Storyboarding Master Worksheet

This Worksheet is meant to be used in conjunction with the Storyboarding for Success paper presented at the Third Annual WebCT Conference, Vancouver, B.C., June 2001. The paper and the Worksheet will assist anyone creating an online course, especially those professors who have no instructional design support.

Click here for the associated PowerPoint Slideshow used at the presentation.

On the pages that follow are some checklists, tables and worksheets to assist you in completing your storyboard. You should complete these worksheets to the best of your ability before actually constructing your storyboard. This is an ongoing exercise, and you may not be able to complete all sections at once. However, fill it in as you become more familiar with the ideas and tools associated with teaching and as you think about the way you teach. The more careful pre-planning you do when creating your web course, the more time, hours of frustration and re-design will be saved.

Section II: Organizing your Current Materials

Drawing from your syllabus, list all of your Teaching and Assessment methods in the left-hand column. For example: Introduction, Objectives, Lessons and Quizzes (list separately), Homework, Presentations, Assignments, Activities, etc.

For each Teaching and Assessment Method, there will also be files, tools or software associated with it. Identify all the materials and the form that they take as part of your materials inventory. See “Materials Inventory Checklist” above for ideas on what to fill in. it is helpful if you list each teaching and assessment method used in the same time sequence as in the syllabus. You will complete the third columns as you proceed to Section III: Matching the Tool to the Task.

Section III: Matching the Tool to the Task

7 Principles of Good Teaching (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)

1. Promotes Teacher Student Interaction

5. Promotes Active Learning

2. Promotes Student to Student Interaction

6. Facilitates Time on Task

3. Encourages High Expectations

7. Addresses Different Learning Styles

4. Provides Rich, Rapid Feedback

Internet Presentation Styles and Tools

Here is a sampling of some of the tools currently used on the Web for teaching & learning, and the associated Good Teaching Principles (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) they embody. Use this chart to assist you in filling in the Internet Presentation Style or Tool” column of your worksheet below.

Communication Tools:

Internet Tool or feature

Uses and advantages

Good Teaching Principle(s) (from above)

e-Mail

One-to-one and one-to-many communications, private communications, reminders of events and due dates; personal encouragement, group work, searchable attachment of other files

Teacher-to-student ; student-to-student; depending on usage other principles may apply.

Bulletin Board or Threaded Discussions

One-to-many communications; moderated discussions; anonymous interaction; thoughtful debate; peer review; group work; searchable

Teacher-to-student ; student-to-student; depending on usage other principles may apply.

Listservs

One-to-many communications; often too public for some discussions

Teacher-to-student ; student-to-student; depending on usage other principles may apply.

Chatrooms

One-to-many communications; brainstorming; virtual office hours; often not accessible by all students; immediate feedback

Teacher-to-student ; student to student; rich, rapid feedback

Whiteboards

One-to-many communications; some are synchronous drawing slates; some may not be recorded; good for visual work or communication.

Teacher-to-student ; student to student

Calendars

Good for posting due dates, reminders, last minute changes. Some allow attachments or hyperlinks; some allow students to make postings to the class; some can be printed and/or searched

Depends on usage and features, but can be: Time on task, set high expectations; teacher-to-student and student to student communications

Student Home Pages

Good way to introduce some personality online; valuable source of data for classmates; helps build community

Student to student communication;

Faculty Home Pages

Good way to introduce personality to the students; last minute reminders, other resources

Teacher-to-student communication;

Content Presentation Tools and Features

Internet Tool or feature

Uses and advantages

Good Teaching Principle(s)

Animations

High engagement factor; not equally accessible to all; good for visual learners; if used for vital content text alternatives should be given

Depending on the usage whether it is used to present content; in a test; as a game; as entertainment or navigational device. Different learning styles and usually time on task if engaging

Hyperlinks to other sites

Present outside authorities and resources, which can be extremely rich. Many have interactive options. Check out NASA, and other government sites; URL may change too often (except the government sites); government sites must be compliant with accessibility issues.

