The interactions I have included in my course prototype are through Zoom. I chose this as an option because it will allow students to discuss the learnings with their peers. Having something that needs to be turned in to go with this discussion. The assignment portion of this activity will put some ownership on the students and hopefully motivate them to complete the task of engaging in conversation. I have used FlipGrid previously for this type of activity and students did not take it seriously and the video being recorded and posted caused some anxiety in students. This relates to the article 6 Strategies for Building Community in Online Courses from this week’s readings. Having a specific time for communication, establishing a social presence, meeting in real time, opportunities for information sharing, collaborative learning and hopefully creating sub communities for students to discuss/ask for help from peers outside of class time.
A characteristic of the classes I have found the most engaging during my Masters program are the one’s where it feels like a safe space. This is talked about it in both of the readings from this week. When you feel safe in a space, even when it is online, students are more engaged and willing to participate. It is hard to articulate the types of things that would done during class when it is an online prototype and being new to online teaching, I don’t know all of the tricks to make middle years students feel like a Zoom is their safe place. Some of the things that I would include that are highlighted in the articles are: creating introduction videos, creating smaller sub groups, using collaborative learning techniques and communicating regularly. Using gamified learning platforms like Kahoot!, Gimkit, Blooket, Quiziz etc. are also ways to engage middle years students and can be implemented in a spur of the moment way (or planned).
Since the start of the school year, I have integrated technology to help me better balance my split classroom. My grade 7 students have been using Google Sites for both math and science, created by my colleagues a couple of years ago. My grade 6 students have also been using Google Sites for both math and science but their sites were created by me. Although I have a good start, I have only managed to stay a couple of lessons ahead of them in planning.
For my course profile, I decided to work on a future math module. I will be focusing on the Shape and Space strand, more specifically SS6.1. Since I have previous experience using Google Sites with my students, I plan to work on making the Google Site more enhanced and engaging. Lumi is a tech tool that I have never used before that allows you to embed questions, polls, etc. into your videos. I will be investigating this tool further and use it to replace the YouTube videos that I am currently using. I think that this tool will help me create more personalized and engaging instructional videos.
Once upon a time, there was a brave and noble educator (ha – that’s me!) who set out on the adventure of a lifetime: developing two enchanting online modules for her English Language Arts class. This teacher worked tirelessly – climbing beanstalks, granting wishes, kissing frogs – all in an effort to create both an ADDIE template and basic course overview to please all of her fellow queens and kings of technology (that’s you all!).
Charming Characters:
These blending learning modules feature a group of 22 hardworking princes and princesses. This royal family greatly varies in their English reading and writing abilities, but all share a love of ELA and an overall enthusiasm to learn.
Spectacular Setting:
These modules will be blended, featuring both in-castle addresses and lessons pre-recorded in a land far far away. Students will have access to the pre-recorded instruction to view at their own pace, as many times as they need. Learning activities and assessments will also be blended, taking place both in-castle and far far away, using a variety of teaching strategies and online programs, including: Seesaw, Kahoot and Storyboard That.
This magical unit duration is four to six weeks, and for the purposes of this project, I will be creating and sharing with you two online learning modules (out of the larger course context) featuring two main, magnificent learning goals of reading and writing.
Exciting Events:
MODULE ONE will focus on reading ability and reading comprehension. Students will review their knowledge of fictional story elements and, more specifically, focus on characteristics of fairy tale. They will demonstrate their abilities through an incredible Seesaw quest (Seesaw activity).
MODULE TWO will focus on English writing, with an art component. After workshopping an original fairy tale, students will ‘publish’ their story, for the entire village to see, using a program called Storyboard That. This allows for them to read their creative tale aloud and design pictures (storyboard format) that go with the events in their work.
Hear ye, hear ye, calling all tech queens and kings. I kindly request any fantastic feedback you may have on my module ideas and development so far. Thanks!
Hello Everyone! Welcome to the exciting world of science in first grade! We desire to capture the interest of our young scholars and develop an everlasting enjoyment of learning as we explore the fascinating universe of living things. Understanding the needs and characteristics of living things serves as an essential component of our curriculum and provides a foundation for a more in-depth comprehension of the natural world. We ensure that each lesson stimulates curiosity and excitement by designing our approach with the five to eight-year-olds minds with full questioning. Our objective is to establish an exciting learning environment where students grow as an outcome of engaging discussions, interactive exercises, and practical learning opportunities. The main question arises: why this distinction is so important? Well, knowing what makes an organism a living thing helps us appreciate biological systems, ecosystems, and the complex equilibrium of life on Earth more comprehensively. It also improves our cognitive abilities.
