Rating for my course: Papia Bawa Type of Instruction: Instructor led, online delivered, Document Design Strategies for

Professional Writing Stage PROBLEM Is the courseware presented in the context of real world problems? YES YES Criteria Does the courseware show learners the task they will be able to do or the problem they will be able to solve as a result of completing a module or course? Explanation Each Module describes the learning objectives in the Module Overview area. These objectives clearly define and explain what tasks learners will do and skills they will display after completing the module. Students will be engaged both at problem or task level AND the action level when they design the two major project artifacts. The Marketing Collateral project requires students to deal with real clients and create materials that the clients can actually use. Clients will also provide feedback to the students. The projects are developed in multiple stages. This way the students have several opportunities of problem solving activities, leading to a final, consolidated solution. They also have several opportunities to receive peer, instructor and client feedback opportunities inserted in the schedule. Even the weekly discussions etc. have been designed to expose students to different problem-solution activities.

Are students engaged at the problem or task level not just the operation or action levels? Does the courseware involve a progression of problems rather than a single problem?

YES

Stage

Criteria

Explanation

RATING FOR PROBLEM STAGE: 5 ACTIVATION Does the courseware attempt to activate relevant prior knowledge or experience? Does the courseware direct learners to recall, relate, describe, or apply knowledge from relevant past experience that can be used as a foundation for new knowledge? Does the courseware provide relevant experience that can be used as a foundation for the new knowledge? The course is designed to help learners build upon the knowledge they acquired in English 211 or equivalent Business/ Technical writing courses. There are several assignments that require students to specifically apply knowledge from their past experiences and knowledge.

YES

YES

Assessments like the Audience Analysis Guide, Instructional If learners already know some of Manual and Marketing Collateral projects allow the content are they given an opportunity to demonstrate their students to use their knowledge of business and technical previously acquired knowledge documents/documentation or skill. genres and build upon it by applying the new knowledge this course teaches them about effective, document design.

RATING FOR ACTIVATION STAGE: 5

Stage DEMONSTRATION Are the demonstrations (examples) consistent with the content being taught?

Criteria Are the demonstrations (examples) consistent with the content being taught? Examples and nonexamples for concepts? Demonstrations for procedures? Visualizations for processes? Modeling for behavior?

Explanation The course uses multiple media contents to give information and examples of the usage and applications of the subject. Also, short examples are embedded in the assessment descriptions where required. Learners are directed to relevant information using assigned readings and associates assessments. They also have the opportunity to learn through self-graded, completion base graded and ipsative activities. This facilitates nudging them in the direction of important materials. For example, to make sure that students read important documents like the syllabus, Marketing Collateral project and Instructional manual instructions, I have designed short Introduction to. quizzes. The topic for the course is: document design strategies for professional writing. Effective document design cannot happen without the use of media. Throughout the course students will use Web 2.0 tools and professional designing media. The artifacts they will create for the major projects and some of the weekly discussions will involve media.

YES

Are at least some of the following learner guidance techniques employed? Learners are directed to relevant information? Multiple representations are used for the demonstrations? Multiple demonstrations are explicitly compared?

YES

Is media relevant to the content and used to enhance learning?

Stage

Criteria

Explanation

RATING FOR DEMONSTRATION STAGE: 5 APPLICATION Are the application (practice) and the posttest consistent with the stated or implied objectives? Are the application (practice) and the posttest consistent with the stated or implied objectives? Information-about practice requires learners to recall or recognize information. Parts-of practice requires the learners to locate, name, and/or describe each part. Kinds-of practice requires learners to identify new examples of each kind. I think this has already been answered in my response to the previous sections, so here is a short recap to avoid redundancy: Students will use their prior knowledge/skills They will build upon those and add new, relevant skills Students will describe items, identify/create their own examples, participate in procedure and process

They will get feedback throughout the progress of the How-to practice requires major assignments from peers, learners to do the procedure. instructor and live clients. What-happens practice requires learners to predict a consequence of a process given conditions, or to find faulted conditions given an unexpected consequence. YES Does the courseware require learners to use new knowledge or skill to solve a varied sequence of problems and do learners receive corrective feedback on their performance? Students are given several additional resources, besides the instructional materials. If that is not enough the instructor will provide support via synchronous and asynchronous communications. Students will also rely on peers and clients for support

Stage YES

Criteria In most application or practice activities, are learners able to access context sensitive help or guidance when having difficulty with the instructional materials? Is this coaching gradually diminished as the instruction progresses?

Explanation

RATING FOR APPLICATION STAGE: 5 INTEGRATION Does the courseware provide techniques that encourage learners to integrate (transfer) the new knowledge or skill into their everyday life? YES Does the courseware provide an opportunity for learners to publicly demonstrate their new knowledge or skill? Yes, they will be displaying their final artifacts to their clients, as well as to different audiences who comprise the panel of contest judges. Students are also given the option to display their work online.

Does the courseware provide an opportunity for learners to reflect-on, discuss, and defend their new knowledge or skill? Does the courseware provide an opportunity for learners to create, invent, or explore new and personal ways to use their new knowledge or skill?

YES

Yes, there are reflection activities inserted throughout the course. The final reflection discussion requires students to create a collage in which they discuss their new skills and provide explanations of why and how. Students will be using their new skills when they participate in the course projects. They will create new items and artifacts that can be used in real life. It will almost be like they are on the job as design consultants, when they work for their client.

RATING FOR INTEGRATION STAGE:5