Wk8: Capstone Project Submission

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Capstone Project Submission Presentation

Instructional Design Document (IDD)

Direct Link

Direct link to course on LMS for peer review and feedback

Reflections on the Design Process

  • LMS: I chose Canvas for this project. It has all the functions I expect from my LMS to deliver the course. I worked with Articulate / Rise in the past, it is a great tool, but in terms of costs, it is not a viable option. I did not like the limitations of TalentLMS in the free version.
  • Process: As I completed the first 3 modules of this course three years ago, I had to update the LDT100-300 modules in the IDD, slowing me down in the beginning. There was no IDD back then. In addition, my capstone project was based on some work for a previous module. It was not fully aligned with the specific capstone course objectives, so I had to change the purpose to make it a better match.
  • Micro Lesson: Progressing through the course development, I had to change the purpose and outlines of the course several times. At the start, I planned to focus on a specific tool (Yoast SEO for WordPress) and tailored the content around its auto-evaluation feature. Accessibility concerns (setting up a functional WordPress environment for students) and time concerns (fitting all necessary modules into a micro lesson) finally led to this presented course.

Design Process Learnings

So what did I learn throughout this course? Find enclosed some of my many learnings.

  • Define the topic and purpose of the course as early as possible: Making fundamental changes to a course that is partially developed is extremely time-consuming. For my next projects, I will focus on designing the course before developing its modules.
  • Align instructions and rubrics/grading criteria: In order to avoid misunderstandings and enable students to successfully complete the course, I find it of great importance to be as clear as possible about the expectations.
  • Work precisely & accurately: Especially in regards to media, I sometimes added an image quickly to proceed but then lost more time to add metadata or alt-tags later. It is definitely a good practice to document all media information in one central place immediately.
  • Be clear about tools: It greatly benefits the course if most media are streamlined, e.g. that all videos are made with the same setup. For this course, I was eager to try out new tools. But if I were to design a course in the future, I would plan my tools carefully and stick to my selection.
  • Read assignments and rubrics carefully: I produced an entire screencast including a presentation in vain because I did not read the instructions carefully. The result was a nice video about the entire course, but the video should focus on just one module!
  • Know your LMS: Knowing your tool can be very beneficial for effective course creation. During this capstone project, I learned many things about how to work with Canvas. The tutorials and online materials were really helpful. For instance, I had to look up how you can make use of buttons in the canvas editor, or how to change the navigation sidebars of the course for the students

How would I improve My course?

I have many ideas on how to improve my course.

  • Improve the audio quality of screencasts by using a better microphone.
  • Improving my presentor skills, especially by trying to avoid filler words
  • Improving the background and environment settings for headshots
  • Add video overviews for each module
  • Add videos/presentations to all lessons
  • Improve the design of the lessons and especially quizzes by adding media elements (decorative icons, images etc.)
  • Provide more additional web resources for self-study (guidelines, SEO tool information etc.)
  • Create follow-up courses which connect to the modules and further explain the topics

Instructional Design Document Capstone Project

The provided IDD document is useful for the purpose of the course, but when presenting it to executives or a design team, I would narrow down the topics and completely remove the ‘timeline’ approach from the original IDD.

As for the information provided, I would present it in a more general way:

  • starting with the Analysis of the Learning Gap, providing a solution and executive summary
  • outlining the learning and instructional design methodology
  • following up with the details of the course, including the syllabus, course outlines
  • closing with the quality assurance method to be used

Presenting the project to a design team

Identify Main Issue & Learning Gap

Content teams are working on excellent content, but are not familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Target Audience & Learner Profile

  • Writers looking for a practical course on SEO
  • Writers wanting to elevate their skills by learning SEO copywriting
  • Bloggers who want to SEO-optimize their blog copy
  • Freelancers wanting to learn how to construct compelling content

Executive Summary

  • Purpose of Training: The purpose of this training is to enable authors to create SEO-optimized posts for the company blog.
  • Problem to be solved: Content teams are working on excellent content, but are not familiar with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In consequence, editorial workflows are slowed down and resources are wasted, e.g. by forcing senior editors or external SEO service providers to rework all content pieces before release.
  • Methods: High-end SEO optimization is an art, but basic SEO optimization can be easily measured by specific key criteria, and ideal circumstances to create an optimized and effective training solution.
  • Results of Analysis:
    • Training the team on key aspects of SEO will save resources and provide the following benefits
    • Editorial workflows become more direct and efficient, saving time and resources
    • Content Quality increases
    • Target Audiences will be reached better
    • Freelance SMEs and authors will improve their skills
    • Senior Editors can focus on more important tasks
  • Recommendation: Above mentioned benefits can be achieved with a cost-effective, optimized online training course with measurable outcomes.