Promotes active learning,

Syllabus (some systems have separate tools for the syllabus)

Way to present description of course content, instructor contact information, course objectives and expectations

Time on task; teacher-to-student communication

Single, stand-alone HTML pages

Allows for special non-linear material in a course; examples; special resources

Promotes active learning

Linked pages in a module or lesson

Provides sense of continuity and flow, allows for easy navigation

Promotes active learning

Glossary tools

Can be a stand-alone tool; can have hyperlinks of terms from module pages to glossary; can have hyperlink of glossary terms to other terms in glossary; students do not have to guess the keywords they should be learning because the hyperlinks indicate what the instructor thinks is important

Promotes active learning; different learning styles

Audio and Video files

Present moving images and sound bites to bring the subject to life

Different learning styles; active learning

Streamed media

Video recorded classes, presentations, meetings, etc. can be viewed at a later time by those who were not present

Special file formats

Allows various ways to present material

Different learning styles

All web-ready formats

Allows the inclusion of text, graphics and hyperlinks and the students can easily navigate the material.

Different learning styles

Controlled release of materials

Allows students to learn at their own pace, or forces them to keep up depending on how you manage the release; can release different materials to different students depending on how you chose to group them

Promotes active learning; time on task

Self-directed material

Students move at their own pace through the material

Promotes active learning; time on task

Student Participation/Study tools

Internet Tool or feature

Uses and advantages

Good Teaching Principle(s)

Search tools or engines

Enables the student to find materials electronically; takes the place of the index at the back of book

Promotes active learning

Interactive games

Engages and entertains the student while they master the subject

Promotes active learning, different learning styles

Flash cards

Permits a student to drill himself until he is comfortable with the material

Promotes active learning, different learning styles

Progress tools & bookmarks

Allows student to assess how much effort he has put into the course

Communicates high expectations; time on task

Grades made available

Students receive their grades quickly and can assess if they need to put more effort into the course

Rich, rapid, feedback (depends on what and how much is released); communicates high expectations

Comparison of performance to class

When they see where they rank against their peers, it can either motivate them to try harder or encourage them on a job well done

Communicates high expectations

Site Maps

Is an alternate method of navigating through a course

Different learning styles; time on task

Calendars

Reminds students when assignments are due and when exams will take place; can also remind them of school holidays so they can plan their studying

Time on task

Practice Tests

Enables the students to become familiar with the instructor’s testing style so they can focus on the subject and be prepared for the questions; ups the students comfort level before tests; it has been shown that students who take the practice tests score well on the real exams

Promotes active learning, rich rapid feedback

Self-test

Allows the student to exhibit his mastery of the material; he can repeat the self-test until he gets it correct; repetitive drill reinforces it in his memory

Promotes active learning, rich rapid feedback

Help files

Clarifies for the student the steps he needs to take in order to achieve an outcome

Promotes active learning, rich rapid feedback

Surveys

Allows the students to voice their opinions anonymously; provides the instructor with an understanding of how his material is being received

Promotes active learning; rich rapid feedback

Assessment Tools

Many quiz modules allow for automatic grading and release of scores and feedback for right and wrong answers; some of these should appear in the Learning Objectives section and the Class Activities section of the worksheet.

Internet Tool or feature

Uses and advantages

Good Teaching Principle(s)

Pre-enrollment assessment tests

Assesses the student’s readiness for the course and indicates if they need to do some remedial work in preparation

Communicates high expectations

Timed quizzes

Students have to have good mastery of the material in order to complete the test in the allotted time; timed quizzes can make take home tests feasible

Promotes active learning; time on task; rich, rapid feedback

Proctored quizzes

The intention is to eliminate the possibility of cheating

Communicates high expectations

Randomized quizzes

Lessens the likelihood of cheating

Communicates high expectations

Essay quizzes or questions

Requires that the student demonstrate an understanding of the material; indicates a higher level of thinking

Promotes active learning; Communicates high expectations

Hand-in assignments

Group projects

Allows the students to help each other and they become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses; prepares the students for the future because most jobs require a high level of group work

Encourages student-to-student interaction

Your Course's Personalized Methods/Files/Tools Worksheet

Teaching or Assessment Method
(drawn from your syllabus and taking into account Chickering & Gamson's Seven Principles (1987), listed above)

Associated Files/Documents
(from Class Activities, Assessment Methods & Materials Inventory, above)

Internet Presentation
Style or Tool
(see chart above)

