Chapter 4 – Exploring
In this chapter, you will participate in an OER Instructional Design Challenge. This activity will assess your ability to adapt and remix Open Educational Resources (OER) from an instructional design perspective, while incorporating the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The challenge emphasizes how OERs can be tailored to meet specific learning needs, integrated into diverse teaching environments, and provide innovative, accessible, and inclusive learning experiences for students.
By applying UDL principles, you will design learning experiences that remove barriers and offer flexible pathways for all students to engage with the material, ensuring that the lesson supports a wide range of learning preferences, abilities, and cultural backgrounds.
This challenge is designed to evaluate your creativity in instructional design, the alignment of OERs with learning objectives, your application of UDL principles, and your ability to foster engagement and interaction among students.
Instructions for Completing the OER Instructional Design Challenge:
1. Select a Course Topic:
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- Choose a specific course topic or unit that aligns with your area of expertise. This topic should reflect a key learning objective for your students.
- Ensure the learning objective is clear and measurable, as it will guide your OER selection and lesson design.
2. Research and Select Relevant OERs:
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- Conduct research to identify a variety of Open Educational Resources (OERs) that align with your selected topic.
- Aim for a diverse range of resources (e.g., texts, videos, interactive tools) to cater to different learning preferences and styles.
- Use the OER Advocate resources for guidance on locating high-quality OERs that support your lesson’s objectives.
- Provide a link to each selected OER in your submission, ensuring that the resources are accessible to others. A minimum of three resources are required.
3. Design the Lesson Plan or Instructional Module:
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- Using the OERs you’ve selected, design a detailed lesson plan or short instructional module. However, rather than presenting them as-is, adapt and remix the materials to ensure they meet the needs of your students. Your design should:
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- Clearly state how the OERs will be adapted or remixed to meet the learning objectives of your course topic.
- Adaptation could include modifying examples or case studies to better reflect your students’ backgrounds, making the content more accessible, or adjusting the OERs to align with your instructional goals.
- Remixing could involve combining different types of OERs (e.g., videos, texts, interactive simulations) to create a cohesive learning experience that addresses various learning styles.
- Clearly state how the OERs will be adapted or remixed to meet the learning objectives of your course topic.
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- As you design your lesson plan, apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to ensure that your lesson is inclusive and accessible for all students. UDL encourages flexibility in how information is presented, how students engage with the material, and how they demonstrate their learning. Align with UDL principles by offering multiple means of representation, engagement, and action.
- Multiple Means of Representation:
- Provide information in a variety of formats, such as text, audio, and video, to ensure that all students can access the material. For example, if using video content, ensure it has captions or transcripts for students who may have hearing impairments.
- Use interactive tools, diagrams, and multimedia to enhance the content’s accessibility for students with diverse needs.
- Multiple Means of Engagement:
- Offer students different ways to engage with the OERs. This might include allowing students to choose between reading an article, watching a video, or participating in a discussion.
- Incorporate activities that support collaborative learning (e.g., group projects) as well as independent exploration, allowing students flexibility in how they interact with the material.
- Provide opportunities for self-paced learning, giving students the chance to progress at their own speed.
- Multiple Means of Action and Expression:
- Allow students to demonstrate their understanding through various formats (e.g., essays, presentations, multimedia projects). Consider providing flexible options that allow students to choose how they will show mastery of the material.
- Encourage creative approaches, such as visual projects or hands-on activities, to help students express their knowledge in ways that reflect their strengths.
- Multiple Means of Representation:
- As you design your lesson plan, apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to ensure that your lesson is inclusive and accessible for all students. UDL encourages flexibility in how information is presented, how students engage with the material, and how they demonstrate their learning. Align with UDL principles by offering multiple means of representation, engagement, and action.
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- Ensure that your lesson plan addresses accessibility needs and promotes inclusivity. This involves:
- Making sure that all materials are accessible to students with disabilities (e.g., providing captions, alt-text for images, and screen-reader compatibility).
- Adjusting the content to be culturally sensitive and inclusive. This could mean incorporating diverse perspectives in examples, case studies, or discussions.
- Reviewing the lesson for bias and ensuring that students from all backgrounds can engage with the material without feeling excluded.
- Ensure that your lesson plan addresses accessibility needs and promotes inclusivity. This involves:
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- Include specific activities that engage students and promote active participation.
- Design activities that encourage active learning and foster interaction with the OERs. Consider using group discussions, problem-solving tasks, or collaborative projects that get students involved in their learning.
- Include activities that require students to apply the OER content in real-world scenarios or develop their own materials using the OERs as a foundation.
- Include specific activities that engage students and promote active participation.
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- Incorporate at least one method of formative assessment to check for student understanding throughout the lesson. This could include short quizzes, reflective activities, or peer feedback.
- Ensure that the assessments align with your learning objectives and provide flexible ways for students to demonstrate their understanding.
- Incorporate at least one method of formative assessment to check for student understanding throughout the lesson. This could include short quizzes, reflective activities, or peer feedback.
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Parameters for the Lesson Plan or Instructional Module:
- Length: The lesson plan or instructional module should be 2-3 pages or approximately 750-1,000 words.
- Format: You may submit your lesson plan in either:
- Word document (.docx)
- PDF (.pdf)
- Formatting Requirements:
- Use APA style for formatting.
- Double-spaced text.
- 12-point Times New Roman font.
- 1-inch margins on all sides.
- In-text citations and a reference page should be included if any external sources are referenced in your lesson plan.
- Organization:
- Ensure the document is well-organized with clear sections addressing learning objectives, the adaptation and remixing of OERs, and the application of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, such as multiple means of representation, engagement, and action/expression.
4. Write a Reflection:
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- After designing your lesson plan or instructional module, write a reflection that explains the instructional design choices you made. Your reflection should:
- Describe why you selected the specific OERs and how they align with your learning objectives.
- Explain the instructional strategies you used to engage students, considering how these strategies support diverse learning styles.
- Discuss how your design supports a rich and inclusive learning environment, emphasizing how UDL principles guided your approach.
- Provide insights into how OERs can be effectively integrated into your teaching practices, reflecting on any challenges or benefits encountered during the process.
- After designing your lesson plan or instructional module, write a reflection that explains the instructional design choices you made. Your reflection should:
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- Course Topic and Learning Objective:
- Provide a brief description of the course topic or unit you selected, along with the key learning objective that guided your instructional design.
- OER Links:
- Include links to at least three OERs that you used in your lesson plan. Ensure that these resources are accessible to others.
- Lesson Plan or Instructional Module:
- Upload your 2-3 page lesson plan or instructional module in Word (.docx) or PDF (.pdf) format. The plan should demonstrate how the OERs are adapted or remixed to align with learning objectives and UDL principles, focusing on representation, engagement, and action/expression.
- Reflection:
- Submit a 1-2 page reflection (500-800 words) that explains the rationale behind your instructional design choices, highlighting how the OERs and UDL principles enhance student learning, accessibility, and inclusivity. You can upload the reflection as a Word (.docx) or PDF (.pdf) file, or type it directly into the open text box in the form (remember to copy and paste your work into a separate document before submitting in case the form times out).
- Course Topic and Learning Objective:
Evaluation Criteria: