An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

by Matt Bury -
Number of replies: 5
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Hi,

I had this idea/concept for a framework for prototyping learning activities. Thinking about how learning activity modules are composed at a more abstract level, they tend to use very similar components, e.g. text input, file upload & embed, grading, commenting, rating, etc. Moodle's mod_form.php kind of works on this idea already, but what if we made it more abstract? What if we could compose learning activities like making a pizza with different toppings? We could specify different combinations of content display and user input and interaction (modular sub-activities) and specify how they interact with each other and how they feed into assessment, grading, and feedback.

This is what we do when we create new activity modules but what if we could create new activities from already existing sub-activities, with their own DB tables, e.g. a single comments DB table that can have an ID specified to associate those comments with a particular activity module and its instances, as opposed to developers having to create new DB tables for each new activity module.

Does this make sense? Would it be workable?

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

by Derek Chirnside -

Several things Matt:

  1. In principle, yes, this would be great.
  2. What about Lesson? does this do this?
    Lesson is too complex for the settings I need.
  3. I have been thinking about this very thing for a project I have on, induction of new employees.  I've just written a comment a few minute ago in a random off topic post: https://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=230744#p1002190
    In summary, I wondered if a combination of checklist plugin and conditional release would do it.

But it needs to be easy to visualise, change and use.

Also, have you seen LAMS?

-Derek

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In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

by Matt Bury -
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Hi Derek,

Kind of but I mean at a more granular level. It wouldn't be another activity module plugin but an abstraction of the elements that make up activities in general. For example, we might have separate DB tables for the various elements that make up activities and then they are instatiated and associated within an activity. For expediencies sake, we might have some activity "presets" that would make up particularly successful combinations of elements, e.g. discussion forum preset (HTML input element + rating element), or Glossary preset (HTML input element + comment element + text filter element), with rules about who can and when they can create, edit, re-edit, delete, rate, etc., who grades/scores/gives feedback and how and how that feeds into assessment and grading (grade book).

It would be a radical reorganisation of how an LMS would work, not something that I'm proposing to implement in Moodle, which is why I posted it in the social and not in the developer forum. Call it a tentative intellectual exercise that might serendipitously turn out some useful ideas. Who knows where these discussions may lead?

 

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

by Russell Waldron -

Hey Matt, sounds interesting.

Especially if it recommends/promotes elements/combinations relevant to answers to the fundamental instructional design questions:

  1. What is the purpose of the course? (the utility of the course to the learners)
  2. What are the intended learning outcomes? (specific desired change in performance of the learners)
  3. What type of activity by the learner could provide evidence of that learning? (typically called assessment)
    1. Presets or recommendations are really vital here. It is not trivial to pick constraints that make an assessment task reliable, relevant, equitable and reasonable.
  4. What experiences or activities contribute to learner readiness? (traditionally activities and feedback, but becoming much more integrated, social, and emergent)
    1. This is where the presets or prompts you describe have great value.
    2. It would be great if the preset combinations included some of the tried-and-true arcs (narrative patterns) of role-playing or achievement games; including the timing of variations in difficulty and success indicators or awards.
  5. What information will the learner need to access in those experiences, when, when, and with what process or medium?
    1. The scaffolding you suggest would help integrate this with activities.

The LAMS people had a bit of a go at this.

Regards,

Russell

 

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In reply to Derek Chirnside

Re: An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

by Matt Bury -
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Thinking about the Lesson module, yes, I can see what you mean about making an activity design interface intuitive, visual, and easy to manage. Perhaps some kind of drag'n'drop diagram editor?

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In reply to Matt Bury

Re: An idea for a learning activity prototyping framework...

by Frankie Kam -
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Hi Matt

Two words. Steve Jobs.

I was reading my ebook "Steve Jobs - the man who thought different". I discovered that Tim Beners-Lee used Steve Job's NeXT cube PC and the NeXT revolutionary software to write craft code that produced the world's first working HTML standard. Tim used the NeXT software which simplified the whole process (drag and drop me thinks). What we need is someone like the late Steve Jobs to create software that will simplify the whole process. Or we need to have someone with a design eye like the late Steve Jobs to redesign the Lesson of mod interfaces that will produce what you are envisaging. Begs the question doesn't it? What would Apple do if they were tasked with redesigning Moodle? Haha.

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