Here, I added a YouTube animation video clip that helps the kids to understand the living and non-living things:
So, how can we accomplish this vision? Our curriculum is accessible and diverse, allowing for a wide range of learning preferences and methods. Numerous enriching learning activities such as arts and crafts, interactive technology, field trips and so many others make the teaching-learning process more productive.
DESIGN
Students have a greater understanding of the complexity and beauty of the natural world when they can distinguish between different living creatures and examine interconnections within ecological systems. The first and foremost thing is how to observe and differentiate the living and non-living creatures. However, knowledge about the broad range of life on Earth comes from observation. We can classify living organisms according to their appearance and behavior through the notice of certain characteristics. In contrast to plants, which show traits like growth, photosynthesis, and seed or germ reproduction, animals, for instance, show movement and behaviors like feeding, sleeping, and reproducing.
Analyzing Interactions:- An essential component of education is assessment, which helps students track their development and strengthen their comprehension. Formative assessments serve to reinforce concepts acquired in class by asking students to identify and categorize living and non-living objects based on their qualities. Moreover in summative assessment, students can demonstrate their grasp of the subject matter through such as making recollection books of living and non-living objects.
Educational Technologies:- To enhance learning outcomes and involve students in interactive learning experiences, the curriculum utilizes a variety of educational platforms and technologies, including Google Classroom, projectors, classroom discussions, and flashcards. Teachers may design dynamic and engaging learning experiences that promote collaboration and critical thinking, accommodate different learning styles, and ultimately increase student engagement and accomplishment through the integration of these educational platforms and technology into the curriculum.
To sum up, the objective of a first-grade scientific curriculum is to stimulate children’s interest, promote exploration, and provide a strong basis for their future investigations into the natural sciences. We aim to stimulate a future generation of knowledgeable who will greatly enhance their understanding of the world by fostering an enjoyment of science from the beginning.
For my course profile, I chose a topic of the needs and characteristics of living things of grade 1 students, and I found this topic very stimulating. In the analysis and design section, plenty of things are covered that will be helpful to understand the topic deeply. Here is the link to my ADDIE template:
Well, it is the first time I have created a blog, and writing here is also a new experience. Honestly, I am not techno-savvy and when I read our syllabus for this class for the first time I could not understand our assignments, all the terms like the ADDIE Model, The LMS, H5P, and others were and are still new to me. However, I opted for this subject because I want to come out of my comfort zone (do not want to use technology), explore more options to become productive and smart, want to match my pace with this AI world, and want to take proper advantage of all technical gadgets which I have.
I have been using different software like MS Word, MS Excel, PowerPoint presentations, Zoom, and a few others for a long time, but I have never tried more than these. Even when I started using these, it was not easy for me, and also today, whenever I try to use new software, I take time to understand its features, and I think it is going to affect my speed of doing work here as well. I firmly believe that in this technological era, to become more productive and save time and effort, one has to be familiar with online apps and software. Right now, at the beginning of this course, I am a bit afraid, but I hope that I will end this class with all the new learning and with great confidence.
Over the past 2 weeks I have been chasing my tail trying to decide what course I will design for this assignment. I currently have three ADDIE templates open on my google documents and I am determined to design online courses for my Wellness 10 and Math 9 classes (in the near future). Remind you – I am on maternity leave and have some extra time! Due to deadlines in this class (EC&I 834), I need more time to design these courses and figure out HOW learning will occur and WHAT assessments will be used to support student learning in the most appropriate way.
Right now I had to think about what is needed in my school, and how this course will support students in mathematics.
I chose to create an online course for students to recover a grade 10 credit in the workplace and apprenticeship math stream. Every year when I teach this class, 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 (on their own).
To view my full course profile and planning template, click here.
After much deliberation, I finally settled on creating a blended course for grade 7 math, focusing on fractions, decimals and percent. As someone who loved the traditional direct instruction, drill and practice math growing up, it is difficult for me to venture to the more abstract, problem-based methods of math learning, but I figure this is as good an opportunity as any to broaden my horizons. Oh, and I’m gonna give Canvas a whirl while I’m at it, too.
Radiation therapy is a common cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing and dividing. It’s a localized treatment, meaning it targets specific areas of the body where cancer cells are present while minimizing damage to healthy surrounding tissue. The treatments are individually designed for each person’s anatomy and treatment target area; thus precision is required to deliver the planned dose. There are many factors that contribute to differences between the planned dose and the delivered dose. One such factor is reproducibility in patient position on the treatment unit. Patient positioning is crucial in radiation therapy because it ensures accurate delivery of radiation to the targeted area while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy tissues.
