Science Rubric Instruction for Educators
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This project was completed for Instructional Design 1, at the beginning of my Master's degree career. In light of my school district adopting the use of new standard science rubrics for grading (as opposed to the traditional S/U grading), I designed a web based training course for educators on the use of the rubrics. The learning goals for this project were:
Instructional Design 1 was my first formal experience with instructional design. There were so many things (concepts, vocabulary, models, and more!) introduced that I had no prior exposure to. Throughout the course of this class, I learned about the ID process through the completion of my first instructional design project. Reflecting back now, at the end of my degree program, I can say that while it was challenging, I learned an incredible amount through this class. At times I was exceptionally overwhelmed. I was having a difficult time accepting the fact that this experience wasn't going to be easy, the way school had been for me in the past. I also had a difficult time accepting the concept of a collective knowledge community. Very few, if any, of my previous educational experiences involved a collaborative learning experience, where I was required to interact with my peers to build knowledge. I was very uncomfortable interacting with people I didn't know very well in an online environment. I was especially uncomfortable giving and receiving feedback on posts. However, one of the most lasting things I learned in this class is the importance of feedback in an effort to continually strive to improve. I remember wanting to create perfect documents. It was very disheartening to me to receive suggestions for improvement. I dreaded getting feedback and having my peers examine my work. Although my attitude toward receiving feedback and revising documents didn't change completely with this class, it was the beginning of realizing the value of multiple perspectives and multiple revisions. There is always room for improvement. Now, at the end of my program, I anxiously look forward to feedback and the opportunity to continually improve my work.
Here are my reflections on the course at the time:
"Overall, I feel that my first submissions of the assignments were acceptable. I was not surprised to find that I scored lower on the more complex pieces of the project like the task analysis and instructional design plan. I understood that these two pieces of the project required more detailed explanation and rationale connected to the instructional strategies, ID principles, and learning theories presented in class and in the assigned readings. With the feedback provided on the task analysis, I gained a better understanding of what was expected and the depth of information required for the project. With this information and understanding, I was able to make specific changes and resubmit.
Receiving the feedback was somewhat of a reality check. I’ve always been an excellent student and able to determine what an instructor was looking for and provide that in an assignment. As a teacher, I am constantly reminding my students that there is always room for improvement, I just don’t typically think of myself in that way. Even after revision, my documents were not perfect, and did not receive a perfect grade. It was helpful to have comments and suggestions for improvement, but at the same time frustrating that I couldn’t seem to produce the ‘perfect’ document.
Some changes were not made, not because they weren’t valuable suggestions, but because of a lack of time, motivation, and energy. Towards the end of the semester, I became ‘burned out’ between the demands of my job, my family, and the course.
Class discussion was especially useful. Hearing about others projects and the manner in which they were including all of the information required (formatting) gave me ideas and suggestions for improving my own project.
I think the assigned readings were the backbone to the project. They provided all of the information needed to complete the assignments, and detailed examples of all the components. I found myself constantly referring back to Smith and Ragan while working. For example, when conducting the learner analysis, I referred to Smith and Ragan. They provided a list of learner characteristics to consider and I was able to read through the list and choose characteristics that would be specifically applicable to my project. I did not find the online discussions as applicable to the specific components of the project. They were useful in deepening understanding of the components of the project, but maybe not in providing techniques to use when developing the project.
Looking at learning theories for this project reminded me of how much I didn’t remember from my undergrad ed psych classes. Before this class, I thought I had an idea of what an instructional designer does, and I wasn’t completely wrong. I knew that designers developed and designed instruction for specific learning contexts. However, I did not realize the amount of time and effort that would be required to be put into each phase and analysis. As a teacher, I felt like I designed instruction on a regular basis in my classroom, however, the process we went through is much more involved than I initially understood. Now, I also understand the necessity of spending so much time upfront to ensure that the instruction designed meets the needs defined.
In my current job, the information and processes I learned this semester can enhance my planning and instruction in the classroom. It is unlikely that I will go through the entire exhaustive process, but I will be more cognizant of my learners and their specific needs and the learning theories that I regularly employ. In the future, I’m not exactly sure what I hope to do yet. I do, however, hope that it will be in the field of instructional design. If I am working in the field of instructional design the future, the foundation provided by this class will be invaluable."
