LDT400x Week 6

Reflection on Learning Theory

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.

With this in mind, I tried to create the course such that it would focus on the most important information these students would need to know, and tie this into practical application. For example, I focused on the basics of herbal energetics as best I could without getting too bogged down in unnecessary details. Additional learning theories like constructivism, along with the concept of cognitive load, also informed course development.

Reflection on Instructional Design Model:

I used my own instructional design model for this course. The model is called STROODLE, which stands for Subject Matter Expertise, Target Audience, Resources, Outline, Outreach, Design & Development, Launch, Engagement. This model is similar to ADDIE but has some additional steps designed for influencers who want to create their own online courses. This model is fairly straightforward and some steps can be skipped or completed in a different order if necessary.

For example, the step "Outreach" involves doing some pre-marketing prior to course launch, but I have not done that yet, as this course is my capstone project. (I might later tailor this course for my online school and likely charge for it. When that happens, I will do some marketing.) "Outline" is a simple but helpful step that involves writing a rough outline of the course modules prior to development. Since this course is not overly complicated, this step worked well for my course.

Opening Presentation Screencast:

Transcript

Welcome to the Herbal Frameworks and Energetics module. This module covers different herbal frameworks from systems such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM, Unani Tibb, and Traditional Western Herbalism. There are a few interactive elements including a quiz on herbal properties and a discussion case study where you can share your ideas on how to use herbs to help with heartburn.

There is an interactive module here which I'd like to demonstrate quickly. It's best to open this on a computer or a tablet if possible. To make it full screen, click on the double arrows in the upper left-hand corner of the interactive module and then you can click the Start the Course button to begin. Now the slides can be navigated by using the Back and Proceed buttons on the top right.

So I'm going to go forward through quite a few slides to get to one of the interactive parts. The first is a drag and drop, which helps you to understand the properties of Ayurveda. So you can take something from the right and then drag it over to the appropriate spot on the left. These are not the correct answers by the way, it's just for demonstration purposes. Click the blue check button at the lower bottom left to score your answers. This is just for your learning, so you can take the test as many times as you want. Click Proceed to continue on through the interactive module.

I want to note that there's another interactive portion towards the end of the module. This surrounds a case study for arthritis. In Ayurveda, we might use different herbs depending on the type of arthritis. So once you're here at this slide, read the information and then click on the Proceed button. A question will come up. This asks about the type of arthritis.

Now you can imagine someone in your mind, or somebody you know, and choose the most appropriate type of arthritis, or you can just pick one because you're curious. You can always go back and click another one later. So we'll pick painful cracking joints. This is a Vata type of arthritis, and you'll see there's some information about this here. Click Proceed at the top right, and we will see another question: Which is the best herb for Vata-type arthritis? When you pick one, you will get information as to whether this was the best choice or maybe not, and why. But you can always go back and try another herb.

And you can always go back from here to try a different type of arthritis, such as red and inflamed joints, which is a Pitta type of arthritis. Remember to click Proceed in order to go through the herbal choices. I won't go through everything because I don't want to spoil it, but this gives you an idea of how to navigate through this interactive module. When you're done, you can click on the upper left-hand corner and reduce the full screen to go back to the rest of the course.