Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Moving Academic Support Services And Resources Online: Lessons Learned, Alyssa Darden

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

As Franklin University shifted to all remote services in mid-March of 2020 due to COVID, our Learning Commons support services of library, academic support, and testing worked quickly to provide equitable services in an online environment. Services pivoted by offering only online tests proctored by ProctorU, moving all tutoring appointments to the online model, and a dedicated focus to of preferring library acquisitions in e-content only format.

Higher Education – Just How High Is It?, Matthew Barclay

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Some people argue that the nature and purpose of education is to gain a broad range of knowledge. Unfortunately, higher education programs and courses are often afflicted with the myopia of knowledge, or even just brief encounters with it, above everything else. I don’t think knowledge alone represents the true heights of “higher education.”

Practice: An Essential Supporting Cast Member Of Outcomes-Based Instruction, Matthew Barclay

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

I love good movies. Most of us do. Movies represent a complex combination of many elements combined by filmmakers to deliver a viewing experience to the audience that can be very moving, endearing, and memorable. Or the movie can fall flat, or just be mediocre.

Among all the elements that go into moviemaking, the lead talent is key to the success of a show. But so is the supporting talent.

Evaluation: The Bright, Illuminating Principle Of Teaching And Learning, Matthew Barclay

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

A few years ago, the planet Pluto was downgraded to “dwarf planet” status. Pluto is a small body made up of rock and ice, located billions of miles from the sun (Nasa, 2012). In other words, it’s a cold and rocky place, of little significance, far from the center of the system. This sounds like a description of evaluation in the realm of teaching and learning—at least a description of how evaluation is often treated.

Creative Design: Asking “What Is It Like” And “Who Cares?”, Matthew Barclay

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

How do we put creativity into academic courses without getting irrelevant or distracting? Creative design is somewhat of a holy grail in many industries, and this is certainly true in the area of teaching and learning. As designers and consumers of instruction, we seek creativity.

Encouraging Non-Native English Speakers In The Classroom, Marivic Lesho

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

International students are a vital part of the community at American universities. There are innumerable benefits to this intercultural exchange, but for students to have the best experience, instructors need to be prepared to address certain language-related challenges.

Foster Inclusion By Focusing On Student Names, Brandy Bagar-Fraley

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

“To teach in a manner that respects and cares for the souls of our students,” writes bell hooks, “is essential if we are to provide the necessary conditions where learning can most deeply and intimately begin” (hooks, 1994, p. 13). An inclusive and equitable classroom is a manifestation of that respect and care. Instructors who deliberately cultivate an environment in which all students feel acknowledged and valued can reduce barriers to success and give all students the opportunity to flourish (Office of Planning, Evaluation, and Policy Development, 2016; Walton & Cohen, 2007). And there are many small, but significant, alterations …

Start With Equity To Achieve Equality In The Classroom, Meghan Raehll

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

“…the direction in which education starts a man, will determine his future life.” – Plato, The Republic, Book IV.

As educators, we anchor our teaching principles in the values of equality and fairness to ensure the success of our students. Yet, layered atop the grounding ideals of equal opportunity for all students is the rugged reality in which, we too, as educators have emerged from our own specific contexts and carry with us deeply embedded beliefs that may transcend intentional thought. These specific contexts may, further, lead to unconscious stereotypes known as “implicit bias,” and can be detrimental to the …

Develop A Communicating And Reporting Plan For Useful Evaluation, Jessie Kong

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Stakeholders are key for useful evaluation! Develop a communicating and reporting plan to actively interact with your stakeholders throughout the evaluation process.

An Instructional Design Primer, Rob Wood

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Much has been written in this forum about instructional design; however, for some followers, the primary concepts and principles of instructional design may yet be relatively new. The goal of this post is to provide a little history and a few highlights about the practice of instructional design with an emphasis on higher education.

The Secret To Successful Projects (Hint: It’S The People), Kevin Stoker

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

A project team collaborating There are literally thousands upon thousands of books, articles, blogs, seminars, and airplane banner ads that can teach you how to manage and complete a project. Many of them are excellent and are recommended reading for anyone wanting to become a project manager, to improve as a project manager, or for anyone who just wants to get stuff done. (The airplane banner is not one of these recommendations, but kudos to that person for thinking outside the box.)

