Case Study: Elizabeth Ward and Catherine Peterson
Repurposing a course for Online Delivery
What are the constraints or problems of the case? Then discuss what specific instructional and media/technology delivery strategies could be used to overcome those constraints or problems?
Dr. Elizabeth Ward is noted for teaching a course about the effects of the client and the caretaker’s cultures on health services at her university. In the case study, we learn that after being asked to adapt her course for a video distance education class which did not “make” she volunteers to adapt that course for a web format. Catherine Peterson, the instructional designer who helped Dr. Ward do the initial re-design of the course, agrees to assist her again and the two complete a grant to fund the project. There are several issues to be addressed. There is a limitation of the $5000 grant awarded to cover the cost of producing the course. The course requires a psychological connection to form and the creation of a safe space for students to explore cultural identities and perceptions – which may be difficult to create in a web-based format. There is a new requirement that students demonstrate practical application of the topics in the course through a performance-based assessment – again the interaction required to design, complete, submit, and evaluate this assessment may be problematic. Finally, there may be technical issues with the implementation of the media rich course that has been designed by Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson. Additionally, while there is an intuitional push to put courses on the internet, there may be little or no demand for tis course once it is completed.
As designers, understanding the limitations of the internet and computer access students will have, Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson are providing the media components on a CD available at the university bookstore rather than requiring that all students be able to stream the content or access materials online. The interfaces for the genogram and the lessons themselves are clear and easy to use following commonly accepted design and instructional principles.
Discussion and chat can be included in the course assignments with mutually agreed upon ground-rules for posting and as the instructor Dr. Ward can monitor these interactions and send private messages to participants as needed. The design of the course includes activities for students to become more aware of their personal cultural background and to become comfortable discovering the backgrounds of others’. Building a relationship using structured communication will facilitate successful completion of the course and create the atmosphere Dr. Ward is famous for in her in-person course.
The performance-based assessment is an important component of the course and has not been designed yet. I would recommend a project that asks students to create a policy or personal mission statement for working with the most common cultural backgrounds in the area in which they plan to practice and document implementation. Students will have to identify and provide evidence to support their identification of groups and the research that guides their interactions. Finally videos, written statements, etc. could all be submitted in an electronic portfolio (website, DVD, CD, etc.) as the summative assessment for the course.
How does this case relate to the ADDIE model and other ISD models?
The layout of the case discusses the analysis of the course for each implementation – distance and web- as well as giving insight into the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the original redesign – even though it was only implemented locally. For the web based implementation only the analysis, design, and some developmental features are discussed. This project appears to be thoughtfully designed taking into consideration some of the best practices in instructional design for adult learners, visual design, and aspects of UDL. Each aspect of the course seems to serve the clearly defined institutional and instructional objectives of the course. The course has project-based activities and looks like it would build upon student’s existing motivations for taking the course and lead to successful experiences. The lesson design, based on the examples, is intuitive – clear and easy to use while engaging students visually, aurally, socially, and intellectually.
What is the importance of matching delivery mode, media, and instructional techniques to client and learner needs in this case especially as related to what you have learned in this course?
There are some competing needs in this case. Students rate the in-person version of this course very highly and liked the hybridized course so there is little learner-initiated desire for change. However, the instructor and the university want to move courses online so the challenge is to continue to serve the students well through web-based courses. Additionally the university is implementing more performance based assessments, so the media and techniques used should support instruction and assessment in multiple formats – not just text. The instructor and the designer have considered these aspects and have attempted to take advantage of available technologies to have a media rich experience for students, meet the objectives for the course, and fulfill university requirements. Evaluations of the past courses and reflections are a part of the needs assessment and on-going development of the course. If these concerns were not addressed and the interface and CD were not used it would prevent some students from being able to take the course and make the web-based course less effective than the in-person or distance education version of the course.
What strategies facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship between people with different and diverse philosophical, cultural backgrounds to get them to share information and work together?
Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson’s relationship seems to be a good one with communication flowing in both directions and mutual respect for each others' abilities in instruction and design. Dr. Ward obviously draws on her experience working with students and others of other backgrounds in considering the appropriateness of content, activities, and media for the course. Encouraging and supporting open, honest, respectful communication is important in developing and maintaining relationships and both Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson are communicating and can create opportunities for discussion in the course. Additionally, both parties show and are designing the course to engender a deep respect for the rights and beliefs of others and a recognition of how a person's background and culture influences their perspective and actions.
