E-Learning Design Principles and Methods

Course Information

Course Number

HCI Undergraduate: n/a
HCI Graduate: 05-823

Program Requirement

This is a required course for
METALS

Course Description

Good design is a continuous improvement process that combines scientific principles and data-driven methods to achieve desired outcomes. E-learning design is no exception. In this course, you will learn how to design innovative e-learning, that is, online interactions and technology that make learning more effective and efficient. You will practice instructional design using learning science theories and principles and learning engineering using data-driven methods to discover insights about how learners think. Instructional designers explain and use principles of learning and instruction such as proven ways to support learning-by-doing, like deliberate practice and self-explanation, and proven ways to support multimedia learning from text, visuals, and audio. They employ "backward design": designing and aligning learning goals, the assessments that measure them, and the instruction that achieves them. But today’s learning engineers do not simply design in sequence — goals then assessments then instruction — but are agile and iterative. They collect qualitative data, for example, by having an expert “think aloud” while performing one of their assessments and use the results to add or change goals. They collect and use quantitative data, for example, by mining learning data from online course interactions or by comparing alternative designs in an A/B experiment. By using data, learning engineers create innovative and effective designs unlike the results of others who rely on science and intuition alone. You will do so too in an end-to-end e-learning design project, where you develop an e-learning module of your choice, continuously improve it, and test it in an A/B experiment.

Course Learning Objectives

• Explain evidence for e-learning design principles for multimedia instruction, supporting learning by doing, and supporting metacognitive, motivation & dispositions.
• Explain steps and reasons for having e-learning design methods for Cognitive Task Analysis, assessment design, user/learner experience, and A/B experimental testing.
• Apply these principles and methods in e-learning course design, development, and evaluation.

Each of the 20 course modules has about 4 specific learning objectives. You can see them in the course slides and OLI modules.

 

Semester Offered and Units

Semester: Fall
Graduate: 12 units

Enrollment Requirements

To enroll you must either be in the Masters of Educational Technology and Applied Learning Science (METALS) program or get the instructor’s permission.

Prerequisites

Some prior experience in Psychology research, qualitative research methods, and/or end-user programming are desirable. You will be asked to read papers on psychology research on learning, engage in some qualitative research (e.g., expert or student interviews), and do some end-user programming in your project using some online development tool like Google Forms, OLI Torus https://oli.cmu.edu/torus/, Qualtrics, or HTML5. Some readings assume background in experimental design and statistical analysis.

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