Blueprints for Designing Constructivist Learning Environments for Literacy-Based Competencies in College Composition (1)

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Teaching for Understanding Design Blueprint 1:

MEDIA LITERACY DIGITAL BADGE

I. Overview of Topic and Contextual Factors

A. Topic Overview

The topic of this unit is media literacy, and is part of a larger literacy-based digital badging
initiative embedded within an advanced English composition course LMS. The aim of this
specific digital badge experience is to teach community college students about the importance of
fact verification and information authentication. The essential purpose of the unit is to promote
student understanding of information fluency as it relates to scholarly inquiry.

The main goal of this unit is to illustrate to students the impact of media sources on both
academic writing and on personal perspectives. This central theme holds significant relevance
for the students as writing effective scholarly arguments is not only a central focus of the course
but also an essential skill for college writing across the curriculum.

This topic is of interest to both students and teacher because it impacts perspectives expressed
both in academic writing and in other forms of written communication within areas such as
social media platforms, personal blogs, and professional forums. This topic affects students daily
due to their constant exposure to information streams.

B. Relevant Content

This unit is presented to students through the online course LMS Schoology and all activities are
asynchronous. The primary source of content is the MediaSmarts website wherein the
interactive game Reality Check is available for users to explore different missions related to

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media literacy. Media literacy, an important 21st century skillset, aligns a number of user

proficiencies to “…include being able to access media on a basic level, to analyze it in a critical

way based on certain key concepts, to evaluate it based on that analysis and, finally, to produce
media oneself” (MediaSmarts website, 2019). These essential competencies play an important

role in the assessment of primary sources related to academic research writing.

At the onset of the unit, the instructional assumption is that all students possess some prior
knowledge of web-based information consumption. While this prior knowledge may vary from
student to student, it is assumed that all will have had some experience – either formal or
informal – with obtaining information from websites and web-based articles. This unit will
afford students the opportunity to explore and expand their information-seeking knowledge base.
An additional assumption exists within this unit that as students engage in discovery through
play, their curiosity will pique and they will begin to think more critically about the learning
content. This assumption is supported by the notion that generative topics should have a “rich
and illuminating character” (Perkins & Unger, 1999, p. 100). As the unit progresses beyond the
initial exploration, students will engage in discussion wherein they will identify and elaborate
upon key components of their experience. During this time, the students’ perceptions of media
literacy become more formally articulated and a collaborative, public discourse occurs.
Ultimately, students transition from this metacognitive collaboration to individual performance
opportunities of their choice. Upon completion of this culminating task, students display their
work within the course community, receive peer and instructor feedback, and earn a transferable
digital badge.

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II. Design Components

A. Understanding Goals

The primary goal of the unit is for students to develop (or expand) their understanding of the
intricacies and variations of media literacy. The specific understanding goals for the unit are:
• The students will build an understanding of media literacy
• The students will appreciate variation in information source credibility
• The students will understand how to evaluate primary sources
• The students will appreciate various ways to think critically about online information
• The students will appreciate the transferability of media literacy
These understanding goals are appraised within the students’ metacognitive practices of media
literacy within the learning community.

B. Understanding Performances

Within the Schoology online LMS the students will be asked to complete the following
understanding performances:

Phase 1: Exploration
• Students independently access Media Smart’s Reality Check online interactive game and
engage in play with the five missions.
• Each student will chart his/her missions using an instructor-provided handout for note-taking.
Students will record individual notes for categories Creator (the author or organization associated
with the data), Audience (the target population of the item), Purpose (the essential function of the

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media – entertainment, news, editorial/opinion), and Beliefs (the assumptions and values held by

both the creator and the publishing source).

Phase 2: Guided Inquiry
• Each student will spend time reflecting upon the individual notes within the chart, then post a
response to a discussion prompt within the course LMS.
• Students will interact and collaborate within the discussion thread; the focus herein is on
expanding knowledge.
• The instructor will act as moderator within this discussion, providing critical thinking
questions, replying to inquiries, and reinforcing the process.

Phase 3: Culminating Project
• Students will submit a short video, slide show, or written reflection synthesizing their
understanding of media literacy and how it relates to their career or major course of study.
• Students will post their final projects to the appropriate discussion thread and provide feedback
to at least three other students.

This project involves the production of deliverables, an activity that coincides with the role of
creation both within media literacy and within the TfU framework. This project also
incorporates an element of choice – producing artifacts that are either visually oriented or
verbally oriented (or a combination thereof). Producing the deliverable assists the student in
extending the understanding of the learning topic beyond the existing domain and into other
areas; this is characteristic of the thoughtful action associated with designing for understanding.

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C. Plan for ongoing assessment

Several opportunities for informal assessment exist throughout this unit. During the discussions
the instructor may provide feedback to the students that will help determine progress as well as
provide further prompting. Within the discussion of the culminating project discussion forum
the instructor may also provide feedback in terms of reinforcing learned concepts and identifying
areas of improvement. Further, the students provide feedback to each other in a collaborative,
community of inquiry environment; this ongoing public dialogue enriches the learning landscape
by offering additional insights that could potentially elicit deeper connections with the material.

Additionally, an opportunity for formal assessment exists within the context of the culminating
project. This choice- and context-driven project may serve as a learning artifact within the
course itself. Further, its completion and subsequent posting also completes the digital badge
requirement, yielding another mode of more formal assessment.

D. Description of tools, resources, and scaffolding used

The students will have access to the following tools:
• Internet access (either on-site in a computer lab or through mobile device)
• Schoology LMS access, including course materials and resources
• Directions for completing the Media Literacy digital badge
• The college library

The students will be provided with the following resources:
• An in-print chart handout for note-taking

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Examples of scaffolding that can be used during this unit include:

• Instructor moderation during discussions

• List of hyperlinked media literacy resources within the Schoology LMS

• Videos related to media literacy (embedded in LMS)

E. Reflect on the design, design process, and design model

Teaching for Understanding (TfU) is a four-part framework in which “… the emphasis on
performance re-centers the learning enterprise on engagement in progressive performances of
understanding, supported by whatever information is needed” (Perkins & Unger, 1999, p. 98).
This flexible framework readily applies to this particular unit within the digital badging initiative
delivered through my course LMS. While some of the digital badge opportunities within this
advanced English composition course require a more problem-based learning approach, the topic
of media literacy – being rather comprehensive and simultaneously context-specific – lends itself
well to the broad milieu of TfU. Further, while increased practice within this framework leads to
progressive understanding performances, the model itself offers much malleability for achieving
those operations.

