Archive for the ‘Instructional Design’ Category

Designing Digital Badges to Improve Learning in Virtual Worlds

Digital badges are digital indicators of achievement that are issued in response to a user action within a virtual environment. While badges have been successful in multiple domains, they do not always achieve their purpose. Past research indicates that this is likely a function of specific badging design and how well the badging system integrates […]

Download Report: Blended Learning

The “one-size-fits-all” practices that defined yesterday’s thinking have given way to new opportunities in both curriculum and instruction. Blended Learning has given way to a spectrum of instructional models that redefine learning in the classroom. Increase Teacher Effectiveness Teachers are a district’s most valuable resource. Blended learning allows your teachers to integrate both traditional and digital content […]

Efficient Instructional Strategies for Maximizing Online Student Satisfaction

The key to the success of any online program is dedicating attention to student satisfaction. Student satisfaction with what and how they learn in an online classroom is an important variable to understand and can help instructors and course designers create an environment that fits students’ needs. This can be achieved with adequate course design, […]

Maximizing Interactivity in Online Learning: Moving Beyond Discussion Boards

Emergent technologies and communication channels have evolved over time and now offer more connected interactivity between students, their peers, course content, and their instructor. Yet, many who teach in the online environment continue to utilize the traditional forms of communication (such as discussion boards and email). This article explores practical strategies for maximizing interactivity, shares […]

5 major online-learning challenges—and how to solve them, pt. 1 & 2

Karen Watts has been teaching adult education classes since 1999. A faculty member at Bellingham Technical College in Washington state, she has taught in both face-to-face and online environments throughout her career. In her online classes, Watts says, she often hears from students who are surprised that the class is “so hard.” Perhaps they weren’t […]

Trends in smartphone-supported medical education: A review of journal publications from 2007 to 2016

Issues relevant to smartphone-supported mobile learning have been extensively discussed and investigated over the past years. Unlike general mobile devices, the advantages of smartphones, such as recording learning and portability, can cross formal and informal education. Smartphones can promote communication between health professionals; however, there is still a lack of systematic analysis of the application […]

The evolution of open learning: A review of the transition from pre-e-learning to the era of e-learning

This paper offers a summary of the developments that open learning has gone through, from the stages before e-learning emerged to when it carved out a niche position. It first analyzes how open learning moved through five stages, and identifies the characteristics and dominant technology at each stage. The five stages cover the period from […]

Efficient Strategies for Maximizing Online Student Satisfaction: Applying Technologies to Increase Cognitive Presence, Social Presence, and Teaching Presence

As online learning continues to increase in popularity, it becomes more important to explore as many strategies and tools as possible to continually improve teaching and learning in the online modality. This paper explores the experiences of an online full time faculty member in the use of Flipgrid, Loom, Remind, and the Digital Breakout/Escape Room […]

A Conceptual Framework for Efficient Design of an Online Operations Management Course

This paper presents a framework for an efficient design of an undergraduate Operations Management online course based on Gagne’s Nine Events of Instruction. It demonstrates how to design an undergraduate Operations Management course effectively so that each of the nine events occurs. It also evaluates the resulting course using Quality Matters standards. The paper concludes […]

Simulation: A complex pedagogical space

Simulation is a pedagogy that has been widely used in a number of educational settings (e.g., aviation, transport, social work, nursing education). While it can take numerous forms, it often involves an assortment of high-tech equipment (e.g., flight simulators, manikins) that seek to replicate real settings. Specifically, this paper provides an empirically driven exploration of […]