Credit: Three semester hours

Time: 7:00-9:30 PM Wednesday

Location: Satterlee 300

Purpose: Students in this course select an appropriate topic, and create an instructional project.  This course serves as a opportunity for students to apply an instructional design model to the development of an instructional project.   Students in this course will work individually to complete their instructional project.

Requirements:

Design Plan: By the 3rd week of classes, the students must have a submitted and approved design plan that outlines the development process from start to finish.  Elements of this plan in include resources required, a timeline, and which instructional design model(s) (such as Rapid Prototyping)will be followed.

Weekly Journal: Each week students are required to submit via e-mail a journal outlining what has been accomplished in that week.  This includes production updates as well as any design changes.

Usuability Plan: Mid-semester each student must submit a usability plan (including usability instruments).

Usability Report: A report of the usability findings and how they will be incorporated in to the redesign of the project is due within two weeks of the completion of the usability testing.

Production Report: At the end of the semester, a comprehensive report is to be submitted.  This report outlines the analysis, design, development and production of the project.  Plans for implemention, or a report of current implementation efforts is also required.

Final Project: The actual final project is also due at the end of the semester.

Attendance: Students must attend class on days in which assignments are due.  Students must also report their progress in their journals on a weekly basis.  Attendance is optional on all other days (provided the progress journal is sent via e-mail).

Plagiarism: This course adheres to the College's policy on academic honesty as stated in the Undergraduate Catalog. Plagiarism may lead to grade reduction, course failure, or expulsion from school.

Students with disabilities: Any student with a disability needing academic adjustments or accommodations should speak with the professor as early as possible.  Students with disabilities should also contact: Sharon House, Coordinator of Accommodative Services at 267-3267, Sisson 112, or e-mail her at housese@potsdam.edu for further assistance.  All disclosures will remain confidential.

Course Schedule: (subject to change as needed)
 

Date:	Topic: (Note: No class sessions for days indicated in RED; Mandatory class for days with greeen ***)
1/19	***Introduction, outline of syllabus, outline of instructional development process and course requirements.***
1/26	Draft of Design Plan due.
2/2	***Design Plan must be approved by this date. Mandatory Attendance***
2/9	In class time for project development
2/16	No Class - AECT Conference
2/23	In class time for project development.
3/1	No Class - Winter Break
3/8	No Class - Game Developers Conference
3/15	***Usability Plan must be approved by this date.***
3/22	In class time for project redesign/development.
3/29	***Usability Test Report Due.***
4/5	In class time for project redesign/development.
4/12	No Class - Spring Break
4/19	In class time for project redesign/development.
4/26	***Production Report Draft Due.***
5/3	In class time for project development.
5/10	***Final Production Report Due.***

Grading:
Design Plan - 50 points
Usability Plan - 50 points
Usability Report - 50 points
Production Report - 50 points
Weekly Journal - 50 points
Instructional Project - 50 points.

270-300 points 4.0
255-269 points 3.5
240-254 points 3.0
225-239 points 2.5
210-224 points 2.0
195-209 points 1.5
180-194 points 1.0

Frequently Asked Questions:

Question)  I have a question about the Usability plan.  I don't really understand what it is.  I probably have already done one, at
least mentally, but am not quite sure exactly what it is that you want.

Answer) A Usability Plan is a part of Formative Evaluation (which includes other types of review, including expert review).  Especially if your project has elements of curriculum design, you should have an expert review what you have developed for feedback.  This is not usability testing, but part of a formative evaluation.

If your project is more product oriented (computer-based or traditional), you should include the following in your Usability Plan:
-A description of who will be participating (usually your target audience).
-A description of the setting in which they will be performing their various tasks.
-What tasks they will perform (included in a list)

Question) What is the difference between a Usability Plan and a Usability Report?

Answer) The Usability Report reports on what happened during the usability test (which was planed for in the Usability Plan), including a task by task breakdown of how the person performed, and what they said/did as they performed, as well as your actions taken as a designer based on their actions/responses.  Additionally, answers to any questions posed should be listed, as well as actions take based on them.  The following is the 'meat' of the Usabiliity Report:
Task-(Open the template file from the desktop, for example.)
What happened-The participant clicked on the open file command from the file menu, but then couldn't find the desktop.
Actions taken-The instructions were modified to include directions for navigating to the desktop.

In the case of questions, a similar format should be followed:
Question - (Did you find the program easy to navigate?, for example)
Answer - Yes, except the bit about selecting my favorite color, that seemed a bit confusing.
Actions taken - The colors were removed from a pull-down menu and separate as separate choices.

Examples of web-based Final Projects from previous semesters:

Fred Donato (Potsdam, Fall 1999) Converted Curriculm: Module 7 Online
http://www.carthage-k12-ny.org/module7online/index.htm

Mike Phillips (Potsdam, Fall 1999) Distance Learning Course: Human Origins-An Introduction to Physical Anthropology http://www.student.potsdam.edu/phill274/HOindexpage.htm

Mike Donahue (Walden, Summer 1999) Creating Multimedia Presentations on Weather for Concurrent Curriculum Use: An Internet Based Instructional and Tutorial Unit
http://home.att.net/~miked1613/weapages/index.html

John W. Hayes (Walden, Summer 1998) Providing Hypermedia Instruction and Resources for Teachers and Students to Facilitate Constructivist Projects http://www.northside.isd.tenet.edu/neffww/HCard/INDEX.HTML

Office Information:
E-mail: betrusak@potsdam.edu
Office: Satterlee Hall 216
Phone: (315) 267-2670
Office Hours: M,W 12:45-1:45; T, TH 4:30-5:30 or by appointment.

This page created January 19, 2000.  Last updated January 19, 2000.