Our instructional designers have been busy sharing best practices and new ideas at virtual conferences this year! Here’s a list sorted by topic area with resources and presentation recordings (when available).
Course Design Process
This Seems Backwards! Using Backwards Design in Course Development
Presenters: Eric Peloza and Jennifer Russo, Instructional Designers
Conference: LTDC Virtual Showcase, June 2020
Description: Using the backward design model, UW Extended Campus instructional designers demonstrate effective online course design and development practices when collaborating with faculty. The presentation introduces the audience to what backward design is as well as its importance to the design and development process. Best practices for aligning objectives, assessments, and resources are provided, and the presentation defines and explains the roles and responsibilities of the instructional designer, faculty, and media representative. Throughout the presentation, examples of working documents are shared for clear, visual examples of the presented concepts. By using backward design, you can ensure that courses are fundamentally sound, leading to student success!
Presentation Materials
- Link to Recording (47:43)
- Presentation Slides
Making Online Course Development a Transformative Experience
Presenters: Eric Peloza, Instructional Designer & Melinda Verdone, Program Manager of MS in Applied Biotechnology
Conference: Distance Teaching and Learning Conference, August 2020
Description: In this session, the MS in Applied Biotechnology program is used as an exemplar for UW Extended Campus’s course development process. The process is described in detail by the Program Manager and program’s Instructional Designer. Feedback from the program’s faculty who have recently undergone online course development is presented, demonstrating how their teaching practices have changed and grown as a result of the development process. Responses from faculty who are new to online instruction and those with previous online course experience are also provided.
Presentation Materials
Learning Objectives
Writing Quality Learning Objectives
Presenter: John Hollenbeck, Senior Instructional Designer
Conference: LTDC Virtual Showcase, June 2020
Description: This highly interactive presentation begins by developing a well-formed learning objective using the three required elements of an objective: performance, conditions, and criteria. John discusses granularity and the levels of learning objectives from institutional to lesson. The presentation concludes by establishing learning objectives in cognitive and knowledge dimensions as described by Anderson and Krathwohl (2001). Throughout the session, participants are called upon to work with concepts with the goal of leaving the session with at least one quality learning objective.
Presentation Materials
- Link to recording (51:37)
Begin Here: Writing Quality Learning Objectives
Presenter: John Hollenbeck, Senior Instructional Designer
Conferences: Distance Teaching & Learning Conference, August 2020; Online Learning Consortium Innovate Conference, June 2020
Description: This session addresses issues that faculty struggle with in writing well-formed learning objectives. Learning objectives are a key element in the Quality Matters rubric, forming the basis for determinations of alignment of learning elements. In John’s experience as both a faculty and an instructional designer, he has found that few instructors have had formal training in organizing a course, especially when it comes to stating the learning objectives of the course in observable and measurable terms. With that in mind, this session was designed to provide that training by introducing the parts of a learning objective, how learning objectives relate at different levels, and how learning objectives map out in cognitive and knowledge dimensions.
Presentation Materials
Discussion Design
Part Deux: Discussion on the Rocks? Add a Twist of Fresh Alternatives!
Presenters: Laurie Berry, Instructional Designer & Kristin Kowal, Senior Instructional Designer
Conferences: LTDC Virtual Showcase, June 2020; Online Learning Consortium Innovate Conference, June 2020
Description: This session is a sequel to the 2018 LTDC Virtual Showcase & 2019 OLC Innovate blockbuster hit “Discussion on the Rocks? Add a Twist of Fresh Alternatives!” Kristin Kowal and Laurie Berry are back to share more new, creative ways for you to add a little zest to make online discussions more meaningful and enjoyable. Attendees learned field-tested strategies that facilitate increased student engagement while still achieving the goals of student interaction, knowledge sharing, critical thinking, and broadening one’s viewpoint. Participants leave the session ready to implement these strategies immediately. Throughout the session, each strategy is supported with evidence collected via student work and faculty interviews, and tips on how to avoid student or instructor pitfalls are provided.
Presentation Materials
Tech Tools
Using Microsoft Teams to Facilitate Online Group Work
Presenter: William Weber, Instructional Designer
Conference: LTDC Virtual Showcase, June 2020
Description: On the side, the presenter teaches an online course outside of the UW System where he set up groups in Microsoft Teams—a feature of Office365—to help facilitate group work. In this presentation, he talks about his reasoning to use Teams, including some of its features and advantages over the LMS, how he set up the groups/teams, and the lessons he learned along the way.
Presentation Materials:
- Link to recording (37:44)
Upping Your Game: Advanced Approaches to Kaltura Video in Courses
Presenter: William Weber, Instructional Designer & Thomas Arendalkowski, UW-Shared Services
Conference: LTDC Virtual Showcase, June 2020
Description: The Kaltura media management tool is a key part of the UW System’s Digital Learning Environment, but many users don’t take full advantage of it. In this presentation, Bil discusses ways that you can improve the use of Kaltura video in your online courses. He also covers several new ways to use video and the pedagogy behind each. The presentation concludes with a discussion on how Kaltura’s machine captioning tool can easily make your videos more accessible.
Presentation Materials:
- Link to recording (46:53)
Further Exploration
Hungry for more content and want to peruse a varied menu of Virtual Presentation Options? Hop on over to the LTDC Virtual Showcase 2020 page and peruse the Keynote and Tuesday & Wednesday schedules!