With more time, I’d have liked to flesh out this unit a bit more and have created a full-scale
mock-up of its entirety. I would also have liked to include more detail and possibly more
handouts or an accompanying workbook. However, those are issues more steeped in practice
than in theory. From a theoretical standpoint, I feel validated that much of what I already do
within my digital badging initiative (and within certain areas of my practice as an English
instructor, such as conducting writing workshops and facilitating academic research) so readily
fits into this design framework. The concept of introducing students to a concept, encouraging

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their learning through progressive challenges, and enabling much of their process through public

forum works meshes well with my existing pedagogy. Overall, I enjoyed framing this unit

within the TfU model and feel that this design allows learners a great deal of freedom and

agency.

Discussion Prompt (Actual)

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Digital Badge (Mock-Up)

References:

Perkins, D., & Unger, C. (1999). Teaching and learning for understanding. In C. M. Reigeluth
(Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (3rd ed.,
pp. 91–114).

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Mobile Learning Design Blueprint 2:

CRITICAL THINKING DIGITAL BADGE

I. Overview of Topic and Contextual Factors

A. Topic Overview

The topic of this unit is critical thinking, and is part of a larger literacy-based digital badging
initiative embedded within an advanced English composition course LMS. The aim of this
specific digital badge experience is to teach community college students about the importance of
clear, rational, analytical thought and its implications both within and beyond the college writing
domain. The essential purpose of the unit is to promote student understanding of disciplined,
open-minded, informed thought and to initiate habits of lifelong learning through metacognition.

The main goal of this unit is to illustrate to students the impact of critical thinking on both
academic writing and on learning outcomes within and outside the curriculum. This central
theme holds specific relevance to the students as their course essays focus upon the critical
examination of contemporary issues; the theme also carries broader relevance to students in its
transferability to other knowledge domains and to skill sets beyond academia.

This topic is of interest to both students and teacher because it impacts written perspectives on
controversial issues brought forth within course content and relates to the type of mature
reasoning necessary for the expression of concise, deliberate argumentative claims. This topic
affects students daily due to their immersion in social, academic, and vocational activities
wherein analysis and fair-mindedness are essential functional characteristics.

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Critical thinking is both a universal task and a 21st century skill; its relevance, therefore,

transcends the usage of any one delivery medium. The comprehensive nature of the topic,

therefore, lends itself to a mobile learning environment wherein ubiquitous access and

distributed learning may occur across formal and informal contexts. Additionally, the provision

of all learning activities within a larger and appropriately scaffolded online learning management

system (LMS) allows learners the unique opportunity to access learning through either stable

technology or mobile applications. In this vein, technology acts as a facilitative tool for learning,

rather than as the focal point. In the teaching of argumentative composition, the focus is not on

the pencil or the laptop but rather on the naturally occurring cognitive processes of writing and

how those processes occur across contexts.

B. Relevant Content

This unit is presented to students through the online course LMS Schoology and all activities are
asynchronous. The primary sources of content are online resources embedded into a
comprehensive self-paced unit of instruction within the LMS. Initially, students will be provided
this definition:

“Critical thinking is the ability to think clearly and rationally about what to do or what to
believe. It includes the ability to engage in reflective and independent thinking. Someone
with critical thinking skills is able to … understand the logical connections between
ideas; identify, construct and evaluate arguments; detect inconsistencies and common
mistakes in reasoning; solve problems systematically; identify the relevance and
importance of ideas; [and] reflect on the justification of one's own beliefs and values”
(Critical Thinking Web, Lau & Chan, 2019).

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At the onset of the unit, the instructional assumption is that all students possess some prior

knowledge of the term “critical thinking” and its implications within academia. While this prior

knowledge may vary from student to student, it is assumed that all will have had some level of

experience in engaging with content in ways which emulate the definition provided. This unit

will afford students the opportunity to evaluate their critical thinking skills and to reflect upon

how proficiently they utilize critical thinking techniques. An additional assumption exists within

this unit that as students engage in discovery through mobile learning opportunities, their

curiosity will arouse and they will begin to engage comfortably with the interactive learning
content. This assumption is supported by the premise that “… mobile learning merges into a

fluid activity of learning pathways within and across locations, institutions, and social situations.

The teacher has a central role, but as a learning orchestrator rather than an authority delivering
information to learners” (Sharples & Pea, 2014, p. 504). As the unit progresses beyond the initial

exploration, students will engage in a problem-solving discussion wherein they will identify and
elaborate upon key components of their experience. During this time, the students’ ideas about

critical thinking are articulated through a public discourse forum that engages thoughtful social

discussion on metacognition. Ultimately, students transition from this community of inquiry to

the production of digital artifacts informed by the learning. Upon completion of this culminating

task, students display their work within the course community, receive peer and instructor

feedback, and earn a transferable digital badge. This mobile learning opportunity is presented

within a TfU framework as the learning concepts are broad, generative, and progressive.

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II. Design Principles

A. Understanding Goals

The primary goal of the unit is for students to broaden their understanding of the basic
components of critical thinking, and to explore this concept through independent evaluation and
collaborative discourse. The specific understanding goals for the unit are:
• The students will build an understanding of critical thinking.
• The students will appreciate the breadth of critical thinking as a metacognitive practice.
• The students will understand how to use self-evaluative tools for deeper reflection.
• The students will appreciate various ways to practice critical thinking.
• The students will appreciate the value of critical thinking as a lifelong learning characteristic.
These understanding goals are appraised within the students’ metacognitive and reflective
practices within the mobile learning community.

B. Understanding Performances

Within the Schoology online LMS the students will be asked to complete the following
understanding performances:

Phase 1: Exploration
• Students will independently access and complete the ten-item online Quia Critical Thinking
Quiz. Each student will screenshot his/her first-attempt quiz score and results.
• Then, students will independently access and interact with the longer online 13-item (unscored)
WikiDot Critical Thinking Self-Assessment.

