EDID6510 Learning and Knowledge Management Systems 1

Assignment 3

Designing Content within an LMS: key considerations

By

Nyeisha George-Minott

Presented in Partial Fulfilment of

EDID 6510 learning and Knowledge Management Systems

Date of submission: July 15, 2017

Email: nyeisha.georgeminott@my.open.uwi.edu

University: University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus

Course Coordinator: Dr. Laura Gray

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Introduction

Good design and planning are important to an e-learning project. The largest effort will be placed on the

design and development of structured material that are self-contained and can be reused in different

contexts and delivered many times to different learners. In face-to-face settings teachers/facilitators

have the luxury of adapting, reworking, changing and reordering their content to adapt to their audience

on the fly. In e-learning settings, the design has to be able to hook the learners, sustain their

engagement, and create value for learning. A design that is spot-on will carry the learner through the

course from beginning to end. This however depends on the approach taken to e-learning.

E-learning approaches

There are two approaches to eLearning, the self-paced approach and the Instructor led approach. In

most cases e-learning courses consist of a mix of both approaches. Care and consideration has to be

taken when designing for either approach.

Self-paced approach - Learners are free to learn at their own pace and to define personal learning paths

based on their individual needs and interests. E-learning content is developed according to a set of

learning objectives and is delivered using different media elements such as text, graphics, audio, and

video. Some kind of support, such as e-mail-based technical support or e-tutoring, is normally offered to

learners. (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2011)

Instructor-led approach - a linear curriculum is developed that integrates several content elements and

activities into a chronological course or syllabus. Learners, facilitators and instructors can use

communication tools such as e-mails, discussion forums, chats, polls, whiteboards, application sharing

and audio and video conferencing to communicate and work together. (Food and Agriculture

Organization of the United Nations, 2011)

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With either approach, it is important to create content that is well structured, and that meets the needs

and expectations of users. However it is important to note that learning design is not an activity that is

undertaken in isolation. The psychological theories that guide the learning process will be mentioned

briefly.

Guiding theories

Today organizations and institutions have seen a shift in their approach to learning. They have sought to

become learning organizations and see the need for continuous skills development to meet the shifting

needs. The theories of behaviorism, cognitive theory, constructivism and now connectivism have a

strong influence on learning design and by extension content design.

Under behaviorism learning is defined with clear goals and desired responses are due to reinforcements.

However cognitivism leans more towards a learner-centered design. Individuals create their own

knowledge structures (schema) by what is stored in their short and long term memories. Constructivism

on the other hand posits that learners construct their own knowledge through how they interpret their

perceptions and experiences. Now in this digital age the theory of connectivism sees knowledge as real

time, ever evolving, interrelated connections between people, social networks, databases, and personal

networks.

All these theories intertwine and are incorporated into how courses are designed and content is

created. How they are applied varies depending on the nature of the course, but the foundational

principles remain steadfast.

Instructional design Models

It is wise to adapt an instructional design model such as the ADDIE model when designing for e-learning.

The stages in the ADDIE model are outlined in the diagram below.
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Needs analysis Learning Content Installation and Reactions

Design
Analysis

Development

Evaluation
Inplementation
Target audience objectives development Distrubition Learnings
analysis Sequencing Storyboard Managing Behavior
Task and Topic Instrucitonal development Learners
activities Results
analysis Strategy Courseware
Delivery strategy Development
Evaluation
Strategy

Content for an e-learning course is being considered at the analysis and design stages of the ADDIE

Model. During the development stage the content is actually being produced. Knowledge and

information is collected and all pedagogical elements and technology needed to support learning are

included. As such when designing content within an LMS there are certain considerations that a

paramount; that the learning objectives and the desired level of performance are on par.

Additionally, the Blooms taxonomy indicates the types of cognitive performance ranging from the

lowest level (Remember) to the Highest level (create). Content for a course can be represented at any

stage of the pyramid (Armstrong, 2017). For example a simple PowerPoint or Word file can be used to

provide information for the learner to remember or understand a particular concept. A case study can

be given to encourage students to apply, analyze or even evaluate a concept. Learners can be asked to

create/design a model, case study, video etc. to show they can perform at the highest level of the

taxonomy.

Create
Evaluate
Analyze
Apply
Understand
Remember
Figure 1 - Blooms Taxonomy
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Gagnes book, The Conditions of Learning, first published in 1965, identified the mental conditions for

learning. These were based on the information processing model of the mental events that occur when

adults are presented with various stimuli. Gagne created a nine-step process called the events of

instruction, which correlate to and address the conditions of learning. (Gagne's 9 events of instruction,

2017)

Gagnes Nine Events of Instruction

1. Gain attention
2. Inform learners of objectives
3. Stimulate recall of prior learning
4. Present the content
5. Provide learning guidance
6. Elicit performance (practice)
7. Provide feedback
8. Assess performance
9. Enhance retention and transfer to the job
It is essential to take these nine conditions of learning into consideration while creating content. These

stages will be highlighted in the lesson artifact mentioned later on in this document.

The Artifacts

There are five artifacts mentioned in this section. Each artifact was created and is showcased on this

Moodle course space http://training.tle.courses.open.uwi.edu/course/view.php?id=114.

