Monthly Archives: March 2013

Designing Timeless Tales, Instructional Design

Tisk Task – How Task Analysis Works with BOTH ISD and PM

Good instructional design is simply not enough to magically see a design project from its inception to its completion. Instructional designers require project management skills. Makes reasonable sense, given that instructional designs are projects, too. The project, not just the design, needs direction and management. But let’s dig a little deeper.

It’s time to consider the delicate dance between these two professions and skill sets. It’s time to see what it looks like when project management drives an instructional design project. Let’s focus on the critical piece of task analysis.

I’m currently working on the project plan for the second instructional unit of the curriculum I’m creating – Timeless Tales with Paige Turner – an online reading intervention for struggling secondary students.

It’s important to note that I didn’t say “instructional design plan”. I said “project plan”. While the two work very closely in tandem, they aren’t the same thing.

Here’s how it works:

 

Instructional Design Plan

The reading comprehension skill targeted in the first lesson of the unit is identifying plot elements. When I designed this lesson, I followed a loose version of the ADDIE process.

 

Analysis

First, I analyzed the state assessments students have to take to determine whether questions about identifying plot elements were featured prominently. They were.

Next, I analyzed student performance on these questions to determine whether students demonstrated a need for additional support or intervention with this skill. They did.

Then I ranked the skill along a continuum to determine its placement within the overall program. I used Bloom’s Taxonomy and the logical progression of reading skills in my ranking system, until I determined that first, students needed to understand how to sequence events in a story. Only AFTER understanding how to sequence a story’s events could students break those events down into identifiable plot points.

 

So, according to the instructional design plan, the skill of sequencing was taught in Lesson 1.1A, and the skill of identifying plot elements is to be taught in Lesson 2.1A.

 

Design

In order to determine exactly what to teach and how, I designed the primary learning objective for the lesson. The task statement comes directly from the state and Common Core standards for middle school readers. I created the conditions and standards to align with expectations on state exams and also to work within the technological boundaries of our program. The conditions and standards generally form what is known as a performance measure.

The whole objective statement, when read together, presents a clear picture of exactly what students are expected to be able do at the conclusion of the lesson, under what conditions, and with what degree of accuracy to demonstrate mastery.

  • Students will be able to identify the five major plot elements in a short work of fiction with 80% accuracy as demonstrated through their responses to multiple choice questions presented in an online format.

This overall learning objective can further be divided into pieces. What exactly are these plot elements which students are expected to identify?

This breakdown creates five objectives, five learning tasks. Many instructional designers or project managers would refer to these as main tasks. I’ll spare you the repetitive read. Just note that I created a separate objective/task statement for each plot element.

  • Students will be able to identify the EXPOSITION/RISING ACTION/CLIMAX/FALLING ACTION/RESOLUTION in a short work of fiction with 80% accuracy as demonstrated through their responses to multiple choice questions presented in an online format.

There are also some secondary tasks, or prerequisite tasks, if you will. Many instructional designers and project managers would refer to these as supporting tasks. Allow me to demonstrate (again, sparing repetition):

  • Students will be able to correctly define the academic term(s) EXPOSITION/RISING ACTION/CLIMAX/FALLING ACTION/RESOLUTION with 80% accuracy as demonstrated through their responses to multiple format questions presented in an online format.
  •  Students will be able to correctly identify examples of EXPOSITION/RISING ACTION/CLIMAX/FALLING ACTION/RESOLUTION with 80% accuracy as demonstrated through their responses to multiple format questions presented in an online format.

If I were to order these learning tasks appropriately for students, they would FIRST need to be able to define the terms, then recognize isolated examples of them, and finally, they would be able to identify the elements of plot within a fiction text.

 

Project Plan

Now, when we get to the tail end of the design phase of ADDIE, and into the development and implementation phases, project management comes into play. Now, the learning tasks above (for students) are correlated to project tasks, like this:

  • Students will be able to identify the five major plot elements in a short work of fiction with 80% accuracy as demonstrated through their responses to multiple choice questions presented in an online format.

