Organize Content Effectively to Maximize Learning Opportunities

BY Karla Gutierrez04, NOV 2014

It is time to set up a new eLearning course. That sounds simple enough, at least in theory.

Sit down, draw up objectives for what the course is expected to convey to students.
Get curriculum prepared to meet those objectives.
Prepare assessments to determine how effective you were in presenting information to those
who participated in the eLearning course.
It's not that simple. There is an old saying that “if it was easy to do, then everyone would do
it,” and the wisdom behind that saying is true for eLearning courses and for presenting
information so people actually learn. Students are able to learn best when information is
presented in one of several clear and effective instructional design choices. In fact, research
has proved that the order and organization of learning activities affects the way information is
processed and retained (Glynn & DiVesta, 1977; Lorch & Lorch, 1985; Van Patten, Chao, &
Reigeluth, 1986).

Text-Organization Effect

The concept refers to the effects that the structural elements of the course have on the
information learners encode and remember. This effect relies on the fact that learners’
comprehension is influenced by the text structure used to convey the information. Moreover,
it assumes that our brains like the organization of information, which is why chapters,
outlines and sections are highly recommended as an instructional method.

To properly organize and sequence content, you’ll first need to consider:

How to use concept or mind-mapping for analyzing content (to determine which concepts
build on others and should be presented first, and know how much to include and what to
eliminate.)
Get to know your learners
And...Answer these 7 questions before choosing a structure
There are two main ways to organize content:

Sequential: Sequential information simply means that information is presented in a list, or

information is presented as though there is a problem followed by a solution. We learn how
to cook by following a recipe exactly. We learn to read a book after we learn to recognize
individual letters with many steps in between. There is a sequence to how material is
presented and learned.
Non-Sequential: Learning non-sequentially can also be a natural way to learn and can work
for eLearners because they are able to skip parts of the process that don’t necessarily pertain
to them.
Examples of Sequential Learning Structures

Fortunately there are different ways to present information to students so they can maximize
their opportunities to learn.

1) Description/List:

A list is an easy to recognize manner of presenting information. You describe something by

enumerating its features, characteristics, or examples. A list can provide information about
how to open a pop bottle and how to split an atom. The list can be in sequence order, or it can
simply include the information about what has to be accomplished.

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2) Problem/Solution:

Presents why there is a problem, then introduce one or more possible solutions to fix the
problem. The solution was to exterminate every rat seen on the streets of London. Why? The
problem was that rats were blamed millions of deaths. Fortunately, when the rats were killed
the fleas died to so the real culprits ultimately paid, but it may not make as much sense in the
education process to begin by killing rats.

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3) Simple to Complex:

Providing a student with simple information before providing them with complex information
is a way to sequence things so that it makes learning easier. The student learns something
easy, and then they can access their memory for that easy or at least easier thing to facilitate
learning something more difficult. This is in part why college courses have a set of pre-
requisites. A student wouldn’t start off taking a 500 level course most of the time. They begin
with the 100 level course and work their way up to the more challenging information.

Our brains like hierarchy. Following this principle, you can design your screens starting with
general and important concepts and then moving to, “explaining information in a hierarchical
fashion.” John Medina says, “You have to do the general idea first. And then you will see a
40% increase in understanding.”

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4) Familiar to Unfamiliar:

Similar to going from easy to difficult, familiar to unfamiliar starts with what the student
knows, then moves on to teach them information they do not know. This can be done by
using metaphors, analogies, similes, comparisons and other methods often used in literature
and writing to teach new information. However, math can also use this method of instruction
as more difficult concepts and formulas are often “built” on prior or familiar concepts and
formulas.

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Non-Sequential Learning Structures

In non-sequential or network structures, learners have to get meaning out of the information
presented to them. Often, this information is presented through case studies and scenarios.
These formats which a student should be able to use information they have to determine
either what the problem is, or at least give them information to begin an investigation.

Read this article to learn more about structures used to create non-linear eLearning courses.

Another possible way for non-linear design is using the Learning Map. Read more here.

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CONCLUSION:

Once a format for presenting information has been chosen, it is fairly easy to move forward
with the presentation of information for which students will be assessed. Following one
particular format, or combining more than one format will almost force you to take a
systematic approach to presenting information that will create a sense of ease for you, and
should allow you to ensure that objectives area met and therefore there shouldn’t be surprises
when the assessments are given.

Free eBook: A Quick Survival Guide for Modern elearning Designers

THIS IS AN EXCERPT FROM EFFECTIVE PHYSICAL EDUCATION CONTENT AND INSTRUCTION
WITH WEB RESOURCE BY PHILLIP WARD & HARRY LEHWALD.