Course Overview – Welcome to Regina

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The Welcome to Regina course design envisions an alternative mode of delivery of the new immigrant orientation course offered by Regina Open Doors Society. The process was challenging but rewarding. It started as an idea of meeting students’ needs through a new course design, building a course profile identifying a suitable course shell, adopting a design model (pre-determined in this case: ADDIE), developing the course within the model framework, identifying the kind of content to use, accessibility issues and how Artificial Intelligence can contribute to the interactivity and course efficiency, and lastly, invaluable peer feedback. This has been done over three months.

The course is a blended option to the existing in-person classes. The main reason for this is accessibility since new immigrants are often inundated by the different challenges of settling in a new environment. Being able to know about the environment from the comfort of your new home and in a concise course format is a major advantage of this course. Aside from the online interaction through comments, online classes are held on Zoom and the BigBlueButton conferencing tool on Canvas. In addition, there will be a few physical classes to complement the online learning through roleplay and social interactions.

The course is built on Canvas, which has a user-friendly mobile browser and mobile application interphase. The course is set to have 5 modules delivered over four weeks. The first two modules have been developed: Community Resources and Cultural Orientation. While the community resources module is more hands-on since it requires learners to achieve some milestones practically, the cultural orientation module is more interactive and relational. Initially, cultural orientation was the first module but it was flipped because learners will need more time and support to accomplish the tasks (and explore) the city’s resources.

Using the ADDIE model was appropriate because of its streamlined and functional phases. However, a programme planner should not be boxed into a model because models do not plan programmes; people do (Cervero & Wilson, 2006). As such, some of the factors that ADDIE would not have considered such as the socioeconomic and political issues were considered in crafting the course.

Even though this course has been designed without any formal connection to Regina Open Door Society, its structure and usefulness tempt me to approach the relevant authorities to adopt such a course for the ease of newcomers. How about I give you a walkthrough of the course?  Be my guest!

ECI834 Final Course Prototype Submission

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We made it folks! Based on conversations in small groups during class, I don’t think I’m the only one who is a little awestruck that this day has finally come. Don’t get me wrong; this isn’t to say that I’m glad this course is (almost) over or that it was painful to endure (well… maybe a little but in the thick of H5P creation and total reconstruction of initial course plans). What I mean is that it was a challenge to create a course from scratch! But because of this, I consider this to be the most valuable course I’ve taken as part of my Ed. Tech. certificate program. It pushed me in ways the other courses didn’t and ultimately taught me valuable skills I will undoubtedly use in my future educational endeavors.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the course I created:

  • It is a blended, asynchronous course for grade 7 mathematics
  • The course topic is fractions, decimals and percent
  • It spans over roughly 2 months
  • It intends to function as a fully online course for students completing it at home and/or as review material for students who are present for face-to-face instruction
  • It is an inquiry based math course involving a less-traditional approach (think more journaling and less drill and practice)

Here are links to relevant documents:

This blog post from March 19th is an accurate representation of the overall creation process of my course. As I mention in my post, the peer reviews were an invaluable opportunity to have fresh sets of eyes view the course and give honest, constructive feedback. I didn’t quite expect to change so much of my course after the peer reviews, but after reading the feedback and suggestions and tweaking this and that, things just kind of snowballed and my course got a pretty significant makeover.

Here is a link to the final walkthrough of my course:

And here are separate links to my LUMI instructional videos as well as an example “Journal About Math” video I created as an exemplar for students:

Thank you to Katia and classmates for making this course what it was. All the best to you all!

Final course prototype (but not FINAL final….)

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Final course prototype (but not FINAL final…..)

It’s so hard to believe that we are finally here, posting the final course prototypes. What a ride it has been….

(Haha, just kidding – I’m not really dead inside, but very, very tired. Course development is apparently a lot of work).

This final blog post was a real eye opener – I got a kick out of seeing how my ideas and attitudes have evolved over the last few months. Clearly I’ve been learning!  Before I started this course, I thought it was enough (albeit dull) to just post a PowerPoint presentation online with a quiz for my safety training.  As long as the information makes sense, that is sufficient, right? 

(The above has been my experience in non-UofR online classes – and sadly might have been the experience of those who took my past online safety training courses).

