Research & Development in Instructional Systems
Discussion Room Facilitator (15%)
Learning Objectives Addressed: 1, 2 & 4
Everyone will be the facilitator in the Discussion Room at least once during this course. The role of the facilitator is as follows:
- Start the discussion by putting a message in the Discussion room that has the week and title of the activity. For example: "Week 1: Introductions and Ice Breaker Activities"
- Start the ball rolling by starting the activity no later than Sunday midnight, and making your own contribution, or by acting as cheerleader and encourager to entice messages from your classmates.
- As people answer, chime in, see other ideas, and generally keep the conversation moving. This is like being the convener of a meeting at work, where you have an agenda, and you need to get input from everyone.
- At the end of your week, summarize and close the discussion. Once the job is done, you have earned your points.
Discussion Room Participation (10%)
Learning Objectives Addressed: 1, 2, 4 & 9
Interaction is a very important part of learning, and it is especially integral to distance learning. Notice that 25% of your grade is determined by Discussion Room participation and facilitation.
I'll be looking for you to make significant contributions to the discussion every week. You get points for answering questions, thoughtful responses, additional questions, useful Web finds, anything that moves the learning forward. This shouldn't be the educational equivalent of spamming. Check in a couple of times a week, and don't fall asleep at your desk. You also don't want to leave the Discussion Room facilitator for the week twisting in the wind, so check to see if they have asked any questions and help them out. They'll do the same for you when it is your turn.
The success of our discussion room is dependent on each student feeling comfortable to share their opinions, wrestle with ideas and concepts, and ask questions in a safe and supportive environment. As J. McKinley so aptly states: "A free exchange of ideas, opinions, and feelings is the lifeblood of collaborative learning." This is the class climate we wish to establish.
If you are not going to be able to participate for some reason, please let me know ahead of time by e-mail or phone.
Written Critiques (15%)
Learning Objectives Addressed: 1, 3, 4, 5, 6 8 & 10
You will complete 4 critiques in all; the 1st one will be evaluated, not graded. The instructor will provide a narrative evaluation of the first critique indicating areas missed, not covered or unsure of. The remaining 3 critiques will be graded on a point system – two points awarded for each question answered completely. Points will be deducted for spelling and/or grammar errors and if the work is not typed.
All articles have been pre selected for this activity. The materials to be reviewed are listed below, and copies of the articles can be found in the student resource pack.
- Critique 1 - Due Week 4 - Ocker, R. J. & Yaverbaum, G. J. (2001). Collaborative Learning Environments: Exploring student attitudes and satisfaction in face-to-face and asynchronous computer conferencing settings. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 12 (4), 427-448.
- Critique 2 - Due Week 6 - Tompson, G. H. & Dass, P. (March 2000). Improving students’ self-efficacy in strategic management: The relative impact of cases and simulations. Simulation & Gaming, 31, 22-41.
- Critique 3 - Due Week 7 - Calandra, B., Fitzpatrick, J. & Barron, A. E. (2002). A Holocaust Website: Effects on preservice teachers’ factual knowledge and attitudes toward traditionally marginalized groups. Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 10(1), 75-93.
- Critique 4 - Due Week 8 - Poole, D. M. (2000). Student participation in a discussion-oriented online course: A case study. Journal of research on computing in education, 33 (2), 162-177.
An assessment check sheet for this exercise can be found on the course site under the [Course Information] button.
Research Plan (15%)
Learning Objectives Addressed: 1, 3, 4, 6 & 9
This activity is designed for you to begin considering the issues in conducting research when little is known about the phenomenon in question, and/or when one is examining the experience of an individual or group in a particular situation, such as a professional in an instructional design environment. This activity can be done individually or collaboratively with 1 or 2 partners, with the outcomes presented to the class. The plan does not need to be formal, yet the following criteria will be assessed in the grading of the activity:
- Does the presentation identify the research question?
- Does the presentation summarize how the study is to be bounded?
- Does the presentation identify 3 strategies for selecting and involving participants?
- Does the presentation give a rationale for each strategy?
- Does the presentation give possibilities as to how one can obtain a thick description of the professional’s experience?
Guidelines for formatting the research report can be found in the Student Resource Pack and on the course site by clocking on the [Course Information] button.
Interview With IT Professional (15%)
Learning Objectives Addressed: 7 & 8
This activity is to further refine interviewing skills by having you conduct an open-ended interview with an Instructional Technology specialist around the issue of career choice. To prepare for this activity, the handout “Conducting Effective Interviews” would be very helpful. The initial posted report will be a written narrative that is graded on the criteria posted to the course site.
Literature Review (15%)
Learning Objectives Addressed: 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 & 10
This activity is designed to provide an opportunity to demonstrate your ability to synthesize a diverse body of literature and effectively construct a research report individually or collaboratively. The criteria for this activity are as follows:
- The learner has summarized appropriate areas of the literature that addresses the research question.
- The literature review identifies the significance to the conduct of a proposed pilot study.
- The summary is well constructed.
- The body and references reflect the APA conventions.
A list of recommended journals and assessment criteria for this activity can be found on the course site under the [Course Information] button. For assistance in identifying additional scholarly journals view the following site:
http://www.library.cornell.edu/okuref/research/skill20.html
