The Identified Problem/ Challenge
Inclusion teachers without specialized education training or experience do not know how to deal with students who have disabilities.
The Outcomes
- 50% reduced anxiety and stress from the absence of inclusion training in 6 months;
- 20% improved learners’ outcomes in students with disabilities in 6 months;
- 10% improved learners’ outcomes in students without disabilities in 60 months.
The Medium
The identified medium for helping the teachers to receive the appropriate inclusion training is Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC). It is a system that helps the teachers to learn inclusion by going through theoretical modules, practical tasks, and collaborations with other learners. The primary advantage of the method is its availability at any convenient time and place for the teacher (Panero, Aldon, Trgalova, & Trouche, 2017), which is vital for the success of integrated learning programs (Tzivinikou, 2015).
The proposed MOOC will have the possibility to be entered using any internet browser and a mobile application for Android and iOS. MOOC is a series of theoretical information blocks followed by tasks, some of which are checked automatically, while others are evaluated by peers and authorities. While other technologies may be helpful for addressing the identified issue, MOOC seems to be the most appropriate according to the literature review.
Learning Strategies
There will be several learning strategies employed to achieve the best outcomes of the project. First, even though it is a self-paced series of modules, the learners will not be allowed to go through the entire learning process in one go. There will be forced 24-hour breaks between modules to ensure spaced practice, which is crucial, according to Gonzalez (2016). Second, the teachers will be offered different kinds of tasks and information to ensure the interleaving of the learning materials. Third, the learners will be granted the opportunity to elaborate on the received knowledge through discussions of task results in the comments section. Fourth, the MOOC will use dual coding by combining the words and visuals, which is central to online courses (Gonzalez, 2016).
Finally, the learners will be provided with concrete historical examples, which is critical for ensuring the applicability of the received knowledge. While other strategies may be added during the process of MOOC development, the five methods listed above are sufficient to guarantee positive learner outcomes.
Storyboard
User Interface
The primary goal of the interface is to be user-friendly and self-explanatory since the teachers are adults that have no spare time to learn new technology. However, since the MOOC will not need to sell itself, the design will be minimalistic to avoid any distractions of the learners. The interface will have a comprehensive dashboard, where the learner will be able to go to the needed module, task, or discussion.
There will also be an outline of the course to help the learners appreciate their progress, instructions, an FAQ to help the learners handle the software, and a bug report window to track the errors. The interface will differ depending on the version (mobile application, computer browser, and mobile browser). At the same time, the essential design details are carried through all versions of the interface to ensure congruency. In short, the interface is expected to be convenient and minimalistic.
Assessment
The formative and summative assessments will be integrated into the system. Formative assessment will be included in every module. The learners will need to complete two sets of questions by the end of each module. The first set of questions will be checked automatically to provide objective data about the success of learners. The second part of the assessment will include discussion questions that will be evaluated manually by teachers and peers.
All the learners will be required to participate in the assessment of the modules of others. Therefore, the formative assessment will be a part of the learning process, which will be convenient for both learners and evaluators. Summative assessment will be conducted in the form of a final exam, which will consist of multiple-choice questions, discussion questions, and a capstone project. The project will need to be planned and implemented in the workplace. It will be evaluated by the final report created by learners. Experts will conduct the summative assessment to ensure the professionalism of the evaluation. In short, the assessment procedure will be designed to become a part of the learning process.
Resources
Gonzalez, J. (2016). 6 powerful learning strategies you must share with students. Cult of Pedagogy. Web.
Panero, M., Aldon, G., Trgalova, J., & Trouche, L. (2017). Analysing MOOCs in terms of their potential for teacher collaboration: the French experience. In TWG15 of the 10th Conference of European Research on Mathematics Education (CERME). Dublin, Ireland.
Tzivinikou, S. (2015). Collaboration between general and special education teachers: Developing co-teaching skills in heterogeneous classes. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 64, 108-119.