Posts Tagged of education
Systematic Design For Elearning
Today, technology has invaded almost all aspects of our life, for better or for worse. Though technology’s role in our life is debatable to some extent (which is also not the scope of this article), its happy union with education is definitely something to cheer for. The accentuation of education through proper application of technology is termed as e learning. Having come of age over the years with drastic leapfrogs in technology, e learning has today evolved into a great learning platform that is radically different from that of the conventional learning techniques, conceivably in a better way.
Just as there are myriad approaches to conventional methodical teaching, e learning, too has varied approaches to it. Instead of dwelling upon the various approaches to e learning, we will here shed light on one of the most popular one. Widely known as Instructional Systems Design (ISD), it is also known by other names such as Instructional Systems Design & Development (ISDD), the Systems Approach to Training (SAT), or just Instructional Design (ID). Starting with the assessment of a student’s expectations from the courseware, it leads the student through a step by step guide involving the design and development of the training material, and finally allowing the instructor to gauge the efficacy of the program through student assessment.
Definition
A juxtaposition of some of the most popular definitions of instructional design or systematic design for e learning gives a crystal clear idea about what it exactly is, and an insight into its core process of learning. At the nucleus of an instructional design approach is the importance it accords to learning instead of technology. Learning requirements and objectives are first analyzed, and a delivery system, in conjunction with these needs is developed. The instructional design methodology was first put to use in World War II and became immensely popular in the years thereafter. It found place in corporate training, military training, textbook authoring, and web/computer based learning. A systematic design for e learning entails continuous assessment and response. Instructional Design is based on theoretical and practical research in the areas of cognition, educational psychology, and problem solving. All in all, instructional design is essentially a learning framework that simply organizes learning resources to enhance the learning process to reach defined goals.
Advantages of systematic approach to e learning
Unlike a classroom setting for learning, a systematic approach to e learning benefits the e learning process in more ways than one.
Systematic approach allows individuals other than the instructors, such as other learners, or students wishing to take up the course, to view and weigh up the content, discussions, interactions, etc.
Systematic approach makes objective assessment of e learning quality possible.
Systematic approach guarantees the examination of vital theories through apposite presentation and pertinent learning.
Systematic approach makes e learning process more transparent, thereby bequeathing quality upon it.
Systematic approach immensely helps the students of online programs through good content presentation and interactive sessions.
Systematic approach renders distance learning more effective due to its interactive characteristic and transparency compared to conventional distance learning programs.
Systematic approach provides students with the liberty of picking the instructional framework instead of the instructional framework governing student’s choice of course.
Systematic approach builds a comfortable link between pedagogy and technology, thereby allowing a change in the plan of instruction depending upon the student response, which cannot be achieved by technology alone.
Systematic approach to e learning is enhanced by well organized subject content and well thought out strategies for teaching.
Systematic approach helps in blending the material offered by different instructors and different courseware.
Systematic approach begins and ends with the learner and his experience.
The development of instructional material is a time consuming process and, hence, a major concern. Systematic approach to e learning accelerates the development process to come up with the most effective way of content presentation, and a structure to navigate through the courseware.
Various models of systematic approach to e learning
A model of any process is a representation of standard occurrences, thus restricting its blind replication in a real life situation. The review of various models of the systematic approach only reiterates the fact that different ones are effective in designing different courses, ranging from a science course to a people management course.
ADDIE – This is an ellipsis of Analyze, Design, Development, Implement, and Evaluate. One of the most popular models of instructional design, it is frequently used by instructors for academic courses.
Dick and Carey model – It is based on the concept of breaking instructions into modules. The instruction material targets the skills and knowledge that is intended to be taught.
Minimalism – Developed by J.M. Carroll, this model is useful for computer based learning. It emphasizes the importance of meaningful and self contained learning activities, execution of realistic projects by students, error recognition and recovery of training material and a tangible link between training and actual system.
Algo Heuristic – It is based on the assumption that all pedagogical activities can be categorized into algorithmic, semi algorithmic, heuristic or semi heuristic. Once a cognitive activity can be put under a certain head, its specific systems act as the foundation of the systematic approach.
