Lesson Analysis 1 Running Head: LESSON ANALYSIS
Lesson Analysis 1 Running Head: LESSON ANALYSIS
Lesson Analysis
Jennifer Maddrell
Lesson Analysis
This report is a lesson analysis of two distant education courses offered by the University
of Regina in Canada. Both courses are offered by the Faculty of Education and focus on
technology use in the classroom. While the subject matter is similar, the courses target different
learners and employ different instructional strategies, media, and interaction. The following
provides a design, functional, and interactional analysis of one lesson from each course.
Design Analysis
Rationale for Lesson. ECMP 355 – Computers in the Classroom is an introduction to the
integration and use of technology in the classroom. The course was developed and delivered in
the Fall 2005 semester by Dr. Alec Couros, a University of Regina faculty member. The course is
part of the Bachelor of Education program which meets the provincial Department of Education
requirements for teacher certification in Saskatchewan. The Week 3 lesson is the focus of this
lesson analysis and addresses the use of PowerPoint as a hypermedia tool for the classroom.
Learner Analysis. The learners in the class are undergraduate students enrolled in the
Bachelor of Education program. Students are preservice teachers taking the course in either a
fully online or blended format. This analysis is based on the experiences of learners enrolled in
Objectives – Course Level. The explicit course level objectives are outlined on the course
website and are repeated below. The objectives focus on the development of knowledge and
classrooms.
Lesson Analysis 3
effectiveness.
classroom.
4. Develop a basic understanding of e-mail, the Internet, multimedia resources and learn
7. Gain the understanding and skills related to the "appropriate" integration of technology
content.
9. Explore different learning theories and begin to better understand how each may relate to
10. Have fun and feel comfortable using technology in teaching and learning situations.
PowerPoint as a hypermedia tool for the classroom. At the conclusion of the lesson, learners are
expected to be able to define multimedia and hypermedia, explain what PowerPoint is, describe
how PowerPoint is commonly used in instructional settings, and demonstrate the use of basic
PowerPoint features.
Task / Content Analysis – Week 3 Lesson. A task and content analysis for the Week 3
Assessment – Course Level. Assessment for the course is based on the student’s
completion of weekly technology tasks, weekly personal blog reflections, a capstone final
project, and an electronic portfolio. Technology tasks, worth 10% of the final grade, are
considered lab assignments for the current week’s topic and include instructor directed blog
reflections, software evaluations, critiques of websites, and evaluations of virtual tours. Class
participation, worth 10% of the final grade, is assessed based on participation in online
discussions. Within a personal blog worth 25% of the final grade, students are expected to reflect
upon topics related to technology integration within the K-12 classroom, including responses to
questions raised within the weekly assignments. Assessment is based on the frequency and
quality of the expressed ideas, reach within blogging community, and use of multimedia
Within a final major project worth 30% of the final grade, each student is required to
prepare an individual project integrating the topics covered in class. Students are given a choice
of 13 suggested topics, but they are also able to request a different topic. Once a topic is chosen,
the student must submit a proposal to the instructor which serves as a reference point for the
mechanics and grammar, use of enhancements (such as video or audio), usability, technology
The students are also required to develop a professional electronic portfolio worth 25% of
the final grade. Assessment is based on content, visual design, navigation, and general adherence
Assessment – Week 3 Lesson. The assessment for the Week 3 lesson includes two
technology tasks. In the first task, learners pair up in small groups to review a presented group of
Lesson Analysis 5
PowerPoint slides. Learners are asked to enhance the PowerPoint presentation through use of
additional media, such as audio files, graphics, or photos, while creating a written narrative. In
the second technology task, learners work alone to create a five to seven slide PowerPoint
sounds.
presentation, learner practice, and feedback strategies intended to fulfill the lesson objectives
stated above. The lesson begins on the course website with a text based overview of the concepts
of multimedia and hypermedia. The learners are expected to read the lesson text, along with
additional instructional content and examples of the concepts and procedures presented via
hyperlinks embedded in the website text. This presentation strategy requires learners to toggle to
new browser tabs or windows and to download resource documents in order to view the
instructional content.
The learners are given two opportunities to practice the learned PowerPoint creation and
editing procedures. In the first assignment, the students must form small groups and edit an
existing PowerPoint. They share their edited PowerPoint presentations with the class and are
graded for their effort. In the second assignment, the students work individually to create a new
PowerPoint presentation which is submitted to the instructor for grading and feedback.
In addition, during Week 3 the learners must also continue working on their electronic
portfolio projects which may incorporate the PowerPoint concepts and procedures covered in this
lesson. Further, the learners must continue posting their weekly blog reflections based on
Functional Analysis
Lesson Analysis 6
Media and Technology Components. The course website is available on the open Internet
without password restrictions. Print based articles, links to tools and software, a detailed course
outline, and grading rubrics are provided on the course website. Blogs are utilized by both the
instructor and students. While a text book is not required, an optional text is recommended. A
Function. The course website functions as the course “Home Page” for students. All
course materials are either linked or housed here. The weekly lesson sections within the website
serve as a type of study guide and walk the learner through the lesson. The posted or linked
articles and software provide the required assigned readings for each weekly lesson. Detailed
descriptions of the class assignments and grading rubrics are also posted on the course website
along with examples and other guidelines. The instructor’s blog is also housed on the course
website and facilitates the communication of broadcast messages to students, as well as updates
to course content, including impromptu “tutorials”. Outside of the course website, the course
management system houses the asynchronous discussion board which facilitates learner to
Component Instructional Load. The course website carries the primary instructional
content load. It organizes the course, presents the instructional content, and facilitates dialogue
through the instructor’s blog. While the class website provides learners with some original
source instructional content, the majority of instructional content is presented within the linked
Interaction Analysis
website where the course content, the assignments, the schedule, and the instructor’s blog are
presented. The dialog is a mix of real and simulated conversations. The simulated dialog on the
website is relatively formal and articulates the expectations of learners, as well as the logistical
While there are no scheduled whole class synchronous sessions, real dialogue occurs in
the asynchronous discussion board, posts and comments in blogs, and conversations between the
learner and instructor during office hours. While it is not possible to review the conversations on
the closed course management system or on the students’ blogs, the dialog on the instructor’s
blog is written in a casual and informal style that communicates pertinent content to learners,
including helpful resources and reminders to students tied to class schedule deadlines.
Strategies to Create Dialog. There are several strategies employed to create and facilitate
dialog. As noted, the course website creates a simulated dialogue with the learner through the
presentation of content and instructions for expected learner action. The learners must participate
They are also encouraged to contact the instructor directly by phone, instant message, or
e-mail to seek help. The instructor has posted office hours, but learners are also invited to contact
the instructor outside of set office hours through MSN Messenger or e-mail. In addition, the
instructor’s blog conveys pertinent information to the class and prompts learners for reflective
Effectiveness. The course website is well developed and effectively directs learners
through the course and the lessons. From the Home page of the website and on all subsequent
Lesson Analysis 8
pages, it is very easy to sequence through the lessons. Further, the course objectives and learner
assignments are clearly defined. The assessment activities effectively define the learner
expectations within detailed grading rubrics. As the asynchronous discussion board is not
available for viewing, it is not possible to assess the effectiveness within this particular course.
However, it can be assumed that the course management system’s discussion board can
While it is also not possible to view and assess the effectiveness of private learner and
instructor interactions, the learners appear to be given sufficient opportunity during the course to
seek help and interact with the instructor. Further, the instructor’s blog appears very effective as a
Unfortunately, it is also not possible to evaluate the student’s blogs as they are not linked
from the course website. Therefore, an assessment of actual learner interaction and engagement
is not possible. However, given that 25% of the course grade is associated with the personal blog,
it can be assumed that the students are appropriately motivated to complete their blog reflections.
Examples of Good Dialog and Interactions. The best examples of good dialog and
interaction come from the instructor’s blog. As noted, the blog serves as a means of prompting
student reflections. It also allows the instructor to provide spontaneous broadcast messages to the
class while augmenting the instructional content. For example, during the midway point of the
semester, the instructor released a blog post alerting students that he was in the midst of grading
papers and that they could expect feedback shortly. The instructor also posted audio or video
tutorials, recommended resources to augment the original instructional content, and frequently
asked students to reflect upon questions within their own blogs or in comments to his blog.
Strength. The design and content within the online lessons appears appropriate for the
undergraduate audience. There is a good balance between the static instructional content on the
website and the fluid content delivered within the instructor’s blog. Further, the learners are
given many opportunities to apply and reflect upon the presented content within the assignments,
the asynchronous discussion board, and their blogs. As noted, the instructor’s office hours
provide sufficient opportunity for learners to receive help, personalized guidance, and feedback.
links to content not designed and developed by the instructional designer. While this provides
learners with a wealth of perspective on a topic, this content presentation strategy can overload
the learner with too much loosely connected information. Also, it can be difficult for a novice
learner to synthesize conflicting perspectives. Further, while there is ample opportunity for
learner interaction with the content and for interaction between the instructor and the learner, the
whole class sessions which may have been more difficult to facilitate when the class was
originally designed.
Design Analysis
Rationale for Lesson. EC&I 831- Computers in the Classroom is a graduate level distance
education course at the University of Regina. The course was delivered during the Spring 2008
semester and the reviewed lesson is from January 29, 2008. Like the course highlighted above,
EC&I 831 also addresses the use of technology in education and is designed and delivered by Dr.
Couros. The topic for the January 29, 2008 lesson is the history of educational technology and is
partially facilitated by guest speaker, Dr. Rick Schwier from the University of Saskatchewan.
Lesson Analysis 10
Learner Analysis. Students in the course are enrolled within graduate programs at the
University of Regina. Based on a review of the students enrolled in the Spring 2008 semester, the
learners are all adults and most are employed as either teachers or technology specialists within
Objectives. The stated course objectives are for learners to a) examine the historical roll
of technology and media in education, b) appraise the social learning theories which respond to
learning in the digital age, c) assess the social, educational, political and administrative issues
connected to technology and media in learning, and d) critically evaluate digital media and
information. The implicit objectives for the reviewed January 29, 2008 lesson include an
appraisal of the history of educational technology, an assessment of the shift way from
individualized instructional models, and predictions for the future of teaching and education.
Task / Content Analysis. A task and content analysis for the January 29, 2008 lesson is
shown in Appendix A and is based on the presentation slides from Schwier (2008), the reflective
assignment within the session summary on the course wiki, and one of the required readings
Assessment. At the course level, learner assessment is made in three areas, including a
personal blog portfolio, a collaborative project, and a personal digital project each worth
approximately one-third of the semester grade. Within the blog portfolio, learners are asked to
demonstrate evidence of reading and analysis of articles and blog posts of others, interaction
with other learners through blog post commenting, and critical reflection on course subject
matter. In addition to the capstone personal digital project, learners must provide ongoing
As part of the January 29, 2008 lesson, learners are asked to consider within their blogs
the importance of the material covered in the readings and presentations, as well as the
implications for teaching and learning of moving from individualized methods of instruction. In
addition, the learners are to continue work on their collaborative and personal projects.
which is in contrast to the traditionally “closed” learning environments found in most university
classes. The designer explores the instructional possibilities of using freely available web based
connective technologies within a learning environment that encourages participation from both
inside and outside the virtual classroom. The designer strives to teach learners about educational
technologies while engaging them in the use of the same technologies and resources with outside
educational practitioners.
The January 29, 2008 lesson employs a combination of presentation and learner synthesis
strategies to fulfill the lesson objectives. Instructional content is presented in the public course
wiki and in the live web conferenced session with an invited speaker and other outside guests.
Learners engage in reflective and synthesis activities within their personal projects, the
collaborative assignment, and in personal blog reflections related to the course objectives, as
outlined above.