- Given student work, the learner will be able to accurately assess students' demonstration of Oklahoma Science Process Skills.
- Using information gathered from the use of rubrics, the learner will be able to make appropriate and informed instructional decisions.
Instructional Design 1 was my first formal experience with instructional design. There were so many things (concepts, vocabulary, models, and more!) introduced that I had no prior exposure to. Throughout the course of this class, I learned about the ID process through the completion of my first instructional design project. Reflecting back now, at the end of my degree program, I can say that while it was challenging, I learned an incredible amount through this class. At times I was exceptionally overwhelmed. I was having a difficult time accepting the fact that this experience wasn't going to be easy, the way school had been for me in the past. I also had a difficult time accepting the concept of a collective knowledge community. Very few, if any, of my previous educational experiences involved a collaborative learning experience, where I was required to interact with my peers to build knowledge. I was very uncomfortable interacting with people I didn't know very well in an online environment. I was especially uncomfortable giving and receiving feedback on posts. However, one of the most lasting things I learned in this class is the importance of feedback in an effort to continually strive to improve. I remember wanting to create perfect documents. It was very disheartening to me to receive suggestions for improvement. I dreaded getting feedback and having my peers examine my work. Although my attitude toward receiving feedback and revising documents didn't change completely with this class, it was the beginning of realizing the value of multiple perspectives and multiple revisions. There is always room for improvement. Now, at the end of my program, I anxiously look forward to feedback and the opportunity to continually improve my work.
Here are my reflections on the course at the time:
"Overall, I feel that my first submissions of the assignments were acceptable. I was not surprised to find that I scored lower on the more complex pieces of the project like the task analysis and instructional design plan. I understood that these two pieces of the project required more detailed explanation and rationale connected to the instructional strategies, ID principles, and learning theories presented in class and in the assigned readings. With the feedback provided on the task analysis, I gained a better understanding of what was expected and the depth of information required for the project. With this information and understanding, I was able to make specific changes and resubmit.
Receiving the feedback was somewhat of a reality check. I’ve always been an excellent student and able to determine what an instructor was looking for and provide that in an assignment. As a teacher, I am constantly reminding my students that there is always room for improvement, I just don’t typically think of myself in that way. Even after revision, my documents were not perfect, and did not receive a perfect grade. It was helpful to have comments and suggestions for improvement, but at the same time frustrating that I couldn’t seem to produce the ‘perfect’ document.
Some changes were not made, not because they weren’t valuable suggestions, but because of a lack of time, motivation, and energy. Towards the end of the semester, I became ‘burned out’ between the demands of my job, my family, and the course.
Class discussion was especially useful. Hearing about others projects and the manner in which they were including all of the information required (formatting) gave me ideas and suggestions for improving my own project.
I think the assigned readings were the backbone to the project. They provided all of the information needed to complete the assignments, and detailed examples of all the components. I found myself constantly referring back to Smith and Ragan while working. For example, when conducting the learner analysis, I referred to Smith and Ragan. They provided a list of learner characteristics to consider and I was able to read through the list and choose characteristics that would be specifically applicable to my project. I did not find the online discussions as applicable to the specific components of the project. They were useful in deepening understanding of the components of the project, but maybe not in providing techniques to use when developing the project.
Looking at learning theories for this project reminded me of how much I didn’t remember from my undergrad ed psych classes. Before this class, I thought I had an idea of what an instructional designer does, and I wasn’t completely wrong. I knew that designers developed and designed instruction for specific learning contexts. However, I did not realize the amount of time and effort that would be required to be put into each phase and analysis. As a teacher, I felt like I designed instruction on a regular basis in my classroom, however, the process we went through is much more involved than I initially understood. Now, I also understand the necessity of spending so much time upfront to ensure that the instruction designed meets the needs defined.
In my current job, the information and processes I learned this semester can enhance my planning and instruction in the classroom. It is unlikely that I will go through the entire exhaustive process, but I will be more cognizant of my learners and their specific needs and the learning theories that I regularly employ. In the future, I’m not exactly sure what I hope to do yet. I do, however, hope that it will be in the field of instructional design. If I am working in the field of instructional design the future, the foundation provided by this class will be invaluable."