Robert Gagne’s model – This model is considered to be the pioneer, in which many other models find their genesis. It subscribes to the belief that events and categories of learning form a framework that can be used to account the learning conditions.
Epathic model – A five step design model, it includes – observation, capturing data, reflection and analysis, brainstorming for solutions, and developing prototypes.
Rapid prototyping model – Here, learners, and subject matter experts constantly communicate with instructional designers and prototypes in a cyclic manner.
Conclusion
E learning is plagued with a number of maladies including high drop out rates, learner resistance and poor learner performance. These glitches can be taken care of through the systematic approach. Its various other benefits make it a unanimous choice for organizations and institutions alike.
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Interior Design Degree – Making Your Career Soar
You can get an interior design degree online from a number of reputable universities including Penn Foster and Ashworth University. If this is a career that you are interested in, you probably want to know a little about the types of classes that are required, the amount of time it takes to receive certification and the career forecast. You will find that information here.
To obtain a bachelor’s degree, you’ll need the basic courses; math, English, etc, plus specific courses such as office design, CAD graphics and architectural fundamentals. Electives that complement your education include ergonomics and creating environmentally friendly spaces. An associates degree is also available.
Once you receive an associates degree, you can act as a designer’s assistant, which is a good idea, because many states require a combination of education and six years of work experience in the field in order to sit for the licensing exam.
You’ll still need a bachelor’s degree to sit for the exam, but a couple of years working as an assistant will count towards the six years of field work. The length of time that it takes to get an Associates interior design degree online could be less than what it would take in a traditional school, depending on how quickly you work.
In a traditional classroom, the course would take two years to complete; four years for a bachelor’s degree. But, people that are able to work at a faster pace can sometimes cut this time down, significantly. That’s one of the advantages of an on-line education.
You have the ability to work at your own pace too. You aren’t limited by a professor’s schedule. At one time, distance learning was only popular with people that lived far away from a two or four year college. Today, the average lifestyle is well-suited to this type of education.
In the next decade, you are likely to see more and more people that got their interior design degree online, rather than in a standard university. Even many of those traditional universities are now offering some of their courses online.
There is an option to an interior design degree online that you may find appealing, depending on what your goals are. Interior decorating take less time, typically two-three years. You may still be able to qualify as a designer’s apprentice whilst you do your bachelor’s degree.
Decorators and designers have an annual average income of $50,000 per year. Experienced designers, of course, make more. Your compensation will increase as your experience and reputation grows.
You may already have the “eye” for achieving balance with the furnishings in a room. Some people call it “good taste”, but one of the things that you’ll need to remember as you go along is that people’s tastes vary.
Something that you might not find appealing may appeal to others. So, one of the things that you will learn to do is find out what your clients want. That’s one of the things that come with experience. An interior design degree online is your starting point.
Tags: associates degree, career, certification, college, course, courses, degree, degree online, design, design degree, designer, designers, distance learning, e learning, education, education and, graphic, interior design, interior design degree, interior design degree online, learning, of education, online, professor, s degree, school, universities, universityRelated posts
Online Learning Visual Design Principles
Before we discuss what are some of the design principles that you can apply to on-line content, we should define what we mean by “Design”. This is one of those words that are ever-present in every industry that produces something, but it often means something different to every person invoking its meaning.
For this discussion, we are making the argument that to design something is to plan its inception, production and use, and that the application of consistent principles can improve the utility of that thing. In the case of on-line educational content, this means a plan of the purpose, presentation and evaluation of that content using accepted instructional design principles. Yet, we are working in a format that requires the consideration of other applications of design ideas from other fields. The use of media types such as typography, images, and audio are directly constrained by the on-line distribution method in both presentation and technical considerations.
In other words, if we are going to produce educational content on-line, we either need to be adept in the realms of education, project management, Internet technology, graphic design, audio design and web development and design, or we need a competent team to support our efforts. However, the development procedures of each team will vary to such an extent that we may be responsible for several areas within a project or be forced to change hats due to resource constraints. We may not be experts in every area, but we had better be certain that we are at least passingly knowledgeable, if for no other reason than to know how to assign and evaluate tasks for other members.