Simple Learning resources content Page, PowerPoint presentations

E-learning content can consist of simple learning resources such as documents, pages and PowerPoint

presentations. In keeping with the ADDIE model, at the analysis state, the needs of the learners and

their key characteristics were determined, in addition to the topic. As such the audience for this sample

course in Moodle is the adult learner who is enrolled in an introduction to business course. Appendix A,

shows a link to the course outline page and a PowerPoint presentation. These resources would fall on
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the knowledge and understanding stages of the Blooms taxonomy as learners are simply being given

material or information from which they must construct their own knowledge.

Accessibility videos with captions, image with alternative text

Another consideration for creating content lies in the realm of accessibility. In designing and developing

content users with visual, hearing and motor/neurological disabilities should be considered. The videos

included on the course page have closed captioning turned on. Learners with hearing disabilities and all

users in general can read the on-screen text and captions as the videos play. (see Appendix B).

Another accessibility feature included is that of alternative text. The animated welcome included on the

course page and seen in appendix B has an alternative text description. This feature is especially

important for persons with visual disabilities. The screen reader that comes across this image will read

the alternative text which states Animated welcome (.GIF) brown fox pulling welcome sign.

Collaboration Discussion forum

Following the Blooms taxonomy, learners can appraise, argue, negotiate and defend a concept among

their peers. Learners will discuss their thoughts on the ethics video and what shaped their personal code

of ethics, while giving an example of a personal experience. Students can share and learn from the

opinions and experiences of others as they negotiate this complex topic. See Appendix C.

Assessments Assignment and Quiz

Appendix D showcases two artifacts, an assignment and a quiz. The assignment requires the learners to

watch a PowToon video called Ethics begins with all of us. Here 8 scenarios are show cased and

learners should now draw connections between the scenarios and the ethical implications they

represent. They must then create a document and write an essay with their response to the scenarios.

This is in keeping with the analysis and evaluations and to some extent the create stages of the Blooms

taxonomy.
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The 10 question quiz contains multiple choice and true/false questions that tests the learners

knowledge of the topics covered in chapters 1 and 2. The learners must answer all the questions and

submit the quiz for grading. The Moodle software grades the quiz and returns the deferred feedback to

the learners while registering a score in the gradebook. Students can then review their quiz and check

the right and wrong responses they gave.

Interactive e-lessons - An e-lesson is a linear sequence of screens which can include text, graphics,

animations, audio, video and interactivity in the form of questions and feedback. E-lessons can also

include recommended reading and links to online resources, as well as additional information on specific

topics. (E-learning Methodologies: A Guide for desigining and developing e-learning courses, 2011). The

e-lesson seen in Appendix E, follows to a great degree Gagnes nine events. Learners attention is gained

by first watching a video, a movie trailer for the 2004 movie envy. Learners are then informed about

the objective of the lesson. A short five (5) question pretest stimulates their recall of prior knowledge.

New material is presented in the form of a series of slides beginning with What is standard of living

and ending with Non-profit organization). Feedback is provided along the way. A five (5) question post-

test assesses the learners performance, having gone through the lesson. There after a summary page

recaps the key points. This is a graded activity and learner can then view their score in the gradebook at

the end of the activity.

Conclusion

It can be a time consuming affair to attempt to create and design content for a course space. It is

advisable to have a team, including the subject matter expert and instructional designer to come

together and convert concepts and course outlines into the media rich course spaces learners expect.

Engaging the learners in this way definitely requires much planning. In essence, you can equate course

design to that of project development. There are certain key considerations that course designers
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should have in place as they put together the elements that make an e-learning course as engaging as a

face-to-face class setting. These include the ADDIE model, Blooms taxonomy, Gagnes nine events, and

accessibility features. Different forms of media and content can be combined and strategically placed on

a course space to hook the learners, sustain their engagement, and create value for learning. The

various artifacts highlighted such as course outline, PowerPoints presentations, forums, lessons, quizzes

and assignments can guide learner successfully through an e-learning course from beginning to end.
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References

Armstrong, P. (2017). Bloom's Taxonomy. Retrieved from: Vanderbilt University: Center for Teaching:
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/blooms-taxonomy/

Educause Evolving Technologies Committee. (2003). Course Management Systems (CMS). Retrieved
from: http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/DEC0302.pdf

Fleet, K. (2017). Learning Design and e-learning . Retrieved from: Epic Learning Group:
www.epiclearninggroup.com

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (2011). E-learning Methodologies: A Guide for
desigining and developing e-learning courses. Retrieved from:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/015/i2516e/i2516e.pdf

Siemens G. Connectivism: A Learning Theory for the Digital Age. Retrieved from:
http://www.itdl.org/journal/jan_05/article01.htm

University of Florida. (2017 June 30). Gagne's 9 events of instruction. Retrieved from: Center for
Instructional Technology and Training: http://citt.ufl.edu/tools/gagnes-9-events-of-instruction/
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Appendix

Appendix A

Artifact 1 Simple learning resources content page and PowerPoint presentation

Content
page

PowerPoint
Presentation

Content page that opens the course outline

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Appendix B

Artifact 2 Accessibility - Video with captions and alternative text for images

Videos with caption

Image with alternative text

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Appendix C

Artifact 3 Collaboration - Discussion Forum

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Appendix D

Artifact 4 Assessments Quiz and assignment

Quiz 1 chapters 1 & 2

Assignment 1
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Appendix E

Artifact 5 Interactive e-lessons

Instructors view in edit mode Expanded view

Student view student views one screen at a time