If this is the primary LEARNING objective, the project task is to create and deliver the lesson and the multiple choice assessment mentioned in the learning objective. In this case, that primary project task absolutely needs to be divided into smaller, more manageable tasks to help keep the development of the project on track. Those might look something like this:

1. Create and deliver Lesson 2.1A – Independent Practice to production.

1.1.    Deliver fiction passage to art for illustration.

1.1.1.  Draft fiction passage with clear plot points.

1.1.2.  Submit fiction passage to content editing.

1.1.3.  Submit fiction passage to copyediting.

1.1.4.  Revise and finalize fiction passage.

1.2.    Finalize Plot Elements Graphic Organizer.

1.2.1.  Create Plot Elements Graphic Organizer concept.

1.2.2.  Submit to user interface department for rendering.

1.2.3.  Obtain final Plot Elements Graphic Organizer from UI department.

1.2.4.  Draft instructional dialogue and multiple choice questions surrounding   plot points found within the passage.

1.3.    Deliver instructional dialogue for scripting.

1.3.1.  Submit instructional dialogue and multiple choice questions to content editing.

1.3.2.  Submit instructional dialogue and multiple choice questions to copyediting.

1.3.3.  Revise and finalize instructional dialogue and multiple choice questions.

1.4.    Deliver script to production team.

1.4.1.  Create lesson script using fiction passage, graphic organizer, instructional dialogue, and multiple choice questions.

1.4.2.  Submit lesson script to multimedia team for functionality review.

1.4.3.  Submit lesson script to copyediting.

1.4.4.  Revise and finalize lesson script.

1.5.    Deliver reporting matrix to engineers.

1.5.1.  Update skills matrix document for the lesson to reflect the number of multiple choice questions and number of correct responses required for 80% mastery.

1.5.2.  Post skills matrix document for engineers.

 

In this way, the instructional design outlines what students are expected to do, while the project plan outlines what the instructional designer has to do in order to complete the lesson.

There are some good resources out there for task analysis, which can support instructional designers in determining and outlining their project tasks.

There are a few things to note here.

First of all, the learning tasks should be sequenced according to the order in which students need to be able to do the tasks. This makes for a logical, sequential lesson. It also ensures that students master the basic pieces or steps before being expected to master the overall learning objective.

The same goes for project tasks. They should be sequenced according to the order in which they should be accomplished. The five main tasks above should be completed in the order listed. The secondary, or sub-tasks beneath each should also be completed in order.

Another thing to note is that in a systematic instructional design, many project tasks will be repeated, with slightly different content.

Task #1 is to deliver the independent practice segment, because I’ve chosen to begin with the assessment and then build the lesson around it.

Task #2 for this lesson will probably be to deliver the introduction/teaching segment, in which the terms will be defined, and isolated examples presented. Most of the sub-tasks here will be unique to that segment.

However, when we get to Task #3, the guided practice segment, which uses another passage and more multiple choice questions, most of the sub-tasks from Task #1 will be repeated.

I bring this up not to belabor the point or exhaust the poor reader with repeated mentions of the word “task,” but to demonstrate this simple notion:

When the process for completing an instructional design project is well-defined, every task is not unique.

The tasks repeat themselves BECAUSE the process is solid. (Draft, edit, revise, finalize.) This is no different from any other logical process. The instructional designer or instructional design team can see the goal ahead and then follow protocol, or a series of repeating steps, to accomplish that goal.

 

Systematic doesn’t always mean boring. Sometimes, it means efficient.

And that’s how you can use instructional design and project management concepts in tandem to keep a project on track, within the proverbial scope and budget and timeline. But that’s a discussion for another day…

References

Austin, I. (2011). Instructional Design Basics – ADDIE Analysis. Retrieved from digitizedi.com: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_l7Y2jVGoIc&list=UUcIEy4X4RvXJu92QIuGto7A&index=6&feature=plcp

Chapman, A. (2008-2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy – Learning Domains. Retrieved from Business Balls: http://www.businessballs.com/bloomstaxonomyoflearningdomains.htm

Churches, A. (2009). Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy: It’s not about the tools. It’s about using the tools to facilitate learning. http://edorigami.wikispaces.com.

