EdTECH 512 Course Outline
Course Description
This course emphasizes an instructional design approach to the development of online courses that are engaging and effective, and in alignment with standards and research-based best practice. Course participants will create a fully-developed online course. Participants are guided through the process of conducting needs assessments, defining course goals and objectives, designing activities, course materials, and assessments. Consideration is given to various models of online delivery, content organization and presentation, and graphic design principles.
Course Goals
Course goals of EdTech 512: Online Course Design:
- Identify, describe, and apply learning theories and best practices for designing effective online courses.
- Using an instructional design approach to course development, create a fully online course consisting of a syllabus, a minimum of five modules, integrated learning activities and assessments, and implementation ready.
- Apply principles of visual literacy.
- Apply graphic design concepts and principles in all course products.
- Critique and evaluate online courses.
- Collaborate in design teams.
Course Location and Login Information
This is an online course delivered in
Moodle.
The Moodle login page explains how to login to Moodle. Contact Moodle Support (moodlesupport@boisestate.edu) for assistance logging into Moodle. If you have forgotten your password, click the link below the login box, "lost password?" and you will be able to reset it. When you login to Moodle look for a link to EDTECH 512-4201/4202 Online Course Design (SU15).
Course Materials
Required Textbooks
There are no required textbooks. The readings in each module will instead come from a variety of sources.
Required Hardware & Software
Google Docs* and an up-to-date computer with an Internet connection are required to participate in this course. Other hardware and/or software (e.g., access to a Learning Management System** or Adobe Creative Cloud) may be required to complete your final project.
*Google Docs is used heavily in this course.
**If you decide to develop your final project in a Learning Management System, the EdTech department can set you up with a Moodle instructor account and a blank course shell on our development server (for up to one year after you graduate).
NOTE: If you create a course on the Boise State Moodle development server, keep in mind that the course will be deleted after you graduate and that you are expected to use this as a development server to create your course and not a place to host a course you are teaching.
Assignment Policy and Grading Scale
Assignment Information
Detailed information about assignments is posted in Moodle. The course consists of seven modules. During the fall and spring each module is two weeks long; but during the summer each module is one week long. Most assignments are due on the 1st Tuesday after the module. You are expected to login at least two different days per week; but successful students typically login 4-5 different days each week. Also, check your Boise State email at least once per week for course related correspondence.
Main Assignments
- Design Document: You will work on a design document throughout the semester. You will complete different sections of the design document each week.
- Online Course: You will create a five module fully online course.* There are multiple components to this project.
- Critique a Course: You will critique a fully online course using the Quality Matters rubric (or agreed upon alternative)
- Peer review: You will conduct a formal peer review of students' online courses.
- Evidence of Reading: You will provide evidence of weekly reading during the last module (e.g., open-book test, chapter summaries, write an original chapter on online course design based on the readings).
*Note: The course you develop must be a fully online course; you cannot create a hybrid / blended course for this project. However, the online course you develop might be a component to a face-to-face course.
Here is a tentative list of the assignments and projects for this term:
| Assignments* | Points |
| 1. Pre-course Survey (Module 1) | 15 |
| 2. Bio & Learning Stories (Module 1) | 15 |
| 3. Project Proposal (Module 1) | 20 |
4. Design Document (five parts total = 325 points)
|
1. Front-end Analysis (Module 2)
| 75 |
2. Course Map (with instructional strategies) (Module 3)
| 75 |
3. Course Prototype (Module 4)
| 75 |
4. Conduct Formative Evaluation (Module 6)
| 75 |
5. Summative Evaluation Plan (Module 7)
| 25 |
5. Online Course (three parts total = 350 points)
|
1. Syllabus & Modules 1 - 2 (Module 5)
| 100 |
2. Modules 3 - 5 (Module 6)
| 100 |
3. Completed 5 module Online Course (Module 7)
| 150 |
| 6. Critique Online Courses (Module 3) | 35 |
| 7. Peer Reviews (Module 7) | 75 |
| 8. Discussion / Participation / Teamwork* (Modules 1 - 7) | 75 |
| 9. Evidence of Reading (Modules 1 - 7) | 75 |
| 10. Post-course Survey (Modules 7) | 15 |
| Grand Total Points | 1000 |
*Your final participation grade will be based on a self assessment, a instructor assessment, and a peer assessment. You can also apply points earned by attending Happy Hours to your participation grade.
Final grades are based on the following scale.
A
|
94%-100%
|
A-
|
90%-93%
|
B+
|
87%-89%
|
B
|
84%-86%
|
B-
|
80%-83%
|
C+
|
80%-89%
|
C
|
80%-89%
|
C-
|
70%-73%
|
D
|
60-69%
|
F
|
59% & Below
|
Assignment Submission
All assignments must be submitted by midnight MDT on the assigned Tuesday due dates.
Asynchronous Discussions: Most of the discussions and your participation will take place with your design team in your "Design Team Workspace" and your Design Team's Design Documents. However, there will an additional small group or full class discussion during certain weeks of the course. Your final participation grade will be a combination of a self-assessment, instructor assessment, and peer assessment calculated during the last week of class. Your timely participation in the asychronous discussions will be taken into consideration for the instructor assessment part of your particpiation grade.
