Going beyond Content:
Designing Curriculum to build an
Online Community of Learners
Padmaja SurendranathT527 How to Teach for Understanding
Nov 19, 2009
• 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