Functional Analysis
The course consists of numerous media and technology components, including a course
wiki, social bookmarking tools, blogging platforms, recorded video presentations and tutorials,
and synchronous web conferenced sessions. The course wiki serves as the course management
system as is where the presentation of instructional material is coordinated. The course schedule,
the instructor’s blog, the collaborative wiki, the recorded videos, and the live session archives are
Lesson Analysis 12
housed on the course wiki. Social bookmarking tools provide access to the digital library of
required and suggested reading resources. Web conferencing tools facilitate virtual classroom
lectures and live class discussions while the personal blogs facilitate asynchronous learner
Component Instructional Load. The bulk of the instructional content load falls to the
required and recommended readings, as well as to the information provided in links to relevant
tools and technologies. In addition, the live synchronous sessions present new content while
Interaction Analysis
conversation in the course. Two synchronous web conferenced sessions are held each week of
the semester and include enrolled learners, the instructor, guest speakers, as well as anyone else
who would like to participate in the live sessions. The synchronous web conferenced sessions
include audio, video, and text based chat. In addition, learners and instructors (or learners and
course assistants) engage in one-on-one sessions using text chat, telephony calls, web
synchronous sessions, asynchronous activities, and individual communication with the instructor.
Synchronous sessions are scheduled twice each week using web conferencing tools, as well as in
text chats and telephony calls. Students are encouraged to attend both live sessions each week as
one session is “theory based” involving guest speakers from the field of educational technology
and the second session is focused on attainment of skills associated with the use of various
educational technologies.
Lesson Analysis 13
The students are also encouraged to “back channel” with other students and participants
during the live class sessions. Within the back channel, the participants converse using a text
based chat during the live session. While on the surface this may seem rude or disruptive, the
practice is encourages as a means of facilitating learner discussion and dialogue even as the
students’ blogs, reading and commenting on blogs from outside the class, and utilization of freely
available social networking tools. As noted in the Participant Directory on the course wiki,
learners are encouraged to post their photos, real names, blog address, and a brief biography with
the hope of fostering interaction and dialog with participants both inside and outside of the
enrolled class. Through open blogging, an important objective of the course is served. Learners
gain a connection to other “edubloggers” outside of the class who provide additional perspective.
Effectiveness. Given the high degree of openness in the course, it is possible to review a
great number of artifacts, including the students’ projects, their blogs, and recordings of all
synchronous sessions. This helps to evaluate the effectiveness of the interaction and dialog and,
in turn, the effectiveness of the course. A review of the class artifacts reveals a highly interactive
For the 20 enrolled students listed on the Participant Directory in the Spring 2008 course,
each has posted a brief biography, a personal blog address, and a link to his or her digital project.
While only one student did not post a photo, several included pictures with their children. Based
on a review of most blogs and projects, the students were highly engaged in the course and found
The final blog reflections from the students offer a very favorable evaluation of
interaction and effectiveness of the course. Flood (2008) notes in his student blog, “My
experiences throughout this course have been extremely valuable … I am truly grateful for the
work that has been done by everybody that is involved in this course …Your contributions have
challenged me, and you have truly shaped my continued learning.” Volk (20008) reflects, “I’m
glad we had the opportunity to get to know each other, learn from each other, and share with
each other. These types of connections are so important in the world of education. Thank you
everyone for helping me to grow as an educator and a learner.” Gatzke (2008) expresses her
sadness to conclude the course, but also her optimism for continued interaction with fellow
“I mentioned last night that I can’t help but feel a little sad … I have met
about 1/2 dozen of the people in this course face to face. Yet I feel like I
have gotten to know most of the participants in this course far better than
I got to know members of the class in other courses that I have taken … It
sharing. I feel privileged to have taken a course with such high quality
in the blogosphere.”
Examples of Good Dialog and Interactions. There are countless examples of dialog and
interactions within the hours of synchronous recordings and student reflections. However, what
Lesson Analysis 15
is striking is the number of students who mentioned within their blog reflections the value of
The students in the January 29, 2008 live virtual class were joined by guest speaker, Dr.