To ensure accurate patient positioning, image matching happens prior to each treatment and is performed while the patient is laying on the treatment couch waiting for the radiation beam to start. This is called Image Guided Radiation Therapy, or IGRT. Image matching in short, is looking at the image from the original “planned” treatment and matching it to the daily image of the patient on the treatment couch, the discrepancies are noted, bed movements are entered into the software which results in the patient moving to a position that matches the planned treatment image. Cross-sectional anatomy is included in the foundation of successfulimage matching. Acquiring and improving this skill is important to the success of the patient’s treatment as it is imperative that image matching is done in a time sensitive manner, to avoid any further patient movements. This course presents the function and application of Computed Tomography (CT) in the context of IGRT. The overarching goal is to provide students with a solid understanding of cross-sectional anatomy and its significance as it applies to IGRT.
The target audience for this course is adult learners who have chosen to work in health care. They have a minimum of two years undergraduate prerequisite courses as well as some radiation therapy course prerequisites. Information in these pre-requisite courses include how CTscanners and Linear Accelerators work, 2D- radiographic anatomy and how knowledge of the lymphatic system is applied in radiation therapy.
The learners in this type of program are usually young adults with a wide variety of lived experiences. Academically speaking, some come directly from completing the required 2 years of undergrad courses, and others with a variety of type and number of degrees. In other ways, some have not yet left the family home, some have children, some have done extensive travelling, some are changing careers. Some have worked in hospitals; some have never been inside a hospital.
Design
This course is a blended design scheduled in weekly modules. It follows a flipped classroom model, as the benefits of this strategy align with this topic. The course includes asynchronous didactic material, weekly discussion boards and one synchronous online class meeting. Every other week there is a face-to-face lab session scheduled for hands on learning and skill practice. The tools used to deliver this course and their application are as follows:
Canvas provides the learning management system (LMS) to host content such as didactic modules that may contain documents, videos, quizzes, discussion forums, collaborations, and student progress/grades.
Zoom provides the platform for the weekly synchronous class meetings. Screen sharing and the whiteboard are key functions for this activity.
ARIA software suite provides the image matching software for hands-on practice. This is only accessible within the CancerCare system.
IMAIOS provides high-quality cross-sectional anatomy and imaging content for daily practice and training of health professionals. This software offers a choice of regular, practice or quiz viewing mode to the learners.
The specific course objectives are listed here.
By the end of this course, learners will be able to:
List and explain the three cardinal viewing planes of CT imaging.
Using directional terms, describe the position of one anatomical structure as it relates to the position of another.
Explain the orientation of a CT cross-sectional image.
Compare the location of various structures between a cross sectional image and radiographic anatomy.
Describe the boundaries of and the anatomic structures contained within the: thorax, abdomen, and pelvis
Complete image matching on a variety of anatomical sites.
These learning objectives are met by providing didactic course modules for learning and virtual tools for practicing cross-sectional anatomy identification and image matching. To see the course layout in more detail, view the course ADDIE Template here. The formative and summative assessments of learning address the three learning domains, Cognitive, Psychomotor and Affective.
Formative assessment opportunities include assignments, multiple choice review questions/polls, discussions and exit slips during synchronous class meeting, discussion boards, module quizzes, and clinical reviews.
Two Summative assessment strategies are used. A final exam and a final clinical assessment where the students are required to complete an Image Matching task.
Risk Assessment
Any online delivery is susceptible to certain risks and barriers. Addressing these risks and barriers requires proactive strategies and support from both educators and institutions.
Mitigation strategies need to address risks and barriers around technical issues, mental health, academic integrity and motivation.
Technical issue strategies involve providing access to technology and resources. The University of Winnipeg as well as the School of Radiation Therapy both provide resources such as space and technology to students who: do not have access to necessary devices such as a computer or tablet, struggle with reliable internet access, or struggle with finding appropriate spaces within their home for working.
Mental health strategies include surveying students about how they feel regarding online learning. This is followed by addressing any concerns that are self-perceived or suspected by the instructor, according to school policies. Online learning can be an isolating environment that leads to disconnection between students and/or instructor. The bi-weekly face-to-face Clinical Development Activities should help mitigate any concerns.