Introducing The Learning Lounge Podcast, Joel Gardner

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

At Franklin University’s International Institute for Innovative Instruction, we design and develop learning experiences for students and clients all over the world. From clarifying learning goals and shaping a learning strategy to integrating quality content and creating effective materials, this work can be complex. Instructional media is one of these components, and if done right, it can increase learning and make a course more engaging. In my experience, however, creating quality media can be difficult, especially when working with teams of faculty, staff, and instructional designers who are dealing with heavy workloads and competing priorities.

Enter Bradd Birmingham, the Director …

Why Is It Difficult To Measure The Roi Of A Training Program?, Jessie Kong

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Many organizations spend a lot of money to provide training programs to improve their performance in today’s competitive environment. Since investment in training programs has been increasing, upper management want to justify the actual costs and benefits of training programs for their various stakeholders.

Why Study Human Performance Technology?, Joel Gardner

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Many instructional design programs, including Franklin’s master of Instructional Design and Learning Technology, include a course on Human Performance Technology (HPT). However, very often, when I work with students or instructional designers who are learning about HPT, they fail to see the connection between instructional design and HPT. In this video, I explain my perspective on why HPT is critical for learning professionals, including instructional designers.

Baby Steps Toward Sleep: Using Instructional Design In Everyday Life, Carolyn Levally

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

As a mom to a little girl who will be turning one shortly, I’ve realized that I’ve quite suddenly become a teacher of basic life skills for her – how to eat, how to go to sleep, how to walk, etc. For the first few months of her life, I used a cold hard approach to teaching some of these skills, such as “let’s just put a bottle in her mouth and hope that she takes it.” When this tactic failed miserably, I started considering applying instructional design to my teaching strategy, especially the concept of “chunking” learning. Having worked …

That’S What Friends Are For, Stephanie Theessen

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Remember in kindergarten, sitting next to your buddy on the carpet squares? Eating goldfish with a friend at snack time? Running around the playground with whoever seemed fun? There was plenty of time for friends. Of course, making friends gets tougher as we get older, but as the old adage says, “Everything I ever needed to know, I learned in kindergarten,” and one of the most important things we all learned was, “be a good friend!”

As adults, friends are just as important to our health and well-being as they were when we were children. Not only in our personal …

Training For Hlc Peer Reviews, Yuerong Sweetland

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

In this article, I would like to share my experiences from the HLC (Higher Learning Commission) Peer Review training that I completed in October 2017.

Modeling: Online Students Need Demonstrations, Too, Matthew Barclay

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

How many times have you seen children pretending to be their sports heroes while playing basketball or soccer? How many teens or adults have you seen wearing a movie star’s hairstyle or adopting the clothes of another favorite celebrity? How often have you observed people mimicking media personalities in voice, gestures, sayings, etc.? Have you ever found yourself doing something because someone else did it and you thought it was a great idea? Of course you have. Whether it was beneficial or damaging in the long run, you have most likely done something only because someone you esteemed did it.

Helping Students Become Better Writers Inside And Outside Of Tutoring Appointments, Natalie Kopp

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Writing tutors provide invaluable resources to students, but writing help can come from all levels of student support on campus, not just in tutoring appointments. I spoke with Elisha Teague, the Assistant Director of Learning Resources at Franklin University, and Shurouq Ibrahim, one of Franklin’s professional writing tutors, to discuss how they help students in the Learning Commons and what we can all do when working with students or course material to help foster stronger and more confident student writers.

Quantifying Creativity: A Left-Brain Approach To Learning Objectives, Rob Wood

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

I am a teacher. I love the time when the proverbial light goes on in a student’s mind and a theory or concept or method or technique suddenly makes sense. I witness the moment that a few sparks of knowledge kindle a fire of learning.

