MERLOT New Horizons Conference 2003 Building Effective Online Learning Assignments with MERLOT Cathy Simpson Laura Franklin Northern Virginia Community.

MERLOTNew Horizons Conference 2003

Building Effective Online Learning Assignments with MERLOT

Cathy SimpsonLaura Franklin

Northern Virginia Community College

Objectives To assist faculty in development of

effective online assignments using MERLOT learning objects.

To share process for designing assignments incorporating MERLOT learning assignment feature.

To share process for evaluating assignments incorporating MERLOT evaluation standards.

Before the Learning Assignment

Ask the key questions Who are my learners? What do I want my learners to

learn? What tools do they need to

learn? How will I assess what they have

learned?

What’s The Evidence of Learning?

What are the knowledge and skills your students are expected to acquire?

Examples: to write coherent and convincing arguments, to design sound experiments, to analyze data

What’s The Evidence of Learning?

Where, when, and with what will the students demonstrate their learning?

(in the classroom, lab or real world)

What’s The Evidence of Learning?

What are the learning products that you will require of your students?

Examples: term paper, questions answered, poetry, portfolio, reflections, lab report

What’s The Evidence of Learning?

What are the aspects of student performance that reflect an A,B,C, D and F performance?

Connecting Assignments to Assessments

Working out your rubric in advance allows you to link assessment back to the expectations set forth in the learning assignment.

To Learn Effectively Learners NeedClear and explicit description of what is to be learned.

Examples and demonstrations with feedback.

Sufficient chance to practice and reinforce.

Sufficient opportunity to generalize and reflect.

Essential Design Elements of Effective Learning Assignments

Background Information Explicit Directions Defined Learning Questions/

Activities

MERLOT Guidelines for Good Directions

List all resources and equipment

Provide specific sequence of all steps in the process

Provide background info on a step, wherever possible.

Place the background info as close as possible to the step to which it relates.

Tell students exactly what they must do to accomplish their goals.

Guidelines continued

Make sure instructions refer to labels exactly as they appear on computer screen.

Provide feedback for each step in the learning process.

Make sure a “Getting to Know Assignment” includes all the functions of the software.

Detail or estimate the amount of time needed to complete task.

Learning Assignment Format

Visually distinguish background text from directions for using the software by different fonts and /or placement.

(from MERLOT Adding a Learning Assignment, page 7.)

Applying Gagne’s Instructional Events Gaining Attention Informing the Learner of

Learning Objective Stimulating Recall of Prior

Learning Presenting the Stimulus Providing Learning Guidance

Gagne continued

Eliciting performance Providing feedback Assessing performance Enhancing retention and transfer

Evaluation of Learning Assignment Did I engage students with a

leading question or a scenario? Did I state the learning objective

clearly? Did I activate prior knowledge? Did I provide examples? Did I ask students to demonstrate

control of material?

Evaluation of Learning Assignment Did I provide feedback? Did I provide assessment activities

to be sure learning occurred? Did I give students the opportunity

to apply their knowledge to other learning situations?

Contacting the VCCS MERLOT Team

Laura Franklin

lfranklin@nvcc.eduhttp://www.nvcc.edu/home/lfranklin/

Cathy Simpson

csimpson@nvcc.eduhttp://www.nvcc.edu/home/nvsimpc/