Modules and Incremental Innovation
Modules as opportunities to
enhance instruction in
manageable steps
Why?—
You already do it
Breaking instruction into
units makes sense; crafting
learning objects that are
portable and
interchangeable takes them
to the next level.
• Use pre-existing content (PP slides; YouTube
videos) and make them more interactive,
available for asynchronous use
• A part of competency-based education:
stackable/portable units
• Reinforce key concepts that recur
throughout a program of study
• Students can revisit, refresh skills
• Attuned to cognitive load
• Showcase your creativity! Students notice
when you’ve blazed a new trail.
Advantages of
Modules
What you gain through
modularization.
• Allow students to navigate freely within
content, re-watch sections (self pacing), and
share their impressions
• Diversify text-heavy courses with multimedia
content
• Low stakes assessments allow for practice
• Use student responses to start in-class
discussions
• Make students aware of current events in
their field
• Information retrieval and decision-making
activities help students remember content
better
Articulate Storyline
Tools for
Modularization
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Elearning authoring tool
Import PP slides
Create interactions
Simple quiz builder
PlayPosit
There are many tools
available, but a few
university-licensed tools are
easy to get started with.
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Interactive videos
Use YouTube videos or videos you author
Simple question builder
Collect information on student impressions and
understanding
VoiceThread
• Multimedia discussion board
• Import media
• Students can respond to prompts via audio,
video or text
Examples
Let’s review some of the
work at D’Amore-McKim in
modularization.
Finance Modules
A macro project: modules for
skills that build on one
another.
Click to launch.
Basic Accounting
Equation
A micro project: provides
practice in a fundamental
concept.
Click to launch.
Modules for
Soft Skills
Applying theory to practice.
Modules on cultural
differences and building
rapport in an international
business setting.
Click to launch.
Click to launch.
Using existing
materials
Don’t reinvent the wheel!
Use what you got.
Click to launch.
Click to launch.
Interactive Videos
PlayPosit is a great way to
quickly insert interactivity
into videos you already use.
Click to launch.
In Closing
Work incrementally, use
existing materials, and
remember that even a little
interactivity goes a long way.
Accessibility:
• It is important to provide closed captioning
or a transcript for videos
Fair Use:
• Before utilizing videos that are available
online, make sure applicable Fair Use
criteria are met.
Seek help!
Website: www.northeastern.edu/idg
Twitter: @DMSB_IDG
Office: Suite of Hayden 120