Explanation of designs and testing for a

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Review meeting 23 January 2007
A User-oriented Planner for Learning Analysis and
Design - Detail
Explanation of designs and testing for a
pedagogic planning tool
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Learning Design Information Flow Module Planner
Link Learning Outcomes to Topics and Assessment
Methods
Enter Module Outline data from given initial
conditions
Refine given definitions in terms of advice
offered Generate known misconceptions
Checks all Los, AMs and Topics are linked
Link to Phoebe notes on - Pre-requisites -
Pre-existing skills and experience
Adjust parameters as necessary
Check workload for staff and students by week,
and adjust if necessary
Calendar Planning Plan Topics by Week Check
distribution of Learning Outcomes and Asst
Methods
Resource Planning Check assumptions Select and
plan time on Teaching Methods Check learning
experience, staff and student workloads
Teaching Planning Map Teaching Methods to
weeks Check link between TMs and LOs Check staff
and student workloads by week
Link to Phoebe Wiki here to discuss plans across
the team?
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Module outline prototype
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Links to resources on project website
The project staff are collecting exemplars of
definitions, case studies, learning objects,
learning patterns, etc. that could be of use to
project lecturers. Eventually we would hope to
do a search of repositories and especially D4L
outputs.
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Learning Design Information Flow Session Planner
Select a Week to design, given Topics,
LOs, AMs and TMs
Learner data, research findings
Explanation of CF etc.
Select use learning theory
Clarify learner needs
Select learner needs
Select learning pattern
Experience an existing learning activity in LAMS
Adapt a learning pattern to Topic, LO, etc.
Output description to Word
Activity in Director
Critique learning pattern using theory
Director-driven activity in LAMS and other media
Adapt and implement a learning pattern in LAMS
Publish and test in LAMS
Director-driven activity in LAMS
Activity in LAMS
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Clarify learner needs
Week 2 Topics, Learning Outcomes Learners
potential perceptions (from Module
Outline) Learners potential misconceptions
(from Module Outline) Make notes on the naïve,
common, or historical conceptions that might be
present among your students? What are the
standard types of error, omission, or
misconception that occur in assignments, exam
answers, student presentations and
discussions? Make notes on ways in which the
internal logical structure of the main concepts
can be distorted, over-simplified,
over-generalised? Makes notes on which technical
or special terms have everyday meanings that
could lead to their misinterpretation? Make
notes on which forms of representation used in
this topic are difficult for students Linguistic N
otational Diagrammatic Graphical Symbolic Iconic N
umeric What does educational research say about
learning needs in this field? Try entering your
Topic keywords in Google Scholar and in education
journals in your field. Make notes on key
findings that would be helpful and record the
source in Endnote for further reference.
Lecturers input
Lecturers input
Lecturers input
Notes on nature of difficulties
Insert links to learner data, examiners reports,
Google Scholar, and relevant education journals.
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Select learner needs
Select from the list below those that correspond
most closely to your analysis, and select the
approaches you believe would be most suitable

• Possible learning designs - from Mod4L? CETIS?
• Provide a glossary online which can either
  display the matching terms and definitions, or
  display each term with all definitions and ask
  learner to select the matching one, and v.v.
• Provide a concordance tool for a relevant
  document respository, set a task to use this to
  generate their own definition of a term, submit
  it, and ask student groups to debate whose is
  best, alongside existing expert definitions
• Ask student groups to research and generate a
  trivial pursuit style card on one term each,
  then challenge each other on the full set of
  terms
• Develop a set of inappropriate uses in context
  of each term, taken from student assignments and
  exams, ask students to mark them alongside
  expert uses in context, and discuss results.

• Likely learner needs
• Understanding meaning of terms, special words
• Understanding, explaining processes within a
  system
• Understanding and applying a complex concept
• Motivation to do thorough research
• Understanding how properties of elements in a
  system relate to each other
• Justifications for key principles or
  relationships
• Seeing the familiar as problematic
• Understanding the value of new concepts

?
What taxonomy do we end up with for learning
needs? - develop organically, via Wiki?
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Mapping Teaching Methods to (a) The
Conversational Framework
Lectures Tutorials Reading Computer-based
tools Interactive Computer-Marked Assignments
(ICMAs) The mapping for Week 2 Summary
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Mapping Teaching Methods for Week 2
This represents the parts of the Conversational
Framework covered by the combination of all the
Teaching Methods used in Week 2 (the current
Week/Session)
Concepts Questions
Questions, ideas, answers
Hints Comments Model answers
Learner
Teacher/Lecturer
Other learner(s)
Questions, ideas, answers
Questions
Answers
Adapt a Task practice environment
Adapt actions
Adapt actions
Reflect
Reflect
Reflect
Practice attempt Comment
Task goal
Feedback
Learner
Teacher/Lecturer
Other learner(s)
Practice attempt Comment
Action
Revisions

• CSCL environment
• Synchronous online structured reading group
• Collaborative lab/fieldwork project
• Role-play simulation

The coverage is good, but it may be worthwhile to
consider how the remaining gaps could be
addressed
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Select learning pattern

• These patterns would help students think through
  their initial thoughts for an unfamiliar area of
  study...
• Related learning patterns
• Related LAMS sequence
• Related learning objects, learning design tools
  in CETL
• Case study from CETL, JISC MLA, etc
• Reusable learning objects from MERLOT, JORUM,
  etc.