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Phase 2: Guided Inquiry

• Each student will watch the five-minute YouTube video Critical Thinking and read the short
online article What Is Critical Thinking.

• Then, each student will watch the five-minute TedED video 5 Ways to Improve Your Critical
Thinking and read the short accompanying article History of Critical Thinking.

• Next, students will return to the designated LMS discussion forum wherein they will answer
this prompt:

Considering what you have learned about critical thinking through your own exploration
with online quizzes, videos, and articles, and recalling the initial definition of critical
thinking you were provided at the start of this badging experience– what do you feel are
the three most important factors influencing your ability to utilize critical thinking in your
everyday life? Please include your screenshot from the Quia quiz and comment on
whether or not you feel this first-attempt score is an adequate representation of your
critical thinking abilities; explain why or why not. Also indicate which of the online tools
made the greatest impression on your learning experience, and why you feel that way.
How will these resources inform your academic writing process and thesis development?

Students will interact and collaborate within the discussion thread; the focus herein is on
promoting reflection, increasing active metacognition, and expanding the knowledge within a
CoI setting. (The discussion is asynchronous within a designated two-week assignment
timeframe; students receive a digital reminder 48 hours prior to badging opportunity deadline.)

• The instructor will act as moderator within this discussion, providing deeper reflection
questions, replying to inquiries, and reinforcing the tenets outlined in the context of the lesson.

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Phase 3: Culminating Project

• Students - either individually or with a partner - will submit a short video/digital story or a
written reflection synthesizing their understanding of critical thinking in response to one of the
following prompts:

- Think about the critical thinking strategies you learned in this unit and select one that
resonates with you. How will you incorporate this practice into your academic writing? In
what ways can you utilize this strategy beyond an academic setting (such as work, home,
or social functions)? What makes this specific strategy meaningful to you?

- Consider what it means to be a critical thinker and identify at least five traits consistent
with what you’ve learned in this unit. Identify someone you know (a friend, teacher,
relative, co-worker) who displays these qualities. What makes this person a good
example of a critical thinker? How do the traits you’ve identified relate to this person?
What have you learned about critical thinking from this particular individual?

- Identify three of the most challenging critical thinking practices that you’ve learned.
What makes these techniques more difficult than some of the others you’ve learned? If
you were to work on improving yourself as a critical thinker, what would you need to do
in order to develop these three more challenging traits? Could you do it if you tried?

• Students will post their final projects to the appropriate discussion thread and provide feedback
to at least three other students.

This project involves the production of deliverables and incorporates an element of choice –
producing artifacts that are either visually oriented or verbally oriented (or a combination
thereof) and electing to work independently or with a partner. Producing the reflective

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deliverable helps students unpack the learning through creative expression while simultaneously

promoting synthesis of concepts learned throughout the unit; this is characteristic of thoughtful

action and promotes the transferability of the learning to other knowledge domains. The seamless

switching of learning tasks and multi-dimensional learning opportunities promote knowledge

synthesis in a mobile-supported environment.

C. Plan for ongoing assessment

Several opportunities for informal assessment exist throughout this unit. During the discussions
the instructor may provide feedback to the students that will help determine progress as well as
provide further prompting. Within the discussion of the culminating project discussion forum
the instructor may also provide feedback in terms of reinforcing learned concepts and identifying
areas of improvement. Further, the students provide feedback to each other in a collaborative,
community of inquiry environment; this ongoing public dialogue enriches the learning landscape
by offering additional insights that could potentially elicit deeper connections with the material.

Additionally, an opportunity for formal assessment exists within the completion of the
culminating project, and its subsequent posting also completes the digital badge requirement.

D. Description of tools, resources, and scaffolding used

The students will have access to the following tools:
• Internet access (either on-site in a computer lab or through mobile device)
• Schoology LMS access, including course materials and resources
• Directions for completing the Critical Thinking digital badge
• The college library

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Examples of scaffolding that can be used during this unit include:

• Instructor moderation during discussions
• List (in task succession) of hyperlinked resources within the Schoology LMS

E. Reflect on the design, design process, and design model

“Context is a central and evolving theoretical construct for mobile learning. People learn within
multiple contexts; by moving through and comparing contexts; and by creating contexts from
interacting with locations, artefacts, resources, and other people” (Sharples & Pea, 2014, p. 517).
This concept readily applies to the critical thinking unit within the digital badging initiative
delivered through my course LMS. Presenting the learner with myriad resources that can be
accessed anytime, anywhere provides a rich learning landscape abundant with opportunities for
enrichment across contexts.

With more time, I’d have liked to have created a full-scale mock-up of this unit in its entirety. I
feel remiss in my lack of visuals this time around, despite the hyperlinked content dispensed
throughout. Beyond this shortcoming, I found this method of design comes very naturally to me.
Due to my hybrid context, developing mobile learning opportunities has become my standard
operating procedure. The affordances of mobile technology within my learning environment
surpass what I could accomplish in a classroom setting alone. Providing students with ongoing,
interactive learning that both relevant and timely promotes an appreciation for the ongoing
endeavors of lifelong learning.

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References:

Perkins, D., & Unger, C. (1999). Teaching and learning for understanding. In C. M. Reigeluth
(Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (3rd ed.,
pp. 91–114).

Sharples, M., & Pea, R. (2014). Mobile learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge
handbook of the learning sciences (2nd ed., pp. 501–521). New York, NY: Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.030

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Project-Based Learning Blueprint 3:

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY PROJECT

I. Overview of Topic and Contextual Factors

A. Topic Overview

The topic of this unit is the literature review process of scholarly research leading to the
compilation of an annotated bibliography, and comprises both a project in itself and one
component of two larger research-based projects (an extended research essay and a course
portfolio) within an advanced English composition course focused on logic, rhetoric, and
argument. The aim of this specific learning experience is to teach community college students
about the importance of credible, usable scholarly sources as they relate to developing informed
arguments on contemporary issues within students’ chosen vocational and/or interest areas. The
essential purpose of the unit is to promote student research habits that transfer well into other
learning domains.

The main goal of this unit is to stimulate scholarly inquiry that yields the production of a viable,
annotated list of sources through which students may inform, support, and synthesize arguments
from focused research topics.

