Description of the Instructional Design Process - Essay Example

? Final Paper: of the Instructional Design Process Ahmed Alzahrani Naif Alsayyali ACE 625 - Facilitating Adult Learning Indiana of Pennsylvania Table of Contents Final Paper: Description of the Instructional Design Process 3 The Instructional Project 3 The Instructional Design Model 3 Assessing and Developing the Adult Educators’ Skills 4 Developing Content Knowledge 4 Learner Needs and Characteristics 5 Learner Needs Assessment Strategies 6 Understanding the Learning Contexts 7 Developing Goals and Objectives 8 Developing Learning Activities 8 Evaluating Learners 9 Evaluating the Instructional Plan 10 Conclusion 10 References 11 Final Paper: Description of the Instructional Design Process The Instructional Project To comply with the requirements of the course, as partners, we have decided to create an instructional project which we are most familiar with; but where other members of the class could learn from. Since both of us are from Saudi Arabia, our native language is Arabic. As such, we planned to teach the subject entitled "Arabic Alphabet", which we believe would be an interesting and illuminating learning area since the class is composed of different students from diverse cultural orientations: 50% American's and 50% foreign students. All are graduate students; as such the knowledge level considers the type of information that should be presented; the materials to be used; as well as the style and level of language to be applied. The Instructional Design Model The relevant framework of the instructional design was presented by Dean (2002) through the presented diagram which itemized four needs assessment: (1) the skills of the educator/s; (2) the development of content knowledge; (3) the needs of the audience or the adult learners; and (4) the learning contexts (p. 3). To apply the model to the current project, the following information are noted and to be expounded in subsequent sections. Skills of Educators: There is a manifested above average to exemplary skills and competencies in the command and proficiency of the Arabic language; as well as translating and teaching basic theoretical frameworks of the Arabic language to English, which is the second language of both educators. Detailed educational background, work experiences, as well as skills and competencies are discussed below. Content Knowledge: Exemplary since Arabic is the native language to both educators. Needs of the Audience: Since 50% are Americans and 50% are foreign students, the subject promises to be an interesting and illuminating learning experience for all. The composition of gender and cultural/racial orientation of learners are detailed under learner needs and characteristics below. Learning Context: The instructional project is to be presented in the assigned classroom: 124 Davis Hall, Indiana University of Pennsylvania; which is the most appropriate and convenient setting to comply with the course requirement. Assessing and Developing the Adult Educators’ Skills As the educators, both come from Saudi Arabia, where Arabic is the native language. Ahmed Alzahrani has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Jeddah Teachers' College in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. She taught English for three (3) years in middle school. She has been in the United States pursuing her master’s degree level majoring in the MATESOL Program. On the other hand, Naif Alsayyali, is also an English language teacher. He taught in Middle School, the public school system in Altaif, Saudi Arabia. He has been teaching for nine years. From the educational background and work experience, it could be deemed that both educators are highly skilled and exemplary in the subject area, “Arabic Alphabet”. Not only do we possess excellent competencies in this topic; but likewise, as English language teachers, we are adept at translating the native language into English, as the secondary language, and an area of evident proficiency. Developing Content Knowledge As disclosed by Dean (2002), there are three essential components of content analysis: “(1) identifying tasks and skills to be learned; (2) translating tasks and skills into learning goals and objectives; and (3) identifying goals and objectives as belonging to one or more learning domains” (p. 28). Applying these theories to the “Arabic Alphabet” presentation, the main tasks and skills to be learned are awareness and development of intellectual skills regarding a different language: the Arabic alphabet. Translating tasks and skills into learning goals, the learning objective is actually to enhance the knowledge of learners on the basic concepts on the Arabic alphabet and compare any similarities or disparities with the English. Identifying this goal as belonging to a learning domain was specifically noted in the presentation as: “(the) goal is to be able to recognize Arabic letters in any of these different positions… (since) the shape of each Arabic letter changes depending on the position it holds in a word (beginning, middle, end, or independent)” (Alzahrani & Alsayyali, 2013, p. 2). With these premises, the content of the presentation was designed and developed through providing a brief introduction to Arabic language; familiar cognates for Arabic and English; and expounding on the ten Arabic letters that sound most like letters in English (Alzahrani & Alsayyali, 2013). The lesson was presented through Microsoft PowerPoint Presentation using a total of 42 slides. Learner Needs and Characteristics The learner, composed of 18 students, have diverse cultural backgrounds and genders. It was clearly noted that the composition and racial orientations of the students in the class are itemized below: 5 Saudi students (4 males, 1 female) 1 Nigerian (male) 2 black Americans (1 male, 1 female) the rest are all White Americans (5 females, 5 males) the professor, as a learner, is also a White male American Therefore, only three (3) Saudi students, aside from the 2 educators, are familiar with the Arabic Alphabet. They represent only 17% of the audience; and, the presentation is designed and structured in such an innovative and creative way that despite sharing similar cultural backgrounds, they still could learn something new from the presentation; and could assist in providing feedback, as required. All students are taking their master’s in the same field (Adult Education and Communication Technology) except Ahmed Alzahrani (MATESOL Program), who took the course module as an elective course. Learner Needs Assessment Strategies To determine whether the learner was able to grasp and imbibe the lessons that were presented, a needs assessment evaluation should be conducted either before, after, or before and after the learning presentation. There have been various methods for needs assessment that were discussed by Dean (2002), ranging from survey or questionnaire method, where the survey method has been recognized as the most commonly and easiest technique to use. Other noted techniques which could be used in constructing questions for the learner needs assessment include the: (1) select one; (2) fill in the blank; (3) rating scale; (4) rank order; (5) check list; (6) multiple