Instructional+Unit

=Instructional Unit in a Virtual Classroom=

=Summary:=

For this assignment, we were charged with the task of creating an online course from start to finish. Once the assignment was created, we were provided with a sample Blackboard course and were given a list of objectives and items that were required. This list included items such as quizzes and evaluations, course content, Wimba activities, and several other items that would be used to engage students as they completed the course that we created for them. At the end of the day, this particular assignment required students to examine each and every step necessary to create an online learning environment that was geared toward the success of the students enrolled in their course. This included physical design, organization, and course content.

=Process:=

The process for this assignment was far more involved than any project or assignment that we have had thus far. In order to complete this assignment, I had to come up with a physical design for my "classroom" and then begin to populate it with the content of my course. The first step that I took when working to complete this process was to decide on the items that would appear in my menu. I have taken several classes online and always felt that the menu was the most important piece of information for a course. If I need to find something, I want to be able to do it in one or two clicks starting from one of the buttons in the menu. After deciding on the look and feel of my menu and the options that would be listed, I started to populate the course with content. This included finding information from outside sources (documents, manuals, videos, etc) and sifting through the training material that we have at Hosting.com. Once I was comfortable with the material that I had, I broke the course up into five learning blocks and placed the information in the appropriate places.

The next step would be creating some assignments that could be used to measure the learning of the students. This would be done through the creation of quizzes, evaluations, and writing assignments.

=Reflection:=

This, in my mind, has been the most beneficial assignment that I have completed in any of the EDT courses. I do quite a bit of teaching and training online, so I am very happy with the fact that we were given full reign over a Blackboard course and provided with all of the tools, resources, and information necessary to create an online course and online environment from start to finish. I particularly liked this assignment because of the hands-on nature of the project. In education, there are so many times in which you are given a basic idea or outline of how something should be done but never really get the chance to go in and do something. In some cases, the educational process can be far too theoretical. For this assignment, however, we were allowed to take a sample course and follow the same routine that our professors take when creating the blackboard site for the courses in which we enroll.

The great thing about this assignment is that it provides a very tangible take away. Prior to this course, I had never created a syllabus or come up with learning objectives. These are two things that I learned while completing this process and two things that will help me both in online courses and when training in traditional delivery formats.

Wimba Assignment:

media type="file" key="_wilmu_s__311204_1_436282_2010_0627_1530_19.m4v" =Course Syllabus:=