OLTD Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate basic competency with design and implementation within a variety of online learning environments and tools
• Plan learning opportunities most suitable to the strengths and challenges of a variety of environments
• Develop and design intentional learning activities suitable for the appropriate environment and the learner
  • Incorporate Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles
  • Select strategies and resources appropriate for environment, learners and learning outcomes
• Understand, design and commit to student success in online learning environments
  • Design inclusive learning environments
• Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of online environments

Evidence to Support Outcome:

• Create a unit/lesson using cloud tools (12 minute video)

Reflection to Support Evidence:

This piece of evidence was the second major assignment for OLTD 507 in Fall 2014. The video above outlines a series of lessons developed using the “Standard Online course design” as described in 507. Within the LMS I used a variety of LMS and non-LMS cloud tools to create a series of lessons that allowed learners to interact with each other and develop a project in the course of 5 weeks.

This video shows my ability to put together a basic lesson sequence using a variety of tools, both within the LMS and outside of the LMS. I took care to allow options for tool use when cloud tools were suggested to learners so those that did not want to use cloud tools could still participate fully in the lesson series. This lesson series tried to take advantage of what cloud tools were good at doing (sharing and collaborating) and what the LMS was good at doing (providing a skeleton for the series and displaying information). Throughout the lesson series I attempted to provide instructions and content in a variety of ways (text and audio/video/images) and also tried to incorporate active projects and interactive discussions, following UDL principles. I borrowed content heavily from a variety of courses were appropriate to the lesson series, but customized information as needed for the specific audience I was targeting. My lesson series contains all major unit pieces, including getting ready for learning, content and assessment and reflection.

Designing online lessons and lesson series is a critical aspect of many online instructors’ positions. Being able to leverage the advantages of a variety of online assets (both within the LMS and outside of it) will create a richer and more dynamic learning experience for students overall. An online instructor must also understand how to structure online assessments so they are fair and allow students to demonstrate what they know. Given that the online environment is a challenging one for many students, instructors must be able to provide the most accessible and inclusive environment possible to meet the needs of all learners.

OLTD Learning Outcomes:

• Become familiar with common terms, definitions and elements related to online environments
• Critically assess and evaluate resources for best practice in online learning
• Create assessment and evaluation methods/tools most suitable to the strengths and challenges of online environments

Evidence to Support Outcome:

• Survey of Cloud Tools and Presentation (Blog Post)

Reflection to Support Evidence:

This piece of evidence was created in Fall 2014 during OTLD 507. The linked blog post features a tool I developed to assess cloud-based tools for certain features such as their support of UDL principles, the ease of use, and the privacy considerations. The blog post also features my review of a selection of 7 cloud tools, shared out with a Creative Commons licence.

The creation of this evidence piece allowed me to explore many of the different cloud tools and their potential use in online and blended programs. The development of this tool allowed me to identify many of the qualities web tools should have in order to be used in high quality courses. The creation and sharing of this tool also exposed me to the aspects of quality that are most important to other members of my cohort, which helped me to identify aspects of quality cloud tools I would not have otherwise identified. The best practices captured in my assessment tool helped me to identify which aspects were most important to me in an online learning context.

Educators teaching in an online and blended environment must be able to critically assess and evaluate resources and tools to make the most out of those environments. Due to the rapidly changing landscape of cloud tools, educators need to be able to assess the utility of tools as they become available, and be able to find tools to replace those that may be out of date. It is equally important for educators to assess how tools reach principles related to UDL, accessibility, privacy and utility. Especially in an online environment, the tools used will affect the learning experience of students and can help or hinder learning with their use.