Critical Reflection of Course Design
Course: Mediation Review Course
Instructional Designer: Karen Huffman
Introduction
As the Program Associate for The Resolution Center, I am responsible for coordinating the volunteer mediators in addition to case intake and program outreach. I chose to create and design a 10-week online Mediation Review course for UMUC DETT607 to assist The Resolution Center support our volunteer mediators and address their concerns associated with their performance during mediation. During monthly meetings, mediators would continuously voice their frustrations with particular events, aspects and theories connected with mediation and our agency struggled to give suitable and sufficient answers.
Context Analysis
I discussed the notion of conducting a needs assessment with the executive director of The Resolution Center who agreed that a system was needed to address mediator concerns and provide support outside our hours of operation. I was given the green light to conduct a needs assessment and quickly began to organize my approach. Initially, I found it difficult to comprehend and classify the various types of needs assessments and determine which was most appropriate for the situation. After discussion with classmates in the conference area provided within the web-based learning system used in DETT607, I decided that my principal focus of concern was on felt and anticipated needs of the mediation program.
A questionnaire and group meeting were determined to be the most appropriate forms of needs assessment and the data collected and observed represented seven areas of concern. After analyzing the answers, I conducted a goal analysis which narrowed the needs to be met by instruction to four: opening statement, “I” Statements, Triangulation, framing options, and open-ended questions. I found the goal analysis to be the easiest task during the needs assessment stage because I continuously discussed the desired instruction outcomes with staff and volunteer mediators. There were a couple of identified felt and anticipated needs that were determined to be inappropriate of online instruction due to the inability for such an occurrence to be taught. These needs were eliminated from the online course but utilized in other areas of in-house training.
A task analysis was appropriate due to the complex nature surrounding mediation terminology and a topic analysis was completed to organize and arrange the information collected. I outlined and broke down the crucial elements and conducted a critical incident analysis. This proved difficult because the mediators addressed specific incidences when they felt techniques learning in the initial 30-hour training did not adequately provide the tools necessary to handle a situation that came up during mediation. Some of the mediators were concerned about the confidentiality clause of mediation and felt uncomfortable discussing specific incidents. I had to be careful when designing questions to protect the confidentiality when describing their actions during the situation and having them reflect on the incident to provide information about what skills they felt would have supported them in such an incident. Lastly, learner characteristics and instructional objectives were identified to assist with the learning design of the course.
Learning Design
The learning design proved problematic because of the concept-related sequencing schemes and elaboration theory sequencing. The assigned textbook for DETT607 did not adequately define the concepts so I had to do outside research to ensure complete understanding of the schemes associated with learning design. While inputting information into Nighthawk I had to switch around the sequencing described in my initial learning design. I learned that the tactics conveyed through learning related sequencing proved to the most beneficial to the presentation of material to the Mediation Review Course because the notion of familiarity aided the instruction before progressing towards more complex and convoluted material.
The strategy design document proved to be the most useful part of the learning design when creating the course on Nighthawk because I was able to devise and then later use the lecture format and then design opportunities for the learners to participate in mental exercises. After conversing with other staff at The Resolution Center, I determined the lecture format to be the most vital part of instruction because the needs assessment indicated our mediators’ frustration with the lack of explanation during the initial 30-hour training. We participated in a conference call with the trainer of the initial training who we considered the subject matter expert (SME) in addition to our own expertise in the field of mediation. During the conversation with the SME, it was determined that in-depth discussion of topics through lecture, activities and assessment would be the most appropriate forms of material delivery.
Course Design
After addressing initial technological difficulties with the login and implementation of Nighthawk, I found the web-based system very user-friendly and easy to navigate. However, the experience proved to be much more labor-intensive and difficult than I expected. I do feel that the context analysis and learning design assignments provided scaffolding and prepared me for the overwhelming task of creating a course. While designing the course, I made connections between my personal, academic and professional life that enabled me to create a multi-faceted perspective of the presented material.