Richard Schwier, and three of his students from the University of Saskatchewan. A review of the
text chat back channel from the 23 participants logged into that live session reveals over 480 text
chat entries during the live session. The majority of the text chat dialog includes simple
affirmations, (“I agree”, “Me, too”), but also includes questions for the speaker, links to relevant
resources (from Kyle Lichtenwald: “I talked to John Gormley about Facebook on May 2 about
+John+Gormley.mp3”, and a range of other types of comments (from Kimberly Brown: “I had
a substitute teacher two weeks ago who wouldn't let my students work in partners/groups for
Over the 140 minute class session, the 480 text chat entries break down to an average of
almost 3.5 text chat entries per minute. Therefore, nearly 15% of the 23 session participants
engaged in some form of text based dialogue every minute of the class session – all while the
Strength. The designer of this course tested the boundaries of what is possible in a
distance learning environment. By opening the course to outside participants and by using a host
of open source and freely available resources and connective software technologies, the learners
are exposed to a vast amount of relevant instructional content, tools, and people. The openness of
the course structure brings others from the greater educational community into the classroom.
While it is rare for a formal distance education course to have such a large roster of live guest
Lesson Analysis 16
speakers, it is even more unique for a university to open the entire learning environment to
participants not enrolled in the program. The learners’ access and exposure to others in the field
In addition, the chosen instructional strategies inspire a high degree of active learner
engagement and participation. A review of the learner blog posts reveals deep reflection and a
rich synthesis of the material. The learners’ final reflections illustrate their perceptions of high
accomplishment.
Weakness. While learners are presented with an abundance of relevant resources and
interaction with experts in the field of education, they are also challenged to synthesize an
incredible amount of information. The various experts presented many perspectives and
representations of complex topics and problems. Miezianko (2008) noted in his student blog that
many times during the semester he suffered from “information overload”. Fortunately, the
students benefited from a high degree of instructor and course assistant interaction to help guide
Comparative Critique
The two analyzed lessons have similar topics and objectives. Also, both lessons are
designed and developed by the same person. However, the courses are targeted to different
audiences. ECMP 355 is designed for undergraduate students and ECI 831 is designed for
graduate students. Further, the courses employ different instructional strategies and opportunities
for interaction.
While the difference in instructional and interactional strategies is partly due to the
difference in the target learner, it is also likely that the design differences reflect the designer’s
ongoing effort to adopt open tools and methods within in the classroom. In his blog profile,
Lesson Analysis 17
Couros outlines the three important strands driving his current research and teaching focus,
including 1) the appropriate use of technology in the classroom, 2) the effects of technology on
education, culture, and society, and 3) the power of democratic media, social networks, and
openness in education. In his doctoral dissertation, Couros examines the concepts and practices
of educational openness, as well as the strategies and requirements to support it, and suggests the
importance of establishing educators and students within a learning context that extends beyond
the classroom walls; a context in which learners freely interact with others outside of the
traditional confines of the classroom. As such, Couros adds an additional learner to world
interaction to the traditional learner to content, learner to learner, and learner to instructor
dimensions.
education appears evident in a comparative review of the two lessons. Within ECMP 355,
designed in 2005, opportunities for learner to learner and learner to world interaction are more
limited than in ECI 831, delivered in 2008. While asynchronous tools helped to facilitate learner
to learner dialog in ECMP 355, the primary discussion board was housed within a closed course
management system that only course participants could access. Further, synchronous
technologies were not employed to facilitate whole class virtual discussions. In contrast, ECI 831
participation reaches well outside the classroom to invited guest speakers, as well as others who
want to either observe the lesson and class artifacts or directly interact with the learners.
Beyond the designer’s drive for greater openness in the learning environment, both
courses employ effective instructional strategies and interaction which support the stated course
and lesson objectives. ECMP 355 offers a thorough introduction to the topic of technology
integration in the classroom. The reviewed PowerPoint lesson during Week 3 is presented in a
Lesson Analysis 18
relatively structured format which efficiently supports the learner through the online lesson and
assessments. This format is likely a more appropriate choice for an undergraduate audience.
