- Design of the assignments
- Interactive content to engage learners
In this posting, I will focus on the design of the assignments.
Use Padlet for Self Introductions
This is the first time I tried the padlet tool in an online course. Instead of another text-based self intro posting, which students usually copy and paste from their previous courses, they can post images on padlet. I believe it's key to establishing a learning community.
(Source: Week 1)
Immersive Learning Experience
"Becoming an O" is a key assignment in this course which spans from week 1 to week 6. This assignment encourages students to get out of their comfort zone, and apply course concepts to a real life stereotype and prejudice experience. This project asks students to become a member of a non-dominant group for at least two hours. In Week 6, students are asked to use Voicethread to present their experiences.
- The group you selected and the event/activity you participated in, including the date and time.
- Your assumptions about the group before the exercise.
- Your assumptions about yourself before the exercise.
- A brief description of the situation/activity/event in which you participated.
- Your feelings during the exercise as a minority member of the group.
- Ways in which your perceptions about this group or activity have now changed.
- How being a member of a dominant OR non-dominant group for a significant part of your life affected your own development.
VoiceThread Assignment
To help students learn to use VoiceThread to present their Immersive Learning Experience in Week 6, we intentionally built in another VoiceThread activity in week 2, where students need to complete a fillable PDF document and present the document in VoiceThread. This is a low stake activity. VoiceThread provides a nice platform for them to review and respond to each other's work.
Case Studies
Case studies are heavily used in this course. In Week 3, students are asked to pick one of the three scenarios for analysis. I chose the content presentation function in H5P to present the case scenarios.
In Week 7, students participate in a case discussion via padlet. There are four questions listed on padlet. Each will choose two of them to respond to. Padlet provides an easy-to-follow visual organizer for the discussion postings.
Multimedia Assignment
In Week 4, students are free to choose a format for the assignment. It can either be a short paper (500-750 words) or slide show (8-10 slides) or video (3-5 minutes). Incorporate at least two concepts from course discussions or materials into this assignment.
Tasks: For this assignment, engage cultural dialog about race, identity, difference and equity. Challenge yourself to “go there” by practicing deep listening to others’ experiences. Produce a reflection about the experience and what you learned. Choose one of the following prompts or propose your own:
- Interview a family member or friend about their identity journey (immigration, family tree, personal transition, etc).
- Arrange a conversation with trusted friends about a current diversity and inclusion issue you know about (such as college admissions practices, the ongoing relevance of #metoo and #blacklivesmatter, etc.) Seek understanding, not consensus.
- Watch a film or documentary with someone of a different identity. Choose a film related to diversity and inclusion, justice or cultural differences. Discuss yours and your partner’s respective responses to the film. See Kanopy database for excellent films.
