How did you use your understanding of Andragogy or adult learning theory in designing this lesson?
Adult learners bring a wealth of experiences and knowledge with them when they enter a course. Tailoring an assignment in which they are asked to tap into that resource is valuable (Taylor & Kroth, 2009). In my created course, I asked my students to compose a brief online lecture using screen casting software that they would use in their own teaching. It gave them an easy entry point into the activity. Asking them to learn new content in addition to creating something new can be problematic and stressful.
They already have the knowledge, which would make it easier to engage in something that could be difficult or awkward to complete. This lesson also gives them skills that they can use immediately, which is key for adult learners, as they need to see the immediacy and application of the content they are learning (Taylor & Kroth, 2009).
What instructional strategies did you apply and how does your design address the cognitive, instructor and social presence?
Outside of creating the lecture video, I included discussions and reflection into the lesson. These two instructional strategies are ideal for adult learners in an online environment. Discussions facilitate learner-to-learner interaction as well as increase social and cognitive presence in a course (Stavredes, 2011). Reflection allows learners to develop critical thinking, assess their own progress, and become more independent in their learning (Stavredes, 2011). Reflection also builds cognitive presence in a course as it helps learners construct meaning.
Overall, what was the most difficult in creating this online lesson? How did you solve problems as they came up?
By far, the hardest part of building this course was learning Blackboard. I’m an instructional designer that builds a lot of online courses in Canvas. I did experience Blackboard as a college instructor a while back, and I remember that Blackboard can be a little clunky when designing. This experience assured me that Blackboard hasn’t changed, and it’s still pretty clunky. I remedied this issue with a lot of trial and error. Using the provided Blackboard guides were also pretty handy, but they were also pretty clunky and confusing to navigate.
What are your thoughts on online teaching now that you have created an online lesson? What was the most rewarding thing about this project?
This project opened up my eyes to the value of peer feedback. I benefit from having two other instructional designers at my work, and we commonly put off reviewing each other’s work due to time. The peer feedback I received during this project was invaluable. They brought issues to my attention that I hadn’t even seen before. It was even more valuable during this time with the COVID-19 quarantine and shifting of daily life. I haven’t been exactly in an academic mindset, so having someone else look at my work was beneficial. Moving forward, I’ll put more value in reviewing my fellow ID’s work and ask them to do the same for mine. This project has opened my eyes to the value of that.
References
Stavredes, T. (2011). Effective online teaching: Foundations and strategies for student success. Jossey-Bass.
Taylor, B. & Kroth, M. Andragogy’s transition into the future: Meta-analysis of andragogy and its search for a measurable instrument. Journal of Adult Education, (38)1, 1-11.
Jared Pyles 
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