I used personal connections by asking myself “what would I like in an online course?” continuously throughout the experience of designing the course. Minor considerations such as font color and important considerations such as layout and presentation of material were considered and compared to my taste-level and my perception of what the mediators would visually appreciate. Academic connections were used because I based design and layout on previous online courses in which I participated as a student. I found the shift to instructional designer a bit overwhelming because I was confronted with a variety of choices and unlimited possibilities. I used professional connections by utilizing material I wrote for previous in-house trainings and transformed the material for suitable use online. Because of the experience I discovered that I operate best when given minor parameters and not 100% freedom in course design because of the irresistible urge to explore all available options, which was not feasible given the time restriction.
During the experience, I learned that instructional design is not only responsible for the attitude of the learners participating in the course, but also for the connections each learner makes with the material and their own thoughts and feelings. The students of The Mediator Review course analyzed, synthesized and justified their opinions, all imperative to knowledge development. Encouraging critical thinking allowed for the mediators to learn at the higher levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy, and assisted with their professional mediation development.
Nighthawk
The course, designed in WebTycho using Nighthawk, furthers learner independence through web-based learning. No amount of advice or guidance by the instructor can force the learner to interpret and apply the information learned. Just as my designed course forced the learners to construct their own views on mediation while working independently, using Nighthawk challenged me to independently learn how to input a course within a web-based learning system. I wrote HTML code to make the course more visually appealing through various fonts, pictures and videos.
Presentation of Material
I designed the course content space in a lecture format and had the objectives at the beginning of each content module so the mediators could understand the purpose and function of each task required. I found myself utilizing concepts learned in my undergraduate field of study; secondary education, and viewed the material from a standards viewpoint. By creating a list of standards and objectives The Resolution Center aspired to accomplish by instituting the ten-hour online course, I was able to prioritize and select the most meaningful and applicable concepts to convey to the volunteer mediators. I attempted to employ a multicultural instruction technique to create and foster equal educational opportunities for learners of different ethnic, social-class and cultural group. To help the learner acquire the knowledge and attitudes and skills needed to function effectively as a mediator, I created a community for the learners to work for a common goal with the use of conference areas.
The group presentation or lecture format of The Mediation Review course had some limitations, mainly concerning the passive nature and the assumption that all learners are acquiring the same understanding of the material. The asynchronous nature of the course will make it difficult for The Resolution Center to provide immediate feedback and mediators who have difficultly with visual text learning will be at a disadvantage. However, because the initial 30-hour training had elements of visual text learning, it was determined that the advantages of group presentation format outweighed the disadvantages. I found the transformation of routinely auditory-presented material to printed material demanding because of the time consumption associated with the task. The material was not presented in the most clear and concise manner and I am concerned that the learner will not fully grasp the subject matter. Because of my experience in DETT607, in future instructional design endeavors I will dedicate more time and energy to transcribing material.
In addition to the lecture format in the individual modules, the mediators were encouraged to use the conference areas for formal and informal discussion, answering and submitting questions and showcasing their understanding of the material. The conference areas allowed teaching and learning within the regular assigned class work. The ability to see progress, frustrations and concerns other than my own elevated my learning experience and helped me produce the best course I could under the restrictions (time, space and material).
Interactivity
Through the facilitation of learner-content interaction, The Mediation Review Course allowed the learner to view content, interpret material and apply knowledge learned. Interactive features such as live chat, discussion boards, synchronous web-conferencing software and IP telephone conversations were available to assist the mediators in learning the material. The interface promoted both learner-instructor and learner-learner interaction in addition to learner-content interaction, therefore offering a more comprehensive education experience. By offering an environment to interact with the material, instructor and peers, The Mediation Review Course web-based offered stimulation and motivation. I believe the course design with a relatively high level of interactivity increased the learning experience without threatening learner autonomy. Students were asked to consider various questions that are prevalent in the mediation field such as the examples below:
- Please use this space to answer why you believe a mediator should make an opening statement. Use personal examples from you mediation experiences but remember to adhere to confidentiality agreements and not mention names, dates and specific identifying details.
