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Friday, July 14, 2006: 8:30 AM-9:30 AM
Mississippi Room (Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers)
L-15: WebCT Vista's Learning Modules Build Strong Courses 12 Ways
Detailed Description:During the transition from WebCT Campus Edition to WebCT Vista, staff at the University of Connecticut recommended a strategy that included the use of Learning Modules. Using organizational schemes for grouping content and activities in modules (such as topic, week, exam period, type of file, or type of activity) prompted many instructors to re-evaluate their previous site building practices and create a more effective learning environment. Discover how Learning Modules can encourage good instructional design practices and enhance student learning.
Presentation Format:Showcase
Topic:Empowering educators: Professional development models and methods
Target Audience:Course Designers, Faculty and Other Instructors, E-learning Managers
Appropriate Audience Level:Beginning or new users of WebCT, Experienced WebCT users
Abstract Text:Most instructors who use WebCT at the University of Connecticut design their own class sites. A default template provides a core structure, but content is often added without a clear plan for organization and navigation. During the transition from WebCT Campus Edition 3.8 to Vista 3.0, Instructional Resource Center staff evaluated existing sites and recommended a rebuild strategy that often included Learning Modules due to their ease of use and applicability to a diverse group of academic disciplines and pedagogical purposes. Providing examples of organizational schemes for grouping content and activities in modules, such as topic, week, exam period, type of file, or type of activity, prompted many instructors to re-evaluate their previous site building practices and create a more student friendly and effective learning environment. Learning Modules also had a broader impact. The university made a plagiarism module available to all Vista users, and the First Year Experience Program standardized the content for a course taught by 180 different instructors.

Helping instructors build Learning Modules in their Vista sites provided a unique opportunity to educate faculty, most of whom have no formal training in learning theory or course design, about ways to enhance learning. Students' ability to process, store, and retrieve new information can be improved by instructional techniques easily built into Learning Modules. These include 1) using logical grouping and clear navigation to make materials easy to find and access, 2) providing advance organizers like headings, outlines, and graphics to establish a framework for new material, 3) listing learning objectives to call attention to key material, 4) encouraging active learning techniques such as taking notes, generating questions, creating outlines, and summarizing information, 5) using discussion for predicting and reflecting on outcomes, and 6) supplying assessment tools with immediate feedback so students can test their understanding.



Session Leader:Janet W. Jordan
University of Connecticut

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