Maintaining academic integrity risk strategies recognize that online assessments can be vulnerable to cheating and plagiarism. Online quizzes do use such strategies as randomizing not only the quiz questions, but the order of the multiple-choice answers. In addition, the lock down browser can be used at the instructor’s discretion. However, relying on individual integrity has been the approach of the School of Radiation Therapy. Guiding the students to understand the links between academic integrity and their future as ethical professionals can mitigate integrity breaches. This strategic approach involves communicating this message early and throughout their training.
Online learning has shown to affect a learner’s motivation. However, most adult learners are intrinsically motivated to succeed. In this case, their goal is to become the professional that they have chosen as their career.
“Adults are motivated to learn to the extent that they perceive that learning will help them perform tasks or deal with problems that they confront in their life situations. Furthermore, they learn new knowledge, understandings, skills, values and attitudes most effectively when they are presented in the context of application to real-life situations.”
However, these young adult learners may still have under-developed self-discipline and time management skills. Therefore, a small amount of the final grade is given towards class participation.
If a learner requires extra time to gain the required proficiency prior to clinical placement, this will be arranged on a as needed basis.
Course design and rationale
I believe that no professional healthcare program can be taught exclusively online; nor does it have to be taught exclusively face-to-face. My assertion comes from two variables: the type of work they are learning to do and the uniqueness of the adult learner. The hybrid model is a great way to meet the needs of this group of adult learners; which is important to reaching my goal of developing empathetic, competent healthcare workers.
This course is designed within a hybrid learning environment. Rationale for each approach is described below.
Asynchronous Didactic Learning – Adult learning is less abstract and more goal oriented. They are more autonomous. They are responsible for their learning, which means being prepared for synchronous sessions, especially in a flipped classroom model. They have a full life outside of the program. These learners have family obligations, work obligations and hopefully a social life to keep them balanced. Time management is key to success in this group.
As image matching is completed on computers using special software, this approach to learning is ideal. The students will see the images
Synchronous Class Meetings – Adult learners are ready to learn, which can help with engagement, and their lived experiences can lead to deeper, more meaningful class discussions. Although I have experienced that this is very dependent on the group dynamic. Some classes are quite dynamic and others are not.
Face-to-Face Clinical Development Activities – Adult learners do well with practical applications where the didactic knowledge can be applied and transferred to practice. This course leverages this fact as it is necessary for labs to happen prior to any clinical placement so the learners can practice using the matching software (this cannot be done online as this software cannot be accessed outside of the institution). Here they will practice the specific task that will be required of them when they enter the clinical environment. Initially, the focusin on accuracy. Subsequently, the students’ goal is to to increase their skills to complete the task more quickly by the end of the semester.
While facilitating these sessions, the facilitators can vocalize their decision process, role modelling the importance of each step with the patients’ outcome in mind. As well, simulating the interaction between caregiver and patient, the instructors can role model the care and attention given to psychosocial needs within a certain clinical environment or situation.
Patients need to be the centre of all that is taught and learned. Not only does patient care need to be comprehensive, and delivered by skilled staff, it also must address the psychosocial needs of the patients. Empathy and compassion also contribute to patient outcomes. Online environments cannot transfer these lessons adequately. Of course, instructors provide real life examples that can convey the messages, but it is the real-life clinical environment where this learning occurs. In addition to the formal learning, there exists a hidden curriculum that cannot be ignored. Hidden curriculum can be explained as how unwritten rules are transmitted to the learners. A few examples are workplace cultures, norms, authority structures, gender roles, implicit biases, and attitudes. Over the years the term ‘hidden curriculum’ has been used to describe how negative behaviours, stereotypes, and biases are passed along within the profession. However, it is important to be aware of the hidden curriculum and teach positive lessons through everyday interactions while the learner is still developing their own perception of what it means to them to work as such a PHC provider. This is the instructor’s opportunity to teach honesty, transparency, and integrity to the learners through role modelling.
All three learning domains will be addressed as each plays their own role and are important in this task and career.
The cognitive domain is addressed within the didactic portion of this course through lessons, assignments and quizzes. These should be completed by the learners by the time the synchronous activities are scheduled.
Clinical Development Activities, or labs, cover the psychomotor domain. Students will be scheduled in small groups on the RT machines, either on weekends or after hours (as operational requirements permit). Here they will practice the specific task that will be required of them when they enter the clinical environment. Initially, the focus in on accuracy. Subsequently, the students’ goal to increase their skills to complete the task more quickly by the end of the semester. Some learners may require more time to gain the required proficiency than can be provided due to limitations in the availability of both clinical space and staff facilitators.