This topic is of interest to both students and teacher because it impacts written perspectives on
controversial issues identified through various argumentative modalities; throughout the research
process students develop deeper connections and wider perspectives on peer-reviewed
hypotheses specific to their chosen fields of study.

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Engaging in project-based learning wherein students actively endeavor to solve problems and to

formulate claims emulates the kind of conversant process characteristic of best practices within

professional fields. Developing a credible body of research through which to apprise such

assertions sets a foundation of information integrity upon which students may build throughout

their lifetimes.

B. Relevant Content

This unit is presented to students in hybrid style; it is initially introduced during an in vivo class
meeting and supported through the online course LMS Schoology; while most activities are
asynchronous, common discussion sessions and community deadlines also apply. The primary
sources of content are in-class instruction and online resources embedded within the LMS.
Initially, students will be provided a step-by-step guide for the project as well as a grading
rubric; these materials will be issued and discussed in class, but will also be available through the
course LMS. At the onset of the unit, the instructional assumption is that all students possess
prior knowledge of MLA-style citations. While this prior knowledge may vary from student to
student, it is assumed that all have compiled bibliographic lists of works cited for essays and/or
other academic work both within this course and beyond. This unit will afford students the
opportunity to expand upon this previously practiced skill by providing annotations for ten
scholarly works under consideration as sources for the final extended research essay. An
additional assumption exists within this unit that as students engage in scholarly inquiry through
web-based practices and online collaboration, their curiosity will pique and they will begin to
engage in deep reading of the materials harvested for the research essay. This assumption is
supported by the notion that “…learners actively build knowledge as they explore the
surrounding world, observe and interact with phenomena, take in new ideas, make connections

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between new and old ideas, and discuss and interact with others (Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 277).

At the core of this unit is the central theme of research for problem-solving; students are

challenged with formulating a research hypothesis and subsequent argumentative claim driven
by the prompt “What controversial contemporary issue within your field of study will continue to
influence future professional practices?” This guiding question aims to direct student inquiry

toward authentic, field-specific solutions informed by empirical data; engaging in this relevant
and specific scholarly inquiry activity helps “… students acquire information in a meaningful
context … and relate it to their prior knowledge and experiences, [so] they can form connections

between the new information and the prior knowledge to develop better, larger, and more linked
conceptual understanding” (Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 278). As the unit progresses beyond the

initial problem-solving phase, students will engage in a reflective discussion wherein they will
evaluate the information sources of their peers. During this time, the students’ information

literacy competencies are articulated through a public discourse forum that engages thoughtful
dialogue and deep learning. “This back-and-forth sharing, using, and debating of ideas helps to
create a community of learners that supports students making connections between ideas”

(Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 278). Ultimately, students transition from this interactive, social

learning context to the production of a larger learning artifact that can be shared through the

utilization of cognitive tools embedded in the course LMS. Upon completion of this culminating

task, students display their work within the course community, receive peer and instructor

feedback, and utilize this artifact to inform the writing process wherein their hypotheses

transition to argumentative claims within the extended research essay. This project-based

learning opportunity aligns in many ways with a TfU framework as the learning concepts are

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generative and progressive; design connections to TfU concepts have been noted parenthetically

within the steps of the sequential learning performances.

II. Design Principles

A. Learning Goals

The primary goal of the unit is for students to engage in focused scholarly research and to
explore expert knowledge through independent inquiry, collaborative evaluation, and shared
discourse. The specific learning goals for the unit are:
• The students will engage in independent scholarly research to glean field-specific insights.
• The students will review literature and compile a hyperlinked list of ten scholarly sources by
which to inform a research hypothesis and an argumentative claim.
• The students will participate in community discussion and collaborative evaluation processes in
order to determine the information integrity of sources.
• The students will write annotations that are specific and relevant both to the expert evidence
within the text and to the self-generated research hypotheses.
• The students will produce an annotated bibliography comprised of ten peer-reviewed entries.

These learning goals in unison frame a project-based experience through which students may
both engage in independent research and contribute within the course community of inquiry.

B. Sequential Learning Performances

Within the Schoology online LMS the students will be asked to complete the following learning
performances:

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Step 1: The Driving Question: Identification of Problem (TfU – Exploration)

• In class, students will be provided with the following prompt:

“What controversial contemporary issue within your field of study will continue to
influence future professional practices?”

In unison with this prompt, students will engage in an in-class brainstorming activity based on
the collective reading of the online article How to Identify an Appropriate Research Problem
(Kebritchi, 2017).

• Then, informed by this discussion, each student will compile a preliminary list of five possible
topics for further research in preparation for a literature review of scholarly sources upon which
to base the thesis of his/her final extended research essay.

Step 2: Key Standard Alignment: Required Performances (TfU - Guided Inquiry)

• In class, students will be provided the instructor-authored Annotated Bibliography Assignment
Start-Up guide along with the project’s accompanying grading rubric. This information will be
covered point-by-point, with the instructor acting as a guide to establish and reinforce the
expectations not only of the project but of the research and inquiry process as a whole and its
relevance to the development of professional standards. During this crucial phase of the learning
cycle, instructional emphasis will be given to the clarification and promotion of appropriate
research skills as well as to the practical applications of thorough annotations. This unpacking of
the key elements of the work aims at “… decomposing the core idea into its component parts and
concepts, and then expanding and identifying those concepts” (Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 283).

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• Then, students and instructor together will view the three-minute video How to Write an

Annotated Bibliography and evaluate examples of what is and is not appropriate annotation.

• Upon dismissal of the in vivo class session, students will be directed to consult the online
course LMS to participate in an online discussion forum wherein they will explore as a learning
community the process of primary source evaluation.

Step 3: Exploration of Problem: Expert Practices (TfU – Exploration + Guided Inquiry)

• Upon visiting the online course LMS, students will be provided the following instructions to
begin the independent scholarly research required for this keystone step of the learning cycle:

Your Annotated Bibliography will include 10 sources. Of those, at least 7 must be
scholarly journal articles; at least 2 sources must contain elements that disagree with
your position (at least 1 of which must be a scholarly article); and at least 1 source
should be an online media source (such as a YouTube video, podcast, or TEDtalk).
Your first task is to solidify your research hypothesis through preliminary research,
then proceed to delve into the literature with the aim of collecting a body of research
that most appropriately informs your developing thesis. You should compile a list of
10 entries, organized in alphabetical order and hyperlinked through title. Remember,
this aspect of the process serves to demonstrate the range of the research you will
consult for your final extended argumentative essay. You are not yet expected to
identify how you will use these sources within that essay, nor are you expected to use
all of these sources in your final paper. This list simply serves to illustrate to the
community your ability to compile appropriate sources that support your hypothesis
and your preliminary direction in your research at this point in time.

