LDT400x
Instructional Design Course Evaluation and Capstone Project
Week 1: Minicourse Features & LMS Declaration
I have chosen Canvas by Instructure as the LMS for this course. First, I have experience using Canvas as a graduate student and I am familiar with how it works on the student level. I also have experience setting up classes Google Classroom but from that experience I know how limiting it can be. I am also using Canvas to get real-world experience in an LMS that is heavily used in higher education, since that might be useful when I apply for instructional design jobs.
Week 2: Kirkpatrick Level 1
The Kirkpatrick Level 1 survey I created can be helpful in gauging how the course impacted students. Most of the questions ask students about their course experience, including some questions about what they liked the most. Additionally, students are asked if the course taught them two important aspects of herbalism that are covered in the Course Learning Outcomes. The survey is anonymous and can be linked from the CMS to gather feedback about the course. This can be used to improve the course in the future.
Week 3: Kirkpatrick Level 2
A Kirkpatrick Level 2 quiz specifically gauges the learning outcomes by testing participants on the material covered in the training. This could involve multiple-choice questions, true/false questions, short answers, or practical demonstrations to see how well participants have understood and retained the information presented during the training session.
Week 4: Discussion & Assignment Prompts
For the Be Your Own Herbalist course, I had a number of different topics to choose from for discussion prompts and an assignment. I chose to create two discussion prompts that incorporate a bit of research into herbs. This "homework" is the type of skill students will need when selecting herbs for themselves in the future. The second discussion is a mock case study that will be graded with a rubric. The assignment is a continuation of the case study learning, where a student selects one of three cases students and prepares a presentation about a custom-designed herbal plan.
Week 5: Discussion & Assignment Prompt Rubrics
Having a clear set of rubrics to guide grading can be very helpful for students and teachers. Perhaps the biggest challenge is to create rubrics that are meaningful and offer a fair grading system. I have seen far too many rubrics in online classes that put too much weight on nitpicky things that have no bearing on what student actually need to know. An example of a poor rubric would be one that marks students off for something petty like not having a title page formatted exactly so.
Week 6: Learning Theory/ID Models & Opening Presentation
The learning theory that probably informed most of the Be Your Own Herbalist course was andragogy. This learning theory emphasizes the self-starting nature of adult learners. My course is designed for adults who are learning for their own personal knowledge, not because they have to.
Week 7: Minicourse Syllabus
A syllabus is a document that outlines the key components of a course or educational program. It typically includes important information such as the course title, description, objectives, schedule, and grading criteria. The syllabus serves as a guide for both instructors and students by detailing the topics to be covered, required readings or materials, assignments, and examination dates. It helps set expectations for the course and provides a clear framework for what students need to accomplish to succeed.
Week 8: Minicourse Evaluation
I assessed my "Be Your Own Herbalist" course using the Anthology Exemplary Course Program Rubric, which recognizes instructors and course designers whose courses demonstrate best practices across four major areas: Course Design, Interaction & Collaboration, Assessment, and Learner Support. While I noticed that some options were more relevant to traditional educational institutions and didn’t quite apply to my course, I still managed to achieve a decent rating overall.