Discussion groups and clinical development activities will cover the Affective domain. Students will demonstrate the patient centred approach to IGRT through discussion and they will learn from their clinical role models in the Clinical Development Activities.
The University of Regina currently has an excellent Chemical & Laboratory Safety (CLS) non-credit course, which includes WHMIS. (This is the “Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System”, which high school instructors may be familiar with). The course is blended or hybrid, in that the online theory is presented asynchronously online; this is followed by a 2.5 hour in-person classroom session for hands-on activities. Sessions are limited to 12 participants due to classroom size. We do mock chemical spill cleanup, mock chemical storage exercises, and practice donning and doffing personal protective equipment. The best and most entertaining part is a fire simulator, which realistically simulates the use of a fire extinguisher:
CLS is mandatory training for anyone using a chemical lab – no lab keys are provided until we see that certificate! Training is renewed every three years. The participants can include MASc and MENG students, PhD students, post-doctoral fellows, and principal investigators (PIs). The Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science also has a mandatory general safety orientation online, which supplements the CLS training.
While the CLS training is worthwhile and necessary, it is still just a general introduction to most lab hazards. Training does not go more in-depth due to instructor limitations, limitations on classroom availability, lack of a “training laboratory” on campus, and feedback from participants (who really wants longer training?) Current practice leaves the burden of lab-specific hazard training to the supervisors (PIs). However, in some ways, this might be setting up the PIs and students for failure. Students enter the lab not really knowing what questions to ask or what to be concerned about. They are ill-equipped to develop adequate safe operating procedures (SOPs). PIs are certainly subject matter experts (SMEs) when it comes to their own research, yet we’re unfairly assuming the PIs are experts about all hazards. We’re also unfairly assuming they have the required resources and skills to pass along to their lab users during their site-specific lab orientations.
This has become particularly evident when it comes to compressed gas safety. Safety practices (transportation, use and storage) have consistently been cited in research safety audits, both internal and external. Audits have included lab inspections, review of near-miss reports, review of SOPs and policies, interviews with PIs and students, and surveys of graduate students. Action items from these audits have led to the creation of various job aids, updated procedures, educational communications, and micro-learning opportunities. While these efforts have made improvements, compressed gas issues continue to be cited during inspections. Students and many PIs, through no fault of their own, do not seem to understand nor appreciate the risk of injury, and work practices reflect this.
(Most people are probably like I was in my early career; we see gas cylinders of helium at Dollarama and propane with our BBQs and think, how harmful can they really be? Grant Higgins in Understanding by Design – Overview of UBD & The Design Template asks “what misunderstandings are predictable”? This is a common one.Truth be told, a damaged or leaking gas cylinder can cause significant property damage, injury, or death, not to mention disruptions to research and reputational damage. Criminal charges can also be laid in instances of serious neglect. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics reports approximately 20 deaths and 6,000 injuries annually due to compressed gas accidents).
These research safety audits and subsequent initiatives have (unintentionally) served as a training needs analysis, and indicate that dedicated compressed gas safety training is necessary (Instructional Design on a Shoestring). These needs have already been presented to the Faculty Administrator, Associate Dean of Research, and the faculty’s Local Safety Committee; all have provided their full support for this initiative.
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) actually publishes two environmental, health and safety (EHS) safety training standards: ANSI Z490.1 relates to all delivery methods, and ANSI Z490.2 addresses online EHS training. Common to both of these standards is the use of the training design and development methodology known as ADDIE, where A = Analysis, D = Design, D = Development, I = Implementation, and E = Evaluation. The ADDIE model (Instructional Design on a Shoestring, among many others) was subsequently used to methodically analyse the student population demographics, including potential benefits and challenges. In the analysis phase, a course overview was also provided, along with a description of the learning environment. The design phase led to creation of course-level objections, instructor approach, and decisions related to major platforms, educational technologies, specific learning objectives, assessment methods, and learning materials. The ADDIE template (analysis and design stages only for now) for compressed gas safety training is included here.
Target Audience
In some ways, all members of the target audience have strong similarities. All are engineers (at minimum, an undergraduate degree), all have completed the CLS training, and all have completed the faculty’s general safety orientation. Despite this, there will be varying demographics and levels of experience. A large majority are international students with English as an additional language, and may face some language barriers in learning. Ages will vary considerably, ranging from new graduate students to principal investigators who may be in their 60s. Level of experience with the subject matter will also vary. Some graduate students may have had few hands-on labs in their undergraduate studies. Some graduate students may have years of experience in academia and/or industry. At the other extreme are PIs who have conducted lab-based research for decades, who may already believe that they are SMEs in this area. Or, they may believe that there are no significant hazards, as they have never had an accident. This is a common barrier in safety training, and will likely be the greatest challenge in course development and implementation. (How do you teach someone who thinks they know everything already??? Attitudes towards additional mandatory training will likely vary with experience).
