Redesign of MATLT Activity
The MATLT activity chosen for redesign comes from a course developed in CourseSites, Introduction to Sociology, SOC101:
https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_369984_1%26url%3D
In Module 2, a summative assessment was created, where students will be assigned to teams of 2- 5 students and given the task to create a presentation, either on Social Diversity or Elite Deviance and Conformity, as related to social media.
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Original Activity:
The original assessment was designed as follows:
Summative Assessment
The summative assessment will involve working groups of 2-5 students, who will gather to create a presentation on Social Diversity or Elite Deviance and Conformity as they pertain to social media. Groups will have the option to use Prezi, PowerPoint, Screencast, Keynote, Google Presentations, Haiku Deck, or Projeqt to present information. Each group member will be responsible for gathering photos, testimonials, videos, statistics, or other vital resources that pertain to their chosen topic in a manner that will be enlightening, thought-provoking, and/or educational. Groups will either take a stance for or against the sociological concept’s effects on social media with substantial supporting data. The presentation must include at least 10 frames using APA formatting and at least four scholarly references for citations. The final presentation will require members of the group to construct a 10-frame presentation that discusses all elements of Social Diversity or Elite Deviance and Conformity as they relate to social media, and each group member will identify individual and collaborative findings. Group members will submit a one-page summary of each group member’s contributions to the project at the end of your report. Students should review the grading rubric (below) in detail to determine the grading criteria used to evaluate your assignment. Upon completion of all requirements, each group must upload the final assignment to the Group Assignment the Shared Assignments folder.
On day one, all members of the group will be required to participate in a discussion forum to discuss alternative methods of contact, whether via phone, email, Skype, etc., and students will identify preferred days and times for collaborative discussions and interaction.
On day three, group members will establish member roles, and the group leader will post the role of each group member to the discussion board. Team member roles will be identified in the following manner:
Group Leader – Primary focus is organization and production of project content. Responsible for identifying group meeting times and dates and ensuring fair and equitable participation on the project.
IT Specialist – Primary focus is project content and presentation, to include formatting, production, special media and effects. Responsible for ensuring each group member receives credit for individual contributions to professional quality work.
Editor – Primary focus is editing of all work to ensure originality without repetition. Monitors grammar, spelling, syntax, etc., to ensure professional publishing and language style when integrating each group participant’s contributions into a final product that is both logical and consistent.
All Members – Responsible for research, preparation, adhering to deadlines and frequent communication to meet all project requirements. All group members will remain positive and contribute to the project with meaningful substance. All will make every effort to resolve conflicts that might arise from project start to finish, and clearly understand and acknowledge each group member’s role.
In addition to the summative assessment, I provided students with a Group Project Grading Rubric (included in the file below references):
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Activity Redesign
The activity was redesigned to include instructional design principles linked to learner outcomes, objectives, methods, and evaluation. Applying these principles requires a design that allows me to assess the process and the finished product. Applying these principles ensures my students’ progression toward the goal, as well as improving how they work together in the group to produce the final product. The first element of the assessment will involve the team’s ability to generate a range of ideas, respectfully accept the perspectives of peers, and distribute tasks fairly. In addition, the assessment will include the team’s ability to communicate effectively and resolve conflicts. The best way to assess the team’s ability to accomplish each of these goals is to require team evaluations, peer evaluations, or self-evaluations. The course design already includes a formative assessment that requires students to reflect on their individual contributions and how they impacted the structure of the group project.
Principles and Theory Chosen
Instructional design principles chosen for the redesign of this activity included a focus on the learner, objectives, methods, and evaluation. In this particular activity, consideration of learner characteristics is important, as well as the learning styles and motivation of the learners. In identifying the objectives of the activity, it is necessary to create a framework for properly evaluating learning and guiding learners to prepare for cooperative and collaborative learning. The methods of instruction involve sequencing the content to aid students in achieving objectives, and evaluation involves the individual student and the group.
The theory chosen for this assignment is the cooperative and collaborative learning theory. Within this cooperative learning, students will be required to participate in inquiry-based learning. The range of objectives students were given tasks to accomplish included developing content knowledge, research skills, teamwork skills, self-regulated learning skills, and communication skills. Instructional strategies have features and characteristics that distinguish them from other strategies in the manner that they can still be adapted, modified, and changed, but their unique features must remain in-tact (Weimer, 2015). Cooperative and collaborative learning involves a shared learning experience between two or more individuals seeking a shared educational experience. This type of learning theory allows students to learn from each other, utilizing the skill sets and resources of peers to share experiences that benefit the whole group. The cooperative and collaborative learning theory suggests that learners who are educated in a group setting and cooperate to achieve a common set of goals are more likely to find success, while those who work autonomously are more likely to exhibit competitive behaviors (Zlatović et al., 2015).
Design and Implementation Challenges Experienced
Design and implementation challenges experienced included researching strategies to achieve teamwork and team spirit in a way that brought all members of the group to higher achievement levels. For the purpose of this assignment, the challenge was to aid students in achieving cross-ethnic friendships, life-long interactions, critical thinking, cognitive skills, and enhance communication skills (Peacock & Grande, 2015), as they chose between the exploration of either Social Diversity or Elite Deviance and Conformity.
Conclusion
Redesigning the course activity for a team activity on Social Diversity/ Elite Deviance and Conformity by using an instructional design principle focused on process and product was the best strategy to ensure focus on the learner, objectives, methods, and evaluation. Utilizing cooperative and collaborative learning theory was the best choice for securing self-directed and collaborative research to afford all students an opportunity to increase knowledge through shared learning experiences and achieving common goals.
References
Peacock, J. G., & Grande, J. P. (2015). An online app platform enhances collaborative medical student group learning and classroom management.Medical teacher, (0), 1-7.
Weimer, M. (2015, September 18). The names we give to our instructional strategies. Faculty Focus, 1-4. Retrieved October 19, 2015, from http://www.cmu.edu/teaching/designteach/design/instructionalstrategies/groupprojects/assess.html
Zlatović, M., Balaban, I., & Kermek, D. (2015). Using online assessments to stimulate learning strategies and achievement of learning goals. Computers & Education, 91, 32-45.
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group_project_grading_rubric-_sociology.docx |