This presentation evaluates useful documentation normally completed during course design and prototyping, and will highlight novel applications of these documents that would benefit both faculty and students. Examples to be shown and discussed include alignment grids, content maps, "popsicle charts,” and README-style pages.
The course design and prototyping processes generate plentiful documents. While the types of documentation created may vary according to the specific needs of each faculty member or instructional designer, most people involved in course design have at least some familiarity with their purpose and benefit.
Unfortunately, course design documents have at times earned the reputation of being a necessary evil, or, even worse, busy work. Perhaps it is not always apparent whether this documentation has any utility after the course design period concludes.
Despite these perceptions, the benefits of such documentation can go beyond the brainstorming and record-keeping efforts that make up good course design. There are ways to employ these documents in a creative fashion to benefit students, future instructors, program administrators, and reviewers. This presentation will go over these benefits and demonstrate alternative uses for design and prototyping documents by focusing on different applications for the following four examples:
- Alignment grids
- Content maps
- Popsicle charts
- README-style pages
During the presentation, audience members will participate in two short engagement activities to share their own unique uses for course design documentation and to try their hand at creating their own popsicle charts and assignment diagrams.
Participants should walk away from the presentation with a new appreciation for the flexibility and creative potential inherent in sound course design documentation.