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• Upon their completion of the ten-item hyperlinked works cited document, students will post
their initial research hypotheses to the discussion group along with their list of consulted sources.
This practice aims to foster a sense of personal responsibility within the upcoming collaborative
learning exercise: “The claim makes an assertion that addresses the phenomena students are
exploring. The evidence supports the claim using scientific data that can come from several
sources – observations, reading material, archived data, or an investigation that students
complete. The reasoning provides a justification that links the claim and evidence together …”
(Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 286).

Step 4: Collaboration: Community Engagement (TfU – Exploration + Guided Inquiry)

• Within the discussion area of the LMS, students will post their hyperlinked source lists along
with their working thesis statements; students will interact and collaborate within the discussion
thread; the focus herein is on promoting source evaluation, increasing peer dialogue, and
expanding the knowledge within a CoI setting. (The discussion is asynchronous within a
designated one-week assignment timeframe, and specific parameters for providing feedback are
provided within the discussion prompt.)

• The instructor will act as moderator within this discussion, providing deeper reflection
questions, replying to inquiries, and reinforcing the tenets outlined in the context of the lesson.

Step 5: Technological Scaffolding: Facilitation (TfU - Guided Inquiry)

• The seamless learning opportunities afforded within the hybrid learning context promote
knowledge synthesis both in the formal classroom context and in a mobile-supported
environment. In addition to the physical handouts provided to the students, abundant resources

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are embedded within the Schoology course LMS to aid the students in the ongoing research

process. Additional supplementary resources on MLA documentation, thesis development, and

annotation methods are available within the LMS to support the learning process in a proactive

manner. While not all students may require all resources, a comprehensive set of materials exists

in digital format to enrich and inform individual student learning processes.

Step 6: Shared Artifacts: Publication of Learning Products (TfU - Culminating Project)

• After the source evaluation discussion has concluded, students will submit their annotated
bibliography projects within a new discussion thread designated for publication. As this project-
based learning experience is also a component of another course project (specifically, the final
extended research essay), discussion will focus on rounding out the learning cycle and re-
engaging in the discovery and exploration process. The following prompt will serve as the
concluding exercise for this portion of the PBL cycle:

Consider the annotated bibliography you have published here to the community. What 3
sources within this body of research are you most likely to incorporate into your final
research paper? Why? How will your annotations inform your writing process? Think
about the research strategies you employed to help develop this literature review. How
will you incorporate these practices as you move forward with your academic writing? In
what ways might you utilize research within your future professional setting?

• Students will post their final projects to the appropriate discussion thread and provide feedback
to at least three other students.

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Publishing this annotated deliverable promotes students’ synthesis of concepts learned

throughout the unit; as with TfU, this practice is characteristic of thoughtful action and promotes

the transferability of the learning to other knowledge domains.

C. Plan for ongoing assessment

While many opportunities for informal assessment exist throughout this unit, its formal
assessment ultimately lies within the criterion-based rubric and within the graded discussion
sessions (wherein students are assessed based upon collaborative participation and not
necessarily on correctness). Additionally, the instructor may provide feedback to the students
both in vivo and online that will help determine progress as well as provide further prompting.
Within the final project production forum the instructor may also provide feedback in terms of
reinforcing learned concepts and identifying areas of improvement. Perhaps most importantly,
the students provide feedback to each other in a collaborative, community of inquiry context that
continues to enrich the learning landscape by offering additional insights that could potentially
elicit deeper connections with the material.

D. Description of tools, resources, and scaffolding used

The students will have access to the following tools:
• Internet access (either on-site in a computer lab or through mobile device)
• Schoology LMS access, including course materials and resources
• Guide and rubric for completing the Annotated Bibliography project
• The college library

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Examples of scaffolding that can be used during this unit include:
• Instructor moderation during discussions
• Supplemental resources within the Schoology LMS
• Peer review

E. Reflect on the design, design process, and design model
“Learning performances can … be used as guides for designing the driving question, tasks, and
assessments. The focus on learning performances is consistent with our perspective on situated
learning: learning performances blend the knowing and the doing” (Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p.
283). This blending of knowing and doing is fundamental in the design of this lesson, which
focuses on scholarly inquiry and information credibility. Also of paramount importance is the
technological scaffolding offered through the course LMS; these myriad resources enable the
ongoing facilitation of every learner. Further, due to the collaborative foundation of this project-
based learning experience, students themselves exist as secondary scaffolds within the
community of inquiry. This practice emulates the workings of professional contexts beyond the
classroom, and promotes deeper learning and meaning connection beyond course content.

This lesson is a labor of love for me, and one I endeavor to improve every semester in order to
best serve my students. I must remind myself from time to time that it is not always necessary to
reinvent the wheel when it comes to learning design. While my motives are largely altruistic, I
often get in my own way by complicating my own design-thinking process. Admittedly, I feel I
have made good use of my invested time here, as students will benefit from this task breakdown.

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References:

Kebritchi, M. (2017). How to identify an appropriate research problem. University of Phoenix.
https://research.phoenix.edu/blog/how-identify-appropriate-research-problem

Krajcik, J. S., & Shin, N. (2014). Project-based learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge
handbook of the learning sciences (2nd ed., pp. 275–297). New York, NY: Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.018

Perkins, D., & Unger, C. (1999). Teaching and learning for understanding. In C. M. Reigeluth
(Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (3rd ed.,
pp. 91–114).