What are the constraints or problems of the case? Then discuss what specific instructional and media/technology delivery strategies could be used to overcome those constraints or problems?
Dr. Elizabeth Ward is noted for teaching a course about the effects of the client and the caretaker’s cultures on health services at her university. In the case study, we learn that after being asked to adapt her course for a video distance education class which did not “make” she volunteers to adapt that course for a web format. Catherine Peterson, the instructional designer who helped Dr. Ward do the initial re-design of the course, agrees to assist her again and the two complete a grant to fund the project. There are several issues to be addressed. There is a limitation of the $5000 grant awarded to cover the cost of producing the course. The course requires a psychological connection to form and the creation of a safe space for students to explore cultural identities and perceptions – which may be difficult to create in a web-based format. There is a new requirement that students demonstrate practical application of the topics in the course through a performance-based assessment – again the interaction required to design, complete, submit, and evaluate this assessment may be problematic. Finally, there may be technical issues with the implementation of the media rich course that has been designed by Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson. Additionally, while there is an intuitional push to put courses on the internet, there may be little or no demand for tis course once it is completed.
As designers, understanding the limitations of the internet and computer access students will have, Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson are providing the media components on a CD available at the university bookstore rather than requiring that all students be able to stream the content or access materials online. The interfaces for the genogram and the lessons themselves are clear and easy to use following commonly accepted design and instructional principles.
Discussion and chat can be included in the course assignments with mutually agreed upon ground-rules for posting and as the instructor Dr. Ward can monitor these interactions and send private messages to participants as needed. The design of the course includes activities for students to become more aware of their personal cultural background and to become comfortable discovering the backgrounds of others’. Building a relationship using structured communication will facilitate successful completion of the course and create the atmosphere Dr. Ward is famous for in her in-person course.
The performance-based assessment is an important component of the course and has not been designed yet. I would recommend a project that asks students to create a policy or personal mission statement for working with the most common cultural backgrounds in the area in which they plan to practice and document implementation. Students will have to identify and provide evidence to support their identification of groups and the research that guides their interactions. Finally videos, written statements, etc. could all be submitted in an electronic portfolio (website, DVD, CD, etc.) as the summative assessment for the course.
How does this case relate to the ADDIE model and other ISD models?
The layout of the case discusses the analysis of the course for each implementation – distance and web- as well as giving insight into the design, development, implementation, and evaluation of the original redesign – even though it was only implemented locally. For the web based implementation only the analysis, design, and some developmental features are discussed. This project appears to be thoughtfully designed taking into consideration some of the best practices in instructional design for adult learners, visual design, and aspects of UDL. Each aspect of the course seems to serve the clearly defined institutional and instructional objectives of the course. The course has project-based activities and looks like it would build upon student’s existing motivations for taking the course and lead to successful experiences. The lesson design, based on the examples, is intuitive – clear and easy to use while engaging students visually, aurally, socially, and intellectually.
What is the importance of matching delivery mode, media, and instructional techniques to client and learner needs in this case especially as related to what you have learned in this course?
There are some competing needs in this case. Students rate the in-person version of this course very highly and liked the hybridized course so there is little learner-initiated desire for change. However, the instructor and the university want to move courses online so the challenge is to continue to serve the students well through web-based courses. Additionally the university is implementing more performance based assessments, so the media and techniques used should support instruction and assessment in multiple formats – not just text. The instructor and the designer have considered these aspects and have attempted to take advantage of available technologies to have a media rich experience for students, meet the objectives for the course, and fulfill university requirements. Evaluations of the past courses and reflections are a part of the needs assessment and on-going development of the course. If these concerns were not addressed and the interface and CD were not used it would prevent some students from being able to take the course and make the web-based course less effective than the in-person or distance education version of the course.
What strategies facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship between people with different and diverse philosophical, cultural backgrounds to get them to share information and work together?
Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson’s relationship seems to be a good one with communication flowing in both directions and mutual respect for each others' abilities in instruction and design. Dr. Ward obviously draws on her experience working with students and others of other backgrounds in considering the appropriateness of content, activities, and media for the course. Encouraging and supporting open, honest, respectful communication is important in developing and maintaining relationships and both Dr. Ward and Ms. Peterson are communicating and can create opportunities for discussion in the course. Additionally, both parties show and are designing the course to engender a deep respect for the rights and beliefs of others and a recognition of how a person's background and culture influences their perspective and actions.