A Topic of Interest
I am interested in empowering teachers in online, asynchronous settings. This interest is derived from my passion for accessible and individualized learning. Given these interests, I'd like my research topic to relate to instructional design strategies. The question I've drafted and would like to answer is, "Which instructional design strategies most effectively increase student engagement in asynchronous online courses." My most immediate goal would be practical in nature: I teach an asynchronous class and would love to find better ways to design my instruction. One way I think I could improve my research question would be to select a specific course and class of students (e.g. first year undergraduate students or grad students) to study.
Brynn, I feel like this is very polished and clear already, so you've definitely done your research and followed our textbook's outline! I think this is a great topic to look more into, especially having an interest in it already, and it's a topic that's very relevant to today's methods of learning. Now the next step would be thinking about how you'd go about getting the information you're needing. This could be from your own experience, or work already done by others, or by asking teachers around you who have online classes what they've seen. You definitely have your work cut out for you, but it'll be an interesting exploration I'm sure. I remember from the textbook it does say to choose a group of "test subjects" who you think would best represent the larger population at whole. Deciding between grad or undergrad students could be a good way to get the information you want that'll accomplish that or possibly a mix between the two and see if there are any differences there. But very solid and great start! I need this level of focus haha.
ReplyDeleteTopic: Instructional Design
ReplyDeleteGoal: Understand what design strategies increase student engagement in asynchronous learning
Questions: What instructional designs are least effective at engaging students? What methods do student engage with most often? How do students feel about the instructional methods being used?
Type: Evaluative
Methods: Interview, Observation, Review Canvas analytics