Brendle+Design+Document

Instructional Design Unit

Design Document


 * Goal: The student will independently determine if a website is acceptable to use in high school level academic research. **

__**Overall Approach**__

The ID course assignment asks for a one-hour, paper-based lesson that is intended to be administered by someone other than the instructor. The lesson will therefore be based on that approach. In days prior to the lesson, the students would take the prerequisite test, and any unknown terms and computer competencies would be addressed. The pre-test would also be administered on a separate day and checked by the instructor. The lesson that follows would be differentiated based on the pre-test; however, for the purposes of this class, the lesson will target the median student.

The lesson: Part 1: The students will be given a written tutorial that leads them through the process of evaluating web sites using real screen-captured examples. Part 2: The students will use the criteria handout to evaluate a web site of their choice in writing. They will then share their websites and evaluations with the class to give the others a wide range of models and to see how other people use the analysis process.

This lesson will combine **expository** and **experiential learning.** Part 1, the written tutorial, is expository because it tells the students what to look for and how to evaluate the various criteria of a website. It is not interactive. Part 2, finding and evaluating a web site of choice, is experiental as the students practice the evaluation process with a criteria list in front of them; this is a guided practice and is a form of formative assessment. The instructor would observe the students as they completed the task to see where the problems were. At this stage, the instructor can act as a support and answer questions. The big idea: The students need to walk through the process in order to eventually replicate the steps. Also, by explaining their evaluation of their chosen web site, the ideas become more embedded and natural.


 * __Media and Rationale__**

1. Computer with internet access In order to evaluate a website, the students need to have access to a working computer with internet availablity. They will need to be in a computer lab so that each student has his own computer.

2. Paper and pen or pencil In order to complete the evaluation steps, the student needs a writing utensil and paper on which to write.

3. The assignment documents In order to follow the process without an instructor, the written assignment will lead the through the steps.


 * __Main Objectives__ (to be completed within one lesson per the established assignment perameters)**

The ultimate goal is to **independently determine if a website is acceptable to use in high school level academic research.**

I. Locate and evaluate the SOURCE of the site. II. Locate key dates and evaluate the TIMELINESS of the site. III. Evaluate the CONTENT of the site.

The three main skills in this lesson are too intertwined to separate them into separate clusters. I see Gagne's 9 events and the ARCS table as ways to organize a lesson from beginning to end. If I were to teach each skill separately, I would use these models for each skill, but I only have one cluster of related skills for this lesson. This lesson provides a variety of activities and should flow well in the alloted time.

(ARCS = C) || These would be collected and checked to determine the level of mastery of this information and the students' ability to complete the tasks. The lesson may be differentiated based on these results. A pre-test could potentially build confidence as students may know some answers already. Also, when they do the actual lesson, the students may feel more comfortable with it because a schemata has been established. ||  || (ARCS = Attention) (ARCS = Relevance) ||< Essential question/s (Understanding by Design) This step in the process strives to explain the WHY, the relevance of the lesson. Well-written questions can pique student interest and attention. The questions can relate to the relevance of the task. Ideally, this lesson would be taught in conjunction with an assigned research project and not in isoation. Attention and relevance are increased through authentic use of skills.
 * __Gagne's 9 Events / ARCS Table: Steps / sequencing of instruction__**
 * < Prerequisite Assessment ||< After the prerequisite assessment, the instructor would teach the terms and computer skills to those who are not ready for the lesson. ||<  ||
 * Pre-test
 * < 1. Gain Attention

I put a relevant comic strip on the handout to get their attention and direct them to the importance of evaluating a web site. Humor is often a nice attention-getter. ||<  ||
 * < 2. Inform Learners of Objectives ||< Enduring understanding/s stated on handout. (Understanding by Design)

Learning targets shared on the assignment. By the end of this unit, you should be able to independently do the following (and all the subpoints): I. Locate and evaluate the SOURCE of a web site. II. Locate key dates and evaluate the TIMELINESS of the site. III. Evaluate the CONTENT of the site.

5. Provide Learner Guidance 6. Elicit Performance ||< Part 1: Written Tutorial
 * * independently determine if a website is acceptable to use in high school level academic research. ** ||<  ||
 * 3. Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning || This is done through the above steps. The pre-assessment and essential questions will stimulate recall of prior learning. ||  ||
 * < 4. Present Content (ARCS = Relevance)

The content will be presented through a written tutorial that guides students through the process of locating and evaluating the site's source, timeliness, and content.

Part 2: Evaluate web site of choice using the evaluation handout; share the evaluation orally with the class.

Providing learner guidance and eliciting performance will be accomplished as the students practice their "new" knowledge and skills. They will choose a web site and write a brief evaluation. They can seek help from the instructor as needed. They will then share their web site evaluations with the class, which is an interactive and somewhat collaborative activity as peers may ask questions about how they determined their answers. This part of the lesson provides authentic performance. ||<  || (ARCS = Confidence) ||< Students will receive feedback on the prerequisite and pre-unit assessments. They can use this feedback to focus on their weaknesses. They can gain confidence in that they probably had some answers right.
 * < 7. Provide Feedback

Part 2: Feedback will be given by the instructor and by peers in the sharing process. They gain confidence through the sharing process. ||<  || (ARCS = Satisfaction) ||< Post-assessment (summative): The post-assessment is structured to highlight each target skill following the Assessment for Learning model. The student is made aware of the skill and then asked to complete a related task. The post-assessment should provide satisfaction as I would expect the students to perform the task satisfactorily. The web site they evaluate will be of high interest to keep them going; thus, I have chosen a site on the Salem Witch Trials, which is a topic of fascination to my students. ||<  || (ARCS = Relevance, Satisfaction) ||< The students will have gone through the process at least twice. Having received the information through reading, listening, and writing and having talked about it, they are more likely to remember it. They will have the evaluation steps in writing to keep with them if they need them. They will be satisfied that they can evaluate web sites on their own. ||
 * < 8. Assess Performance
 * < 9. Enhance Retention and Transfer