DRAWING 101

IDT Graduate Project

DRAWING 101

IDT Graduate Project

This is was an IDT graduate program project. The directive was to create an online eLearning course from scratch using a website builder and utilizing Backward Design in the building of the course content.

Audience: This course is designed to be used by beginning adult drawing students. 

Responsibilities: Instructional Design, Course Map, Web-based Instruction Development and Design (using Wix.com)

Tools Used: Adobe Creative Suite, Open Educational Resources, Fyrebox.com (Assessements), Wix.com, Artificial Intelligence (Content Creation)

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

The purpose of this course is to assist individuals interested in learning the proper techniques of drawing, with the goal of advancing their drawing skills and knowledge. The course covers the basics of drawing techniques, starting with sketching and culminating in a comprehensive set of techniques that are combined in a final project at the end of the course. In this project, students must apply two or more of the drawing techniques discussed throughout the course.

Further, the history of drawing techniques are discussesd at length in this course to help the student understand what famous artist used these techniques and how they used them. By introducing the history of each technique through examples from historic art pieces, students are inspired to think creatively when deciding how to utilize the techniques covered in the course. This approach encourages students to explore new possibilities and think outside the box.

To enhance and support the learning experience in this course, a multi-faceted approach was implemented to the creation of the instruction and assessment. Discussion forums have been incorporated to extend conversations and encourage critical thinking beyond the scope of lecture materials. These forums provide a platform for students to engage with their peers, share insights, and explore concepts in greater depth.

In addition, written paper artifacts have been integrated into the curriculum. These assignments empower students to forge meaningful connections between their learning and the authentic application of drawing techniques in art. By articulating their understanding through writing, students can reflect on their learning and contextualize the techniques within broader artistic practices.

The course includes assessments that require practical application of the drawing techniques covered in lectures. These hands-on assessments serve as a means to demonstrate comprehension of the lecture materials and allow students to showcase their ability to translate theoretical knowledge into tangible artistic skills. This approach ensures that students not only understand the concepts intellectually but can also apply them effectively in their artistic practice.

PROCESS

The process of creating this course began with the development of a comprehensive course map. This map served as a blueprint, outlining the course objectives, module learning objectives, open educational resources to be utilized throughout the course, student activities, and assessments for knowledge checks.

The course was constructed using the Backward Design framework, incorporating Open Educational Resources (OER) as the primary instructional materials. The instructional approach was grounded in the Constructionism Learning theory, which emphasizes the importance of learners creating tangible artifacts to demonstrate their knowledge retention. In line with this theory, each module requires students to construct an artifact as evidence of their learning.

Following the principles of backward design, the course outline began with the identification of the desired artifacts. From there, the necessary assessments to facilitate the creation of these artifacts were outlined. Once the assessments and desired artifacts were determined, the course and module objectives were carefully constructed. Simultaneously, appropriate open educational resources were located and selected to provide the learning materials needed to support these objectives and outcomes. The utilization of artificial intelligence allowed for content creation when designing each lecture page of the course.

This methodical approach ensures that the course is well-structured, with clear alignment between objectives, activities, assessments, and learning outcomes, all supported by carefully curated open educational resources.

REFLECTION

Creating this project has significantly enriched the understanding of how to incorporate the Backward Design framework into a comprehensive course map. By delving into constructionism, instructional designer, David Schlotterback, was able to harness the power of aligning educational concepts with real-world applications of drawing techniques. The process of crafting modules that cater to both constructionism theory and the backward design framework was truly helpful in creating an engaging course. 

Breaking down complex drawing techniques into individual, more digestible modules allowed students to build upon their prior knowledge of drawing progressively. This approach enabled them to produce artifacts that clearly demonstrate their understanding of the learning material. Additionally, incorporating a discussion venue provided students with the opportunity to expand on their learning and share insights that extend beyond the scope of the provided learning materials.

The directive to include Absorb, Do, and Connect activities presented an excellent opportunity to encourage students to link their learning to real-world art pieces that employ these techniques. This approach not only reinforces the practical application of the skills learned but also inspires students to explore variations of these techniques when working on their own pieces.

Overall, this project has been a valuable learning experience in course design, highlighting the importance of thoughtful planning, student engagement, and real-world application in creating an effective and inspiring educational experience.

Let’s Transform Potential Into Performance NOW!