 2014 from http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/chunking-information/.

 
Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis (2012). Human Learning (sixth ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education. 
 
Popova, Maria. The Science of "Chunking," Working Memory, and How Pattern Recognition Fuels Creativity. Retrieved June 23, 2014 from http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/09/04/the-ravenous-brain-daniel-bor/.

ADDIE Model: Components of the Analysis Phase

 

WHAT  ARE THE COMPONENTS OF THE ANALYSIS PHASE IN THE ADDIE MODEL?

 

 

 

The analysis phase is a very pertinent component in the ADDIE Model. "It involved many hours of research and interviewing to improve your skills to determine course expectations for your audience (Shoemaker, 2010)." Although this step is frequently disregarded it is needed it is also the most important phase. The analysis phase is the who, what, where, and when of the ADDIE model. There are two major components that are combined together with their own activities to formulate the analysis phase in the ADDIE Model and these are the Performance Analysis and The Training Needs Assessment. The components of the Performance Analysis are the front-end analysis and the cause analysis. The components of the Training Needs Assessment are the audience analysis, instructional goal analysis and the task/competency analysis.

 

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

The performance analysis is needed to find out what the problems are, figure out what is the best way the problems can be solved, and are there any barriers that would potentially prevent people for the targeted performance.

• Front-end Analysis is when you want to know is there any issues and if so what the issues are. This is where you identify the problem.
• "Cause Analysis is about determining why a gap in performance or expectations exist (What is Human Performance Technology, 2012)."

 

TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT

Needs assessment is needed to verify if there is a need for the training/project.

• Audience Analysis-Who requires the training? "It is critical to know who your audience is for the course or program that you are creating (Shoemaker, 2010)." This allows us to customize the instructions for the specific learners. Audience analysis focus will on the target audience trying to determine how much how much information or knowledge they are coming into the training with, evaluating their attitudes towards the training, is there a desire to learn the information, and demographic information.
• Instructional Goal Analysis is where you state what goals and/or objectives should be included in the training. It is important to make sure you address and ask plenty of questions. This helps to build with an effective and productive course.
• Task/Competency Analysis-Most importantly you will be determining the knowledge skills, and abilities that are needed for the training or project, you will also determine what the goals are and create any objectives for the training/project. It is always a good idea to determine what equipment or resources will be available for the training/project.

 



 

 

 

 References

 

Organt. Gerald J., Training Needs Assessment. IPMA Assessment Council. San Diego, California. June. 1979.

 

Shoemaker, Duane. Instructional Design Expert.com. Retrieved from http://www.instructionaldesignexpert.com/index.html June 16, 2014.

 

What is Human Performance Technology. No. TR-2012-1. June 7, 2012.

 

 

ADDIE MODEL

 

WHAT IS THE ADDIE MODEL?

 

To understand the ADDI Model first you must first understand what Instructional Design is. "Instructional Design is the systematic development of instructional specifications using learning and instructional theory to ensure the quality of instruction. It is the entire process of learning needs and goals and the development of a delivery system to meet those needs. It includes development of instructional materials and activities; and tryout and evaluation of all instruction and learner activities (University of Michigan, 1996)."

 

The ADDIE model is a template used to create instructional design models. It is a generic instructional design model that provides guidance at a fairly high level for instructional designers, software engineers, etc., as they author and revise learning products (Welty, Gordon, 2007).

 

Although the creator of the ADDIE Model is not known, this model is a driving force behind alot of variations of instructional design models. "The origin of the label itself is obsure, but the underlying concepts of ISD can be traced to the model developed for the United State armed forces in the mid 1970s (Molenda, Michael, 2003)." It can be used across any genre of work as a learning or training tool such as in the classrooms, businesses, health profession, and government.

 

The acronym for the ADDIE model stands for Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. Each of the steps has a result that leads to the next step in the model. "There is a widely share understanding that when used in ISD models, these processes are considered to be sequential but also iterative (Molenda, Michael, 2003)."

 

 

 

 

 

 

STEP 1: ANALYSIS

 

In the analysis phase you are expected to evaluate the learner by assessing their skills and any former knowledge that they have on the topic. Examine any goals that have been set, pay close attention to any complications that might need to be reviewied and the material that you are using to educate them. In this stage you are primarily thinking.

 

Some questions that you might be asking yourself during the analysis phase.

• Who is the target audience?
• How many people will benefit from this lesson?
• Does the target audience have any prior knowledge of the topic?
• How will this lesson benefit the target audience?
• How much time do you have to create this course?
• Why is there a need for this course?
• What is the expected outcome in developing this course?
• What material will be provided to help develop the course?
• Are you enhancing already existing material or will you be developing a new lesson?

"As you go through the above process remember that instruction is always the response to a problem (Instructional Design: ADDIE)."

 

 

 STEP 2: DESIGN

 

In the design phase you are selecting which learning objectives you will be using and what process you will need to take to generate a game plan to execute a sucessful lesson.   

 

Some aspects you will need to take into consideration during the design phase.

• List your goals.
• Note any assessment strategies that might be beneficial.
• What type of content will you be using ?
• What is the expected deadline for the final product?
• What are the learning objectives?

"If you feel that the learners or those that commissioned the course overestimated what is possible, identify those things that you feel cannot be accomplished and provide alternatives, how to compensate for them, or how to accomplish them by other means (Instructional Design: ADDIE)."

 

 

STEP 3: DEVELOP

 

In the develop phase, you will construct and produce your materials, choose the method on how you will deliver the content and create your lesson.

 

Some aspects you will need to take into consideration during the develop phase.

• Make sure if you need any additional material that you develop it at this stage.
• Create the assignments, tests, quizzes, rubrics, etc.

"Regardless of the subject matter or the approach you take to teach it, one thing remains constant, you must teach to the objective (Instructional Design: ADDIE)." 

 

 

STEP 4: IMPLEMENT

 

In the implement stage, you will execute your lesson.

 

Be sure to go over your lesson a second time to make sure everything is included.

 

• Make sure the lesson is clear and easy to manage.
• Make sure any assignments, tests, quizzes, rubrics, etc. have clear instructions and deadlines stated.

"Be aware that not all technical support is the same (Instructional Design: ADDIE)."

 

  STEP 5: EVALUATE

 

In the evaluate stage, you will look back at each stage and evaluate the feedback.

 

 

Some aspects you will need to take into consideration during the evaulate phase.

 

• Identify and correct any problems.
• Was the lesson clear?
• Request feedback.
• Were all of the learning objectives met?

 "Evaluation is important to insure that we are meeting our objective and to improve future offerings of the instruction (Instructional Design: ADDIE)."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 References

 

Instructional Design: ADDIE Retrieved 06/05/14 http://www.grayharriman.com/ADDIE.htm

 

Molenda, Michael. In Search of the Elusive ADDIE Model (2003). Performance Improvement. Volume 42. Number 5.

 

The University of Michigan, 1996, Discusses various definitions of instructional design, such as process, discipline, science, etc. Retrieved: 06/06/14. http://www.umich.edu/~ed626/define.html  

 

Welty, Gordon. Ph.D., The 'Design' Phse of the ADDIE Model (2007). Jouranl of GSP Compliance. July 2007 Volume 11. Number 4.