Sharples, M., & Pea, R. (2014). Mobile learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge
handbook of the learning sciences (2nd ed., pp. 501–521). New York, NY: Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.030

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DONLAN, Crystal Designing Constructivist Learning Environments

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Learning Communities Blueprint 4:

WRITING PORTFOLIO PROJECT

I. Overview of Topic and Contextual Factors

A. Topic Overview

The topic of this unit is a cumulative writing portfolio comprised of samples produced through
research-based academic essays within an advanced English composition course focused on
logic, rhetoric, and argument. The aim of this specific culminating activity is to provide a series
of meaningful collaborative learning experiences to community college students that allows them
to showcase both the depth of their content-learning and the breadth of their interest-based
learning; while some these collaborative learning experiences take place throughout the course of
the semester through modality-driven online writing workshops, the writing portfolio project
serves as a cohesive, cumulative artifact through which students can both demonstrate domain
knowledge and participate in ongoing inquiry. While emphasizing the importance of credible,
usable scholarly sources as they relate to developing informed arguments on contemporary issues
within students’ chosen vocational and/or interest areas, the portfolio project also extends the
demonstration of both individual and collective knowledge through its presentation and
exhibition component. The essential purpose of the unit is twofold: (1) to provide students the
opportunity to demonstrate artifacts of their learning both to the existing course community and,
later, to those outside the learning context (prospective employers, vocational recruiters,
admissions representatives); and (2) to promote the skills and practices employed within a
community of inquiry and to stimulate transfer of these performances into other learning
domains. The main goal of this unit is to stimulate scholarly inquiry and creative process that

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yield the production of a professional quality, comprehensive presentation through which

students may summarize, evaluate, and demonstrate relevant theses and supporting compositions

gleaned from focused research and thoughtful writing.

This topic is of interest to both students and teacher because it impacts written perspectives on
controversial issues identified through various argumentative modalities; throughout the research
writing process students develop deeper connections and wider perspectives on peer-reviewed
hypotheses specific to their chosen fields of study; sharing knowledge in a safe space among
members of the learning community with a diversity of content-specific proficiencies aids both
individual learning and collective cognition.

Engaging in project-based learning wherein students actively endeavor to solve problems and to
formulate claims emulates the kind of conversant process characteristic of best practices within
professional fields. Developing a credible body of academic writing through which to apprise
such assertions sets a foundation of information integrity upon which students may build
throughout their lifetimes. Further, participating in technologically scaffolded collaborative
learning activities within a community of distinct peers provides an outlet for articulation,
demonstration, and constructive criticism through which students may deepen their learning
experiences.

B. Relevant Content

This unit is presented to students in hybrid style; it is initially introduced during an in vivo class
meeting and supported through the online course LMS Schoology; while most activities are
asynchronous, common discussion sessions and community deadlines also apply. The primary
sources of instructional content are in-class training and online resources embedded within the

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LMS; the primary sources of knowledge building are online discussions, social media-type

updates, and embedded presentation options. Initially, students will be provided a step-by-step

guide for the writing portfolio project as well as a grading rubric and a teacher-created example

presentation; these materials will be covered in class, but will also be available through the

course LMS. At the onset of this composite unit, the instructional assumption is that all students

possess prior knowledge of the terms and modalities required of the project, the online

community code of conduct, and the basic skillset to create a basic PowerPoint slide show.

While this prior knowledge may vary from student to student, it is assumed that all have

produced the required course essays, engaged in the online community activities, and created in

the PowerPoint program. This cumulative unit will afford students the opportunity to summarize

their course essays and to transfer particularly relevant scholarly research into shareable

presentations. An additional assumption exists within this unit that as students engage in

scholarly inquiry through web-based practices and online collaboration, their curiosity will

continue to pique and they will engage in ongoing discussion through which emergent themes
will develop organically. This assumption is supported by the notion that “…learners actively

build knowledge as they explore the surrounding world, observe and interact with phenomena,

take in new ideas, make connections between new and old ideas, and discuss and interact with
others (Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 277). At the core of this unit – mirroring the core component of

the course itself - is the central theme of research for problem-solving; students are challenged in

this culminating activity to produce and share artifacts that speak to one of the primary queries of
the course: “How has the body of academic writing that you have produced informed your
professional direction and expanded your argumentative skills?” This tacit guiding question aims

to direct student inquiry toward authentic, field-specific solutions informed by empirical data;

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engaging in this relevant and specific scholarly inquiry activity helps “… students acquire

information in a meaningful context … and relate it to their prior knowledge and experiences,

[so] they can form connections between the new information and the prior knowledge to develop
better, larger, and more linked conceptual understanding” (Krajcik & Shin, 2014, p. 278). As the

unit progresses beyond the creative phase, students will engage in a reflective discussion wherein
they will evaluate the presentations of their peers. During this time, the students’ inquiry

competencies are articulated through a public discourse forum that engages thoughtful dialogue
and deep learning. “This back-and-forth sharing, using, and debating of ideas helps to create a
community of learners that supports students making connections between ideas” (Krajcik &

Shin, 2014, p. 278). Ultimately, students transition from this interactive, social learning context

to the production of a larger learning artifact that can be shared through the utilization of

cognitive tools embedded in the course LMS. Upon completion of this culminating task, students

display their work within the course community, receive peer and instructor feedback, and utilize

this artifact to demonstrate their progress. This project-based learning opportunity aligns in many

ways with a TfU framework as the learning concepts are generative and progressive; design

connections to TfU concepts have been noted parenthetically within the steps of the sequential

learning performances.

II. Design Principles

A. Learning Goals

The primary goal of the unit is for students to create a presentable artifact through independent
writing and creative exploration, to engage in collaborative evaluation of said artifact, and to
continue the learning through shared discourse on content-driven topics. The specific learning
goals for this cumulative unit are:

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• The students will identify the thesis, conclusion, and supporting statements of their previously

written essays (to include the analogy essay, the definition essay, the cause/effect essay, and the

extended research persuasive essay).

• The students will distinguish particularly meaningful sources of scholarly information from
their previously written annotated bibliographies (as ascertained by their prior notations).

• The students will select relevant research quotations from the body of scholarly evidence
compiled to support their hypotheses in the final course essay, and will transcribe these citations
within the portfolio presentation.

• The students will create individual writing portfolios as illustrated slide show presentations in
PowerPoint, and will display these artifacts within a learning community forum.

• The students will participate in community discussion and collaborative evaluation processes in
order to appraise both the content validity and presentation quality of their shared artifacts.