choice; (7) true-false; and (8) open-ended (Dean, 2002). Therefore, to apply the learner needs assessment strategy to the Arabic Alphabet presentation, the following survey through a rating scale is proposed: Learner Needs Assessment Survey: Arabic Alphabet Name of Respondent: _________________________________ Age: ___________________________ Date: _________________________________ Please check the number that accurately provides the response to the indicated questions: Agree Not Sure Disagree 1. I found the presentation informative [ ] [ ] [ ] 2. The lesson goal has been achieved [ ] [ ] [ ] 3. My intellectual and recognition skills were enhanced [ ] [ ] [ ] 4. I was fascinated with the presentation [ ] [ ] [ ] 5. I will use the lessons learned [ ] [ ] [ ] 6. I want to learn more about the Arabic language [ ] [ ] [ ] 7. I was prepared for the presentation [ ] [ ] [ ] 8. I did not understand anything [ ] [ ] [ ] 9. My work has no need for this [ ] [ ] [ ] 10. The new learning and knowledge is innovative, creative, and beneficial [ ] [ ] [ ] Other skills that were evidently enhanced and developed: ________________________________________________________________ Other remarks: ________________________________________________________________ Understanding the Learning Contexts According to Dean (2002), “the context is the surrounding social, political, economic, and other forces that impact on the instructional design process and the teaching-learning transaction” (p.60). To comply with the requirements of the course, the most appropriate learning context is the students in the ACE 625 class, composed predominantly of graduate students who are theoretically equipped with similar backgrounds in adult learning. The program boundary is within the Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) community. In identifying the context culture, it was examined and deduced that the target students almost have the same culture and attitudes; as such, the program is offered as an interestingly diverse alternative of teaching basic concepts of a familiar language to English language speakers. With learners composed of individuals who are open minded to accept new knowledge on a foreign language, Arabic, the new learning would assist them to grasp a general overview of Arabic alphabet and compare this with the English language. Developing Goals and Objectives Dean (2002) asserted that “each goal can be divided into several objectives and can be developed based on desired learning outcome” (p.85). Applying the goal setting framework to the instructional project, the lesson goal was actually above-mentioned and reiterated herewith: “(the) goal is to be able to recognize Arabic letters in any of these different positions… (since) the shape of each Arabic letter changes depending on the position it holds in a word (beginning, middle, end, or independent)” (Alzahrani & Alsayyali, 2013, p. 2). As the educators have acknowledged from theories and experience, learning a language takes time and learners must be immersed regularly in the language to effectively imbibe and the lessons in daily living. The lesson imparted in the instructional project is not expected to make the learners adept at Arabic alphabet in one sitting. However, the presentation aims to enhance new knowledge on the disparities between Arabic and English alphabet within the provided timeframe. Developing Learning Activities It was emphasized by Dean (2002) is the discussion of developing learning activities that a “learning activity is a set of structured experiences designed to help learners achieve one or more learning objectives" (p.88). There are different methods and techniques that adult educators could consider when developing learning activities; after having made all the previous assessments (educators, learners, contexts, and goals). The current instructional program applied the lecture method through utilization of a PowerPoint Presentation, in conjunction with a practice activity at the end of the lesson to gauge the learner’s ability to grasp and understand new knowledge that was presented. The components of the learning activity are presented below: Component Purpose Introduction Presentation of the objectives through the lesson goal and how educators would achieve the identified lesson goal Directions Advice the learners that at the end of the presentation, a practice activity would be conducted to gauge their grasp and understanding of the instructional project Activity PowerPoint Presentation of Arabic Alphabet plus a matching test at the end of the presentation Practice and Feedback Solicit feedback from learners and instructor Retention and Transfer Retain the information learned and share to others, as deemed appropriate Evaluating Learners According to Dean (2002), “evaluation of adult learners can be formal or informal. Informal evaluation (1) helps learners learn about themselves (develop self-awareness), (2) helps learners develop self-confidence and commitment to learning, (3) ensures effective communication between learners and adult educators, and (4) helps modify learning activities for and with learners as needed” (p. 109). Educators would therefore apply theories on informal evaluation through feedback from the students in the program and through observation in class. The guidelines for learner evaluated would be appropriately applied, to wit: (1) praising students in public and private, but criticism should be strictly private; where criticism was noted to be constructive and not destructive; (2) allowing students to evaluate the educators, the design of the instructional program and manner of presentation; (3) letting students be actively involved in the evaluation process, as much as possible; and finally, (4) by apprising the students in understanding how evaluation can help them and how they can apply what has been learned in the future (Dean, 2002). Evaluating the Instructional Plan A relevant phase the instructional design process is evaluating the instructional plan. As disclosed, “evaluating the instructional plan begins with the first conceptualization of the plan and continues until after the plan is completed” (Dean, 2002, p. 120). There are three sources of information for evaluating the success of any instructional program: the educators, other experts, and the learners. The main tool for evaluating the instructional plan is the instructional planning guide: (1) assessments; (2) the content; (3) the learners’ needs; (4) the learning context; (5) written learning goals and objectives; (6) developing learning activities; and (7) devised ways to evaluate learners. Conclusion Overall, as educators, the experience accorded on going through the instructional design process through the Arabic Alphabet instructional project was a beneficial and rewarding endeavor. Dean’s model had been proven to be an effective guide to instructional design and each phase was followed in appropriate detail to ensure that the knowledge learned was mutually beneficial to the educators and to the learners, as well. References Alzahrani, A., & Alsayyali, N. (2013). Arabic Alphabet. PowerPoint Presentation. Dean, G. (2002). Designing instructionfor adult learners. Malabar: FL: Kreiger. Read More