Terminal Learning Objective

By the end of the, the learner will be able to ….

  • Create search engine-optimized blog posts.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Choose the right focus keyword for their content
  • Write an SEO title and meta description that will help their content rank well in search engines
  • Use internal and external links effectively to improve their content’s SEO

Learning Model

Understanding by Design was the principled model to choose for this particular course. Training outcomes are very precise and measurable in this skill-related training. Therefore it was the most effective to design the course from the objectives and create learning activities that will lead students to the desired results.

Learning Theory

This training is directed at adults. All learning outcomes are measurable and skill-related. Therefore, principles of Andragogy and Behaviorism both benefited the course.

  • Andragogy: The course was designed to be relevant to the needs and interests of adult learners. The course was designed to be self-paced and self-directed. Adult learners can work through the course at their own pace and in their own time. (apart from the due dates at the end of the course)
  • Behaviorism: The course provides clear instructions, feedback and reinforcements to adult learners. For example, students are given practice exercises to complete throughout the course. These exercises allow students to practice the skills they are learning and to receive feedback from the instructor.

Syllabus

Go to the complete syllabus of this course

Green Light – How to SEO optimize your blog posts

In this course, you will create an SEO-optimized blog post to demonstrate your knowledge of search engine optimization (SEO).

Course Objectives

This course will teach web authors how to optimize content for search engines. Topics covered will include:

  • Basics of SEO and Focus Keywords
  • SEO titles and meta descriptions
  • Inbound and outbound links

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

  • Choose the right focus keyword for content
  • Write an SEO title, meta description, headings and body content that will help content rank well in search engines
  • Use inbound and outbound links effectively to improve content’s SEO
  • create an SEO-optimized blog posts

Course Outline

  • Lesson 1: Introduction to SEO and how to choose a focus keyword
    • What is SEO?
    • How does SEO work?
    • The importance of SEO for web authors
    • What is a focus keyword?
    • How to find the right focus keyword
    • How to use your focus keyword effectively
  • Lesson 2: Writing an SEO title and meta description
    • What is an SEO title?
    • What is a meta description?
    • How to write an SEO title and meta description that will help your content rank well in search engines
  • Lesson 3: Using internal and external links
    • What are internal links?
    • What are external links?
    • How to use internal and external links effectively to improve your content’s SEO

Assessment

Participants will be assessed on their knowledge of the material covered in the course through several quiz, assignments and a final practical exam.

Prerequisites

  • Access to Internet
  • Computer / Laptop
  • Experience in writing online content is a plus, but not mandatory
  • All course materials are presented in English.

Instructor

The course will be taught by a qualified SEO expert with experience in helping web authors improve their content’s SEO.

Schedule

The course will be held over three consecutive online lessons.

Location

Online.

Cost

The course is free.

Enrollment

This course has enabled open enrollment. Students can self-enroll in the course:

Direct link to course on LMS for peer review and feedback

Course Link: https://canvas.instructure.com/courses/7691242

Student Login:

  • Username: GrifflLDT 400x
  • Password: ).,b,v,kwsdF98B

Student Engagement

Quizzes

  • Focus Keyword Knowledge Check
  • How to effectively use your focus keyword
  • In- and outbound Links in SEO

Discussions

  • Ask a question
  • What are some of the challenges of choosing the right focus keyword?
  • How to use your focus keyword effectively

Assignments

  • Create a SEO optimized blog post around a long-tail focus keyword of your choice
  • Create a SEO optimized blog post & Peer Review
  • Add in- and outbound links to your blog post & Peer Review

Final Assignment*

  • Final submission of your blog SEO-optimized blog post

Digital Content Development, Creative Commons

Audio Visual

Compliance

  • Attributions and copyright information are added for all media elements.
  • Some elements of the course were generated with the following tools.
    • Some of the presentations used for screencasts were generated based on my script with gamma.app (watermark displays attribution)
    • Screencast were performed with Screencastify

Quality Assurance

The course was thoroughly evaluated and improved using the OSCQR Course Design Review method. I modified the review document alongside my changes.

Some of the improvements made were:

  • Optimizing the Syllabus (e.g. Requirements, Requisites, Schedule)
  • Adding a course information page that breaks down the syllabus in a more digestible format
  • Adding PDF versions of the syllabus for download
  • Audience profile and technical requirements specified in greater detail
  • Accessibility standards were improved, e.g. the provided PDF
  • Instructions for all activities were improved
  • Alt-tags of media were improved

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