I’ve always done well when taking these classes, so I saw nothing wrong with this. But I see now that there was potential for so much more, and how the format was fine for my own learning style/abilities but likely not suitable for others.

The rationale for my compressed gas safety course, the course profile, and ADDIE template were discussed in detail in a previous blog post.  To summarize, the current safety training for research lab users (Engineering grad students, staff and faculty) at the UofR only briefly mentions the hazards and safe handling of compressed gas cylinders.  Yet, we have a LOT of these cylinders in my faculty, and they can be extremely hazardous if not handled correctly.  (In the United States, there are approximately 20 deaths and 6,000 injuries annually.  Even that innocent looking helium cylinder at dollar stores could kill you if you knocked it over….my husband refuses to enter these stores with me, as I’m constantly reminding their staff about this).  While we are fortunate there haven’t been any incidents in our labs, compressed gas issues are frequently cited on our internal and external safety audits.  The needs analysis clearly shows a gap in our training. 

(Much more blogging ahead – continue to the link here).

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Cree Language online instruction! Final submission

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My goal was creating an online course that is inclusive to all learners. I chose the Cree Language as instructional material because I wanted to share the message that Indigenous languages are accessible to all students in every school in Canada. Through online learning platforms, Indigenous educators have a wonderful opportunity to create accessible programs for learning languages. Using time honored instructional methods from the Cree perspectives of learning and using tech applications to support learning was the focus of this prototype assignment.

First Language is learned in context and experiential focused. Students will be prompted to take part in culture and language lessons using video formats and live experiences on the land and community participation modules. Here are some examples:

  1. Cree introductions. Students learn conversational Cree to create a climate of mutual respect for self/others and home place. Basic introductions are a way to initiate conversation and open up a forum to begin learning about one another.
  2. Cree language apps. Popular online applications used in our school are part of this course. I encourage the practical usage of technology to assist with learning. Access to technology promotes independent learning when our students can use online tools to assist with Cree language learning.
  3. Cultural Pedagogy. Embedded in the design of this course are lessons that validate Cree ways of knowing and ways of learning, such as Elders as knowledge keepers and storytellers, learning on the land, respect for the land and importance of community and kinship.

Creating Content using Technology and applications. Generating lessons on how to incorporate Cree language as a base for an online program was challenging, mainly because time was a factor in learning how to use Lumi and LMS Canvas. The Cree language content exists and is applicable in everyday life. Finding online material to support the topics I chose was also time intensive especially sources that would validate the Cree ways of learning. I overcame these challenges by finding sources that gave practical explanations and instructions and seeking advice from colleagues/peers that had experience with content creation. Accommodating 21st century learners by investing time and resources to digital pedagogy was worth the effort this semester. I am proud that I chose the field of language for this prototype and give Indigenous language an online platform accessible for all learners.

Megwech…thank you!

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AI in Education

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The course prototype on which I have been working is for kindergarten students and the activities are very easy and simple. Therefore, I believe that incorporating AI for very young learners is not vital. However, if in the future I make any course prototype for higher classes, I will consider incorporating AI tools to boost teaching and learning processes as well as various problems, including cheating and plagiarism.

 To automatize the administrative functions of the course, I would make use of AI programs for marking assignments, providing feedback, and managing the course schedule(Blanco et al.,2020).  The human language process algorithms (NLP) can be used to assess and estimate the quality of the student’s comprehensive appraisal and grading process, shortening the period of grading and finally introducing a personalized feedback system.

 In teaching AI consciousness to students, it is important to create programs on respectful AI usage(Greenhow et al.,2022). This would consist of training students on ethical aspects, privacy issues, and the consequences of AI in different areas. As an example, actual practice could see you using AI tools for your research or as a part of your data analysis, creative activities, etc.

AI use is a really dangerous thing, so to protect it, I would apply strategies like plagiarism detection software, test questions randomization, and exam proctoring applications(Aref et al.,2024). Also, the assignments that are assigned to students in such a way that they have to apply critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills make this kind of [AI] content less likely to write themselves.

