I spent some time this week running through each of the tutorials. I thought it would be a good way to begin to understand all of the requirements for the course, as well as reflect on what background knowledge I am coming into the course with. I completed a review of the Reflection Journal tutorials before starting this one, which you can read about in this post.
Background Knowledge
Okay, this one was definitely a refresher, and I went in knowing that. After two semesters as an instructional design student, I was familiar with all of the material presented in the book. Still, the overview let me know on which parts of Instructional Design I should focus. These included the three types of leaning (behaviorism, cognitivism, social learning) and the associated instructional theories, from IDE 621. Instructional systems design, from IDE 632, was also mentioned as area to focus on, especially ADDIE, which we covered heavily in IDE 631. Lastly, the alignment of instruction with goals and assessments, which has been covered in multiple classes, was emphasized.
Storyboards
Storyboards are another topic with which I am familiar, but not nearly an expert, after doing them for previous classes. Storyboards are a text and graphic description of instruction presented as a series of frames. They include a narrative introduction, a picture that gives on idea of the instruction, duration, activities, resources, environment, and any other descriptions that are necessary to develop the instruction. Instructional designers use them to give an overview of new instruction, describe current instruction, and provide a blueprint for the development. The most effective storyboards provide the “big picture” of the instruction. This can be accomplished by dividing activities into frames, one frame focused on each activity. Graphics should also reflect what is going on in the instruction, and all the necessary details are included.
Rubrics
Rubrics are the topic I was most unfamiliar with, having used them in previous classes but never having made my own. Rubrics are an assessment or evaluation tool that evaluates a project, process, or strategy that includes both strengths and areas for improvement. There are many types, and they can be customized to the purpose of the evaluator. Instructional designers use rubrics to facilitate discussion on product improvement and decisions, learner progress, and strategic planning. Rubrics also help to clearly define criteria for success. The three main components of a rubric are the list of criteria, ratings, and comment section. I have always found the comment section to be most helpful because it provides justification for the rating and/ or areas for improvement. The most effective rubrics are clear, precise, focused, and are able to be used by the evaluator.
I’ve also been working through the readings (slowly but surely!) and I’ll be posting about some of those soon. Tomorrow, I have a client meeting with my boss to brainstorm some ideas about the instruction for my final project. I will be able to share details of the project requirements with her, and she will be able to give me her needs for the video. I’ll be writing about it before long.
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