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Instructional Design Activity: Unit Design


 

Overall Instructor Rating: Exemplary

Ratings explanation:

  • Exemplary - A model answer in almost every way (this is given out very rarely).
  • Satisfactory - Very well done; you've met the expectations of the assignment. There are some minor problems, so read my feedback well.
  • Marginal Pass - You pass, but there are lots of issues to consider. Read my feedback very carefully and be sure you understand the points/issues I raise.
  • Not satisfactory, redo and resubmit - The assignment was not completed appropriately. I am concerned that you do not understand the process well enough yet. To get credit for the assignment, you need to redo it, most probably on another topic. Read and consider my feedback very carefully before redoing.

Instructor's Overall Feedback:

Your IDA is outstanding! You seem to understand perfectly the concept of supporting objectives from other domains (such as verbal information and affective). You also seem to understand perfectly the concept of prerequisite skills. Finally, all of your objectives were very well written. Your IDA is a true model for others to follow (is it OK if I share this with a few others?) Way to go!

 


1. Restate one of the unit (enabling) objectives or goals you identified in your course ICM, or change topics and write a new unit objective.

Click here to view your IDA on course design.

This objective will become the terminal objective for your unit. Compare the use of the terms "terminal" and "enabling" here to the last IDA, when you were creating a course-level ICM. These terms are relative to the ICM on which you are working. An enabling objective in your course ICM becomes the terminal objective in a unit ICM. Then, an enabling objective in your unit ICM becomes your terminal objective in a lesson ICM.

(Note: I interchange goal and objectives here because you may realize after further analysis that your objective identified in your course ICM was not clear or appropriate, which means that it is really a goal. After completing this IDA, you may need to rewrite your terminal objective for this unit.)

Example

Title: Designing systematic instruction

Unit Objective: Learners will design and conduct (generate) an appropriate needs analysis.

Be sure to include in your objective the learned capability verb that corresponds to one of Gagne's learning domains: Problem-solving (generate); Rule-using (demonstrate); concept (classify, identify); verbal information (state, recite, summarize); attitudinal (choose); psychomotor (execute).

Your final response:

Title: Generate written arguments Unit Objective: Learners will be able to generate written arguments based on legal facts and principles.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Excellent.

 


2. Identify the intellectual skill objectives for the lessons in the unit.

Based on the instructional goal(s) and learning outcomes, conduct an subordinate skills analysis as described by Dick, Carey, and Carey in chapter 4. You are now beginning to breakdown what the learner needs to know in order to achieve the instructional goal. Each objective you generate can roughly be considered a lesson objective (as we will discuss in class, some lessons may have more than one objective; but there is no sense risking confusion on this point now.)

Identify the 3-5 most critical parts of the unit (referred to as "lessons"). These should generally be limited to intellectual skills learning outcomes such as problem solving and relational rules. For some cases, there may be a need for an attitude learning outcome. (Note: the number of lessons will depend on your instructional problem and design. Add or eliminate lessons as you deem necessary). Write the lesson/enabling objectives below.

A. Lesson1

Example

Title: Describing the learning context

Obj: Learners will describe physical, social, and organizational characteristics of learning context.

Your final response:

Title: Demonstrate effective written communication skills Obj: Learners will be able to demonstrate effective written communication skills by expressing appropriate legal position to given situations.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Well written.

B. Lesson 2

Your final response:

Title: Demonstrate appropriate responses Obj: Learners will demonstrate the use of appropriate legal responses to case studies.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Very well written.

 

C. Lesson 3

Your final response:

Title: Classify legal concerns Obj: Learners will be able to classify between ethical, moral, and legal concerns encounter in daily life.

The instructor's feedback to step 4:

Excellent -- good identification of concept learning underlying the other rule-using objective.

 

D. Lesson 4

Your final response:

Title: Identify legal principals Obj: Learners will be able to identify the legal principals guiding U.S. society.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Excellent!

BTW, it's spelled "principles". :)


3. Identify supporting objectives from the verbal information and attitudinal domains.

Identify these objectives using verbs such as "state, list, or summarize" for verbal information objectives and "choose" for attitudinal objectives. (If you have more than 2, just list those that best represent these other objectives. Be sure to include these objectives on your visual ICM to indicate which intellectual skills they support.)

Your final response:

Title: State key legal facts Obj: Learners will be able to state key legal facts related to personal and business law.

Title: Complete professional written arguments Obj: Learner will be able to choose to complete professional written arguments.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Excellent!


4. Identify entry behaviors (also known as prerequisite skills).

Entry behaviors are those skills and knowledge that you expect your students to have as they begin this unit. That is, you do not intend to teach these. Although you will undoubtedly have many objectives denoting entry behaviors, just list one example below (but be sure to include all entry behaviors on your instructional curriculum map).

Your final response:

Title: Identify legal terms Obj.: Learners will be able to identify key legal terms.

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Good example of an entry behavior/skill.


5. Draw an Instructional Curriculum Map (ICM) for the Unit

An ICM visually represents the optimal sequence of these objectives. (Just think of it as a flowchart.) Draw the ICM in "top-down" fashion with the terminal objective (i.e. unit objective) at the top. Instructional events are designed top-down, though learners will ultimately experience the instruction bottom-up. If there is room in your ICM, include the full objectives, otherwise, just include the title. Entry behaviors should be drawn at the very bottom with a dotted line separating these from the other objectives just above. Click here for an example (generated with Inspiration).

The instructor's feedback to this step:

Outstanding! This is a wonderful visual representation of your unit. Thanks for taking the time to make this available online.