As with any target audience, there will also be differences in learning styles, or mental health issues or exam anxiety that may interfere with performance; some students may have academic accommodations already in place. Some may also struggle with motivation (Teaching in a Digital Age), although the need to access their research lab should adequately motivate most students. Motivation may be a bigger issue for the PIs. It is also important to remember that some students and PIs, especially with the initial roll-out of training, may have taken CLS training up to three years ago; their memory of fundamental WHMIS concepts may have lapsed.
Course Overview
To effectively influence safe work practices, it is necessary to teach theory and fundamentals regarding WHMIS and how it applies to compressed gases. Specifically, it is critical that participants understand the physical and health hazards, as well as non-WHMIS mechanical hazards. Based on these hazards, there are fundamental concepts, hazard control measures and safe practices related to transport, storage, disposal, and emergency procedures. There are also special considerations for certain commonly used gases (oxygen, acetylene, hydrogen, toxic gases, cryogens, etc.) that must be conveyed. Training would not be complete, however, without hands-on activities as well. For instance, safe transport can certainly be introduced in a lecture, however a person cannot properly be deemed competent without a supervisor or course facilitator observing them in practice. (We can watch videos all we want, but it’s an entirely different story to personally maneuver a bulky, slippery, 1.5m tall cylinder that can weigh 40kg or more. Some individuals simply cannot do it, and will require lab-based accommodations).
Because the course will require a significant amount of theory, and will also require some hands-on lab practice, the course will be blended/hybrid as described in Teaching in the Digital Age. (Limitations regarding instructor availability and classroom availability also help justify this format. Participant feedback from years ago, when CLS training was offered entirely in-person, was also not favourable and difficult to coordinate given teaching/class schedules). The theory will be presented online and asynchronously, as students require training throughout the year, on demand. Once the online component is complete, the hands-on lab sessions will be coordinated. These will be one on one sessions with the individual’s supervisor, in the individual’s own lab (obviously following train-the-trainer sessions for these PIs, which will be provided by the online course facilitator). In some situations, if a PI has several new students simultaneously, this hands-on training may be provided to multiple students at the same time. Such arrangements will be encouraged where feasible, as students will benefit from peer interactions.
Learning Environment
As much as possible, the course content will be designed to appeal to engineers and academics, and will use different methods of presenting materials to appeal to different learning styles. Grant Higgins asks “what provocative questions will foster inquiry, understanding, and transfer of learning?” Provocative questions will certainly be a priority. Our students and PIs are strongly motivated by the “why” – they want to know the science behind the safety requirements as opposed to a long list of rules and regulations. According to Training and Development for Dummies, adults in general need to know why they should learn something before investing time. (By the way, there is absolutely no shame in consulting this book!)
Relevant engineering case studies and scenarios applicable to research activities will be used whenever possible. Additional, optional readings will also be included to appeal to those curious participants who truly wish to learn more. (Appealing to the experienced PIs will be the greatest challenge, however it is hoped that the case studies and additional readings may be relevant to their own teachings, for this course and others). Given the on-demand need for training, asynchronous online instruction cannot be avoided without causing unnecessary delays in training and lab access. While there are benefits to synchronous instruction and peer connections, the asynchronous format will appeal to those who like to space out their learning sessions, need additional time due to language barriers, have learning accommodations, or simply have busy schedules and need flexibility. As mentioned in Teaching in a Digital Age, the online learning format is also well-suited to more mature students, students who already have a high level of education, and students who also have employment and/or family commitments. These characteristics describe the vast majority of course participants.
Canvas and Google Classroom were explored as possible Learning Management Systems (LMS) for the online component (thanks so much to classmates who provided advice and demonstrations in this area – especially Amber)! While the features and overall appearance of Canvas appeared to be superior to UR Courses, UR Courses (Moodle) was ultimately chosen as the LMS for this course. The pros simply outweighed the cons: students already have access and are familiar with this LMS, all safety (and credit) courses are on UR Courses, and the facilitator (me) is familiar with the basic features of this system. The university Information Services department can also provide student and facilitator technical support, content backup/security, and bulk enrollments as needed. Secure storage of safety training records is also a legal requirement, so this level of security is vital.