These learning goals in unison not only frame a project-based experience through which students
may both engage in independent work and contribute within the course community of inquiry,
they comprise an overarching learning communities framework that extends the learning
experience from course content into interest-driven areas of individual proficiency that serve to
enrich the collective cohort. “By developing diverse expertise, the community can deal with
problems and issues that are too difficult for any individual to handle. A learning community
continually discusses ideas and examines its progress in understanding, so that what an
individual learns is not just from the activities that they themselves carry out, but from all the
activities that different members of the learning community engage in” (Bielaczyk & Collins,
1999, p. 18). While academic research writing, in and of itself, constitutes a particular domain

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knowledge, its purpose most frequently lies in its scaffolding other domain-specific inquiry. To

this end, Slotta and Najafi (2013) contend that their knowledge community and inquiry (KCI)
model “… is cast at a sufficiently high level of abstraction to allow flexibility for designs and

application. It contains three basic principles: (a) that students work together as a community to

produce a knowledge base; (b) that a sequence of collaborative inquiry activities draw upon the

knowledge base as a resource; and (c) that the inquiry activities must address the basic themes

that emerge within the community and result in assessable outcomes that are indexed to the
learning goals” (p. 99).

B. Sequential Learning Performances

Within the Schoology online LMS the students will be asked to complete the following learning
performances:
Step 1: The Driving Question: Identification of Problem (TfU – Exploration)
• Upon completion of the final course essay (approximately three weeks prior to the conclusion
of the semester), students will be provided with the following in-class prompt:

“How has the body of academic writing that you have produced informed your
professional direction and expanded your argumentative skills?”

In unison with this prompt, students will engage in an in-class discussion wherein each learner
represents his/her unique career path and/or primary academic or interest-driven focus.
• Then, informed by this discussion, each student will compile a list of his/her essay topics by
modality (to include analogy, definition, cause/effect, and extended persuasive).

Step 2: Key Standard Alignment: Required Performances (TfU - Guided Inquiry)

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• In class, students will be provided the instructor-authored Writing Portfolio Project guide along

with the project’s accompanying grading rubric. This information will be covered point-by-point,

with the instructor acting as a guide to establish and reinforce the expectations not only of the

project but of the scholarly writing and inquiry process as a whole and its relevance to the

development of professional standards. During this review of broader course concepts, students

will be encouraged to reflect upon emergent themes they identified not only in their own

research but in the research of their peers, and how these themes may contribute to best practices
in the related field. “Learners’ background, expertise, and beliefs are important to understand and

build on because they affect the learning or knowledge that is developed; experience and
situations that have direct relevance and applicability to the learner’s life and interests are those
that provide the best opportunities for learning…. Knowledge becomes meaningful through
interpretation and application in a community where knowledge is shared” (Greenhow & Li,

2013, p. 137).

• Then, students and instructor together will view the instructor-created Writing Portfolio Project
Example PowerPoint presentation, stopping to review key course concepts and expectations.

• Upon dismissal of the in vivo class session, students will be directed to consult the online
course LMS to participate in an online discussion forum wherein they will explore as a learning
community the final guiding question of the course (indicated by the in-class prompt), create and
share an individual course portfolio, and as a learning community create an amalgamated answer
to the culminating activity reflection.

Step 3: Exploration of Problem: Expert Practices (TfU – Exploration + Guided Inquiry)

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• Upon visiting the online course LMS, students will be provided the following instructions to

begin the independent creative process of compiling the writing portfolio project:

Your Writing Portfolio Project should be a cohesive representation of what you
learned throughout the Advanced Composition course. On an individual level, it
should answer the question: How has the body of my academic writing informed
my professional direction and expanded my argumentative skills? Your portfolio
projects will be produced and presented in PowerPoint. Slides should be uploaded to
the community forum in PDF format AND submitted to the instructor in PowerPoint
format. Your cover page should include your name, the course number, the course
name, the semester, and the instructor’s name and should be labeled “Writing
Portfolio.” All components should be labeled. (For example: “Cause/Effect Essay.”)
Each essay component should include: • The THESIS statement (taken directly from
your original work) • The CONCLUSION statement (taken directly from your
original work) • At least three (3) SUPPORTING statements (taken directly from the
body of your original essay) • A minimum of three (3) supporting illustrations. For
the notation components: For all four (4) notation components, you should select
works from your annotated bibliography that you used to complete the persuasive
argument extended research essay and cite them, then include underneath each
selection your rationale for utilizing the source and how it contributed to your own
exploration of the topic. A minimum of one (1) supporting illustration is required for
each notation. For the research quotations component: The research quotations should
be extracted from your persuasive argument extended essay and should include at
least three (3) sound and relevant supportive direct quotes from the research you

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consulted. (Keep in mind: This should be SCHOLARLY research and it must be

properly documented with an appropriate citation.) A minimum of one (1) supporting
illustration per quote is required. Your conclusion page(s) should include: • A
minimum of three (3) things you learned in this course • A minimum of three (3)
things you liked about this course • A minimum of one (1) supporting illustration.

Music, video clips, and presentation transitions may be incorporated if you choose (be

judicious). Please make design decisions that reflect professionalism and integrity.

• Upon their completion of the writing portfolio, students will post their presentations to the
community forum where they will follow the following prompt:

Our Portfolio Project Forum serves to facilitate your opportunity to share your writing
portfolio with the class and to discuss what you’ve learned, both independently and
collectively. In this Discussion thread, please post a brief (3-sentence) introduction,
followed by your answer (of 50-100 words) to the culminating question: How has the
body of my academic writing informed my professional direction and expanded my
argumentative skills? Please attach your Writing Portfolio Project to your post as a PDF
file. (Please make sure you are making an actual POST for your work and not simply a
reply to someone else's post.) Then, view your peers' projects and, considering their
answers to the culminating question, thoughtfully reply to at least two (2) portfolios with
(a) your constructive feedback on their project and (b) your responses and/or questions to
their culminating answer. This assignment in its entirety (portfolios AND
comments/replies) is due Wednesday at 2:00pm in order to allow time for grading.
(Please note this deadline is AFTER your individual portfolio submissions are due - so
you will have had ample time to convert your file and look at your classmates' work.)