(Example 1) Introduction and overview of course

Syllabus (includes assignments, timeline, tests and objectives) & calendar

Syllabus, home page and/or some kind of greeting

(Example 2) Pre-assessment quiz

Multiple choice and short answer questions in MSWord

Quiz tool, self-grading

Teaching & Assessment Methods Checklist This list is used to complete the column “Teaching & Assessment Methods” in the worksheet below. Check all that apply, then write the appropriate items in the worksheet.
Teaching Methods	Assessment Methods
Class Discussion	Attendance	Written Assignments (long and short)
Debate	Class Participation	Written Test/Essay
Field trips	Open Book Test	Repetitive drill
Group Work	Oral Exams	Any Other Methods or Assessments (fill in your own)
Laboratory	Peer Assessment	Pop Test
Lecture	Practice Tests	Self-test
Oral Presentations	Pre-assessment testing	Proctored Tests
Performance of skill, or technique	Problem analysis, diagnosis, & solving	Graded Discussions
Question and answer period

Class Activities, Assessment Methods & Materials Inventory Course Materials Inventory Checklist This list is used as a reference in helping you complete the middle column in the worksheet below, entitled “Associated Files & Documents”. Write the appropriate items that you use in class in the worksheet under Associated Files/Documents, as it pertains to each course component)
Syllabus	PowerPoint Presentations	Charts
Textbooks	Overheads and overlays	Blackboard or whiteboard
Exercises in the textbook	Vocabulary exercises	Audio files, tapes, CDs
Lecture Notes	Flash Cards	Photographs
Case studies	Math problems	Slides (photo)
Handouts	Maps	Video files, clips or films
Study guides	Graphs	Learning Aids (3D –globes, skeletons)
Word processing documents	Spreadsheet documents	Database documents
Quiz questions	Worksheets	Drawing materials

Storyboarding Master Worksheet

Section I: Needs Assessment

Class Learning Objectives and their Measure of Success

Teaching & Assessment Methods Checklist

Teaching Methods

Assessment Methods

Section II: Organizing your Current Materials

Section III: Matching the Tool to the Task

7 Principles of Good Teaching (Chickering & Gamson, 1987)

Internet Presentation Styles and Tools

Communication Tools:

Content Presentation Tools and Features

Student Participation/Study tools

Assessment Tools

Many quiz modules allow for automatic grading and release of scores and feedback for right and wrong answers; some of these should appear in the Learning Objectives section and the Class Activities section of the worksheet.

Your Course's Personalized Methods/Files/Tools Worksheet

Class Learning Objectives and their Measure of Success These are the individual course objectives as taken from your Syllabus. Write down how “success” (student’s learning of the objective) will be assessed ( eg. performance on Quiz, written paper, ability to discuss the topic)
#	Learning Objective	Assessment

