mycourses orientation & overview course
Instructional Design | Learning Theory | Design & Development
the brief
Due to the current global pandemic, the McGill Executive Institute has started to deliver all of its courses remotely. A subset of the remote courses are being redesigned for blended delivery. This training will serve two different but inherently connected needs of the McGill Executive institute:
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To develop knowledgeable individuals who will feel comfortable navigating the learning management system, myCourses.
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To explain and provide a standardized approach (flow) to course design for blended courses.
This program is designed for internal program coordinators as well as subject matter experts comprising of consultants and academic professors (with or without knowledge of instructional design principles). The course will be delivered fully online.
the context
The purpose of the instruction is to improve the knowledge of internal and external stakeholders
The goal is to understand how and when to use features of the LMS for program delivery
The learners perceived utility of the instruction will be to understand how the LMS functions and how the MEI wants courses to be designed for blended delivery.
The learners’ perception of accountability will be the ease at which they are able to communicate information based on their function.
Learners will be able to apply their knowledge and skills to creating courses on the LMS.
the
need
The need for instruction stems from the development of new courses and the need to upskill current employees with the knowledge and confidence they need to use the new system. Given this is a brand new service line and technology to the team, it has been noted in several meetings that there is a lack of understanding of
best practices for blended delivery, how MEI wishes to deliver MEI programs and to which extent the LMS should be used for these programs. There have been expressed needs for a clear and concise communication and training for the exact features that should be used by instructors and program coordinators.
learner analysis
Meeting the learner where they are
Learner analysis is key for developing any kind of coursework. It was important for us to identify the primary and secondary audiences, ages, education level, and comfort with the technology and its uses. The primary learners for this course are a diverse group of professionals, some of whom are more technically skilled than others. As such, the instruction and materials were chunked appropriately to ensure that there are varying levels of details for each section. Using this approach, the more tech-savvy learner can jump ahead to content more relevant for their level.
design process
What we need now versus what we need in the future
I anticipate the need for a scaffolding approach in which our programs become more interactive over time. We first need to teach our SME’s and coordinators the basics before moving to more complex features of blended programs using the LMS. At the same time, it would be useful for the SME and coordinators to have a basic understanding of the features available to them on our instance of myCourses.
I anticipate the need for a scaffolding approach in which our programs become more interactive over time. We first need to teach our SME’s and coordinators the basics before moving to more complex features of blended programs using the LMS. At the same time, it would be useful for the SME and coordinators to have a basic understanding of the features available to them on our instance of myCourses.