Synchronous Discussions (AKA "Happy Hour"): We will meet three times this semester for "Happy Hour" in Adobe Connect. Happy Hour is a time to meet to talk about the course, the course content, problems you might be having, or anything else that is on your mind. These live meetings are optional; however, you can earn up to 5 points toward your participation grade for each Happy Hour you attend live and participate in. I will record these live sessions and post the recording in Moodle in case you are unable to attend. I will log off of Adobe Connect if nobody shows up during the first fifteen minutes.
- 1st Happy Hour: July 12th, 4:00 - 5:00pm (MDT)
- 2nd Happy Hour: July 21st, 6:00 - 7:00pm (MDT)
- 3rd Happy Hour: July 30th, 5:15 - 6:15pm (MDT)
Additional happy hours can be added as needed; one-on-one synchronous sessions can also be scheduled as needed.
Grading Cycle
All assignments are graded together as a group to maintain a higher level of consistency. Grading begins on the first day after a due date and is typically completed before the next due date. You may track your progress through
"Grades" in Moodle. All of the assignments are listed in Grades and points will be added as we progress through the semester. The type of assignment dictates the level of feedback provided. There are some assignments where I give extensive feedback and others that I simply enter the points earned for the assignment in the gradebook.
Late Work
Penalty for Late Work: Sometimes situations occur that might prevent you from completing your assignments on time. During the course, every student will be permitted
one late assignment without losing any points for being late. Any other assignments that are late past this first initial late assignment may be penalized up to 5% per day that the assignment is late. During the last two weeks of class, though, all assignments must be turned in on time and cannot be submitted late. The instructor is not responsible for any text or software that is not obtained in enough time to complete the assignments.
Submitting Late Work: If you will be late for any reason please e-mail me at
patricklowenthal@boisestate.edu on or before the scheduled due date. When the assignment is completed you must send a follow-up email to let the me know it is ready to be graded. This is how I calculate the late work penalty.
Failure to notify the me could lead to a grade of zero. Further, late assignments are given the least priority when it comes to grading and feedback. In other words, I will not grade late assignments until all other grading is complete and, depending on the circumstances, I might not provide any detailed feedback on the assignment.
Incomplete Grades
Incompletes are rarely given in this course. Be aware that to even be eligible to receive an incomplete grade in a course at Boise State, students need to have completed 75% of the course successfully.
Important!
A three credit graduate course requires 9 - 12 hours per week of work during the fall / spring semesters and 19 - 25 hours per week during the 7-week summer semester. The amount of time actually needed will depend on your entry level knowledge and skill. This is an advanced elective course synthesizing skills and knowledge gained in core classes. A familiarity with HTML, learning objectives, instructional design models, instructional message design, and online teaching provide a good foundation for this course. If you are missing one or more of these areas, anticipate the need to spend more time to synthesize and apply course content. It is in your best interest to start early on each assignment to give yourself time to fix any problems or to get help before a due date. The types of assignments and the level of interactivity vary from week-to-week. This is not a self-paced course and some projects involve collaborating with peers.
Tentative Course Schedule
| Topics | Date | Main Activities* |
| Module 1: Course Introduction & Project Proposal | Wk 1 | Introduction to course; Creating a Project Plan |
| Module 2: Front-end Analysis | Wk 2 | Conducting a Front-end analysis / needs analysis |
| Module 3: Course Design | Wk 3 | Creating a Course Map |
| Module 4: Course Prototype | Wk 4 | Developing a Course Prototype; Identifying Instructional & Motivational Strategies |
| Module 5: Development | Wk 5 | Creating a Syllabus and Modules 1-2 |
| Module 6: Development | Wk 6 | Creating Modules 3-5 and Conduct Formative Evaluation |
| Module 7: Implementing, Evaluating, & Sharing | Wk 7 | Review Peers Courses, Revise Modules 1-5, Plan Summative Evaluation, Complete evidence of reading* |
*Each student decides how he/she documents evidence of reading (details in module 1); the expectation, though, is that students are not waiting until the last module to begin working on documenting evidence of reading.