- next stage for Director prototype
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Work through a learning activity sequence
This sequence is designed to help learners think
through their initial ideas for an unfamiliar
field of study, and prepare for understanding the
expert definitions and concepts. Work through
the sequence, to see how you experience it as a
learning process.
Start from a model that can be changed Keep it
simple, but extensible - standard templates are
good if they produce something
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Critique a learning activity sequence
Does it motivate learners to Access the
teacher/expert concepts? Ask questions of the
teacher or their peers? Offer their own idea to
teacher or peers? Act to achieve a clear task
goal? Use feedback to improve practice/actions
? Compare outputs with their peers? Reflect on
that experience? Discuss/debate ideas with their
peers? Articulate their ideas? Produce an output?
No - needs to be adapted
Not explicitly stated
No - needs to be adapted
No - needs to be adapted
a framework for thinking, offering reminders of
whats possible
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Design principles

• Start with what is recognisable to lecturers
• Aim for optimal use of technology, tools and
  resources
• Build on existing practice to define categories
  and needs
• Link to existing exemplars and findings wherever
  possible
• Provide defaults and customisation
• Rapid prototypes for rapid testing
• Aim to implement as database with web front-end
• Focus on planning learning and teaching, not
  logistics
• Take lecturers to the point of analysing their
  ideas, then select an example from a provided
  list
• Scaffold lecturers in the gradual use of
  terminology of LD
• Record decisions, notes, designs in lecturers
  portfolio file

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Database designbuilt from Module and Session
Planner prototypes
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Future plans

• Implement tested prototypes as database with Web
  front-end
• Link plans to Phoebe project - cross-refer, and
  share test-beds - develop joint spec for
  mainstream application and sustainability
• Create direct supported links from LAMS design,
  and Ped Planner tool to contributions to LAMS
  community and Phoebe Wiki
• Build closer links with Sharing the Load, ELIDA,
  SLED
• Build in outputs from Mod4L, CETIS and other
  projects
• Develop spec for the full range of users in FE,
  HE, ACL, WBL, and full range of content,
  functionality, and forms of design support
• Begin testing with lecturers who are not
  currently engaged in e-learning
• Begin looking at advice on logistics - could we
  build this in?
• Implement glossary - global edit function, and
  link to a user-constructed ontology site
• Initiate, articulate and disseminate a new way of
  conceptualising learning design in terms of
  outcomes and patterns of activity, and internal
  analysis of learning tasks, layers of learning

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Linking Learning Outcomes and Teaching Methods (4)
One obvious way is to connect the two levels - to
put theory into practice, with each learner using
what they know to adapt their actions to achieve
the task goal, so they can share actions and
ideas with other learners
Concepts Answers
Ideas Comments
Ideas Comments
Discursive level
Questions Productions
Task goal Feedback
Trial actions
Experiential level
Trial actions
Actions Revisions
Teachers have to do the same - adapt the Task
Goals to those needed to help each learner put
their understanding into practice
But there should also be a connection in the
reverse direction, from practice to theory
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Linking Learning Outcomes and Teaching Methods (5)
The connection back from practice to theory
describes learning from experience, reflecting on
how the practice makes sense of the theory,
enabling each learner to share their reflections
with other learners
Concepts Answers
Ideas Comments
Actions Revisions
Action ideas
And again, teachers and lecturers have to do the
same - reflecting on their learners performance
in the Task environment so they can offer more
elaborate or clearer descriptions of theory, or
answers to questions
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Linking Learning Outcomes and Teaching Methods (6)
This is the complete Conversational Framework
It is designed to describe the minimal
requirements for supporting learning in
education. It means that, if the learning
outcome is understanding, or mastery, the
teaching methods should cover the whole
Framework, motivating the learner to go through
all these different cognitive activities. So the
Conversational Framework provides a way of
checking that a teaching design motivates what it
takes for students to learn.
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The Conversational Framework - A Summary
The Conversational Framework poses the following
questions to the Teaching Methods planned for a
Session/Week. Do they motivate students to
1. access explanations and presentations of the
theory, ideas or concepts? 2. ask questions about
their understanding of the theory, etc, by
providing the opportunity for answers from (I)
the teacher, or (ii) their peers? 3. offer their
own ideas and conceptual understanding, by
providing comment on them from (I) the teacher,
or (ii) their peers? 4. use their theoretical
understanding to achieve a clear task goal by
adapting their actions in the light of their
understanding, or in response to comments or
feedback? 5. repeat practice, by providing
feedback on actions that enables them to improve
performance? 6. repeat practice,by enabling them
to share their trial actions with peers, for
comparison and comment? 7. reflect on the
experience of the goal-action-feedback cycle, by
offering repeated practice at achieving the task
goal? 8. discuss and debate their ideas with
other learners? 9. reflect on their experience,
by having to articulate or produce their ideas,
reports, designs, performances, etc. for
presentation to their peers? 10. reflect on their
experience, by having to articulate or produce
their ideas, reports, designs, performances, etc.
for presentation to their teachers?
This list will be available for consultation
throughout the Session Planning process.