Course Development in Education - Assignment Example

Development in Education s Provide a of a that you plan to develop for this including at least three (3) goals of the course. For the education class, I can develop a course titled “The principles and theory of curriculum development” that is designed to prepare learners within the curriculum development prescription. The course is run on an interactive e-platform where the academic contents are offered concurrently with Foundation Courses in Education, to assist learners to design a balanced curriculum to accommodate professional and academic requirements. The first goal of the course is to equip learners with skills in theory and practise of education. Secondly, the course aims at developing adequate curricula that can help learners achieve both personal and national goals in Education development. The third goal is to identify and develop the intellectual needs of the learner to help development in particular areas of specialization and interest of the learners. The fourth goal of this course is to conduct training and allow learners conduct research in the field of Education and other areas of specialization. The course will help students customize the learning experiences to meet the goals and objectives in life. The course will also help develop personal learning styles for the learners. 2. Describe the target learners, discussing at least three (3) unique needs and / or challenges the online learners face. Learners targeted are persons already in employment who are unable to engage in a traditional classroom situation. Most of the learners will be adult learners of varied technological skill. Some of them are digital natives while others are not. The most common challenge faced is usually time allocation for coursework and assignments. This is due to already existing roles as parents, spouses and community members (Martin, 2009). The textbooks given for course coverage may also be too bulky and complicated for some learners’ understanding. Being able to use the technology involved in the course efficiently is the second challenge cited. Encompassed in this challenge is also the issue of slow internet connections. The digital divide; initially connoted as the difference between those learners who have, have not, and are conversant with internet use and the information technologies currently transforming education. One of the unique needs of adult learners is that they require learning programs and courses that area aligned with their life and work goals. Therefore, the learning outcomes and objectives of adult learning courses must help these learners advance their careers as well as their lives. The other need of adult learners that will be incorporated in this course is receiving feedback from instructors. Adult learners want formal feedback from their instructors regarding their performance in the course. Because most of the adult learners have not been in class for some time, most of them are not confident enough with their capabilities. Therefore, it is important to design a course that allows instructors to give feedback to the adult learners. 3. Develop six (6) learning outcomes for the course. There are six main outcomes of this course including: a) By the end of the semester and course, the learner should be able to: b) Plan, utilize and manage resources in online learning platforms. c) Use the platforms availed to streamline learning and manage tasks assigned within given timelines. d) Design, develop, implement and evaluate curricula for online use. e) Plan and implement appropriate programmes for different categories of learning. f) Develop an interactive and manageable mode of learning with tools designed to motivate and enable the learner to get through the course with relative ease. 4. Propose the primary learning theory or theories you plan to apply to ensure students achieve the outcomes, providing a rationale for the theory or theories. The course will focus on teacher-learner engagement by encouraging motivational feedback from both the learners and the teachers. The primary learning theory that will ensure students meet the learning objectives for this course is a collaborative learning theory. Through collaboration among each other, students will be able to share and compare notes and ideas related to the course materials. Sharing and exchanging of information will be central to obtaining the learning objectives of this course. The course will enhance more engagement and collaboration among learners by encouraging peer review through online platforms to encourage further thinking among the students. The other practical theory for application in this course is the cognitive theory which elaborates the organization of sensations into insights, focusing on the individual rather that the individuals environment (deJong, 2010). It emphasizes the human memory as actively being able to consolidate and process information so that previous knowledge assists future learning. Learning is viewed as an internal cognitive process and intelligence is built by fostering mental expansion. Educators will provide feedback in relation to the facts and ideas they give to the students. Feedback through this learning theory will help educators gauge whether learning are getting what they are taught. Another theory that draws heavily from the cognitive theory is the constructivism theory developed on the base of Jean Piaget’s studies. Constructivism theory may also be beneficial for learners in this course. Here, the learner must actively get involved in constructing his/her knowledge. In this type of theory, there is no emphasis on what is wrong or right. The learners must learn to develop fresh ideas through reflection and creative thinking. The learner must build new ideas on already existing knowledge. The instructor must also know what the learner already knows to develop a curriculum that builds on this knowledge base. Such knowledge will help the learner to make sense of information presented to him/her and hence develop problem-solving skills. 5. Propose three (3) ways you plan to motivate students in an online environment, providing a rationale for each way. Establishing inclusion is an important strategy that can motivate learners. Multidimensional sharing of ideas and information related to the course can help enhance inclusion. Sharing activities and exchange of information through feedback helps students share mutual needs, emotions and experience may be helpful in enhancing motivation. The learner will be encouraged to ask questions, try to find further information from reliable sources, regularly reflect, and work together with fellow learners in academic dialog pursuant to the online learning goals. Having an online group where learners can work in partnership in a safe and esteemed learning atmosphere will help bridge the gap of the digital division. An online group will form a philosophy of digital communities favourable to active e-learning (Wlodkowski, 2004). Even though a student can only truly be motivated from within, when the right online atmosphere where learners want to acquire knowledge and feel effective exists, and then the instructor or curriculum designer will have succeeded. A well planned and unequivocally laid out online teaching situation is not sufficient to hold the learner’s interest or support inherent motivation. Collaborative learning methods and the use of technologies can also help increase students motivation (Wlodkowski, 2004). The course will encourage the development of teams and the integration of social media and other e-learning technologies in the learning process. The instructor plays a central role in encouraging student motivation by foreseeing and averting motivational problems unique to e-learning. An important method of doing this is by increasing face-to-face communication through varied of technological modes (Martin, 2009). Online education does not have to be restricted to email correspondence and web centred only classroom interactions. Learners are often anxious about education online and want to feel associated, at ease, and safe to get openly involved in their different learning atmospheres. To help ease student apprehension e-mentors should provide several, substitute ways of relating, and communicate by use of applications such as Skype, message boards or chat. Social media can be very powerful in encouraging collaboration, commenting and sharing of information between students themselves and with the educators. The exchange of knowledge through social media can be a crucial source of motivation for the students. Students find these discussion forums engaging and useful, and they help to get better understanding of study materials. Students should understand the payoffs of the course in building their careers and future lives. Creating useful and relevant learning experiences specific to adult learners can help keep the learners motivated. The course will emphasize on the practical knowledge. The course if also designed to provide immediate relevancy through the use of learning materials that are practical to adult learners. This motivational approach is feasible because adult learners appreciate practical knowledge than facts and theories (Brookfield, 2004). References Brookfield, S. (2004). Critical Thinking Techniques. In M. W. Galbraith, Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction (3rd ed), . Brookfield, Stephen D., (2004) Critical Thinking Techniques. IN: Galbraith, Michael W., Adult Learning Methods Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company. deJong, T. (2010). Cognitive Load Theory, Educational Research, and Instructional Design: Some Food for Thought. An International Journal of the Learning Sciences: 38. Martin, J. (2009). Developing course material for online adult instruction. Merlot Journal of Online Learning, 5(2). . Wlodkowski, R. (2004). Creating Motivational Learning Environments. In M. Galbraith, Adult Learning Methods: A Guide for Effective Instruction (3 Ed.). Malabar: Krieger Publishing Company. Read More