Module Design Questionnaire
Overview
Developing a Links module begins by answering a series of questions about content, scope, and interactivity. Taking the time to answer these questions and develop a plan will save time, frustration and headaches during the programming and development phase. We recommend printing this page, sitting down for at least an hour with a paper and pencil, and jotting down your answers and ideas. We also encourage you to keep an open mind about ideas at this point: write everything down, no matter how absurd it might seem. Often the best ideas emerge from unlikely sources.
While you answer the following questions, keep in mind that these modules are interactive learning tools. The key word being interactive: Links is not meant to be a repository for on-line textbooks, but a dynamic educational web experience. Also try to include the students' point-of-view as you answer these questions: What would a 17-24 year old find interesting about your topic? What real-world applications can be used to engage the students?
Questionnaire Topics
- Content Choice
- Content Scope
- Interactive Ideas (or Interactive Ideals)
- Storyboards
- Idea Review
Content Choice
- What ideas do you have for a Project Links module? What topics (or portions thereof) can be interactive? What topics have dynamic real-world applications/examples?
- List the specific subject areas of your module and their connection to engineering or science (keep in mind that Project Links is a multidisciplinary approach between mathematics and its applications in engineering or science). Try to be as specific as possible in your answers.
- List some real-world applications that require knowledge of this content. Applications that can be illustrated through interactive graphs, video clips, sound, or at least authentic images tend to work best in the modules.
- What's been done before in this area? Get out your web searching tools and do a bit of research. What do you like about existing materials that you find? What don't you like? What works well?
Content Scope
- Define the scope of the module. What material will be covered? What material will not be covered? You will probably scope the equivalent of a chapter or a few sections in a textbook. Scoping the equivalent of an entire textbook is a very ambitious project.
- What do you want students to learn from this module? What should students be able to accomplish after completing this module? Again, try to be as specific as possible here: e.g. words like "calculate" "solve" "derive" "compare" and "predict" give an explicit idea of module goals as opposed to more ambiguous terms like "understand" or "study".
Interactive Ideas (or Interactive Ideals)
- In an ideal world (e.g., endless time and money), what would you want to build to teach students the concepts you have scoped for your module? If you could build tools, what would they be able to do? If you could build a virtual lab, what would it be able to do? Jot down some of your ideas.
- What do you want the students to do in order to learn about the subject matter? (This is different from what you want students to learn from the last section). Again, be specific: should students draw graphs using different sets of parameters? interpret graphs? draw and label free body diagrams? discuss concepts with other students? convert equations to curves? apply concepts to real-world examples (like "Save a Skydiver" in the Drag Forces module)? finish homework problems? participate in a virtual laboratory experiment?
- How will the module take advantage of the media?
Lots of text is best left to paper rather than having it read on the screen. When designing a module, take advantage of the power of using Java applets for high levels of interactivity, using VRML for visualization and manipulation, and so on. Design activities that can't be accomplished by a lecturer or on a piece of paper. Keep in mind that the module is simply one set of materials to be used in the classroom: instructors can and should still use handouts, textbooks, and other materials.
Storyboards
A storyboard helps organize your ideas in terms of navigation and functionality. Sketches are great, but not necessary components--the screen design and layout is provided for you with the Links template. An outline, flowchart or text describing what should go on each page should suffice (and we do mean each page). Good storyboarding is paramount for building content into a web lesson--think of it as a blueprint for your module.
We suggest storyboarding in two parts: a cohesive view of the module as a whole, and a more specific view of the applets and activities you'd like your students to use. Examples of a module storyboard (representing the Cohesive View) and of an applet storyboard (representing the Applets and Activities) might help you in the storyboarding process.
Cohesive View
- How can your content be "chunked" into screens? Start with larger categories and subgroup specific topics/concepts. A good place to start is with module goals (what you want your students to learn from the Content Scope section).
- What equations and mathematical theories pertain to each topic or concept? Do you want to include derivations?
- What real-world applications pertain to each topic or concept?
- What activities or experiments pertain to each topic or concept? Start with general ideas here, specifics will be worked out in the Applets and Activities section below.
- What other resource pages would be helpful (glossary, crib sheet, nomenclature)?
- What topics might have external resources that provide additional information (links to other Links modules or other web sites)?
- What, if any, "thought questions" or intriguing discussion questions apply to each topic?
- What type of practice problems pertain to each topic?
Applets and Activities
- Consider the ideas you've generated so far and propose a set of activities you'd like the student to do. Using a new sheet of paper for each activity, begin to write down some specifics about what you want students to do in order to learn these concepts. Draw sketches of your ideas; include notations. Don't worry about applet design, layout, or whether your ideas are realistic for a programmer to build. Do identify the major functionality that you need as well as what actions you want the students to be able to take. Identify what is fixed and what is variable by the students.
- Consider each applet and/or activity idea. Does it teach just one concept? Can it teach 3 or 4 concepts if approached from different perspectives (e.g., can the activity be re-used in a different context)?
- Does each activity allow students room to explore beyond the boundaries of your original intentions? Or are students confined to a pre-determined path (e.g., watching a video)?
Idea Review
- What supporting materials need to be provided along with the module? Consider handouts, textbooks, or other background materials made available to students on the computer (perhaps by way of hyperlinked information).
- How will the student benefit from having used these materials rather than traditional lecture notes and textbooks?
- Who else (other professors or instructors) might be interested in this subject matter? Consider professors in your field, outside of your field, other professors at RPI, outside of RPI, and even high school AP course instructors or corporate training departments.
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