While offered in a different format, ECI 831 is also effectively designed to support the
stated objectives and graduate level audience. Students are offered relevant instructional content
and the instructional strategies to foster a high degree of active learner engagement and
participation. They are provided with abundant opportunities for learner to content, learner to
learner, learner to instructor, and learner to world interaction. Based on the final blog reflections,
the learners found this learning experience to be both challenging and greatly rewarding which
References
Couros, A. (2006, December). Examining the Open Movement: Possibilities and Implications for
Educators. , 215. University of Regina. Retrieved from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/3363/DissertationCourosFINAL06WebVersion.
Couros, A., & University of Regina. EC&I 831: Computers in the Classroom: Appropriate
Curriculum and Instruction Related to Computer Technology. Retrieved from
http://eci831.wikispaces.com/.
Couros, A., & University of Regina. ECMP 355 - Computers in the Classroom. . Retrieved from
http://education.uregina.ca/technology/ecmp355/index.html.
Flood, R. (2008, April 9). EC&I Wrap-up Reflections. Ryan Flood’s Weblog. Retrieved from
http://ryanflood.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/eci-wrap-up-reflections/.
Gatzke, L. (2008, April 10). Thoughts. Digital Destiny - Computers in the Classroom. Retrieved
from http://lgatzke.wordpress.com/2008/04/10/thoughts/.
Miezianko, D. (2008, April 7). The Final Post of 831. Dean Miezianko’s Weblog. Retrieved from
http://dpmiez.wordpress.com/2008/04/07/the-final-post-of-831/.
Schwier, R. (2008, January 29). History of Educational Technology. Online. Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/courosa/brief-history-of-educational-technology-253448.
Volk, T. (2008, April 9). A Combination of Talent - A Reflection of ECI 831. Todd’s Blog.
Retrieved from http://toddvolk.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/a-combination-of-talent-a-
reflection-of-eci-831/.
Woodill, G. (2008, January 3). Ten Learning Technologies to Transform Training in 2008.
i) Teacher conferences
ii) K-12 classroom
3) Concept: Uses of PowerPoint
a) Beginning of the semester – Introduction to the course or instructor
b) Classroom game show
c) Electronic portfolio
d) E-books
e) Student narratives
f) Jig-saw research
4) Procedure: How to create a PowerPoint presentation
a) Link to the University of Regina’s Computer Training Program manuals, as well as other
suggested resources
b) Analysis of linked manuals and tutorials beyond the scope of this lesson review
5) Practice: Technology Tasks Using Power Point
a) Assessment 1: Group project using sample slides
i) Assemble into small groups
ii) Download sample slides
iii) Develop a narrative
iv) Incorporate features of PowerPoint, such as text and call outs
v) Add slides, as needed
vi) Download and use media from the Internet
vii) Present final PowerPoint to class
b) Practice 2 : Create a PowerPoint
i) Select a topic
ii) Demonstrate use of key media elements, such as slide transitions, animations, use of
sounds and imagery
iii) Submit presentation via e-mail to instructor
Lesson Analysis 22
ii) Multimedia
f) The Internet – 1990s
i) E-learning
ii) Internet based training
g) Social Web – 2000s
i) Social software
ii) Free and open content
iii) Turning point - One laptop per child in 2006
5) Concept: Social learning – not technology, but epistemology
a) Individuals
i) Objectivism
ii) Cognitivism
iii) Constructivism
b) Collective Constructivism
i) Groups
ii) Social learning
6) Concept: (From Reading) 10 Learning Technologies to Transform Training in 2008
a) Technologies of collaboration
b) Learning games
c) Distributed computing technologies
d) Embedded learning technologies
e) Multisensory input devices
f) Mobile devices
g) Social bookmarking and tagging
h) Personalized technologies
i) Visualization technologies
j) Location based augmented reality
7) Application Activities:
a) Individual blog reflections – answer the following:
i) What is the importance of the covered material?
Lesson Analysis 24
ii) What are the implications of moving from individuals learning models to networked
constructivism?
iii) How will or should this translate to teaching and learning?
iv) Consider this presentation in light of what you know about professional development,
school change, teacher resistance, or other important educational issues.
b) Continue work on class collaborative wiki project
c) (Optional) Participate in EdTechWeekly on EdTechTalk.com