Generally, the introduction of AI in the regular operation of teaching and learning can result in more efficiency, convenience, and safety, thus helping educators better cater to the student’s skills development and also minimize risks associated with academic dishonesty. 

References

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Final Course Prototype – Arts Education 7: Drama

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Hello EC&I 834 colleagues! Our course prototype was co-designed with my colleague Meagan McLellan and is based on the Saskatchewan Grade 7 Drama Outcomes.  

In our blended and synchronous course, grade 7 students will learn about the elements of radio plays, how to create soundscapes, and how to use Foley sounds to create sound effects. They will also record, edit, and produce their own radio plays in small groups. The focus is not on writing skills so that they will use pre-written stories; however, they will edit and adapt the stories to use soundscapes, effects, and voice acting wherever possible.

Drama can be a daunting and less desirable subject for students, especially those who are anxious or lack self-confidence. Meagan and I wanted to create an opportunity for students to meaningfully participate in the subject in a way that would ease these anxieties and fears and allow for freedom of expression and creativity in a FUN way.

When developing and mapping out our A.D.D.I.E. Course Profile, we considered our student audience at the foundation of our course. Our previous blog post details our A.D.D.I.E. Course Profile.

The course creation process begins with our learning objectives of this blended and synchronous course. By the end of this course, we hope students will be able to:

CP7.5

  • Use drama elements, strategies, negotiation, and collaboration to help shape the direction of the drama and/or collective creation.

CP7.6

  • Express ideas about the importance of place (e.g., relationships to the land, local geology, region, urban/rural environments) in drama and/or collective creation.

CP7.7

  • Investigate improvisation using the voice, instruments, and a wide variety of sound sources from the natural and constructed environment.

ITSE Student Standards

Empowered Learner (Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.)

Some important notes regarding our creation process are that many of our students are EAL learners. This course is meant to foster an environment that promotes language development while meeting Arts Education’s curricular outcomes. All but one of our students have access to technology at home, and Meagan and I are a part of the Connected Educator Program with Regina Catholic School Division (one-to-one device access per student), which allows for ample opportunities for this course to be successful.

Some important notes regarding our creation process are that many of our students are EAL learners. This course is meant to foster an environment that promotes language development while meeting Arts Education’s curricular outcomes. All but one of our students have access to technology at home, and Meagan and I are a part of the Connected Educator Program with Regina Catholic School Division (one-to-one device access per student), which allows for ample opportunities for this course to be successful.

We have used three platforms to execute our course prototype. The first was Microsoft Teams, which was used as the central hub to post assignments and hand-in areas, chat with students and teachers, monitor student progress, and provide feedback and assessment grades. This was considered as our Microsoft-based school division, which provides free access to teachers and students. Secondly, we used SeeSaw to foster and promote home-school connections. Students access some of the tasks on this platform, and it invites parents and guardians to view their children’s work to see their progress in the course. Thirdly, we used WeVideo, which is a licensed and cloud-based platform that allows students to work in teams to upload, record, mix, splice, edit, and layer sounds. This is used to create their final product. Last, we used Lumi to create introductory videos for Modules 1 and 2 and BBC Sound Effects to access thousands of audio files, which are safe and free to download.

Here are links to our other course prototype blogs that highlight our learning process and development:

Course Prototype – Community in Online Learning: Guidelines

Course Prototype – LUMI!

Course Prototype – Reflection to Feedback: Accessibility

Finally, our finished product! We want to thank our EC&I 834 colleagues for their valuable feedback, which was used to reflect on and improve our course prototype for our students.

Please enjoy our course walkthrough.

Final Course Prototype

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Hello EC&I 834 colleagues! Our course prototype was co-designed with my colleague Arkin Kauf and is based on the Saskatchewan Grade 7 Drama Outcomes.

In our blended and synchronous course, grade 7 students will learn about the elements of radio plays, how to create soundscapes, and how to use Foley sounds to create sound effects. They will also record, edit, and produce their own radio plays in small groups. The focus is not on writing skills so that they will use pre-written stories; however, they will edit and adapt the stories to use soundscapes, effects, and voice acting wherever possible.

Drama can be a daunting and less desirable subject for students, especially those who are anxious or lack self-confidence. Arkin and I wanted to create an opportunity for students to meaningfully participate in the subject in a way that would ease these anxieties and fears and allow for freedom of expression and creativity in a FUN way.

