Going beyond Content:

Designing Curriculum to build an

Online Community of Learners

Padmaja SurendranathT527 How to Teach for Understanding

Nov 19, 2009

Acknowledgements Thank you – Leslie,Shane, Stone, Kellie,

Rob and Shaheer

• 30-day online course targeted towards K-12 educators

• Professional training to integrate the following topics in school-based curriculum

– human rights

– animal protection

– environmental preservation

Course Context

Challenges

Inadequate learner participation time constraints faced by learners Some feel isolated: lack of group cohesion

around learning goals Content overload

Facilitator- difficult to keep up with posts

Building Online CommunityDesign Characteristics

Learning TheoriesAdult Learning Social Learning

Human RightsEducationPractices

Principles ofBuilding

Virtual CommunityOf Learners

Garrison & Anderson: Promote “social presence”

Mezirow; Palloff & Pratt: Transformative learning, shaking off perceptions that limit us

Stone: Critical reflection with self & other learners.

Knowles: Learning Activities – grounded in learners' experiences

Human Rights Education Pedagogy: Learning Environment – trust, honesty, safety

Building Online CommunityDesign Characteristics

Recommendations

• Help learners build their social presence thru introductory activities

• Connect learners having similar interests and experiences

• Provide collaborative learning activities for sharing and building knowledge

• Encourage dialogue as critical inquiry – create 'disorienting dilemmas'

Curriculum DesignTfU: Performances of Understanding

Creating social presence Self-intro/profile creation; respond to other

learners As a group identify topics/issues/questions

that the course should address or complete syllabus review

Building relationships Establish group norms → learning contract Create assessment rubrics

Curriculum DesignTfU: Performances of Understanding

Knowledge Dyadic Essay – learners identify a question

and write a model answer, respond to another learner's question and the model answer

Method/Purpose WebQuest – group performance, as a

resource for other teachers

Form Lead discussion group Raise questions that are controversial in

nature

Curriculum DesignTfU: Ongoing Assessments

• Student Self-assessments

• Learner-created assessments of performances

– Group process (leading online discussion and creating webquests)

– Quality of participation in the forum

• Student peer evaluation of team-members and group

Insights

• Curriculum Design

– Just one piece of the puzzle

– Potential unifying element

• Instructor

– Orchestrate various course elements

– Model and facilitate discussions

• Learner

– “buy-in” to the concept

– Make efforts to build and sustain community

Puzzles

• What if learners don't want to participate in building a community?

• How to support online instructors?

– What will help?

– Mentoring? More technology training?

• How does “Peripheral Participation” (Wenger) impact the community-building process?

• Assigned readings

• Learning activities• Modifying an existing lesson plan

• Creating new activities or unit

• Respond to focus questions – Journal entries (self-reflections) – Discussion board posts

• Assessments• If taken for credit → participation and reflection

• Self-assessment surveys

Course Design