Clark, D. (2011, September 26). ADDIE. Retrieved from Big Dog and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/history_isd/addie.html

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2013). English Language Arts Standards: Grade 6.

Cox, D. M. (2009). Project Management Skills for Instructional Designers. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Culatta, R. (2011). Instructional Design. Retrieved August 30, 2012, from ADDIE Model: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/addie.html

Hodell, C. (2011). ISD From the Ground Up: A No-Nonsense Approach to Instructional Design. Chelsea, MI: Sheridan Books, Inc.

Istation. (2012, June). Istation Reading. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from Istation: http://www.istation.com/Curriculum/ReadingProgram

Rooij, S. W. (2010, November 5). Instructional design and project management: complimentary or divergent? Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

Texas Education Agency. (2009). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills: English Language Arts and Reading (Figure 19). Austin, TX.

21st Century Projects, Designing Timeless Tales, Instructional Design

QUICK! Somebody Call the General Contractor!

The Tango of Two Disciplines – Instructional Design meets Project Management

 

This is the part where I learn how to combine the elements of instructional design with those of project management.

I’m smack in the middle of a mountainous instructional design project. I’m building Timeless Tales with Paige Turner, a reading intervention from Istation, designed to teach struggling middle school students the critical reading and language skills they need, presented in an engaging, motivating, technology-driven package.

When I started the design work on this project, I was a lone curriculum designer. Now, I’ve got a team of content writers and a team of other curriculum writers all working together to drive the engine that is building this immense instructional product.

Now that we’ve entered the development phase for the first section of the program, I’m also working closely with artists, engineers, interface designers, and animators to bring the project to life.

And because our customers WANT and are EXPECTING the release of this product, I’m also coordinating with and communicating with the executive management team, the sales and training teams, and the marketing department to construct messages about our delivery timelines, the unique features of the program, its goals, and its alignment to the state and Common Core reading standards that students need to be able to master.

The process of instructional design can no longer stand alone. This project requires management, oversight, constant evaluation, and the delicate dance of interdepartmental coordination within a growing corporate culture. It’s not enough to simply design good instruction. The instructional designer “must use the process steps in instructional design with project-management methodology” (Cox, 2009). That means that the steps in the instructional design process must work in tandem with project management principles. It’s not enough to know what the project is supposed to look like. It’s also critical to know and be able to answer HOW it is going to be produced.

Making a Metaphor

 

Let’s say this project started out like a single person setting up a flagpole. Over time, as the whole thing has taken shape, and the scope, the team, the company, and the demand have all grown, it’s now more like an entire construction crew building a house.

Allow me to extend the metaphor:

ADDIE. Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate. This is the standard for instructional design. What if we applied it to the building of a house?

A – Analyze. This is the part where the builders take measurements of the site.

D – Design. This is the part where they create and provide blueprints, the plan for the house.

DI – Develop and Implement. This is the part where they actually build the house.

E – Evaluate. This is the final inspection.

(Since evaluation, in my opinion, should be an ongoing part of the process linked with every step, this metaphor is slightly flawed. However, I’m sticking to it for our purposes here today.)

So what about the project management piece?

That’s where the general contractor comes in! Thank goodness, because for a project of this scope, it’s important to have somebody keeping track of how this house is being built.

  • The general contractor must determine the sources and costs for all of the building materials.
  • He must analyze the skill levels and areas of expertise for all of the laborers involved and assign them tasks that suit their strengths and abilities. (You can’t have a bricklayer doing drywall, or a carpenter laying plumbing pipes.)
  • The general contractor must also determine and communicate with all of the stakeholders for the project. He’s got to work with the buyers, the vendors, the subcontractors, the zoning officers, the inspectors, and all of the laborers, too.
  • The general contractor must stay abreast of the progress on the project. He’s got to be able to communicate about progress to all of the stakeholders along the way. He’s got to know where the project is, how much time and cost each part of the house is going to require, and he’s got to be able to keep the project on schedule.
  • And finally, he has to be able to ensure that the quality of the finished product meets expectations, from the planning phases all the way through to the final inspection.