When developing and mapping out our A.D.D.I.E. Course Profile, we considered our student audience at the foundation of our course. Our previous blog post details our A.D.D.I.E. Course Profile.

The course creation process begins with our learning objectives of this blended and synchronous course. By the end of this course, we hope students will be able to:

CP7.5

  • Use drama elements, strategies, negotiation, and collaboration to help shape the direction of the drama and/or collective creation.

CP7.6

  • Express ideas about the importance of place (e.g., relationships to the land, local geology, region, urban/rural environments) in drama and/or collective creation.

CP7.7

  • Investigate improvisation using the voice, instruments, and a wide variety of sound sources from the natural and constructed environment.

ITSE Student Standards

Empowered Learner (Students leverage technology to take an active role in choosing, achieving, and demonstrating competency in their learning goals, informed by the learning sciences.)

Some important notes regarding our creation process are that many of our students are EAL learners. This course is meant to foster an environment that promotes language development while meeting Arts Education’s curricular outcomes. All but one of our students have access to technology at home, and Arkin and I are a part of the Connected Educator Program with Regina Catholic School Division (one-to-one device access per student), which allows for ample opportunities for this course to be successful.

We have used three platforms to execute our course prototype. The first was Microsoft Teams, which was used as the central hub to post assignments and hand-in areas, chat with students and teachers, monitor student progress, and provide feedback and assessment grades. This was considered as our Microsoft-based school division, which provides free access to teachers and students. Secondly, we used SeeSaw to foster and promote home-school connections. Students access some of the tasks on this platform, and it invites parents and guardians to view their children’s work to see their progress in the course. Thirdly, we used WeVideo which is a licensed and cloud-based platform that allows students to work in teams to upload, record, mix, splice, edit, and layer sounds. This is used to create their final product. Last, we used Lumi to create introductory videos for modules 1 and 2, and BBC Sound Effects to access thousands of audio files, which are safe and free to download.

We developed four modules in our course prototype and will use our school division’s four-point assessment scale to consistently assess and provide formative and summative feedback on assignments and tasks.

Here are links to other course prototype blogs that highlight our learning process and course development:

A.D.D.I.E with Ms. McLellan and Mr. Kauf

Using Seesaw and Microsoft Teams

LUMI

Reflection on Feedback and Overall Accessibility

Finally, our finished product! We want to thank our EC&I 834 colleagues for their valuable feedback, which was used to reflect on and improve our course prototype for our students.

Please enjoy our course walkthrough.

**Note – if you would like to jump straight to the modules, they begin at 6:17**

Final Course Prototype

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As I write my final blog post tonight, a quote from an old professor comes to my mind:

 

“Start small, start smart, but at least start.” – Nick Forsberg

 

Well Nick, I will tell you that I DID NOT start small on this project. I should start by saying I had good intentions on developing multiple online courses for all the disciplines I teach (Math 9, Math 10WA and PE). If you know me, you know that I like to jump in with both feet. I tend to have big ideas and (sometimes) an unrealistic timeline for myself. What I didn’t know was that building an online course takes time, patience, and many hours of planning. Even though I am handing in my course prototype tonight with 5 out of 7 modules “under construction,” I still have plans on finishing these before I return to work next year. 

 

An Overview of My Course Prototype

Every year when I teach Math 10WA, I have students fail the course because they are unable to keep up with classroom content, or have been removed from class as a result of violating the school’s attendance policy, or students have quit coming to class due to personal reasons. I believe students who have failed this course should be given another opportunity to try again; whether that is enrolling in another face-to-face Math 10WA class with a teacher, or completing the required modules online (asynchronously). This class serves as an opportunity for students to “try again” and work with a Student Support Teacher (SST) to attain a Math 10 credit while meeting their personal needs (for example: learning in a different environment).

 

After countless hours of planning my course, creating content, editing videos, and organizing my materials, I am very excited to share my final course prototype with everyone! This link includes my course profile detailing the purpose, target audience, learning objectives, lesson plans, and more.

