Getting information

A lot of the ways we can confirm that our instructional designs will work as we hope will come from our own experience as an educator. The more lessons we have planned and run, the more courses we have designed, and the more learning experiences we have facilitated the better we will be able to predict how effective particular instructional designs will be.

That said, there are ways we can go about gaining additional confirmation or confirmation in situations where we might have less experience. This can be particularly useful when it comes to online teaching and learning as everyone is developing experience in this field, and no one is yet a complete expert.

• A good way to ensure everything is running as it should during the confirmation stage of the ICCEE Model is to tap into expert advice. Consulting professionals in the field of instructional design and online teaching and learning, as well as our colleagues and peers, can be invaluable. Their insights can help make your design even more powerful and engaging.
• Another way to make sure the confirmation stage goes smoothly is to give the design a go. Run through the design yourself, or with someone else, to make sure that everything works as it sho. This is especially important with online teaching and learning, where there are often technical elements that need to be checked in advance.
• It’s also a good idea to ask students – whether they’re already enrolled in the course or they’re new – for their thoughts. This can help you spot potential issues before the course officially gets underway, and make sure your design meets everyone’s needs.
• Finally, running a pilot is a great way to get feedback and make sure everything is running as it should. Try out the course with a small group of students to see how it goes, and use the results to make further improvements before the course is opened to a wider audience.

Reflection Questions

What techniques can you make use of to confirm your instructional designs for online learning?

Do you have colleagues, peers, or friends who can help you?

Can you involve students in designing their own learning experiences?

Are there small parts of your instructional designs you could test?

Are there particular technologies you could run a trial of?