It is expected that the course itself will be built using Lumi, in combination with features on UR Courses. This will facilitate use of interactive videos, activities (such as matching games), and other Lumi features that will become familiar in coming weeks. UR courses also has features that will be useful in formative and summative learning assessments (short answer, long answer, true/false questions, and a glossary feature that will be useful for students struggling with language barriers or limited lab experience. Even for students proficient in English, they may be unfamiliar with technical terms used in Safety Data Sheets or SDSs). Where appropriate, openly sourced YouTube videos, case studies, photos and animations will be used. Additional videos and animations may be created using We Video, InVideo (AI-generated videos, to be used with caution!), Doodly, and/or Powtoon (thanks again to classmates who provided advice for these apps as well). Wherever possible, video closed captioning or transcripts will be provided to aid those with accommodations, different learning styles, and/or language barriers (Instructional Design on a Shoestring). UR Courses will also facilitate contact between the students and the course facilitator, as will the facilitator’s open office hours.
While the online instruction is asynchronous, it is still possible (and likely) that multiple students will be studying the material at the same time. As Discord is popular among engineering students and used in some of their credit classes, this will be an optional activity for compressed gas safety training. Because the course is asynchronous, monitoring will require more dedicated time by the course facilitator (The Landscape of Merging Modalities – Valerie Irvine). However, it will give students and the instructor opportunities to engage and interact, posting questions and suggestions related to the course content. The more veteran students and PIs will also be encouraged to share their experiences, case studies, near-misses and lessons learned to Discord; this will help show participants that their experience has value. In practice, the course content will be periodically updated for continuous improvement; this input on Discord will ultimately help ensure course content is as relevant and beneficial as possible.
The learning environment for the hands-on sessions will be the individual’s own research lab. This will ensure the student is receiving training that is directly applicable to their own workspace, using gas(es) and equipment available to them during research. As Wiggins suggests, the intent is to impart authentic performance tasks so students can demonstrate their learnings.
There are multiple reasons to have PIs provide this hands-on component within their own labs, as opposed to the online course facilitator. First, the online course facilitator simply does not have time to provide these individual sessions, even if a “teaching lab” did become available. Research labs are used by hundreds of people at any given time, and the time commitment would be unreasonable. Second, PIs still have a legal responsibility to provide (and document) site-specific training to those they supervise; they should be doing this anyway (but currently need support with this aspect). With PIs providing the training, it will also be an opportunity to answer questions directly related to the individual’s upcoming research. (The online course facilitator is a SME in compressed gas safety, but not an expert in individual research projects. These are questions that the course facilitator typically could not answer). It is hoped that by training the PIs to teach this component themselves (as they should be doing anyway), it will also promote good working relationships between the students and their supervisors.
Access and cost are not expected to be limitations. Training will be provided to anyone who needs it within the faculty, free of charge. (Other online compressed gas safety courses are available online, with external providers, but would place an unfair financial burden on students. These courses are also too generic for application to our research labs, and do not include the essential hands-on training).
For the online component, students and PIs would have access to stable internet and computers within their campus offices/lounges and likely at home as well, given the nature of their studies and teaching duties. If all else fails, the library is available. The primary limitation, from the perspective of participants, is likely their time, particularly for the PIs. However, attempts will be made to recognize prior knowledge, segment learning, and condense information as much as possible while still meeting learning objectives.
A potential challenge for the hands-on component may be the willingness and availability of PIs for this training. However, as mentioned, site-specific training is a critical aspect of their supervisory duties and necessary before students can proceed with their research anyway (regardless of this course). Effective communications and strong support from the Dean and Local Safety Committee will therefore be essential to implementation.
DESIGN
Course-Level Objectives
The course-level objectives are as follows, as obtained from the ADDIE template:
Understand the purpose of this course, and potential consequences of no training;
Understand the policies, codes, and regulations that apply to compressed gas use;
Define what a compressed gas cylinder is;
Understand WHMIS classifications and safe precautions;
Locate the SDS(s) for compressed gas(es) in use;
Determine the potential physical, health, and mechanical hazards of compressed gas(es) in use;
Learn the safe handling practices for transport, usage, and disposal;
Learn the emergency procedures related to compressed gases;
Develop a Safe Operating Procedure for each compressed gas in use, which addresses purchase, transportation, usage, disposal, and emergency procedures;
Competently display an ability to complete the hands-on laboratory activities, including transportation, storage, regulator use, leak checks, and emergency procedures.
