Quality Matters Specific Standard 5.1 is “The learning activities promote the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies.”
The purpose of learning activities is to provide students the opportunity to process new information and prepare for assessments. In addition to obtaining information through readings and/or videos, Standard 5.1 emphasizes that students must also practice the skills that will later be assessed. These practice opportunities also allow students to receive feedback from the instructor or peers that can be utilized to improve their skills or understanding of the concepts.
Some examples of how students can practice skills include concept maps, outlines, paper drafts, group or class discussions, practice quizzes, smaller versions of projects, practice presentations or speeches, self-assessments, role-plays, rehearsals, and simulations.
Below are examples of learning activities aligned with the learning objective and assessment.
Example 1:
Module Objective: Identify the key structures of an animal cell
Learning Activities:
- Students acquire knowledge by reading a chapter and watching a video on the structure of a cell.
- Students then practice by completing an interactive lesson that includes a diagram of a plant cell that students label by dragging and dropping names on the structures of the cell.
Assessment: Student mastery of the objective is assessed with a quiz that includes diagrams or images of cell structures that students must identify.
Example 2:
Module Objective: Compose poems that use figurative language to convey meaning
Learning Activities:
- Students acquire knowledge by reading a chapter about figurative language in poems.
- Students practice by writing a draft of a poem that uses figurative language and posting their poems on a discussion board. Peers provide feedback on each other's poems.
Assessment: Students revise their poems using the feedback provided in the discussion board and submit the final poem for grading.
Example 3:
In this example, one activity is used to provide practice for three skills.
Module Objectives:
- Calculate the mean value of a data set.
- Calculate the median of a data set.
- Calculate the mode of a data set.
Learning Activities:
- Students acquire knowledge by watching a video and reading a chapter which include an explanation of how to measure the mean, median, and mode of a data set.
- Students complete a practice quiz with questions requiring them to calculate the mean, median, and mode of a given data sets.
Assessment: Students then take a quiz or exam that requires the student to calculate the mean, median, and mode of a data set they have not seen before.
Below are some additional resources to find ideas for learning activities.
- Center for Teaching Innovation (n.d.), Active Learning in Online Teaching, Cornell University
- Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (n.d.), Examples of Learning Activities, Queens University, Ontario
- The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning (n.d.), Interactive Classroom Activities, Brown University
If you would like to work with an eLearning instructional designer to select learning activities or discuss other aspects of course design, please submit an Instructional Design Request form.