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Design an E-Learning Resource -The Design Document

Team Task and Brief

In groups of three develop an E-learning resource that allows local prep children to improve their understanding of the English Alphabet (primary aim of project). The tool should allow the children to have as much exposure to the letters as possible. You will need to develop concepts that explore letter recognition and recreation.

The secondary scope of the project is for the children to learn to type the letters in a QWERTY keyboard.

Format

This project needs to be submitted in digital paperformat, either as a PDF or a Word document. The sketches and flow charts as well as brain storms and mind maps can be created by hand sketching and scanning.

Teams

Get together in teams of 3 for this first assessment task. Please leave a comment on this post with your team number and the names of all team members. You will be allowed to work as individuals, but please check with me.

First Things First

The first task is to ask yourself a central question: When do you know that the E-Learning resource is complete? When do you know that this project is finished?

Write it in a sentence. The sentence should include the tasks that you will have to perform to complete this project.

Learning Experience/User Experience

Define the Learning Experience that you want your learner to have. What exactly do you want the user to experience? Describe the motions that your typical user might have when using your product.

When describing the user experience I would like you to look at or think back of a positive experience that you have had with a product. What was it that made the experience so good and how did it make you feel?

How can you integrate that experience into the resource that you are creating?

This is a far important question to answer than you may initially think. By answering this question you actually find out what your e-learning resource will or should feel like. Every decision that you will make will have to fit this criteria.

Target Audience

Define the target audience, what age group, gender, socio-economic (culture, income group, education) group are you dealing with. Next describe what a person from this target audience likes and he or she may enjoy in your resource.

You may deal with a primary and secondary target audience – who else will be important in the purchase of the product besides the end-user? What other groups of people are affected by your product?

Learner Needs Analysis

What are the needs of your target audience? Start this point of with the desired outcome: what does the learner need to learn? After establishing this you can look at what the target user will need to be able to learn.

This is a good point to brainstorm. What is it that you need to expose your learner to?

Platform

Specify the delivery platform, eg using web-based delivery, using computer based delivery, using tablets  or mobile phones, a console, etc. The operating system would be another aspect here: use of IBM-based  Windows 7, 8, Mac-based OS, Android, Linux, Open Source…

Add a minimum 1 sentence describing benefits and short comings of a specific system, software, delivery platform (eg using Flash has the disadvantage that it is rejected by Mac operating systems and more and more by Android.

Tools and Activities

This point is for research only: What tools can you currently find out there? What type of apps,  Video viewers, Sketch Pads, audio apps, games and other activities are currently available?

Consider primary tools that could be integrated into the resource. For example a Sketch Pad that allows children to draw shapes of letters that look like fruit or animals. A video viewer window for instructions or fun songs performed by other children.

Consider secondary tools that can be external and your learning resource can hyperlink the tool. You need to ensure that there is no copyright infringement.

Research hardware – are there any new developments (eg a touch sensitive modelling tool) and existing hardware product: stylus, graphic pads, tec

Learning Resource

Goals of the Learning Resource

The overall goal describes what the learner will be able to do after completing the instruction.

Content of the Learning Resource

The content describes what will be taught in order to achieve the objectives. What content will you need to include in the resource? This is just a list of points. Write down what you want to include in the resource. This could be: using video resources to explain the alphabet with sing-along-songs, or drawing instructions with an interactive sketchpad.

How will the content be presented. See example below of PBS Kids.

Create a layout concept for the menu of the overall learning resource.

Methods of instruction

The methods of instruction describe how the content will be taught. This is about the specific tools, that you want to use. Mention the use of supportive tools such as sound. Will there be a narrative (a story) told by a voice over or a character  (eg a teddy).

How is the learner informed about what to do? What type of instructions are available? Give a text example in the layouts.

List a number of 10 potential tools, and describe 2 tools and methods in detail.

Create a flow-chart for each with a step-by-step  instruction of what the learner will do in the activity.

Create layouts with instructions on how to interact with the application (eg how to move things) and instructions for users.

Create basic concepts for icons

Learner evaluation strategies (test with results)

The learner evaluation strategies describe how the learner will be evaluated to see if he or she has obtained the objectives (eg a test or a level is achieved and a new level unlocked).

Useful Links:

10 Best Educational Websites for Kids

Top Ten Educational Websites for Children

Below are examples of graphics.