LEM Step-by-Step Practice

For this first go at LEM, I will be modeling the introductory week module in an online Creative Nonfiction II class that I am currently developing. I’ve taught the class before in a face-to-face setting, but now I’ll be turning this into an online asynchronous learning environment.

The outcomes/objectives for this module are two-fold:

1. Evaluate their ability to succeed in an online online learning environment through critical reflection; and
2. Develop a collaborative learning community in which people feel comfortable sharing their writing with one another and offering feedback.

Steps:

1. Students will go to the introductory course module on Canvas (LMS) and read through the course materials (information block);
2. Students will watch a short introductory video from me introducing them to the course and providing an overview of the semester (information block);
3. Students will post a short response on a discussion thread indicating their understanding of course materials. They can also use this space to ask questions they have about the class at this point in the semester (dialogue block with feedback block from me and classmates);
4. Students will then complete an outside “Succeeding in an Online Class” Canvas course on our LMS (information and practice blocks);
5. Students will upload a certificate of completion for “Succeeding in an Online Class” via course dropbox along with a short reflective writing in which they outline their perceived strengths and weaknesses as an online student along with personal goals for course (evidence and feedback blocks);
6. Students will then read through some example six-word memoirs (information block);
7. Finally, students will develop and share at least one six-word memoir on a discussion thread and offer feedback to one another (dialogue, evidence, and  feedback blocks).

The actions will consist of a mixture of learner, facilitator, and system actions. I will use the start and stop notations to indicate the beginning and ending moments of the module and include the objectives in the objective ID bubbles. I’ve decided to work chronologically through the course, so while this module may look a little different from other modules in the course, I think it’s valuable to work all the way through the course using the modeling technique.