Session 4 - Blended Course Plan
PURPOSE
This session aims to synthesize insights from previous sessions to ideate and map out an enhanced learning experience for both students and teachers. It focuses on aligning the blended learning plan with the needs, expectations, and contexts of students and the school, ensuring a cohesive and effective educational approach.
METHOD
The session adopts a two-phase approach:
Ideation of Student Learning Experience: Utilize insights from student-focused sessions to generate ideas for the student learning experience during the course. This ideation process should consider students' needs, motivations, and the 'jobs to be done' identified earlier.
Mapping Against School Context: Once the student learning experience is conceptualized, the next step is to map this experience within the school's context. This involves identifying potential pain points and areas where the school can effectively innovate to enhance the student experience. The mapping process will integrate knowledge from all previous sessions, including teacher perspectives and school infrastructure considerations.
Integration of Teacher Experience: Parallel to the student learning experience, integrate insights from the teacher-focused sessions. This includes aligning the blended learning plan with teachers' roles, needs, and motivations to ensure that they are equipped and supported in this new learning environment.
OUTCOME
By the end of this session, the group will have developed a comprehensive understanding of how the blended learning experience can be optimized for students and teachers alike. This understanding will be rooted in the needs and contexts of both groups, as identified in earlier sessions. The result will be a shared vision for a blended learning experience that aligns with the school's capabilities and addresses its unique challenges, setting the stage for detailed planning and implementation in subsequent sessions.
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A - Map the Current Course Learning Experience
⌛ - 30 min
WHY?
Mapping the current learning experience helps to identify existing instructional methods and stages in the course. Understanding these stages is crucial for recognizing areas for improvement and innovation in the blended learning plan.
WHAT?
Visualize the 'as is' student learning journey in the course, focusing on key stages like instructional methods and evaluation processes.
HOW?
STEP 1 - Visualize Learning Journey Stages
Facilitators prepare an initial draft of the learning journey for efficiency.
Define major stages in the current course learning journey. Start by asking, "What is the first stage of our students' learning journey?" Record responses on sticky notes.
Continue identifying and plotting all stages, aiming for a high-level overview rather than detailing every interaction.
Use examples and common stages to guide the team in defining clear, understandable stages.
Emphasize making stages concrete and easily graspable for non-educators.
RESULT
A visual map of the current learning journey, highlighting key stages and methods used in the course. This map serves as a basis for identifying areas for improvement and innovation in the blended learning plan.
B - Design the Future Course Learning Experience
⌛ - 90 min
WHY?
This activity facilitates the co-creation of future learning experiences, addressing identified problems and aligning with student needs and expectations.
WHAT?
The group collaborates to envision and map potential future learning experiences, using current practices as a benchmark and integrating ideas from previous sessions.
HOW?
STEP 1 - Copy/Paste Needs and Ideas from Session 2
Begin by transferring sticky notes from Session 2, explaining their origins to new team members.
Recap the jobs to be done, necessary experiences, and resources from Session 2.
STEP 2 - First Draft of Future Learning Experience
Choose a scope for the draft (year, semester, or a week in the course).
Individually draft a learning journey using ideas from Session 2, referencing the 'as is' journey for comparison.
Share each team member's 'ideal' learning experience.
STEP 3 - Alternate Timeframe Draft
Switch to the opposite timeframe (year/semester or specific week) and repeat the drafting process.
Share and discuss each team member's revised learning journey.
STEP 4 - Group Voting
Vote on the most impactful stages that address the project problem statement.
RESULT
A visionary and coherent concept for the future student learning experience, addressing the project's problem statement and incorporating insights from previous sessions. This concept provides a foundation for the detailed planning and implementation of the blended learning plan.
C - Design the Teacher Experience
⌛ - 60 min
WHY?
Understanding and redesigning the teacher's role in a blended learning environment is crucial. Teachers in effective blended-learning programs often shift from traditional instruction to more active engagement with students, such as coaching and mentoring. This exercise aims to align the teacher's experience with the ideal student learning experience, ensuring both are feasible and complementary.
WHAT?
This activity focuses on creating an ideal teaching experience that complements the ideal student experience. It involves reimagining teacher roles to support and enhance the learning journey, considering the motivations and ideas gathered in Session 3.
HOW?
STEP 1 - Transfer Insights from Session 3
Copy and explain sticky notes from Session 3 to new team members.
Review key teacher motivations, roles, and experiences identified in Session 3.
STEP 2 - Match Teaching Experience with School Design
Individually draft a teacher journey that incorporates strategies from Session 3 into the learning experience.
Adopt a 'blue sky' mindset to explore ideal teacher roles and behaviors.
Add corresponding teacher activities to each stage of the student learning journey on the map.
Share each team member's envisioned teaching experience.
STEP 3 - Group Voting
Vote on teacher stages with three colors representing impact, ease of implementation, and current feasibility challenges.
Allocate votes based on the number of stages (e.g., 3 votes per category for 20 stages).
STEP 4 - Review and Debate Teacher Stages
Discuss high-impact yet challenging stages (red and yellow dots) to identify feasible alternatives.