Teaching Abroad: Ensuring A Good Opportunity Is Really Great!, Garry Mcdaniel

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

With increased globalization, more colleges and universities are establishing faculty exchanges, study abroad programs, collaborative research efforts, and technical assistance programs with counterparts overseas. The result is enhanced faculty development, increased learning for students, added revenue generation, and prestige for the partnering institutions. For faculty, the opportunity to teach abroad can be a fulfilling and career-enhancing experience. However, if faculty are inadequately prepared and supported, valuable time and resources are wasted, student learning is impacted, and the image of the institution and faculty member may suffer. This post examines how faculty and their home institutions can ensure that teaching abroad …

Tips For Effective Collaboration With Subject Matter Experts, Tasha Weaver

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) are critical members of any course design team, for their contributions to both the course content and the cost of the project (Bedell, 2018). A SME can identify and prioritize the content needed to address critical course learning objectives, and she can do this efficiently, saving the designer hours of research. The question is: how can you, as the designer, best partner with the SME to create an effective learning experience for students? The following presents some tips and best practices for collaboration.

How Much Work To Assign In Our Courses?, Jesse Fuhrman

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

No matter what type of course we are designing, we have to keep in mind how much time we are expecting learners to spend. When thinking about time expectations, there are a number of things to consider, beginning with the expectation set by those who are asking for the course or training module.

De-Stressing At Work, Jeannie Black

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

As a member of a high-performing, deadline-driven team, it is important to manage everyday workplace stress as well as develop strategies to increase concentration. There are many ways to de-stress, but music is my balm of choice. Some of my other favorites include doing anything artistic (think: painting or photography), along with reading. Some people practice breathing exercises or will walk around a bit as well. Of course, there are many other ways to de-stress, but doing so at work can be tricky.

Graduate Assistant Experience At The Institute - An Interview With Amie Tope, Amie Tope

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Amie Tope, 2018 graduate of Franklin University’s Master of Science in Instructional Design & Learning Technology (IDLT) program, recently sat down for an interview with the IDLT program chair, Dr. Yi Yang. Amie not only graduated with a 4.0 GPA and gave a speech at the Winter 2018 Commencement—she also accepted a job offer before she graduated from the program! During this interview, she talks about her experience working as a graduate assistant for the International Institute for Innovative Instruction (the Institute), and offers suggestions for future graduate assistants.

Bridging Learners And Clients: Challenges And Strategies, Xiaopeng Ni

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

As discussed in my previous post, “Clients as an Instructional Resource,” integrating clients into the curriculum is promising and potentially innovative. A client-based course emphasizes a pedagogical orientation to gain real-word experience through meeting the “expressed needs” from the outside of the classroom. Students create impactful work, collaborate with clients, and sense professional culture. During the past several months, by collaborating with other faculty members, I had opportunities to implement some of these ideas in two graduate courses: Marketing Communication Planning and Instructional Design Capstone. The results, based on students’ feedback, are positive and well demonstrate its pedagogical values.

Interactive Textbooks: What The Future Holds, Natalya Koehler

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Many educational publishing companies are creating digital textbooks, and like their traditional print counterparts, e-texts can be expensive. The common complaint about commercial textbooks is their high cost. Between 2006 and 2016, the prices of textbooks used in higher education increased by 73 percent (Senack & Donoghue, 2016).

Do You Apply Learning Theories To Your Online Course?, Jessie Kong

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Emerging technology is changing almost every aspect of our lives. As a result, we should not be surprised that new technology has an impact on how people learn. The development of online learning has rapidly increased through the advancement of technology. Indeed, technology is a powerful tool for instruction—it helps students actively engage in class activities, collaborate with their peers, and develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Of course, technology can also save time and money by delivering online instruction anytime and anywhere. Therefore, we cannot ignore the use of technology that can create many instructional strategies and activities.

The Emotional Roller Coaster Of Getting Stuff Done, Kevin Stoker

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Getting things done is both daunting and empowering…and sometimes overwhelming. It’s likely rare that you have too little to do. Every day you look at that pile of work on your desk or the 500 emails that you need to respond to and you wonder how you’ll get through it. When you look at the totality of the things you need to accomplish it can sometimes feel like the weight of the world is on your shoulders. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

What International Teaching Has Taught Me About Instructional Design, Niccole Hyatt

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

As instructional designers, we rarely get an opportunity to interact with the learners who actually experience what we develop. We typically rely on learner evaluations, input from teaching faculty, or future enrollment numbers as evidence of positive instructional design interventions. However, there are many reasons why learning events succeed or fail. If a course is well designed, but the instructor is not up to par, can we blame the development of the course? What if the designer of a particular course is also the individual who teaches it? Taking it a step (or a flight) further, what if the class …