Internet Presentation Styles and Tools Here is a sampling of some of the tools currently used on the Web for teaching & learning, and the associated Good Teaching Principles (Chickering & Gamson, 1987) they embody. Use this chart to assist you in filling in the Internet Presentation Style or Tool” column of your worksheet below.
Communication Tools:
Internet Tool or feature	Uses and advantages	Good Teaching Principle(s) (from above)
e-Mail	One-to-one and one-to-many communications, private communications, reminders of events and due dates; personal encouragement, group work, searchable attachment of other files	Teacher-to-student ; student-to-student; depending on usage other principles may apply.
Bulletin Board or Threaded Discussions	One-to-many communications; moderated discussions; anonymous interaction; thoughtful debate; peer review; group work; searchable	Teacher-to-student ; student-to-student; depending on usage other principles may apply.
Listservs	One-to-many communications; often too public for some discussions	Teacher-to-student ; student-to-student; depending on usage other principles may apply.
Chatrooms	One-to-many communications; brainstorming; virtual office hours; often not accessible by all students; immediate feedback	Teacher-to-student ; student to student; rich, rapid feedback
Whiteboards	One-to-many communications; some are synchronous drawing slates; some may not be recorded; good for visual work or communication.	Teacher-to-student ; student to student
Calendars	Good for posting due dates, reminders, last minute changes. Some allow attachments or hyperlinks; some allow students to make postings to the class; some can be printed and/or searched	Depends on usage and features, but can be: Time on task, set high expectations; teacher-to-student and student to student communications
Student Home Pages	Good way to introduce some personality online; valuable source of data for classmates; helps build community	Student to student communication;
Faculty Home Pages	Good way to introduce personality to the students; last minute reminders, other resources	Teacher-to-student communication;
Content Presentation Tools and Features
Internet Tool or feature	Uses and advantages	Good Teaching Principle(s)
Animations	High engagement factor; not equally accessible to all; good for visual learners; if used for vital content text alternatives should be given	Depending on the usage whether it is used to present content; in a test; as a game; as entertainment or navigational device. Different learning styles and usually time on task if engaging
Hyperlinks to other sites	Present outside authorities and resources, which can be extremely rich. Many have interactive options. Check out NASA, and other government sites; URL may change too often (except the government sites); government sites must be compliant with accessibility issues.	Promotes active learning,
Syllabus (some systems have separate tools for the syllabus)	Way to present description of course content, instructor contact information, course objectives and expectations	Time on task; teacher-to-student communication
Single, stand-alone HTML pages	Allows for special non-linear material in a course; examples; special resources	Promotes active learning
Linked pages in a module or lesson	Provides sense of continuity and flow, allows for easy navigation	Promotes active learning
Glossary tools	Can be a stand-alone tool; can have hyperlinks of terms from module pages to glossary; can have hyperlink of glossary terms to other terms in glossary; students do not have to guess the keywords they should be learning because the hyperlinks indicate what the instructor thinks is important	Promotes active learning; different learning styles
Audio and Video files	Present moving images and sound bites to bring the subject to life	Different learning styles; active learning
Streamed media	Video recorded classes, presentations, meetings, etc. can be viewed at a later time by those who were not present
Special file formats	Allows various ways to present material	Different learning styles
All web-ready formats	Allows the inclusion of text, graphics and hyperlinks and the students can easily navigate the material.	Different learning styles
Controlled release of materials	Allows students to learn at their own pace, or forces them to keep up depending on how you manage the release; can release different materials to different students depending on how you chose to group them	Promotes active learning; time on task
Self-directed material	Students move at their own pace through the material	Promotes active learning; time on task
Student Participation/Study tools
Internet Tool or feature	Uses and advantages	Good Teaching Principle(s)
Search tools or engines	Enables the student to find materials electronically; takes the place of the index at the back of book	Promotes active learning
Interactive games	Engages and entertains the student while they master the subject	Promotes active learning, different learning styles
Flash cards	Permits a student to drill himself until he is comfortable with the material	Promotes active learning, different learning styles
Progress tools & bookmarks	Allows student to assess how much effort he has put into the course	Communicates high expectations; time on task
Grades made available	Students receive their grades quickly and can assess if they need to put more effort into the course	Rich, rapid, feedback (depends on what and how much is released); communicates high expectations
Comparison of performance to class	When they see where they rank against their peers, it can either motivate them to try harder or encourage them on a job well done	Communicates high expectations
Site Maps	Is an alternate method of navigating through a course	Different learning styles; time on task
Calendars	Reminds students when assignments are due and when exams will take place; can also remind them of school holidays so they can plan their studying	Time on task
Practice Tests	Enables the students to become familiar with the instructor’s testing style so they can focus on the subject and be prepared for the questions; ups the students comfort level before tests; it has been shown that students who take the practice tests score well on the real exams	Promotes active learning, rich rapid feedback
Self-test	Allows the student to exhibit his mastery of the material; he can repeat the self-test until he gets it correct; repetitive drill reinforces it in his memory	Promotes active learning, rich rapid feedback
Help files	Clarifies for the student the steps he needs to take in order to achieve an outcome	Promotes active learning, rich rapid feedback
Surveys	Allows the students to voice their opinions anonymously; provides the instructor with an understanding of how his material is being received	Promotes active learning; rich rapid feedback
Assessment Tools Many quiz modules allow for automatic grading and release of scores and feedback for right and wrong answers; some of these should appear in the Learning Objectives section and the Class Activities section of the worksheet.
Internet Tool or feature	Uses and advantages	Good Teaching Principle(s)
Pre-enrollment assessment tests	Assesses the student’s readiness for the course and indicates if they need to do some remedial work in preparation	Communicates high expectations
Timed quizzes	Students have to have good mastery of the material in order to complete the test in the allotted time; timed quizzes can make take home tests feasible	Promotes active learning; time on task; rich, rapid feedback
Proctored quizzes	The intention is to eliminate the possibility of cheating	Communicates high expectations
Randomized quizzes	Lessens the likelihood of cheating	Communicates high expectations
Essay quizzes or questions	Requires that the student demonstrate an understanding of the material; indicates a higher level of thinking	Promotes active learning; Communicates high expectations
Hand-in assignments
Group projects	Allows the students to help each other and they become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses; prepares the students for the future because most jobs require a high level of group work	Encourages student-to-student interaction