Explore ways to enhance the impact of easy-to-implement activities (blue dots).
Confirm that stages with both high impact and easy implementation (red and blue dots) are foundational.
STEP 5 - Synthesize Ideal Learning Journeys
Focus on the core team for detailed collaboration.
Update the ideal learning journeys, incorporating the teacher experience.
Start with high-impact, easy-to-implement teacher activities, aligning them with the student journey.
Include high-impact strategies, avoiding those with implementation challenges.
Address any gaps or conflicts, optimizing for student achievement.
RESULTS
A harmonized vision of the ideal student and teacher learning experiences, where teacher roles and activities effectively support and enhance student learning outcomes. This comprehensive journey map serves as a blueprint for implementing a blended learning environment that is both innovative and achievable, aligning with the needs and motivations of both students and teachers.
D - Mapping Requirements for the Virtual and Physical Environments
⌛ - 60 min
WHY?
To effectively implement a blended learning program, it's crucial to anticipate and plan for the changes it will necessitate in both physical spaces and digital tools. This ensures the environment is conducive to the new learning and teaching methods.
WHAT?
Complete the learning experience blueprint by adding two crucial layers: physical space requirements and technology requirements. This step will align the ideal learning experiences with realistic and feasible environmental and technological needs.
HOW?
STEP 1 - Transfer Previous Input
Introduce new members to the input from Activity C, explaining the context and previous steps.
Copy/paste the input from Activity C into a new swimlane map, outlining the project problem statement.
STEP 2 - Define Digital Requirements
For each stage, identify the necessary technology support or tools.
Focus on high-level digital requirements, such as platform needs, connectivity, and device requirements.
Split the workload among participants, assigning 2-5 stages to each for individual completion.
STEP 3 - Define Physical Requirements
Repeat the process for physical space requirements, considering factors like classroom layout, furniture, connectivity, and safety.
Use the provided list as a guide to ensure comprehensive coverage of physical needs.
STEP 4 - Group Voting
Conduct a voting session to identify high-impact, easy-to-implement, and challenging requirements in both digital and physical domains.
STEP 5 - Review and Debate
Discuss and find feasible alternatives for high-impact yet challenging stages.
Look for ways to enhance easy-to-implement activities.
Confirm foundational stages that are both impactful and easy to implement.
STEP 6 - Draft Three School Plans
Plan A: Develop a consensus plan that balances innovation and feasibility.
Plan B: Outline a stretch scenario with fewer budget and time constraints.
Plan C: Create a minimum viable design for quick implementation and learning.
Review and revise the plans based on team feedback.
RESULTS
Three distinct school plans will be formulated:
Plan A - Balanced Approach: A realistic and innovative design that fits within current constraints.
Plan B - Stretch Scenario: An ambitious plan maximizing the potential of the blended learning design.
Plan C - Minimum Viable Design: A streamlined approach for rapid implementation and iteration.
These plans offer actionable pathways to transform the current learning environment into one that supports the envisioned blended learning experience for students and teachers.
E - Blended Course Design Plan
⌛ - 120 min
WHY?
Creating a comprehensive, visually appealing course design plan is essential for effective communication and gaining buy-in for implementation. It consolidates all the session's work into a clear, actionable format.
WHAT?
This final step involves compiling all the session's outputs into a cohesive course design plan. It includes selecting an appropriate blended-learning model, detailing technical and physical requirements, listing content-related tasks, budgeting, and outlining an implementation roadmap.
HOW?
STEP 1 - Consolidate Input
Copy the three-course design plans from Activity D.
Include the project problem statement for context.
STEP 2 - Select Blended-Learning Model
Complete a six-question quiz to identify the most suitable blended-learning model for your course design.
STEP 3 - Visualize Environments
Utilize canvases to arrange elements representing the physical and virtual environments, showing how they will be organized and integrated.
STEP 4 - Complete Requirements and Task Table
For technical space: Outline actions needed (buy, update, facility adjustments, etc.).
For physical environment: Summarize necessary changes or enhancements.
For content level: List tasks such as content creation, digitization, and outsourcing.
Use a Kanban board format for clarity and organization.
STEP 5 - Budget the Project:
Fill in a table with estimated costs for one or all three of the selected plans.
Ensure the budget is detailed and covers all aspects of the plan.
Step 6 - Implementation Plan:
Create a basic GANTT chart, marking key deadlines and milestones for executing, testing, and implementing the outlined tasks.
RESULT
A comprehensive Blended Course Design Plan that:
Blended-Learning Model: Identifies the chosen blended-learning model tailored to your specific needs.
Environment Visualizations: Visual representations of the planned physical and virtual learning environments.
Requirements and Tasks: Outlines all necessary tasks and requirements in an organized Kanban board, making it easy to track and manage.
Detailed Budget: Includes a well-structured budget plan, allowing for informed financial decisions and planning.
Implementation Roadmap: Features a GANTT chart with important milestones, offering a clear project rollout timeline.
This plan serves as a vital tool for communicating the project's scope and details, facilitating buy-in, and guiding the implementation of the blended learning course.
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