Target group

Identifying the individual characteristics and previously acquired skills and knowledge of course participants forms the starting point for learning-oriented teaching. Determining stu-dents’ personal objectives, interests, competence and previous experience in online learning will help you to design a course that will offer the best possible support to learning.

Take a minute to consider what the target group of your course is.

For guidance and support

The course is designed to support the target group’s learning process. One of the main points in the design phase is to define the general characteristics of the target group. These may in-clude the subjects that the students are majoring in, previously completed courses, technical competence and experience in online learning. When preparing the course, the teacher can design a preliminary survey mapping out prior knowledge for students to complete at the be-ginning of the course. An initial exam will help to ensure that the students possess basic com-petence in the course topics. The teacher should allow for some leeway in learning objectives so that they can be modified jointly with the students at the beginning of the course.

Assesment of learning

QUALITY TEACHING IN WEB-BASED ENVIRONMENTS: Handbook for University Teachers

The teaching approach is learning-oriented. When designing the course, the teacher should think of ways to support the students’ learning objectives, help them to achieve deep learning and encourage them to take responsibility for their own learning. Other things that the teacher should consider are the way in which students work online and what kind of sup-port they need in the web-based learning environment.

NEWSFLASH

Surveying prior knowledge

The University of Helsinki has developed a model that teachers can use to survey students’

prior knowledge in the subject taught. The model is based on the notion of competence as a hierarchical and complex phenomenon that starts from the identification of elementary, in-dividual and separate facts and progresses towards more complex information structures and deep understanding. A survey of prior knowledge carried out before or at the beginning of the course provides both the students and the teacher with useful information about the stu-dents’ skills and knowledge. This helps the teacher design and develop teaching to better meet the needs of the target group, makes teaching more learning-oriented and promotes deep learning. (Hailikari, Nevgi & Lindblom-Ylänne, 2006.)

The model for prior knowledge categorises knowledge into four qualitatively different areas: 1) factual knowledge, 2) conceptual knowledge, 3) relational knowledge and 4) crea-tive knowledge. The teacher can use the model to survey the students’ prior knowledge, for example, in the following way:

Survey of factual knowledge

Ask the students to list as many concepts, ideas or topics related to the course content as they can remember. This task will help students to recall previously acquired knowledge related to the new course and to identify gaps in their knowledge.

Survey of conceptual knowledge

Ask the students to define 2–5 core concepts related to the course content. This task will give you an idea of the students’ knowledge of the core concepts; it supports the students in re-calling previously learned information and helps them to identify their understanding of the concepts.

Survey of relational knowledge

Ask the students to compare and evaluate the relations between the concepts they defined in the previous task and to describe the theoretical views they are based on. This task gives you an idea of the knowledge structures formed by the students and of any mistaken assumptions they have about relations between concepts and topics. This task encourages students to engage in critical and comparative thought and helps them to analyse the subjects they are to study.

QUALITY TEACHING IN WEB-BASED ENVIRONMENTS: Handbook for University Teachers

Survey of creative knowledge

Give the students a problem to solve in which they need to apply the information they used in the previous tasks. The problem should be possible to solve based on knowledge acquired in previous studies. This task will help you to understand the students’ ability to apply their knowledge to solving new problems. It will develop the students’ capability to apply their knowledge and will help them to identify any shortcomings in their thinking models. (Haili-kari, Nevgi & Lindblom-Ylänne, 2006.)

LOOK IT UP!

Tools used to survey prior knowledge

● Student analysis provides information about students’ information and communication technology skills, experience in online learning, learning styles and strategies and expecta-tions of the course. The teacher can use the analysis results, for example, to design teach-ing methods and emphases.

Further information: Chydenius Institute – Kokkola University Consortium, http://verkkoluotsi.chydenius.fi/ (fi)

● The E-form is a tool that teachers use to create and maintain different types of forms published in the online environment.

Further information: Educational Centre for ICT, http://ok.helsinki.fi/elomake (fi)

Food for thought

How much do you know in advance of the students’ objectives, prior knowledge about the course topics and technological skills? What kind of information about your target group do you need when planning the course, and how can you get ac-cess to this information?

QUALITY TEACHING IN WEB-BASED ENVIRONMENTS: Handbook for University Teachers