3.8.4 ASSURE technology and learner participation

Having experienced and had a hands-on in lesson preparation with the ASSURE instructional design model, these thoughts remain vividly in my mind:

That instructional technology involves the integration of teacher and student use and knowledge of tools, resources, and techniques to improve student learning.

That in order to promote student learning, the teacher needs to create an appropriate learning environment. This is a decision-making process involving a must balance of certain factors in the decisions. 

That teachers need to know the characteristics of their learners; that the expected outcomes (objectives) must be specified; that there is need to select the appropriate strategies and materials; that the best available technology and media must be used properly to promote optimal learning; that the teacher will need to get their learners involved through appropriate practice and feedback. Throughout the process, the teacher will be assessing student learning and evaluating the instructional experience, as well as its components, so as to revise as necessary. These are the steps of the ASSURE model.

That technology resource does not automatically make teachers more capable. Instead, teachers need to be versed in best practices for integrating technology into the curriculum. 

That the ASSURE is applicable for all types of technology across all subject areas for different learning conditions.

That the ASSURE model is a lesson planning aid to help ensure that technology and media are used to their maximum advantage, not just as interchangeable substitutes for printed or oral messages but to provide a systematic process for creating learning experiences.

That one of the most important roles of technology and media is to serve as a catalyst for change in the whole instructional environment.

That media, the plural of medium, are means of communication and refers to anything that carries information between a source and a receiver. The purpose of media is to facilitate communication and learning.

That there are six basic types of media used in learning: 

Text, the most commonly used medium, is composed of alphanumeric characters that may be displayed in any format—book, poster, whiteboard, computer screen, and so on. 

Audio includes anything that can be heard—a person’s voice, music, mechanical sounds (running car engine), noise, and so on. It may be live or recorded. 

Visuals include diagrams on a computer screen, drawings on a whiteboard, photographs, graphics in a book, cartoons, and so on. 

Video is a visual as well as audio medium that shows motion and can be stored on DVDs, streamed from the Internet, be in the form of computer animation, and so on. 

Although often not considered media, real objects and models are three-dimensional manipulatives that can be touched and handled by students.

The sixth category is people. These are critical to learning- Students learn from teachers, other students, and adults.

                                          The Six Basic Categories of Media

That there are many types of media formats—the physical forms in which messages are incorporated and displayed.

That media formats include whiteboards and WebPages (text and visuals), PowerPoint or Prezi slides (text and visuals), CDs (voice and music), DVDs (video and audio), and computer multimedia (audio, text, and video).

That each has different strengths and limitations in terms of the types of messages that can be recorded and displayed.

What does all this mean to the teacher?

That choosing a media format can be a complex task, considering the vast array of media and technology available, the variety of learners, and the many objectives to be pursued.

That when selecting media formats, the instructional situation or setting (e.g., large group, small group, or self-instruction), learner variables (e.g., reader, nonreader, or auditory preference), and the nature of the objective (e.g., cognitive, affective, motor skill, or interpersonal) must be considered, as well as the presentational capabilities of each of the media formats (e.g., still visuals, video, printed words, or spoken words).

Once the teacher determines the media format, such as a DVD, he must decide which of the appropriate DVDs he will use. The specific DVD becomes the instructional material.

                          Examples of Media Formats and Instructional Materials

Media	Media  Formats	Instructional Materials Examples
Text	Printed book, computer software,  e-book,webpages	A textbook - Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Story Maker software
Audio	CD, live presenter, podcast	State of the Nation  address  by Y.K. Museveni on webcast
Visual	Drawing on interactive whiteboard  Photo in a newspaper	Drawing of the musical scale  Photo of local building
Video	DVD, IMAX documentary film, streamed video	Lewis & Clark: Great Journey Westvideo
Manipulative	Real or virtual object	Algebra tiles
People	Teachers,  subject-matter expert	The Head of  Deprtment Literature an English

That Instructional materials are the specific items used within a lesson that influence student learning. For example, a reading text consisting of written information (text), visuals, and learning exercises found at the end of the chapter. This reading text is an instructional material.

That the design and use of instructional materials are critical, because it is the interaction of the students with those materials that generates and reinforces actual learning. 

