Policies/Guidelines/Tools
Orientation/Introduction
Communication
Management
Direct Instruction
Discussion/Collaboration
Assessment/Feedback
Additional Resources
Student Success Strategies
Glossary and Resources
Tips/Strategies/Techniques
Self Evaluation
Direct Instruction Ideas and Tools
Direct Instruction Standards (Course Materials and Resources)
- The instructional materials contribute to the achievement of the stated course and module/unit learning objectives
- The relationship between the instructional materials and the learning objectives is clearly explained to the student
- The instructional materials have sufficient breadth, depth, and currency for the student to learn the subject
- All resources and materials used in the course are appropriately cited
Strategies and Ideas
When it comes to website design courses and other types of computer technology courses, there are many tools available that I can use to create direct instructional content; some are commercial and some are either freeware or opensource applications. I feel it is important to provide multiple formats of instructional content because students learn in different ways. While one might prefer an instructional video, another might prefer an step-by-step instructional document that can be printed in hardcopy format. The types of content I feel are important to provide students with through direct instruction, as well as the tools I will use to creat them include:
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Step-by-step video tutorials - I will create these using screen-recording software such as Camtasia Studio.
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Step-by-step tutorial documents - I would create these using applications such as Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat; Acrobat being my preferred choice.
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Practice simulations - Practice activities can really enhance learning and can be accomplished using flashcards, crossword puzzles, matching, quizzes, fill-in-the-blanks, and drag-n-drop. Applications I would use to create these types of interactive activities would be StudyMate and/or SoftChalk. Examples of how these types of activities can be used for practice in a basic HTML class can be found on the Basics of Web Design: HTML5 & CSS3 book companion website for each chapter.
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Class Website - Unless I was working for a school or college that used a particular course management application such as Blackboard Learn, I would most likely create my own website from scratch to house my course material. I would most likely use Adobe Dreamweaver to create my website that incorporates an opensourcecourse management system such as Moodle or eFront. How this is done can be seen by visiting the Introduction to HTML5 & CSS3 course website I created. The main parts of this website was created using Adobe Dreamweaver and the "Go To Class" section utilizes the community version of eFront's course management system.
Before going through the process of creating instructional content myself, I will research what is available that has already been created that I can use. For example, most textbooks have companion websites like the book I metioned above. This particular book companion website has many of the practice simulation games I mentioned above that have already been created by the author. I will also research other places for resources such as the websites of any software applications my students might be using to complete projects and open courseware sites such as the Open Courseware Consortium, just to name a couple. Other resources I feel that are important for students pertaining to website design can be found in the "Glossary and Resources" section of this site.