Group items tagged

eLearningLearning website contains various resources regarding instructional design, ADDIE, eLearning, etc. Check out  for some creative ideas and inspiration! 

An article by M. David Merrill's on the First Principles of Instruction he developed to be used as an instructional theory. Gives a thorough description of his instructional principles and how he feels they should be applied.

Every Thursday evening, 8:30 ET, 5:30 PT, there's a great fun live gathering on Twitter called #lrnchat. It's a fast free-for-all organized around a theme, like instructional design, virtual worlds, social learning, or e-learning myths, structured around 3 general questions. Topics will range from instructional design, training, education, etc. Begin by typing #lrnchat into the Twitter search box. If you'd like to get a look at who's likely to be there, and how the conversation will go, you can check out the transcripts. This a great way to be part of a discussion on an educational topic and great opportunity to build your network with other eLearning experts in the field...during the chat the live stream of tweets fly fast and furious!

Produced by the George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia is a website devoted to advancing education by sharing research and best practices on a wide range of instructional topics. Although focused on K-12 education, many of the topics also apply to higher education. The specific link cited above goes to the section of Edutopia focused on instructional technology in the classroom. In addition to providing an overview of how technology may be incorporated into education, this website provides a history of advances in the field, video commentary from educational experts, and research/best practices.

Another great source about constructing lesson plans

Study conducted that did not provide support nor negate the possibility of increased academic achievement with matched learning and teaching styles.

This website connects Flavell's and Brown's theories of metacognition, differentiates cognition from metacognition, and explores some interpersonal variables that may impact one's metacognitive abilities. It also touches upon metacognitive strategies in the classroom setting.

This is a quick reference for a general overview of metacognition.  It discusses 2 of the metacognitive phenomena as well as a brief introduction into cognitive strategy instruction.   

Dr. Stephen Chew is a professor and chair of psychology at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. He is a cognitive psychologist with interests in teaching strategies, formative assessment, and cognition & instruction. I have included brief descriptions of his video series below: Video series: "How to study long and hard and still fail… or how to get the most out of studying" Video #1: "Beliefs that make you stupid" 1. Learning is fast. 2. Learning isolated facts (note cards). 3. Fixed mindset. 4. Good at multi-tasking (while studying, i.e. texting, computer breaks, games, etc.) Video #2: Examined a study looking at "levels of processing." Study examines shallow v. deep processing, intent v. incidential exposure, and strict memorization. Group with deep processing (regardless of intent v. incidential) had the highest recall. Shallow = memorization. Deep = understanding, comprehending, applying, visualizing Video #3: Four ideas to achieve deep processing: elaboration (how does this relate?), distinction (how is this similar/different?), personal (how does this relate to experience?), appropriate retrieval and application (how am I expected to use or apply this concept?). Extent of use of each principle depends on professor style! Video #4: Study strategies: Ask questions! (facts [ok], relationships, compare/contrast, apply in new situation, apply to personal experience, etc.). Concept maps (visual learners?), Retrieve info in way teach expects (2 parts: recall without notes, use information). Also discusses note-taking, good highlighting. Video #5: Don't panic/deny failure. Evaluate exam preparation (lecture, required readings, study technique, etc.), review exam with professor, review notes!, talk with professor, develop revised study plan.

If you can get past the title, this website provides a wealth of information on the flipped classroom model, including how to create flipped videos, tips for classroom flipping, video hosting... there's even a "pay for play" function where you can get paid for your videos if they get picked up and used by other instructors. The website was created by Renato Cataldo, a pharmacy educator who now focuses on researching and developing instructional technology.

This website is a great resource for many aspects of instructional design. This specific page offers an overview of the four-level evaluation model, as well as a more modern approach to the traditional model.

This is a good review of the ADDIE model. What I found helpful are the videos describing each of the phases in detail. The videos are simple and easy to understand. When you are designing your instructional design project, this may be a helpful review of the ADDIE model.

I thought this article described these learning theories quite well, giving good comparisons between both and showing their similarities and differences. Good read in relation to this weeks topic, if you have some time!

While this instructor guide was written specifically for teachers at Furman University, it provides a lot of good information for teaching in general including instructions on how to get prepared to teach. It includes information on determining objectives, choosing course materials, outlining course procedures, and choosing methods of instruction-all things that are taken into consideration when creating a lesson plan.

I thought this was a very helpful article that describes the use of narratives (stories) in teaching. The article breaks down the basics as well as explains some of the science behind the use of stories in teaching.

An interesting article from 2002 that discusses the use of stories within our formal education to simulate the complexity of real-world issues.

This was a very helpful article for ideas on incorporating experiential learning into classroom activities. It outlines each step of Kolb's Experiential Learning Model, and ways to include these ideas into an instructional design

This website also presents comments on challenges to cater to different learning styles.

This website talks about challenge to cater to different learning styles.