General Reading Schedule
The following is a general overview of the main readings for this course. There will be additional reading assigned as needed. This is provided for those who like to read ahead. All of the readings assigned this semester are available in Moodle as a .PDF, available as a .PDF from the library, or available as free ebooks from the Boise State library (which is described in more detail in Module 1 in Moodle). However, most of the readings come from the following books:
 | Streamlined ID: A practical guide to instructional design by Larson & Lockee |  | The perfect online course: Best practices for designing and teaching by Orellana, Hudgins, & Simonson (Eds.) |
 | E-learning by Design by Horton |  | A guide to authentic e-learning by Herrington, Reeves, & Oliver |
 | Design for how people learn by Dirksen |  | Conquering the content: A step-by-step guide to online course design by Smith |
 | The online learning idea book (vol. 1 & vol. 2) by Shank (Ed.) |  | eLearning and the science of instruction by Clark & Mayer |
 | The theory and practice of online learning by Anderson (Ed.) |  | Engaging the online learner by Conrad & Donaldson |
If you have not taken EDTECH 503 Instructional Design, you should plan to read chapters 1-6 in Larson & Lockee
Old AECT Standards
The assignments in this course have been aligned to the
Standards for the Accreditation of School Media Specialist and Educational Technology Programs
Standard
|
Assignment
|
| Standard 2: DEVELOPMENT |
2.4 Integrated Technologies
“Integrated technologies are ways to produce and deliver materials which encompass several forms of media under the control of a computer” |
Final Project
|
Standard 4: MANAGEMENT
|
4.0 Management
“Management involves controlling Instructional Technology through planning, organizing, coordinating, and supervising” |
Implementation Plan
|
4.1 Project Management
“Project management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling instructional design and development projects” |
Implementation Plan
|
4.2 Resource Management
“Resource management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling resource support systems and services” |
Implementation Plan
|
4.3 Delivery System Management
“Delivery system management involves planning, monitoring and controlling ‘the method by which distribution of instructional materials is organized’ . . . [It is] a combination of medium and method of usage that is employed to present instructional information to a learner” |
Final Project
|
| Standard 5: EVALUATION |
5.3 Formative and Summative Evaluation
“Formative evaluation involves gathering information on adequacy and using this information as a basis for further development. Summative evaluation involves gathering information on adequacy and using this information to make decisions about utilization” |
Formative/Summative Project
|
New AECT Standards
The assignments in this course are aligned to the
AECT standards
This table lists the assignments by number from the previous table and the associated standards
| | Standard 1
Content Knowledge | Standard 2
Content Pedagogy | Standard 3
Learning Environments | Standard 4
Professional Knowledge & Skills | Standard 5
Research |
|---|
| Creating | 4, 5 | 4, 5 | 4, 5 | 7 | |
| Using | 4, 5 | 4, 5 | 4, 5 | | |
| Accessing/Evaluating | 4, 5, 6, 7 | 4, 5, 6, 7 | 4, 5 | 4 | 6, 7 |
| Managing | 4, 5 | 4, 5 | | | |
| Ethics | 4, 5 | | 5 | | |
Technical Difficulties
On occasion, you may experience problems accessing Moodle or class files located within Moodle, Internet service connection problems, and/or other computer related problems. Make the instructor aware ASAP if a technical problem prevents you from completing coursework. If a problem occurs on our end, such as Moodle or EDTECH2 server failure, then an automatic due date extension is granted.
Reasonable Accommodations
Any student who feels s/he may need accommodations based on the impact of a disability should contact me privately to discuss your specific needs. You will also need to contact the
Disability Resource Center at 208-426-1583 located in the Administration Building, room 114 to meet with a specialist and coordinate reasonable accommodations for any documented disability.
Academic Honesty
For this course, we will be adhering to the
BSU Student Code of Conduct along with generally accepted
Strategies for Fair Use. We will also observe
U.S. copyright laws in this course.
According to the BSU Student Code of Conduct: "Cheating or plagiarism in any form is unacceptable. The University functions to promote the cognitive and psychosocial development of all students. Therefore, all work submitted by a student must represent her/his own ideas, concepts, and current understanding. Academic dishonesty also includes submitting substantial portions of the same academic course work to more than one course for credit without prior permission of the instructor(s)."
For this course the following standards will be used:
- All students are expected to create original works for each assignment. Projects and papers written for other courses should not be reused for this class. To fairly assess each student, original work is needed in order to assure everybody is receiving the most out of the class and that the concepts are understood.
- All project text should be original text written by each student. Any content that is referenced or has small amounts of material quoted should be cited using APA format.
- Images or other media used in projects should be original, used with permission, or come from public domain. Terms and conditions for usage should be checked before being used.
In the event of academic dishonesty a complaint is filed with the BSU Student Conduct Office with supporting documentation. This complaint remains on file and actions may be taken against the student (e.g., loss or credit, reduction in grade, etc.).
Conceptual Framework
College of Education - The Professional Educator
Boise State University strives to develop knowledgeable educators who integrate complex roles and dispositions in the service of diverse communities of learners. Believing that all children, adolescents, and adults can learn, educators dedicate themselves to supporting that learning. Using effective approaches that promote high levels of student achievement, educators create environments that prepare learners to be citizens who contribute to a complex world. Educators serve learners as reflective practitioners, scholars and artists, problem solvers, and partners.
Department of Educational Technology Mission
The Department of Educational Technology supports the study and practice of facilitating and improving learning of a diverse population by creating, using, managing, and evaluating appropriate technological processes and resources. Believing technology is a tool that enhances and expands the educational environment, we promote the use of current and emergent technologies for teaching and learning in a dynamic global society. Educational technologists are leaders and innovators, serving in institutions of higher education, public or private school settings, federal, state, or local educational agencies, and educational organizations in the private sector.
