Artifact 2 - History 101 Course 

Scope

The purpose of this artifact was to develop an 8-week course using a learning management system. I chose to use Canvas, which I have been familiar with, but from a student side, not an instructional design perspective. This artifact was made for EDET 755 as part of our final project. This artifact would fit in its own course as a collegiate environment that focused on United States history from the pre-Columbian era all the way up to 1865 (the American Civil War). The knowledge I had when making this course was the history of the United States, how to create instructional materials, and how to organize the information. I did not know how to set up an active or effective course on an LMS. That would become my learning curve, which I was able to overcome.

 

Role

This artifact was made strictly by me. I was the instructional designer and the developer of this artifact. There were no subject matter experts (SMEs) for this artifact due to the reason that I teach high school history to students, and I was a TA during my undergraduate studies for History 101. When developing the course, my biggest issue that I wish I had a team for was deciding what the most important information was that needed to be placed in the course that would most benefit the students while achieving the learning objectives.

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Instructional Design

This artifact aligns with the ADDIE model, focusing on the development phases of the ADDIE model. Specifically, the artifact displays organization, sequencing, instructional materials, and the learning objectives. Because of these elements, this alignment supports the development stage by taking the data from the analysis phase and design phase to develop a functional course in Canvas (Branch, 2009).  While I did have to perform the design phase on this artifact, like creating the blueprint of how the course will be set up, creation of learning objectives, and instructional materials, this artifact will emphasize the development of the course in Canvas.

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Additionally, this artifact aligns with the Morrison, Ross, and Kemp (MRK) instructional design model because it focuses on message design and formative evaluation. The message design is crucial in the development of this course because I was really focused on creating a course that provides an equal amount of information that will not overload the learner. Additionally, it focuses on sequential sequencing in chronological order with unit names of each week, and finally, it provides clear, engaging, and meaningful content to support the learner. For formative evaluation, students would be provided with grades throughout the course and would be asked to take an end-of-course evaluation survey. According to Morrison et al., they state “Its function is to inform the instructor or planning team how well the instructional program is serving the objectives as it progresses.” (Morrison et al., 2013). Students' engagement at the end of the course survey allows me (the designer) to evaluate what went well and what could be improved for the next time that the course will be used.

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Related Performance Indicators

Creating – Candidates demonstrate the ability to create instructional materials and learning environments using a variety of systems approaches. (p. 81)

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Reflection

When reflecting on this assignment, I was very proud of what I produced. As someone who enjoys putting things together, I found myself enjoying the process of building a course from paper into a real functioning course that could be used. When creating the artifact, I had a deep understanding of what andragogy was and how it differs from pedagogy (which I use on a daily basis). Furthermore, I had a good grasp on how to sequence the information since I have taught this information for several years now and knew what the most important information was for the learners. I also had a good grasp of implementing cognitivism. Many students come into this course with some type of prior knowledge, and implementing cognitivism focuses on learners to connect or build new understanding of information while having a previous understanding of United States history prior to this class. 

 

Due to this course being farther along in my program, I had a lot better grasp on what adult learning was, how to implement the ADDIE model, a foundational understanding of how to sequence and organize information effectively to not overload the learners, and a focus on cognitivism and behaviorism. However, reflecting on this assignment, I wish I had thought more about accessibility for my learners. Some of the videos do not have closed captions or transcripts. This would make it inaccessible for students who have hearing impairments or just prefer audio over visual. Additionally, implement alt text for images and links so screen readers can navigate throughout the course.

 

This artifact does align with standard 1.1 for the AECT 2012 standards because I was able to demonstrate the ability to develop instructional materials that would support the learners while completing this course. Moreover, the instructional materials, assessments, and evaluations were designed to help the learners master each learning objective that was present for each module. Finally, I was able to take the instructional materials and successfully organize and publish the materials in Canvas for students to access the materials.