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Step 4: Collaboration: Community Engagement (TfU – Exploration + Guided Inquiry)

• Within the discussion area of the LMS, students will post their writing portfolio projects with
accompanying answers to the culminating question; students will interact and collaborate within
the discussion thread; the focus herein is on promoting extended inquiry, increasing peer
dialogue, and expanding the knowledge within a CoI setting. (The discussion is asynchronous
within a designated one-week assignment timeframe, and specific parameters for providing
feedback are provided within the discussion prompt.)

• The instructor will act as moderator within this discussion, providing deeper reflection
questions, replying to inquiries, and reinforcing the tenets outlined in the context of the course.

Step 5: Technological Scaffolding: Facilitation (TfU - Guided Inquiry)

• The seamless learning opportunities afforded within the hybrid learning context promote
knowledge synthesis both in the formal classroom context and in a mobile-supported
environment. In addition to the physical handouts provided to the students, abundant resources
are embedded within the Schoology course LMS to aid the students in the ongoing creative
process. Additional supplementary resources on MLA documentation, thesis development,
argumentative terminology, and annotation methods are available within the LMS to support the
learning process in a proactive manner. While not all students may require all resources, a
comprehensive set of materials exists in digital format to enrich and inform individual student
learning processes.

Step 6: Shared Artifacts: Publication of Learning Products (TfU - Culminating Project)

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• Upon the close of the discussion forum, the instructor will compile all answers and replies to

the culminating question, and provide this to the students as an update in the course feed. As a

final assignment, students will be asked to compile their collective answers and generate a

collaborative Word Cloud to represent their community of inquiry. This creative synthesis

activity will be posted in a final discussion forum that does not require additional feedback.

Publishing this final collaborative deliverable promotes students’ synthesis of concepts learned
throughout the entirety of the course; as with TfU, this practice is characteristic of thoughtful
action and promotes the transferability of the learning to other knowledge domains.

C. Plan for ongoing assessment

While many opportunities for informal assessment exist throughout this unit, its formal
assessment ultimately lies within the criterion-based rubric and within the graded discussion
forums (wherein students are assessed based upon collaborative participation and not necessarily
on correctness). Additionally, the instructor may provide feedback to the students both in vivo
and online that will help determine progress as well as provide further prompting. Within the
writing portfolio project forum the instructor may also provide feedback in terms of reinforcing
learned concepts and identifying areas of improvement based on answers to the culminating
question. Perhaps most importantly, the students provide feedback to each other in a
collaborative, community of inquiry context that continues to enrich the learning landscape by
offering additional insights that could potentially elicit deeper connections with the material.

D. Description of tools, resources, and scaffolding used

The students will have access to the following tools:
• Internet access (either on-site in a computer lab or through mobile device)

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• Schoology LMS access, including course materials and resources

• Guide and rubric for completing the Writing Portfolio project

• Example Writing Portfolio presentaton

• The college library

Examples of scaffolding that can be used during this unit include:
• Instructor moderation during discussions
• Supplemental resources within the Schoology LMS
• Previously posted discussions and writing workshops
• Peer review

E. Reflect on the design, design process, and design model

“Ideas, theories, procedures … are constructed by a negotiation process among members of the
community, and arguments among them are resolved by logic and evidence…. Argumentation is
necessary for finding better solutions or understandings, because the learning community needs
to identify errors and misconceptions that inevitably arise” (Bielaczyk,& Collins, 1999, p. 18). A
learning communities framework is essential to the work I do with college writers. My
Advanced Composition: Contemporary Issues course focuses on scholarly inquiry and
information credibility as a foundation of the academic writing process. The community aspect,
in my opinion, is enhanced tenfold by technology. The scaffolding offered through the course
LMS empowers my learners to carry that CoI mentality into their own personal academic
practices and in doing so reinforces the entire premise of authentic scholarship; these myriad
resources enable the ongoing facilitation of every learner. Further, due to the collaborative

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foundation of this project-based learning experience, students themselves exist as secondary

scaffolds within the community of inquiry. This practice emulates the workings of professional

contexts beyond the classroom, and promotes deeper learning and meaningful connection beyond
course content. “Connecting to this broader network facilitated high-level collective

responsibility for the learning of the group and dynamic knowledge advancement over time

through flexible, opportunistic collaborations. Using online discussions increased the possibility

of diverse spontaneous inquiries, flexible participation from group members, and transparency.

In particular, participants could see ideas taken up and modified by the group; this in turn helped

students grasp an overarching vision of the changing status of their community knowledge and
the interactions taking place at the community level” (Greenhow & Li, 2013, p.131). I cannot

stress enough the resounding impact the online collaborative learning environment has had on

my learners. When I became ill two years ago, I struggled to find a way to facilitate an optimal
hybrid environment for my students – and in doing so, I had to learn to let go of the idea that my
presence was paramount to my students’ process. Through LDT I have discovered new ways to
facilitate my students’ construction of knowledge, and in the process I believe I have become a

better educator and I know my students have become more empowered learners.

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AnyFlip Writing Portfolio Example (instructor-created sample):
Donlan, C. (2019). EN102 PORTFOLIO PROJECT DONLAN spring 2019 (mobile version).

DONLAN, Crystal Designing Constructivist Learning Environments

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References:

Bielaczyk, K., & Collins, A. (1999). Learning communities in classrooms: A reconceptualization
of educational practice. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional design theories and
models: A new paradigm of instructional theory (pp. 269–291). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.

Greenhow, C., & Li, J. (2013). Like, comment, share: Collaboration and civic engagement
within social network sites. In C. Mouza & N. Lavigne (Eds.), Emerging technologies for
the classroom: Explorations in the learning sciences, instructional systems and
performance technologies (pp.127–141). New York, NY: Springer.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-4696-5_9

Krajcik, J. S., & Shin, N. (2014). Project-based learning. In R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge
handbook of the learning sciences (2nd ed., pp. 275–297). New York, NY: Cambridge
University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139519526.018

Perkins, D., & Unger, C. (1999). Teaching and learning for understanding. In C. M. Reigeluth
(Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models: A new paradigm of instructional theory
(3rd ed., pp. 91–114).

Slotta, J. D., & Najafi, H. (2013). Supporting collaborative knowledge construction with Web
2.0 technologies. In C. Mouza & N. Lavigne (Eds.), Emerging technologies for the
classroom: Explorations in the learning sciences, instructional systems and performance
technologies (pp. 93–112). New York, NY: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-
4614-4696-5_7