Talk:Diana Cary's Portfolio Page

-- Janewilde 23:59, 4 October 2012 (EDT)

Great start Diana. When we get to writing objectives I would like to use yours as examples of performance based objectives.

-- Janewilde 10:53, 14 October 2012 (EDT)

Next steps. Diana, I want you to go back to week 4/5 and think about the outcomes our two authors discussed. Make sure you think through and document what you are hoping students to learn (not only in terms of performance objectives of which yours are great, but in terms of type of learning). To what extent are you seeking "understanding?" You might also find it useful to think about the three learning outcomes I have mentioned: 1) knowledge that is how-to, 2) knowledge that is about, and 3) knowledge that is a deep understanding of. You might make your course richer, move beyond simple how-to, by exploring the why of each of the practice you teach.

Look at limiting and identifying your scope -- RobertEkblaw 17:25, 26 October 2012 (EDT)

I won't comment on the objectives, as Jane has already done a good job on that. I am concerned if you are taking on more than you can accomplish in this course. Since the task analysis is missing and the needs analysis is general, it almost seems like you are showing ALL of the tools, sections, and functions available in Blackboard, and which ones to use for certain types of courses. As someone who has been using Blackboard for years, I know how much learning content is involved in that. To really discuss ALL of Blackboard, you are taking about a lot of work, far beyond the amount of work Jane suggested for this mini-course.

What you are proposing seems like a good course, and it's a fine thing to continue to build beyond this course (I'd even be willing to help you with it. We could create a video training course, and I already know where to market it!). I'm just concerned that you won't be able to complete everything you are discussing in the objectives and course purpose, and either get frustrated, overworked, or get a poor grade as a result.

As a suggestion, I would recommend taking on a particular "slice" of Blackboard. It sounds like you want to create a course usable by people who have NEVER used a computerized course support or course management system (that is not specifically stated in your learner analysis, but I inferred that from what you stated in that section). Thus, focus this course on teaching the BASIC elements of developing an online learning system, and how Blackboard implements those basic elements. A clearly defined focus, with clearly defined boundaries and limits, will help you better organize the material and plan the course unit and lessons.

Re: Look at limiting and identifying your scope -- Diana M. Cary 13:45, 27 October 2012 (EDT)

Thank you Robert. You are so right and so is Jane. I do need to limit my scope and clearly define my objectives. I am a bit behind due to illness so I plan to get back up and running this week. I have to play catch up but I do have a plan. I will contact you through email to discuss the possibility of creating a training course.

I think my real plan and scope are not as big as it seems with what I have outlined here in the Wiki thus far. I also think I have to start building the course (doing the task analysis) right away so I can get caught up. Then I will have a better understanding on how much I can teach in this mini course.

Comment from Catherine

Hi Diana, This summer I took ETAP 640 and built an online course in Moodle. It was one of the most work intensive courses I have ever experienced. I realized through taking that course that providing an introduction to online teaching as well as teaching how to utilize an LMS such as Moodle was a lot of content to cover. I am not saying that the course was too much work or anything like that, but it did make me think about how much content should or could be covered in a course of that length. I would have to agree with Robert's advice. I have never designed a course in any other LMS and I would love to learn more about how to do so in Blackboard. I think that creating a module versus a course is a good way to go. I also think that there are many other students like myself who have utilized other LMS's but not Blackboard. By gearing a mini course towards these types of learners you may be able to focus on fewer objectives because many of the essential prerequisites will most likely have been covered in other courses. In other words, teaching me how to build a module in Blackboard having done so in another LMS would be very different from teaching someone who never used any LMS. I understand what you are going through with trying to catch up after an illness. It is not easy and if there is anything I can do to help please let me know. I am looking forward to seeing your work progress as well as your final product! -Catherine