Formulating Learning Goals
I think sometimes that formulating meaningful learning goals is one of the hardest parts of course design. It’s really easy to come up with a bunch of content, but actually trying to articulate exactly what you want students to get from that content can be pretty challenging. I have the advantage of having a lot of preexisting content, but no real information on who put it together or what the goals were when it was compiled.
The other challenge when designing in smaller modules, rather than courses, is to figure out how to chunk the information. Right now, we have a starter guide for freshmen, but I’m wondering if one module can realistically cover all of the material. So for right now, I am scaling back on the learning goals. Here is what I have come up with so far:
Knowledge Goals
-know the difference between the two online catalogs and how to choose the appropriate catalog for the research task
-know the various access points for Harvard library materials
Application Goals (the biggest focus of this module)
-be able to formulate good research questions
-demonstrate the ability to effectively search the two online catalogs
-be able to evaluate three major databases and choose the appropriate one for starting journal article searches
-be able to assess additional library sources beyond the major databases for their appropriateness for different research problems
Integration Goals
We are at the very early part of thinking about what an online learning strategy would be for the libraries, but I think that ultimately one goal would be that various modules connect to each other in some way. So ideally whatever students learn in an introductory module could be built on in subsequent modules. In addition, I would want students to be able to integrate the content across their studies. Beyond that, I would like online library instruction to help students learn how to think about the data-and information-rich environments they will likely encounter in the rest of their careers and lives.
I’m not sure of this counts as a learning-how-to-learn goal or not, but I would like students to feel comfortable navigating various information-rich environments, but also to adopt a critical eye when looking at sources and information. But I also want them to know how to ask for help, too! I definitely don’t think they will get there directly from going through one online module, but what I would hope is that it would start them on their journey.
Hi Kris, Great first posts for the Instructional Design Elements course. Tackling online instruction in a huge university library system like Harvard’s is no small feat! It must be very overwhelming for new students to try to navigate through all the resources and dozens of libraries. Like you said, knowing where to get help may be one of the most important take-aways when interacting with students.
I am sure you are quite familiar with it, but definitely check out some of the PRIMO sites of the month during the past year. I am on the committee – and have been really impressed by some of the nominated sites this year. They are great inspiration for projects at my own institution!
Scaling back and chunking are the way to go, and it’s really hard (I’d say impossible) to do right the first time. It’s a constant struggle.
Rebecca – that’s great you’re on the PRIMO committee! We’ve got an activity in week 4 that will get the class going through the PRIMO database, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the discussions then.
Thanks for the heads up about the PRIMO sites. There is a lot of interesting stuff there!