Faculty and instructional designers are always in search of new and cost-effective tools to create and enhance online content and learning objects. Time for analyzing these tools is often limited. Skip that step! Join me as we create interactive content that does not require the use of codes or technical knowledge.
eLearning Content Development with ISEAZY: Shhhh… Coding is a Bad Word!
Faculty and instructional designers are always exploring new and cost-effective tools for creating and enhancing content and learning objects for blended and online classes. The time to analyze these tools is often limited thereby mitigating the opportunity to infuse innovative ideas into the classroom. Both prospective faculty and students have the perception that online courses are easier. This often-inaccurate conclusion drives the decision for non-traditional students to enroll in online courses.
An article in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Ryan Brown (2011) shares the findings of a Columbia University study which concluded that online students fail and drop out more often than those whose coursework is classroom-based. Brown went on to share the findings of a similar study done in the Virginia community college system, which listed a combination of variables that affected student performance: technical difficulties, a lack of structure, and isolation. In most schools, online students must complete orientation activities which include ways they can navigate their Learning and Content Management Systems (LMS and CMS). The attrition and failure rates could, therefore, be laid at the door of content structure and the struggle for students to manage coursework where weekly synchronous support is unavailable.
One way that educators can proactively address online student engagement and the completion of coursework is the chunking and representation of content – and assessment – through “Sharable Content Object Reference Model” SCORM packages within the content on the LMS/CMS. ISEAZY gives course developers a time-management super-power that will engage students and support retention in their courses. No SQL, no JAVA, no JAVA Script, No PHP (HTML) no problem! The only thing required is a device (laptop, tablet or smartphone) and access to the Internet. Both technophobes and technologically savvy faculty and course designers can enjoy content creation in this code free platform that supports the creation of interactive content that is compatible with your LMS.
Level of Participation: The session will include an introduction to ISEAZY by the presenter and the use of the Show me, Tell me, Involve me, teaching strategy to encourage participant engagement.
Introduction: The presenter will share about the creation of a SCORM that was used to remove the need for facilitated workshop engagement and reduced resource constraints on a small staff complement. In addition to the presentation, a Google Document will be used as the space for sharing the process steps that can be used during the session and as a place for recording questions and comments both during and after the session.
Tell Me! - Participants will be placed in pairs or groups of 5, based on the number of attendees.
- Each group member will be asked to think of a situation in their practice where a resource could be used to reduce the duplicate effort required to repeat instructions or reteach a concept.
- They will explain in their groups, the importance of that topic and strategies they have used for meeting that need for participants - (or their interest in exploring that topic).
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The group will then choose the scenario that would either be the least complex to create and be most useful to share with the wider audience, as the resource to be created.
Show Me! During this aspect of the session, the presenter will walk participants through the creation of an account for the authoring tool ISEAZY.
Let us try! The groups will design a product/ resource to satisfy the need identified in the Tell me group discussion. Each member will contribute to the design process and use the remaining time to create the product using ISEAZY.
We can teach! The participants will distribute and share their resource with the attendees through the google doc and be given the opportunity to walk colleagues who were not the “author” in their group to begin the creation of their own resource to answer the question or need that they had identified at the beginning of the session.
Educators have been discussing the challenges with student engagement online and possible strategies for changing the narrative. This session offers a practical solution for improved student engagement allowing users to avoid coding and have fun doing it one SCORM at a time. This is not a magic bullet. As such, the post-practice discussion will allow an opportunity for sharing other tools and raising lingering questions that participants may have. Considering time as a factor, the remaining questions and comments not aired in the session will be accommodated on the Google Document.
Session Goals:
Participants in this session will discuss strategies for creating content that reduces duplicate effort and improves student engagement in blended and online courses. They will be able to design and create one learning object or infographic that could be used to answer a resource need that they have identified. And also, they will be able to share their learning along with opportunities and challenges they have in their situation with other participants of the session viz:
- Introduction to an online authoring tool for interactive content that is compatible with their LMS
- Participants will learn how to create professional content which requires minimal technical knowledge
- Each Participant will leave the session being able to create an Infographic or Learning object that can be used to improve student engagement.