- The most experienced mediators will admit to a nervousness caused by not knowing what to expect before each mediation. The opening statement is your opportunity to turn the negative energy to positive energy. As with the varying mediation styles, there are a variety of methods to delivering an opening statement. What is your preferred opening statement delivery style: Relaxed, tense, authoritative, firm, open-ended, etc..? Why do you utilize that particular style? Do you wish to change your style? What are the benefits and/or disadvantages to your particular style? Use personal examples from you mediation experiences but remember to adhere to confidentiality agreements and not mention names, dates and specific identifying details.
Students were also asked to read a conflict scenario, evaluate the third-party intervention and answer a series of content-related questions such as the examples below:
- Steve has been employed as a supervisor in the same department for 4 years. Steve is well respected and does a good job. A new supervisor, Linya, has recently been appointed and Steve has to work with her. Linya is continually re-organizing the department and re-prioritizing work which you have allocated and questioning your judgment openly. Steve finally enough and decided to utilize the company’s mediation program. Please make a list of open-ended questions you would ask Steve and Linya. Prioritize your questions and illustrate why you chose to ask such questions.
- Martha arrives home and tells Edward that she has been offered a promotion. The promotion will mean moving to a new area and selling their house. Edward does not want to move, as it will mean disrupting his career, leaving friends and moving their children out of a high-rated school district. Martha feels that Edward should support her career because she feels that her needs have been put on the back burner in the past. Edward finally had enough and decided to try mediation. Please make a list of open-ended questions you would ask Martha and Edward. Prioritize your questions and illustrate why you chose to ask such questions.
The scaffolding of questions helped the mediators make meaningful connections with the material and apply such connections to real-life examples they may experience in mediation. Discussion was encouraged because each mediator has his or her own individual style with may clash with another mediator’s. Because our mediators mediate in pairs, it is essential that they recognize and learn to adapt to the various mediation style differences that exist. The interactivity in the conference area allowed for such a phenomenon to occur.
Assessment
Designing effective assessment tools that were compatible with the asynchronous online nature of the course proved to be more complicated than I had originally planned. Learners were asked to analyze specific conflict situations and triangulate theories that demonstrated knowledge growth. Learners were assessed through assignments requiring the incorporation of learned material and personal reflection. The mediators were asked to reflect on mediation at the beginning of the course and at the end of the course with the following two assignments:
Mediation Reflection One
Reflect on your most recent mediation experience. Analyze your performance and your co-mediator’s performance (you do not need to identify). Describe the participant’s conflict and use the PAVE Box to triangulate the identified nouns. Classify the emotions and values stated during mediation. Analyze how solutions were formulated (if any) and the type of agreement reached. Length: 1000-1200 words
Mediation Reflection Two
As you did in your first mediation reflection assignment, reflect on your most recent mediation experience. Analyze your performance and your co-mediator’s performance (you do not need to identify). Describe the participant’s conflict and use the PAVE Box to triangulate the identified nouns. Classify the emotions and values stated during mediation. Analyze how solutions were formulated (if any) and the type of agreement reached. You are expected to go into more detail than your first mediation reflection and demonstrated the knowledge gained throughout the course. Length: 1750 – 2000 words
The increase of point value and asking for more detailed information in the second reflection demonstrate scaffolding and gave the mediators the opportunity to display their learned knowledge and make meaningful connections between the material and their volunteer trade. I thoroughly enjoyed developing the assignments and found their intent useful for mediation situations outside the course and not just an evaluation tool.
Conclusion
The experience DETT607 offered of conducting a context analysis, learning design and ultimately create and implement a 10-hour online course was exhilarating, frightening, enlivening and a fantastic learning experience. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and hope to incorporate the skills into my desired career as a corporate trainer. The Resolution Center is looking into ways of putting my course design into practice and we’re currently in the brainstorming stages of deciding just how exactly to go about turning a primarily face-to-face supplemental instruction into an online supplemental instruction. I learned from my mistakes and designed a course that met the objectives identified in the needs assessment during the context analysis. The final course utilized models developed in the learning design and provided the mediators with an evocative learning environment from the comfort of their own home. DETT607 has been the most useful and relevant course thus far in my MDE program and I am fortunate to have begun to implement the concepts into my professional and personal life.
The E-Learning Index 