That if the materials are weak, improperly structured, or poorly sequenced, only limited learning will occur.

That powerful, well-designed instructional materials are experienced in such a way that they can be readily encoded, retained, recalled, and used in a variety of ways. Learners will remember these materials if they are created, integrated, and presented in a manner that allows them to have the needed impact

As a teacher in the classroom, my role is to establish learning experiences that foster the defined learner outcomes. The most important task is the need to think about how to engage students in the learning process.

Did I succeed in planning for students to be actively engaged?

As a teacher I helped guide the learners explore new information from the internet individually and to collaborate on their learning in groups as they created the PowerPoint and made digital notes.

Recognizing that there are a variety of learning levels and needs among my students, I determined the best way to meet the needs of all students through differentiating instruction to ensure that all learners are adequately and appropriately challenged in their learning. For example, by offering three different poems from three different English periods –Old English in the Shakespearean poem, Early twentieth century period in Robert Frosts’ poem and late twentieth century period in Claude MacKay’s poem- these gave varied challenges, appealing to the many categories of learners in my class.

I encouraged research-based classroom practices to engage learners regardless of their ability levels. This is clearly explained by what the following authors state:

Assessing prior knowledge. “Before you can properly provide instruction, you should gather relevant information about each student’s knowledge and skill level. You need to know what knowledge your students already have learned. To learn from most materials and activities, students must possess prerequisite knowledge and skills” (Newby, Stepich, Lehman, & Russell, 2010).

Considering individual differences.” Learners vary in terms of personality, general aptitude, knowledge of a subject, and many other factors. Be aware of the multiple learning needs of your students—for example, whether a language other than English is spoken in a child’s home. You need to consider the technology and media experiences your students have had and what resources are essential to help your students learn. Effective instruction allows individuals to progress at different rates, cover different materials, and even participate in different activities” (Cooper & Varma, 1997).

State objectives. “For you and your students to know where instruction is going and what is to be accomplished, the goals must be specified. Learning objectives must match expected outcomes or standards.” (Mager, 1997).

Develop metacognitive skills. “The skills of selective monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting their approaches enhance students’ learning and help to make them lifelong learners. Learners need assistance in understanding how they learn and what resources help in that process” (Nelson, 1992).

Provide social interaction. “Teachers and peers serving as tutors or group members can provide a number of pedagogical as well as social supports. Learners gain experience and expertise when collaborating with others in and beyond the classroom” (Jonassen, Howland, Marra, & Crismond, 2008).

Incorporate realistic contexts. “Learners are most likely to remember and to apply authentic knowledge presented in a real-world context. Rote learning leads to “inert knowledge”; that is, learners know something but cannot apply it to real life. Students benefit from understanding how their knowledge and skills fit into the world around them” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000).

Engage students in relevant practice. “The most effective learning experiences are those requiring learners to practice skills that build toward the desired outcome. Learner participation increases the probability of learning. Practice, especially in varying contexts, improves retention rate and the ability to apply the new knowledge, skill, or attitude. Practice promotes deeper, longer lasting learning” (Morrison & Lowther, 2010).

Offer frequent, timely, and constructive feedback. “Student learning requires accurate information on misconceptions, misunderstandings, and weaknesses. Learners need to know if their thinking is on track. Feedback may come from a teacher, a tutor, electronic messages from a computer, the scoring system of a game, or oneself. In addition to knowing that responses are incorrect, students need to know why they have been unsuccessful and how they can improve their performance. Further, knowing details about their correct responses in terms of how and why they are accurate helps students understand more about what they have learned” (Black & William, 1998).

In what ways will they be involved in activities you have not previously tried in your classes?

In utilizing media, the students will have a totally new experience (different from reading and cramming information from one or two text books which characterizes learning today). In this regard, learning from multiple sources of media will provide them with information and challenge their thinking. 

As users of these sources they need media literacy skills to know how to access them, how to understand and analyze the content, and how to create new media messages (Stansbury, 2009).

The teacher’s role is to guide the students to use these media as sources for their learning in ways that are wise, safe, and productive. For example, if students need to learn to find multiple sources to verify facts they may have heard on the news or read in the newspaper, they will need to learn to be critical users of these resources to ensure that they are well informed and their conclusions are accurate.