 

An Overview of the Creating Process

If I had a superpower, I would be perfect every minute of the day and wouldn’t need to re-do anything. In reality, I am far from perfect; however, I expect perfection in the work I produce. Creating this online course generated some frustration for me as I would change my plans often, and re-record my instructional videos because I found a “small” mistake in them. I quickly realized that I was never going to be 100% satisfied with my work, and I needed to find balance with my time.

 

During our Zoom meeting with Katia on March 13th, we discussed accessibility and equity online. I reflected on my prototype and wondered if I needed to make some changes to my course. I ended up adapting many of my google documents and hyperlinks to ensure my content was accessible for all my learners. I also appreciated the week when we peer-reviewed our colleagues’ prototypes. It was refreshing to get new perspectives on my LMS, course content, and assignments. The peers who reviewed my course provided excellent feedback for me to consider, which inspired me to make some positive changes to my prototype. 

 

Overall, I am proud of the work I have done to complete my Math 10WA Recovery Credit Course, and I am excited to try it next year with my students! I am sure I will modify assignments/activities in the future to continue improving my course.

 

Video Walkthrough

Here is a link to my course walkthrough so you can see how it is set up! 

I hope you enjoy 🙂

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Final Course Prototype!

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Course Overview

General Description:

My course is intended as a 4 week credit recovery exercise for grade 12 students taking Workplace and Apprenticeship Math 30 in the province of Saskatchewan.  This course deals with the buying and leasing of vehicles and corresponds to curricular outcome WA30.6. As I describe in my course profile, students attending my school live in a neighbourhood that is highly dependent on personal vehicles.  Therefore, this material is both relevant to their daily lives and required by curriculum.

Method of Delivery:

This course is mostly asynchronous with a some blended elements.  Students will complete the majority of material online, but will come into class once a week to demonstrate their calculation skills, give presentations, and check in with the instructor.

Content:

A full video overview of my course can be seen at the link below on YouTube.

 

As my course is not accessible to users outside my school division I have provided links to key items below.  This is not exhaustive however; please note that most assignments and quizzes are only viewable within the YouTube overview.

Course Profile

Gettting Started

Module one: understanding the difference between leasing & buying a vehicle

Module two: buying or leasing a vehicle (the process & cost)

The Creation Process

Below you will find links to blog posts that detail the development of this course.

Wow.

That is a lot of links.

However, if you read this far I feel that I owe you an explanation of my process that is not an endless bulleted list.

When I began EC&I 834 I did not know what to expect.  Like most instructors I had engaged in emergency remote teaching during the pandemic, and while I did learn a lot I feel it would be fair to say that my material was less than ideal.  In the same way escaping a house fire does not make you a professional fire fighter, planning during the pandemic did not make me an expert in online instructional design.

My plan was very simple.  Be the sponge.  Absorb as much knowledge as possible until I figuratively weighed 6-7 times my regular body weight (boy, this analogy cam off the rails a bit).  My first “ah-ha” moment came during our presentation on the ADDIE model – starting with a deliberate/meticulous planning process got me off to a strong start.  Unfortunately, I was a bit trigger happy and plowed too far ahead.  The online space requires that instructors pay special attention to engagement (which is challenging in an asynchronous environment).  Not a problem.  I would go back and revise the material I came up with and add more opportunities for interaction.

This process of planning and patching continued throughout the development of the course.  H5P interactive elements?  Better go back and put those in.  Is your material accessible?  Nope!  Better go back and add transcripts to your videos.  Did you use AI constructively to aid in the creation of your materials?  Are your assignments something that could easily be completed with AI?  How about some peer feedback?  You get the general idea.

I think this exposed some fundamental flaws of my design process.  I always want to race ahead and get things done now.  This doesn’t allow for a lot of flexibility, which is strange because when I plan for in-person instruction I account for the unexpected.  I naturally leave time for student questions, and have outright abandoned my plans when the needs of the class have dictated it.  If you read my blog articles you can taste a hint of frustration as I try to get out of my own way.

If I could go back in time with the knowledge I have now I think that I would have produced a better course, but the learning process (including the frustration) was far more important than the artefact that I ended up creating anyway.  I need to learn to relax a bit and work through the process naturally.

That’s growth, right?