ELearning/Course design/Learning activities

Preinstruction | Content | Application | Assessment | Follow-through

In one place, this five-part article presents the instructional activities associated with instructional events, including pre-instructional, content presentation and acquisition, student application and engagement, assessment, and follow-through. Most have been discussed elsewhere. We make no claim to be complete, but you will notice a wide range of activities.

The actual creation of instructional activities using a variety of media and tools is addressed in the Course Building module.

Part 1: Preinstructional activities

Recall that pre-instructional activities encompass Gagné's first three events:

Gain attention and motivate learners
Describe the learning objectives in plain language
Describe and promote recall of prerequisite knowledge and skills

Using Keller's (2010) ARCS model as framework, here are some ideas for gaining attention, motivating, and promoting recall.

Gain attention and motivate learners

1. A visual surprise

A1: Perceptual Arousal: What can I do to capture their interest? Reflexive reactions to stimuli: almost any sudden or unexpected change in the environment will elicit attention. We accomplish this through the senses (text being a combination of visual and auditory perception), alone or together. For highest effectiveness, perceptual arousal activities need to be very brief.

Textual: Single words, simple phrases and quotes using a combination of typeface, color, and font size set within a plain background.
Visual: Attention grabbing photos, drawings, graphs, illustrations, maps, etc.
Auditory: Tones, musical notes, spoken words, quotes, etc.
Kinesthetic: Face-to-face physical movement and, possibly, asking students to perform some sort of quick activity.

A2: Inquiry Arousal: How can I stimulate an attitude of inquiry? Introducing a problem situation that can be resolved only by acquiring necessary knowledge.

Ask a question: What would happen if we spliced a piece of fox DNA onto chicken DNA?" See also prequestions for video.
Create a sense of mystery: "Why do you think Voltaire's Candide was banned by the French government immediately after it was secretly published in 1759?"

A personal example of inquiry arousal came in the form of a conference speaker. She presented a model of human memory that everyone was familiar with, and described the process of storing memories using the model. Ho-hum; we knew this stuff. After a brief pause, the speaker drew a big X through the model and told us to forget that; we now have a newer, more accurate picture of what really happens.

2. Visual progressive disclosure during audio narration

Use progressive disclosure: Progressive disclosure is an excellent method for teaching complex material (see ELearning/Course building). It can also be used to build anticipation in learners as they experience the unfolding of a progression. Figure 2 provides an example using global ocean temperatures, progressively disclosed on the screen as the narrator speaks to this progression.

R1: Goal Orientation: Setting goals and working to achieve them is a key component of relevance. Relate course goals to students' personal and professional goals; use authentic examples taken from real life; help students make the connection between the content and their lives.

Relate to student goals: "Does your future involve working with people? Most jobs do. Those who are really good with others possess something we call social intelligence. Did you know that reading fiction is one of the best ways we know of to develop social intelligence? (Zunshine, 2012).
Authentic examples: Sharon Mills, a disable nurse, long depended on other people's kindness to manage her diabetes. She scrounged free samples from her doctor's office, signed up for drug company discounts and asked for money from her parents and friends. . . . "I got to the point when I decided I just didn't want to be here anymore," she said. So when a blue slip of paper arrived in the mail . . . (NY Times, 1/21/14, p.1)
Make the connection: "Having viewed the video about Matt, the young schizophrenic, consider what it would be like to live with him. Describe how your life would be different if he were your brother. For example, would you invite your friends into your home?"

R3: Familiarity: How can I tie the instruction to the learners' experiences? Just as people crave novelty, we also take comfort in the familiar. We tend to be most interested in content that has some connections to our experiences and interests. Use personal pronouns and people's names; help students connect with the content on a personal level; ask for their stories; include and confirm their preexisting knowledge and experience.

Use the familiar: "Most of us have made our smart phones a part of our lives. Let's talk about that relationship between ourselves and our phones . . ."
Ask for stories: "For this week's discussion, first write about a personal encounter you've had with a homeless person. Describe the scene and your feelings about it. Next, read your classmates' stories. Finally, as assignment #4, write an analysis of both the Simons article and the collective stories shared in the discussion."
Confirm preexisting knowledge and experience: "Last week's discussion brought out some powerful examples of life on the edge. I want to thank you all for that. Now, let's take your experiences one step further . . ."

Describe the learning objectives in plain language

Learning objectives, as stated in previous modules, are primarily for instructors, instructional designers, and accreditors. Learners often see them as irrelevant gobbledygook and so ignore them. Regard learning objectives as a way to establish expectations of what is coming. Verbose, technical, jargon-filled objectives serve to repel learners. Consider the following learning objectives, first as stated formally and then addressed to learners.

Upon completion of this module, students will be able to:

interpret a function from an algebraic, numerical, graphical and verbal perspective and extract information relevant to the phenomenon modeled by the function
verify the value of the limit of a function at a point using the definition of the limit
calculate the limit of a function at a point numerically and algebraically using appropriate techniques including l'Hospital's rule
find points of discontinuity for functions and classify them
understand the consequences of the intermediate value theorem for continuous functions

During our last module, we learned many of the uses of calculus in engineering, and gained a general understanding of how these calculations help us predict and control the behavior of systems. We now perform some calculations on rudimentary systems and make predictions about them. Later, we will build on these basics to apply the principles to more complex systems.

Describe and promote recall of prerequisite knowledge and skills

You are informing students what they need to know and do before entering the unit. By listing prerequisite knowledge and skills, you are promoting recall of students' current knowledge and also the relevant mental contexts in which new content can be integrated. This also serves as a review of previous learning to be carried forward into the current unit.

List the prerequisite facts and concepts as a reminder of what learners should already know
Use a short pre-test including important carry-over facts and concepts from previous modules
Ask learners to write or list everything they recall from the previous module
Ask a question that will promote student recall of prerequisite knowledge

How much is enough?

A serious concern with pre-instructional activities is the time it takes away from actual instruction. As with most design issues, the necessary time and energy devoted to pre-instruction is dependent on several variables. In general, the more of the following conditions are true of the learning context, the more time should be spent in pre-instruction.