The first two modules of the course, for the purpose of EC&I 834, will address the first six learning objectives.
Instructional Approach
Specific learning objectives, paired with the assessment techniques and learning materials, are detailed on the ADDIE template. To summarize:
Module 1 will address learning objectives 1-5, and will essentially be a “back to the basics” unit, to ensure all learners are on the same page regardless of background and experience. It will introduce the rationale for the course, policies, codes and regulations, define “what is a gas cylinder” (just to be clear), and an optional WHMIS pre-test. If experienced participants think they are already knowledgeable in this area (perhaps if they just previously completed CLS training), they may take a short quiz to test their knowledge. If they pass, they can skip the subsequent WHMIS review. As emphasized in Accessible Elements: Teaching Science Online and at a Distance and Training and Development for Dummies, recognizing prior learning is crucial for adult student motivation and ultimate buy-in.
The WHMIS review will be followed by a critical thinking exercise, which will appeal to the more experienced participants and curious students. An engineering accident case study will be provided, and participants will be asked to postulate (based on what they know so far) what went wrong, and how the accident could have been prevented.
This will be followed by an “apply your knowledge” exercise to locate the SDS of the gas(es) they intend to use (with an alternate gas suggested if students are unsure), using the university’s ChemFFX database. (A limitation at this stage is that ChemFFX must be accessed from on-campus). Short answer questions will relate to the type of gas and hazard classifications. This information will then be populated into the SOP template, to be expanded upon in subsequent modules.
Throughout this module, there will be frequent videos, lab “what-if” scenarios, and interactive formative questions for students to “check their knowledge”. Automatic and explanatory feedback will be provided, so students can learn from their wrong answers. There will be a summative quiz at the end of the module to ensure comprehension; a minimum score of 80% will be required to proceed. Multiple attempts will be allowed, however.
Module 2
The second module will address learning objective number 6, specifically the physical, health and mechanical hazards of compressed gases. Again, there will be lectures and videos illustrating how the hazards can cause damage, injury, or death. Every attempt will be made to use case studies that are relevant to engineering programs and research, and to explain the science behind the hazards. Again, there will be similar critical thinking and apply your knowledge exercise, where students speculate about how the hazards could be controlled in a laboratory. There will be formative quizzes and activities with immediate response, followed by a summative quiz again at the end of the module.
As for the SOP development, students will again refer to their SDS and add information about the three types of hazards.
Remaining Modules
The overarching goals of the course are learning objectives 9 and 10 (module 9 online, and module 10 in-person).Each progressive module and learning objective will facilitate this by methodically building on theory and background knowledge. There will be an opportunity at each stage to complete a new section of the SOP template, thereby slowly and methodically building a SOP that can be used during hands-on training and during subsequent research. (Note that quality of SOPs was another issue cited during research safety audits; this training will help address that issue as well).
Overall Comments
As mentioned before, the course will be developed using Lumi and housed on UR Courses. Educational technologies will include YouTube, We Video, InVideo, Doodly and Powtoon. More may be added as the course development progresses. SDS acquisitions will use the university’s SDS database, ChemFFX. Discord will be used to facilitate peer/instructor communications and course input whenever feasible.
The in-person component will be conducted in the individual’s own research lab, with their own supervisor. To support this activity, various job aids will be developed to guide the in-lab instructors. This will likely include resources developed on Canva , open-source content, and an evaluation checklist developed using iAuditor.
Ultimately, in order to receive a certificate of completion and obtain access to their research lab(s), students will need to upload their site-specific orientation checklist (including the hands-on compressed gas safety activities) to UR Courses.
Future Developments
As always, this ADDIE template is subject to change as new technologies are discovered, and new challenges or limitations are encountered. It is hoped that much can be learned by providing feedback on the plans of classmates (and from feedback that is provided for mine!)
While EC&I 834 only requires development of two modules, the intent is to develop the entire course for implementation as a mandatory requirement in the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science.
Course development and potential platforms/technologies have been discussed with one of the Software Systems Engineering instructors in our faculty. Plans are in the works to develop a proposal for subscription to Adobe Captivate, for use in a future version of compressed gas safety, and future credit and non-credit courses. (An older Adobe Captivate version is already used by this instructor, and has received many positive reviews; it also integrates well with UR Courses). One attractive feature is the ability to incorporate virtual reality, which would be ideal for safety training applications. This idea will be proposed to the Fall 2024 software engineering capstone students as a possible final project.
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