In my world at Istation, with Timeless Tales, it’s time to call the general contractor. It’s not enough to have a solid instructional design plan and a team in place to execute that plan. It’s time for some serious project management. In fact, I don’t need to just call the general contractor. I need to learn how to be one.

 

References

Clark, D. (2011, September 26). ADDIE. Retrieved from Big Dog and Little Dog’s Performance Juxtaposition: http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/history_isd/addie.html

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2013). English Language Arts Standards: Grade 6.

Cox, D. M. (2009). Project Management Skills for Instructional Designers. Bloomington, IN: iUniverse.

Culatta, R. (2011). Instructional Design. Retrieved August 30, 2012, from ADDIE Model: http://www.instructionaldesign.org/models/addie.html

Hodell, C. (2011). ISD From the Ground Up: A No-Nonsense Approach to Instructional Design. Chelsea, MI: Sheridan Books, Inc.

Istation. (2012, June). Istation Reading. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from Istation: http://www.istation.com/Curriculum/ReadingProgram

The eLearning Guild. (2013). Closing the Loop in e-Learning Development: How to reconnect instructional design and project management. Learning Solutions Magazine.

 

21st Century Projects, Designing Timeless Tales, Instructional Design, Technology in the Classroom

Making Inferences with Mona Lisa: An Istation Reading Game

Who stole the Mona Lisa?

That’s a question middle school readers have a unique chance to answer with the newest interactive reading experience from Istation.

What is Istation?

Istation provides reading assessments and individualized instruction for pre-K through high school students. Istation Reading consists of an interactive, computer-based program as well as a comprehensive series of teacher-directed lessons (Istation, 2012). Currently in development is Timeless Tales with Paige Turner, an interdisciplinary reading intervention designed for struggling students in grades 6-12.

Timeless Tales with Paige Turner is designed to support student achievement in reading. The curriculum aligns with state and Common Core standards in English Language Arts and Reading. The curriculum also aligns with Istation’s ISIP-AR assessment, a progress-monitoring tool. ISIP-AR, or Istation’s Indicators of Progress – Advanced Reading, is an automated computer-adaptive test to which students are automatically routed at set points throughout the school year, depending on the level of product purchased and the assessment and instructional goals outlined by school administrators (Istation, 2012). Ideally, as students progress through the curriculum, their scores on ISIP-AR should demonstrate growth.

The feature character for Timeless Tales, Paige Turner, is an artist, writer, traveler, collector, and storyteller. She is fascinated by storytelling and the archetypal hero’s journey. Paige channels her excitement into creating an ongoing graphic novel series. Paige deeply believes in the potential hero within everyone. Paige deliberately studies the craft of storytelling and shares her knowledge at every opportunity (Masters, 2012).

The ultimate goal of Timeless Tales is that students who have struggled in traditional classroom environments will learn, internalize, and generalize vital reading comprehension strategies that will serve them and support their success in future academic endeavors as well as in their lives and careers.

 

Instructional Design Choices

The Timeless Tales curriculum consists of ten units of instruction. These units span themes related to humanities and social studies from prehistoric times to the present, and include a variety of fiction and nonfiction texts. Each unit contains two main reading comprehension lessons. The first lesson targets a comprehension skill which aligns with the lower three knowledge levels on Bloom’s Taxonomy: remembering, understanding, and applying. The second lesson in each unit targets the higher three levels on Bloom’s Taxonomy: analyzing, evaluating, and creating (Chapman, 2008-2010).

The first lesson in Unit 1 (Lesson 1.1A) targets the skill of sequencing, or putting the events in a text in order. The second lesson in Unit 1 (Lesson 1.1B) targets the higher-level skill of making inferences. Lesson 1.1B is delivered online and teaches students to follow a metacognitive process to make inferences about the world and about the texts they read (Istation, 2013).

Like all Istation Reading lessons, Lesson 1.1B – Making Inferences is delivered online. Students typically interact with the curriculum in a computer lab setting, using headphones. Sometimes, students use the program in their classrooms. Students can access the program from home, too. The program follows a linear path, but students’ individual experiences are somewhat driven by their responses.