Does ASSURE provide an effective way of planning a technology-enhanced lesson?

The ASSURE model is constructivist in approach. Constructivism considers the engagement of learners in meaningful experiences as the essence of experiential learning. Shifting from passive transfer of information to active problem solving and discovery, constructivists emphasize that learners create their own interpretations of the world of information. They argue that students situate the learning experience within their own experiences and that the goal of instruction is not to teach information but to create conditions in which students can interpret information for their own understanding. The ASSURE model provides the context for this kind of instruction in general and for the use of technology and media in particular.

As a teacher I will be expected to enhance students’ abilities to engage in the use of technology to support their learning and address these six areas of competence, also known as technology literacy skills.

I am expected to enhance learning by engaging students in the 21st century skills of critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and creativity and innovation, not just as “add ons,” but rather by integrating these into the learning experiences I arrange for the students.

The technology literacy skills are summarized in the table below.

National Educational Technology Standards for Students (N ETS-S) 

              Standard                                                 Description

Creativity and Innovation	Students demonstrate creative thinking, construct knowledge, and develop innovative products and processes using technology
Communication and Collaboration	Students use digital media and environments to communicate and work collaboratively, including at a distance, to support individual learning and contribute to the learning of others.
Research and Information Fluency	Students apply digital tools to gather, evaluate, and use information
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making	Students use critical-thinking skills to plan and conduct research, manage projects, solve problems, and make informed decisions using appropriate digital tools and resources.
Digital Citizenship	Students understand human, cultural, and societal issues related to technology and practice legal and ethical behavior.
Technology Operations and Concepts	Students demonstrate a sound understanding of technology concepts, systems, and operations.

Source: National Educational Technology Standards for Teachers

and National Educational Technology Standards for Students.

Copyright (c) 2007, 2008 by ISTE

(International Society for Technology in Education.

All rights reserved.

Would I change the process to make it more effective?

The ASSURE model focuses on the learner. All the aspects of this model focuses on learner. The most effective learning experiences are those requiring learners to practice skills that build toward the desired outcome output. 

The model is complete in itself for it encourages the teacher to use strategies to get all students actively and individually involved in the lesson:

To incorporate questions and answers, self-assessments, discussions, group work, hands-on activities, and other ways of getting students actively involved in the learning process.

To make sure that all students have opportunity to engage in the learning activities.

To focus on student learning as opposed teaching them.

To provide opportunities to manipulate the information and allow time for practice during the demonstration of the skill.

To evaluate and revise involves evaluation of student performance, media components the instructional experience, as well as its components, so as to revise as necessary and methods.

3.7 ASSURE Model- Objectives

These tenements remained with me after having   worked through part of the ASSURE Model:

The ASSURE model emphasizes teaching students with different learning styles, and constructivist learning where students are required to interact with their environment and not passively receive information.

The objectives describe what the learner will do as a result of instruction - what specific outcomes the students will achieve. This observable behavior which can be evaluated is written using action verbs. Bloom’s Taxonomy for categorizing the domain of learning to be focused on is helpful here.

CATEGORY	COMMON VERBS
Verbal Information	State, Recite, Tell, Declare, Name, List, Define
Intellectual Skills: Concrete Concepts	Identify, Label
Intellectual Skills: Defined Concepts	Classify instances, Sort, Categorize
Intellectual Skills: Rules	Solve, Show, Demonstrate, Generate, Develop, Create, Determine, Calculate, Predict
Intellectual Skills: Higher-order Rules (Problem Solving)	Solve, Show, Demonstrate, Generate, Develop, Create, Determine, Calculate, Predict, Defend,
Attitudes	Build Choose, Decide, Participate Support
Motor Skills	Execute Perform, Swim, Walk, Run, Climb, Drill, Saw, Assemble,

Objectives need to be strong, governed by:

 A – Action

 B – Behavior

 C – Condition

 D – Degree

Specifying:  who (audience) should be able to do what (behavior) when and how? (context) and how far? (To what degree?) written in one sentence as: for example:

In groups of five, the Grade V Teacher trainees will be able to use the internet to research background information on the poem Lapobo by Okot B’tek and identify the use of figurative Language and their effectiveness to the general meaning of the poem.