In a nutshell, we should look at design as applying certain general principles taken from various disciplines to the varied elements of our content in order to make that content more usable and effective. To do this, we need to draw from ideas as varied as graphic design, information architecture, instructional design, web design and development, typographic design, audio development and others.
Basic Visual Design Elements
It is likely that a large portion of the on-line content we develop will be presented in a visual form. For this reason, it is relevant to consider what are some accepted visual design principles being used by professionals and what we might learn from them to apply to our work. However, the principles are typically applied to elements, or building blocks of visual representations that we should at least note in passing, though they may not all apply to our definition of elements or how we will apply the principles. A list of these elements might include:
- point
- space
- shape
- tone
- form
- mass
- line
- texture
- pattern
- time
- light
- color
Basic Visual Design Principles
Though lists of visual design principles will differ from individual to individual, most lists will contain some arrangement of the following:
- scale – typically contrasting one object with another
- proportion -typically comparing elements of an object to its other elements
- balance – often represented as an idea of symmetry
- pattern – typically referring to the movement or placement of elements within a design
- emphasis – usually a focal point
These principles are interpreted with differing intent depending on the application, so it becomes difficult find a definitive list, so we will merely suggest this list as an example:
- Symmetry/Asymmetry – positioning elements in relation to one another
- Proximity – grouping of elements or objects to signify meaning
- Alignment – an application of symmetry that includes positioning of elements along a line in relation to one another
- Repetition – the repeating of elements to build significance the in the eyes of the viewer
- Dynamics – the “movement” or apparent progression of elements according an orderly or disorderly pattern
- Hierarchy – assigning a visual order or dominance to elements
- Emphasis – to create a visual focal point
- Contrast – using obviously disparate elements to create emphasis
- Unity – combining all elements into a harmonious presentation
Symmetry/Asymmetry
Symmetry is naturally attractive to viewers, because we are taught that it is beautiful. We appreciate symmetrical elements because we immediately understand elements better when they are reflective of each other. Equal and opposing elements make sense and, in the visual sense, are usually considered beautiful. Asymmetrical elements within a group are often disturbing and even unnerving to many observers. The outward appearances of our own bodies are symmetrical, so it is understandable that this is a naturally attractive construct.
Proximity
The proximity of elements denotes their relationship to each other. Elements that are closer have a stronger relationship than those that are visually distant. This can apply to images or text, and is a clear visual indicator for the viewer as to relationships.
Alignment
When objects are aligned along an imaginary or apparent line in a composition, relevance and order is strengthened for the viewer. Arranging visual elements within grids is a long-standing and common practice within visual design.
Repetition
Repetition reinforces relevance of an element by signifying the importance of that element to the viewer. They may miss it on the first viewing, but after a sequence of repeated elements appear, they begin to understand that the element is important. Repeated elements such as colors or shapes also form a connection between different functioning elements, and provide a subconscious link to them in the mind of the viewer.
Dynamics
Every visual collection of elements has some type of “feeling” to it. If that dynamic is organized and focused, then the “feeling” experienced by the viewer should be close to what the creator intended. If however, the elements do not support the intended dynamic, then the impression of the viewer may be inconsistent with what the creator intended.
Hierarchy
People inherently wish to understand what is most important in a visual arrangement, so that they can more easily derive meaning from the work. By providing a clear delineation between the relevance of visual elements, the viewer can more easily know what they should be looking at, in what order, and for what reason. Lack of a hierarchy leads to confusion and wandering of the eye.
Emphasis
This idea is related to hierarchy, in that, by providing one particular aspect for the viewer to immediately focus upon, the creator can then establish an order for the viewer to follow, or at least get across a main point.
Contrast
Sometimes, the best way to emphasize an element is to present its antithesis to the viewer. This highlights the significant features of the element by their absence in its opposite.
Unity
The ultimate goal of any visual design is not to draw attention to this or that element in isolation, but create a coherency between all elements, in order to present a message. Design that holds no message is flat and uninteresting, and ultimately ignored by the viewer as being irrelevant. If design elements can be coerced into reinforcing a unified message or impression then, the design serves its purpose.
Tags: design, e learning, education, educational, graphic, graphic design, instruction, instructional design, internet, learning, of education, online, online learning, scale, web designRelated posts