An Interactive Reading Experience

Instead of presenting the “Who Stole the Mona Lisa” passage in  to students as a single, complete passage and then presenting students with a series of multiple-choice questions at the conclusion of the passage, instructional designers at Istation decided to create an interactive reading experience for students that gives them a sense of choice and control throughout the lesson, provides an engaging visual environment, and measures their success at making inferences by tracking their unique responses at set checkpoints throughout the lesson.

The overall approach is a hybrid of a role-playing game experience, an action maze with fixed navigation options, and questioning which promotes annotation, critical thinking, making inferences, and overall reading comprehension. All of the material will be presented in a visually engaging way.

Benefits of Instructional Design

The instructional design for the “Mona Lisa” guided practice segment is projected to have multiple benefits to students.  Even though technological and practical limitations exist in the construct of the described learning experience, at its core, the instructional design promotes student engagement and motivation.

When students are empowered with a sense of control over their own educational experiences, “they feel they have a stake in the outcomes” and this is one of the “most powerful tools [educators] have” (Toshalis & Nakkula, September 2012). Although the Istation technology behind the learning experiences contained in this guided practice lesson does control students’ path through the program and therefore, their experience, the illusion of choice and control may very well be enough to improve motivation.

By asking students reflection questions to which there are no clear right or wrong answers, even in the context of this detective story, instructional designers at Istation hope to achieve elevated achievement by promoting student voice and choice, which has been shown to lead to “better self-reflection and preparation for improvement in struggling students”  (Toshalis & Nakkula, September 2012).

When a learning activity presents information in manageable chunks rather than an overwhelming volume of information and shifts its focus to open-ended critical thinking questions, for which there are no clear right or wrong answers, the demotivating drudgery of standardized learning activities is counteracted and learning seems to “begin and end with the thoughts, feelings, visions, and actions of the students themselves” (Toshalis & Nakkula, September 2012). This is empowering. And simply, empowerment is motivating.

For more information, check out the full instructional design analysis here:

Masters-Project 3 EDU 625

Or, check out the draft of the lesson script here:

NMasters_Lesson_1_1B_GP_Mona_Lisa_Script_DRAFT

This is a very exciting time for all of us at Istation, as we incorporate best instructional practices, new educational technologies, and engaging and creative texts, images, and animations into the design and development of our newest program.

Keep checking back, and check out the links below, for more information and updates on Timeless Tales with Paige Turner!

Resources

Additional information about Timeless Tales with Paige Turner and the technology and media incorporated into this lesson can be found at:

http://gen2oh.net/welcome/timelesstales/

http://www.istation.com

http://gen2oh.net/welcome/2013/02/your-story-matters/

http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary.php

References

Chapman, A. (2008-2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy – Learning Domains. Retrieved from Business Balls: http://www.businessballs.com/bloomstaxonomyoflearningdomains.htm

Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2013). English Language Arts Standards: Grade 6.

Half Baked Software. (2003-2009). What is Quandary? Retrieved from Half Baked Software: http://www.halfbakedsoftware.com/quandary.php

Istation. (2012). ISIP-AR. Retrieved from Istation: http://www.istation.com/Assessment/ISIPAdvancedReading

Istation. (2013, June). Istation Reading. Retrieved September 3, 2012, from Istation: http://www.istation.com/Curriculum/ReadingProgram

Kuenster, D. “Who Stole the Mona Lisa, Part 1″. Istation, Dallas, TX.

Malamed, C. (2012). Writing Multiple Choice Questions For Higher Order Thinking. Retrieved from The eLearning Coach: http://theelearningcoach.com/elearning_design/multiple-choice-questions/

Masters, N. F. (2011-2013). Timeless Tales with Paige Turner. Retrieved September 2012, from gen2oh.net: http://www.gen2oh.net/timelesstales

McDonald, J., & Gibbons, A. (June 2009). Technology I, II, and III: criteria for understanding and improving the practice of instructional technology. Educational Technolgoy Research & Develoment, 377-392.

Texas Education Agency. (2009). Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills: English Language Arts and Reading (Figure 19). Austin, TX.

Toshalis, E., & Nakkula, M. J. (September 2012). Motivation, Engagement, and Student Voice. Education Digest, 78(1), 29-35.