The students will use a note making app to record their findings and create a PowerPoint presentation to present to the class.  

The students will be judged with reference to their ability to provide accurate information on the poem and their ability to use their creativity to create a PowerPoint presentation.

The criterion to measure the statement of the degree of accuracy or proficiency the learner must display in order to move, is based on some real-world requirement. i.e.- use the internet

 Select strategies, technology, media and materials Media and materials help a teacher to supplement or enhance the method of teaching a lesson. A good selection of this will result in student achievement of the stated learning objectives. How?

 The teacher needs to choose a method of delivering instruction, giving rationale why these selected methods, media and materials are appropriate for the lesson. Will it be an Instructor -centered strategy -   lecture, demonstration, presentation?  or student-centered strategy - discussion, Web Quest, cooperative group work?  or   Tutorials? or showing a video?

Media

Media should be selected on the basis of the total learning situation, instructional method, objectives and student needs knowing that   single medium is the total solution.

Chosen objectively in order to meet the best learning outcome, media must be appropriate for the learning objectives and teaching format and also   be consistent with the students' capabilities and learning styles.

Media should   match the curriculum, be accurate and current with clear and concise language. It should motivate and maintain   learner interest and provide for learner participation. It should be of good technical quality, effective, free from objectionable bias and advertising and where possible has a user guide or other documentation.  Students should have easy access to the selected media. And the teacher should have the skills to use it.   

Media include: photos, multimedia, video, and a computer - CD-ROMs, DVDs, calculators, flip chart, PowerPoint Slide, computer-based tools software, Internet resources, videos and many others.

Materials:

Materials need to be relevant to the objectives. The teacher   can select the available   materials or modify the existing or create his own/ design new materials materials include: Textbook and other print sources- the book title, Educational Game, Web Quest, etc

  Utilize media and materials.

 This is where the lesson is actually taught and the media and materials get implemented.

For each type of media and/or materials listed under Select, modify, and design a detailed description of how it will be to implement into your lesson is important in order to help learners meet the lesson's objective. 

In order to utilize materials correctly   the ‘5 Ps’ process helps to create good student-centered instruction.

 Preview the material-   the technology, media, and materials. Thoroughly check out the material –giving everything a thorough review

 Prepare the material- Prepare and properly sequence the instructional materials   making sure everything   needed is in place and that it all works. Is the Software or device age appropriate ?, grade appropriate?  Usable, and valid for the lesson and objectives being taught? - gather all the equipment required; create a list of materials and equipment needed for the lesson and an outline of the presentation sequence of the activities

Prepare the environment- The classroom   needs to be properly organized so that all the classroom activities fit  in the space  available and that  the materials can be used by the teacher  and  learners without difficulty.

Prepare the learners- The students are given an overview, of the learning objectives
explain how they can take this information and use it and how they will be evaluated up front.

 Provide the learning experience- through presentation, collaboration, and active mental engagement.

Gleaning from the members of my group:

Hussen Walugembe: “In our teaching, we mainly concentrate on creating objectives focusing on    on Behaviour”. – I agree with him. Our objectives are flat and incomplete:  i.e. Learners will be able to write a paragraph using verbs in the simple past tense. On the other hand, the ASSURE model introduces a new twist_ The ABCD of constructing forceful/powerful objectives.

Margaret SSerabidde:” In most cases teachers stammer during a lesson when they realize that some of the items required for an effective learning process have been forgotten. Planning for these things before hand helps to reduce this lack of confidence” – this underscores the “forceful” planning the teacher is required to do in order to create the most conducive learning environment. Today many teachers approach and teach all lessons in the same way –following the same routine- they are predictable teachers.   ASSURE builds the teacher’s confidence!

The ASSURE model gives the lesson a sense of COMPLETENESS making each lesson unique memorable and interesting. 

3.6.4 THE VALUE OF ANALYSING STUDENTS

The ASSURE model is one of the many Instructional Designs models available. Other models include the ARCS Model created by John Keller and the dynamic instructional design model proposed by Lever-Duffy and McDonald, (2008)

 I want to understand what an Instructional Design is.

 What is an instructional design?

