Course Redesign for Remote Learning

This is a summary and notes page for the Course Redesign 101 via UVLe.

Louis' Notes

Day 1 (27 July 2020)

• Video: Course Introduction (5-minute YouTube video)
• Course Guide 2nd run, 27-31 July 2020 (pdf)
  • "WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THIS COURSE? The course gives you a direct or firsthand experience of remote learning from the learner’s point of view (since you are the learners in this course and you will not have face-to-face meetings with the course team or instructors in a physical classroom). This should help you to appreciate the challenges of learning remotely and, armed with this knowledge, plan how to enable all of your students to learn your course effectively on their own (i.e. without you in the room with them)."
  • "The course uses a resource-based learning approach, where (1) a set of learning resources is provided for each topic and (2) there is a learning activity where the concepts and principles learned from studying these learning resources are applied."
  • "For each topic there is a study guide that you are advised to read first as it sets out the (1) target learning outcomes for that topic, (2) the key concepts or ideas that tie the given learning resources together, and (3) the rationale for the learning activity. The output for each learning activity is a component of the course pack for the course that you are designing for remote delivery."
• An "Introduce Yourself" discussion forum, but a bit weird since each participant starts their own discussion, instead of one discussion where everyone posts.
  • A "Social Forum" discussion page.
  • An "Announcements" discussion page.
• Video: Some Key Concepts and Principles of Remote Learning (UPDATED) (8-minute YouTube video)
  • Remote vs. Online Learning
  • Resource-based learning and the central role of learning activities, and the need for a more structured approach to teaching vs. the traditional face-to-face mode.
• What is Remote Learning? (web article) by Dr. Kecia Ray, 31 March 2020
  • "This article explains remote learning and the elements necessary for its success, and includes resources for schools and higher education institutions to get started today."
  • "It is important to note that in remote learning environments, versus virtual learning environments, the learner and teacher are not accustomed to having distance during instruction."
  • "Oftentimes, remote learning is evoked during a time of stress so it is important not to add more duties to teachers and students. To be most effective with remote learning, a well-defined structure needs to be in place so it can support a well-developed instruction plan."
  • "The most significant elements of this type of learning include (1) time, (2) communication, (3) technology, and (4) lesson design."
  • "In a remote environment, one must assume there will be a lack of understanding and include extensions and remediations in the lesson design."

Step 1: Analyze Your Learners and the Learning Context

• Study Guide for Step 1 (pdf)
  • "In the course planning stage, it would be more practical and useful to consider cohort characteristics, such as age, year level, and class size."
  • Learner Analysis: A short overview of learner factors to consider as you design your course for remote learning (web article).
    • (1) Characteristics, (2) Prior Knowledge, (3) Multicultural Considerations, and (4) Access to Technology.
  • "SUMMARY: It is important to consider who and where our learners are (literally and figuratively) in planning our courses for remote delivery. Knowing cohort characteristics is useful for (1) selecting learning resources and (2) designing learning activities that are relevant and appropriate. Knowing individual learner characteristics is critical in planning how to support individual learners."

Step 2: Organize the Course Content

• Study Guide for Step 2 (pdf)
  • "In remote learning where learners are studying on their own for the most part, giving students this detailed schedule is even more vital. The course content should be chunked into weekly study units (also known as modules) that learners will work through."
    • The Horizontal Syllabus template (Word document): Weekly topics/subtopics and outcomes.
  • "One of the challenges in organizing course content for remote learning is determining the amount of content to be covered in each chunk or study unit."
  • "A common tendency is to overload students by assigning too many topics to study per week."
  • "How do you determine the total time on task expected of students? How do you calculate the time students will need to complete course work?"
    • Time on Task by Michael Starenko, V3.1, February2017 (pdf)
      • Interesting, though it was not clear if (1) the same conclusions hold in a pandemic/quarantine scenario, and (2) if the conclusions scale with the number of classes taken -- can we use up 40 hours a week? In a (highly) stressful context such as a pandemic? Are there other responsibilities/activities/distractions that take up students' time?

Day 2 (30 July 2020)

Step 2: Organize the Course Content

• Submitted the horizontal syllabus for EE220 (Word document).