499-01: Internship Project

In May of 2006 I enrolled as a student at the College of Graduate and Professional Studies of the University of Mary Washington. I was given the opportunity to participate in an internship project that would involve collaborating with an instructor at Old Dominion University and the redesign of a 300 level course. Previously taught through Teletechnet, this course was delivered in a hybrid format using video streaming, DVD capture and in-class lectures and discussions. The challenge was to move the course completely online, implement new technologies and provide learning opportunities in both synchronous and asynchronous formats to support the learning environment. Though I have been working in a similar capacity, this was my first opportunity to put the skills I had learned to the test as a complete project, start to finish.

...hmmm......I'm feeling a little small.

I meet with my advisor and my project mentor and discussed the logistics of the project.

I meet with the instructor to determine the needs and expectations.

I meet with staff from the Center of Learning Technologies at Old Dominion University.

Through the partnership at ODU, I was invited to attend a 3-day Summer Institute for faculty training sponsored by the Distance Learning Department. Exposure to the possibilities helped me to capture the ideas floating around in my head.

Though I was very familiar with using the ADDIE model for designing training programs, this project required learning more about the theory of instructional design as it applies to higher education. It required an understanding of pedagogy, which had not been a previous focus of my work. It challenged me to blend concepts together and "think outside the box".

Having just returned from the Sloan-C Workshop on Blended Learning for Higher Education, I had a good starting point for resources. I explored their website of resources and publications.

Resources:

Web
Sloan-C
Sloan-C View
JALN - Journal of Asynchronous Learning

Books
Faculty Guide for Moving Teaching and Learning to the Web, Second Edition by Judith V. Boettcher and Rita-Marie Conrad
Understanding by Design by Grant Wiggins, Jay McTighe
Understanding by Design Professional Development Workbook by Jay McTighe

What is ADDIE?
ADDIE is an instructional design model composed of five stages of development; Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation. It essentially provides a road map to work through a development project beginning with defining the learning objectives and goals.

What is my learning objective?

I needed to define my learning objective for this project. What did I accomplish with this task?

At the completion of this project I will have succeeded in developing a design process and implementation plan for course conversion, blending new technologies and distance learning delivery formats in a sound pedagogical manner.