Instructional Design reflections

Online courses must be designed in ways that are challenging and engaging for individual learners. Traditional course design must do the same, but with the absence of the instructor’s physical presence, online course design has to have a significant hook that both motivates and challenges the learner. Online learning causes a shift in the roles of teacher and student. Online educators are facilitators of the learning process, while students must take a more active role in their learning. Teachers that possess the skills necessary to create online courses also have the ability to transform their face-to-face classrooms into a more student-centered format. Therefore, students benefit in both the virtual classroom as well as the brick and mortar classroom. Furthermore, a teacher with online teaching skills has the ability to integrate traditional classroom practices and online learning theory to develop content in a way that is rich and engaging to all types of learners.


My course for this class is designed as a supplement for my students because I noticed that their understanding was lacking in the area of cell theory and the levels of organization in an organism. I plan to share the course with my colleagues, and use it as a spring board for the design of other courses by myself, and other staff members. My online course, as well as all my other lessons, will be used to guide me as I plan for instruction next year. I intend to utilize the backwards by design lesson template for my lessons to ensure that my students truly understand the curriculum, and can use it in a variety of different ways. I also plan to design assessments that not only ask my students what they know, but also asks them to apply their knowledge in ways that are creative and innovative. As a technology leader at my school, It is my job to “blaze a trail” with regard to technology integration. This course is a good starting point for me. I plan to explore other ways that students can learn both online and in the classroom.

As an educational technology leader at my campus, it is my responsibility to provide the staff with ways to integrate technology into their classrooms. After completing this class, and creating an online course in schoology, I now possess the skills to come up with creative ideas for the staff. We use an online lesson planner in our district. I plan to create a backwards by design lesson template that is compatible with our online planner so that staff members will have the ability to design their lessons already knowing what the end result should be. Our staff members will be able to build in assessments that prove their students can take content knowledge and apply it in many other areas of their learning. I also plan to show teachers how schoology can be used as a supplement to their traditional classroom lessons. We currently do not have one to one computing at our school; however, most students have access to technology at home. Therefore, our staff will have the ability to provide content extensions, through schoology, for both struggling students as well as those students that would benefit from added challenges.

In order for online learning to be effective, teachers must have the ability to challenge students without being in close proximity to them. They must also provide lessons that accommodate all types of learners. Students have to be diligent in their coursework and be involved in the material so that they don’t fall behind or lose interest. For a high school or college student, the maturity level is there to support the responsibilities associated with online courses. I wonder if younger students can be as motivated to keep up with the rigors of online coursework. I believe the answer lies in a hybrid format. If a student will be working at home or off campus, then they will need a parent or support person to be with them to make sure they are completing the work at a level sufficient to the expectations.

Even though I will not be able to utilize schoology as much as I would like to next year, I do plan to use the backwards design lesson template to help me create my lesson plans. Creating plans, using backwards design is a bit more labor intensive, but it ensures that my students will understand what I want them to learn by the end of the lesson or unit. It will also make certain that my students can take what they have learned and use it in other areas of their lives and schoolwork. The true test of learning lies in a student’s ability to describe or apply their learning outside of the environment in which they originally learned the material. In addition, my assessments will challenge student at various levels of learning, and they will have the opportunity to show their understanding in a variety of creative and innovative ways. I believe that our district will have a virtual school within the next five years. This school will be available to all students regardless of age or ability. There will be a need for qualified online teachers, and I hope to be one of the first teachers to work in such a school.