Sequencing of Instruction and Selection of Media > Activities

Activities

1. Sequencing of Instruction and Selection of Media

A good rule of thumb is to arrange the objectives in the order in which they will be taught which then also serves as an outline for the module. To do this, Russell (1974) suggests the following sequencing techniques:

	Sequencing techniques progress from:
1	concrete abstract
2	simple or elementary more complex manipulations/principles/understandings
3	isolated facts integrated principles or relationships
4	specific general
5	general specific
6	known unknown
7	beginning end (when teaching a process as this modular instruction does)

Once you have decided on the order (the sequence), you can decide which combination of instructional activities and media will maximize the learner’s opportunity to master the targeted objectives. The student then progresses through the module and completes the post-test, demonstrating sufficient mastery of all of the objectives. If the students are not successful, they can do the module again – a definite benefit of modular teaching – or remedial help can be offered at this point. The Centre for e-Learning at the University of Ottawa makes an online instructional guide available in its online courses for those looking to brush up on the basics about learning in an online environment.

Remember, there is no such thing as a single, ideal sequence since students differ significantly. If the students meet the objectives, then that means the sequence works.

The following structure that was used in these modules is loosely based on the modular structure proposed by Marquis and Lavoie in their book on modular teaching:

Structure	Description
First page of the module	Name of the module Abstract Estimated Working Time Prerequisite(s) Target Audience Name of the author of the module and any collaborators If a separate section is not provided for the following, the module can also include references used in its making and how to cite the online module
Introduction	Contains the perceived purpose of the module: why it is important or meaningful for the learner to do (relevance, motivation). To help you with this, try answering the following: How can this be helpful to your students on the job? Learning this will make your students more efficient when they try to...
Objectives	The introduction leads into the general objective which provides an overview of what the student is going to learn in the module. The specific objectives can be split up into sub-objectives if the final objective is too complex and requires intermediate steps to get there. See the Objectives module for more detailed instructions on this topic.
Guidelines	Guidelines, in the form of technical explanations or general instructions for using the module, are particularly important in an online environment.
Pre-test	See the module on “Criterion Test Items” for details regarding Pre-test use and construction.
Instructional Activities	Subject matter is presented to the student in this section, followed up by an opportunity to practice the desired behaviour, and then feedback on how well the student performed is provided.
Post-test	See the module on “Criterion Test Items” for details regarding post-test use and construction.

Once the structure of your module is in place and you have sequenced the instruction and selected the appropriate media, it is a good idea to do a thorough search of existing materials that are readily available.

Media Preference Hierarchy (Russell, 1974)
	Concrete
1.	real-life experience	Russell (1974) highly encourages using as many concrete, real-life experiences as much as possible (e.g. handling bones, operating a microscope or performing an experiment).
2.	physical involvement with an artificial or simulated experience	If this is not possible, he suggests trying physical involvement with an artificial or simulated experience (such as a driver training simulator, role playing, mock-ups or models).
3.	actual observation	Next in his “media preference hierarchy,” would be an observation of the experience (like exhibits, field trips or demonstrations).
4.	audio/visual representation	When any of the above levels are impractical or not possible, students could be provided an indirect perception of the experience through audio-visual representation.
5.	just visual representation of the experience
6.	just audio representation of the experience
7.	reading a description of the experience	The two lowest levels of the hierarchy, which are the least desirable and the most abstract according to Russell, tend to be used the most in higher education. These include reading and finally hearing about the experience.
8.	hearing a verbal description of the experience
	Abstract

Russell suggests starting with real-life experiences – or the most concrete experiences – and only moving to the lower, more abstract, levels when it is not possible to present material supported by media chosen at a higher level.

With this preference for more concrete, supporting media in mind, media that was once used in a more traditional setting could be selected and then modified, where possible, for online use. Some examples of more traditional media and how they could be adapted for the Web include:

Media	Adapted for the Web
Printed Material	Documents that you would normally distribute to your students can be made available online. For instance, take a look at Russell’s (1974) Feasibility Study for Determining the Possibility of Using Modules in your Instructional Situation. It has been photocopied, written on and then converted to PDF (Portable Document Format). PowerPoint handouts and course notes are also a popular favourite in this format. Photos, diagrams, drawings now come in digital formats or are easily scanned in for use on the Web. As with any media, be sure to get copyright permission first before using any material that you do not own or have permission to put online.
Projected Media	Traditionally, projected media included things like slides, overheads, filmstrips, video and television programs. Although video presents some technical challenges, it is becoming easier to integrate into an online medium. Other solutions are also available. For instance, the model of the Systematic Design of Modular Instruction was a PowerPoint slide that was converted to Flash using a program called Screenflash.
Audio	Audio clips like tape recordings, CDs, MP3 or WAV files are typically smaller in file size than video making them easier to integrate into a module.
Real Objects	“Actual materials being discussed or studied should be available to the student whenever possible.” (Russell, 1974, p. 71)
Human Interaction - instructor-student - student-student - subject-matter - expert-student	Depending on the objectives for a given module and the learning styles of the target audience, it can be a very good idea to incorporate human interaction through online discussion forums, chats, email, etc. since modular teaching emphasizes individual learning and can be far too isolating for learners not well suited to self-instruction.

Various factors, such as the availability and cost of the media, should also be taken into consideration since these factors may limit the types of media you eventually choose.

Further Reflection and Application

Think of one or two instructional activities you currently do in your face-to-face teaching and explain how you would modify it for an online environment.