 It is a ‘Science’ because it follows a set of theories and methods and is concerned with inputs and outputs of information. It is an ‘art’ because it is related with creativity and shows a designer’s talent and capabilities. (George M. Piskurich 2006).

There are many definitions of what an Instructional Design is:

According to. (Rob Koper 2006). Hashem Fardanesh, (2006) instructional design is the prescribing and forecasting optimal instruction methods for achieving desired changes in knowledge, skills and attitudes of designated students”. In other words, instructional design is a method which the instructor or the designer uses available resources to meet learners demand for knowledge transfer. It is a process of learning which explains lessons, course, learning and support activities in a unit of learning. While (Patricia 2005) puts the instructional design as: a systematic method for conceptualizing, creating, and carrying out instructions”.

According to (Richard Buchanan 2000) a good design can be defined not only to be creative, stylish with extraordinary visual look, but it must consider human engagement in its activities. The designer must appreciate the deep involvement of human characteristics in its design. Instructional designers are convinced that with the help of information technology, they can deliver their message across the classroom loud and clear. They can transfer the power of learning right at the hands of the learners just by the click of a mouse.

What are the characteristics of a good Instructional Design?

According to Luann K. Stempler (1997) a good instructional design should have the following futures:

 Screen design such as color, animations, text and graphics should visually excite the learner and the location of various buttons on the screen for a better navigation.

 Interaction and feedback allows the learner to be active participants throughout the courseware. Meaningful interactivity provides an opportunity for better learning environment. Encouraging feedback is equally important in reinforcing learners of any misconceptions (Robert A. Reiser 2001).

Students should be given more control over the content of the package. The control buttons should be easily understood by the learner. Remember, all students do not have the same learning pattern.  

The use of color, graphics, animations, audio and video are a very effective means of knowledge transfer and these futures must be considered very carefully.

Is it important to have a good Instructional Design?

Yes. It promotes learner motivation to gain knowledge faster, to remember and the same time to continue learning.

What is the ASSURE model of instruction?

The ASSURE model was developed by Heinrich and Molenda in 1999. It is an instructional design guide using constructivist perspective which integrates multimedia and technology to enhance the learning environment (Patrick Lefebvre 2006).

ASSURE is an acronym for the description of six classroom procedures central to the informed selection and use of educational technology. It highlights six classroom procedures: Analyze learners, State objectives, Select methods, media, and materials, Utilize media and materials, Require learner participation, and Evaluate and revise. The ASSURE model incorporates Gagne's events of instruction to ensure effective use of media in instruction.

The first step in the ASSURE model is analysis of learners.

General Characteristics: these include: broad identifying descriptors such as age, grade level, job or position, and cultural or socioeconomic factors

Specific entry competencies refer to knowledge and skills that the learners either possess or lack: prerequisite skills, target skills, and attitudes:

What is the learner's prior knowledge?
Do learners have the entry competencies/vocabulary for this lesson?
Have learners already mastered the skills you are planning to teach?
Do they have biases or misconceptions about the subject?

Learning Styles refers to a cluster of psychological traits that determine how an individual perceives, interacts with, and responds emotionally to learning environments. In analyzing the learning styles it is important to:

Determine individual learning style preferences.
Determine the information processing habits of the learners.
Examine how individuals tend to approach the cognitive processing of information.
Determine the motivational and physiological factors of the learners (anxiety, achievement motivation, social motivation, cautiousness, and competitiveness).

What is the value of analyzing my learners?

In order to select the "best" medium to meet the lesson objectives.

It is critical for making decisions about the most appropriate content, methods, media and materials needed to match the learner characteristics.

To enable the teacher arrange a better environment to increase the probability of individual student learning. According to Dick and Carey, "They will help the designer develop a motivational strategy for the instruction and will suggest various types of examples that can be used to illustrate points, ways in which the instruction may (or may not) be delivered, and ways to make the practice of skills relevant for learners.

 The ASSURE model  forces teachers  to think carefully how to design a striking and useful multimedia courseware that takes advantages of current state of the art technology without compromising learner’s needs, motivation and critical thinking skills in the process. The multimedia courseware needs to be interactive, motivating and above all relevant with plenty of action oriented presentations (Luann K. Stempler 1997).