Category: EDCI 335

Hello Abdullahi Bashir, Max Savellano, Rikuto Yoshida and Usama Waheed. I reviewed your interactive learning resource about Parkinson’s disease and I thought it was a great topic to learn about as there is not a lot of awareness on this topic. I believe it is important for us to equip ourselves with knowledge regarding the signs, symptoms and onset of Parkinson’s disease as it can be a very debilitating experience for those who are suffering from it. 

Learning Context and Overview

I found the Overview section to be straightforward, simple and concise. I appreciate how it briefly outlines the major learning outcomes and what learners can do once the learning outcomes are achieved. I like how there is an emphasis and encouragement regarding spreading awareness about this neurodegenerative disease as it is quite prevalent amongst older people. I’d also like to highlight that although there is a lot of information online about Parkinson’s disease, not a lot of educative sources bring to light, the misconceptions people commonly have about it. Unlearning these common misconceptions and addressing them is a great start to gaining a better understanding of this disorder and I appreciate how your group has included this in your learning outcomes.
I think this topic can be easily understood by students in Grade 12 and therefore the learning context looks great to me. 

Learning Outcomes

As mentioned earlier, I like the learning outcomes that were chosen by your group. They are clear and easy to understand which ensures that learners have a good idea about what learning outcomes they will achieve through this module and what they can do with the knowledge that they have gained. One thing I would like to note is that although one of the outcomes briefly mentions the discussion of risk factors for Parkinson’s disease, I’m not sure if there is an explanation for the causes of this disorder. I think it would be great to touch on this area as well. 

Assessment

I believe your group has created an excellent assessment plan for the chosen topic. I like how the quiz creates an opportunity for interaction between the students and the learning provider. The summative assessment (report) is also a great way to assess the depth and extent to which students have understood the concepts.

Diversity and Inclusion

I believe that your learning resource ensures inclusivity for students who may face barriers such as loss of hearing and lack of access to a computer at home. Your group has addressed these barriers by ensuring that all students have an equal opportunity at achieving their learning goals. I would like to bring to light that you have mentioned Zoom/Google meets for students who may want to ask questions or gain direct feedback. I was wondering how students with hearing loss can also access this (live feedback) resource while accommodating their needs. It might be useful to mention Zoom features such as live transcriptions which may be helpful to a certain extent.

Overall, I think your group has done a great job in creating this draft for the final learning resource and I strongly believe that with the incorporation of some feedback from our classmates, your final learning resource will be excellent. I’m looking forward to it! Good luck Pod 3!


Link to Pod 3’s Draft resource: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IYVboXpjw0kQbcenJHI5QhFb_wCI6qwQm399TqB-xYY/mobilebasic?urp=gmail_link

1. What kind of interaction would the video require from your students? Does it force them to respond in some way (inherent)?
   
   The youtube video involves minimal interaction from our students. At the end of the video, the speaker asks the viewers to reflect on a list of questions
   
2. In what way are they likely to respond to the video on their own, e.g. make notes, do an activity, or think about the topic (learner-generated)?
   
   The speaker in the video discusses various points about the topic and therefore, students are most likely to categorize different parts of the video and make notes on each of them. At the end of the video, when the speaker asks to reflect on a few questions, the students are likely to pause the video and take a few moments to collect their thoughts on the questions asked.
   
3. What activity could you suggest that they do, after they have watched the video (designed)? What type of knowledge or skill would that activity help develop? What medium or technology would students use to do the activity?
   
   Although note-taking is a great strategy to highlight key points and retain information, students can use flashcards to test their retention and improve memory consolidation. I would create a set of flashcards for each topic that was discussed in the video. Then, I would create a group of 2-3 students who are prompted to discuss what they learnt in the video through a list of questions printed on a handout that is given to them before they watch the video. Discussing the information that they learnt from the video would further help in the consolidation of the concepts and students may also be able to identify areas where they need aid in understanding the material.
   
   
4. How would students get feedback on the activity that you set? What medium or technology would they and/or you use for getting and giving feedback on their activity?
   
   After a period of time (about a week or so), I would design a quiz that permits trials for a correct response. The quiz can be accessed by students on the course website. I would create the quiz in such a way that at the end of the quiz, a prompt pops up which explains why the (correct) response is correct and why the other options are incorrect responses. At the end of the quiz, I would provide personalized feedback for each student and students are prompted to reach out to schedule a 1:1 meeting to go over the concepts they are having trouble with.
   
5. How much work for you would that activity cause? Would the work be both manageable and worthwhile? Could the activity be scaled for larger numbers of students?
   
   The activity should take the students about 20 minutes in total. The work is both manageable and worthwhile and can be scaled for a larger number of students as it is an online quiz accessible by WiFi and a browser. For students who may have any potential barriers, I would ensure that the activity is equally accessible by them.
   
6. How could the video have been designed to generate more or better activity from viewers or students?
   
   Listening to audio continuously for 10 minutes can be monotonous and boring. It can be made more interactive and engaging by adding features such as poll questions via Kahoot throughout the video and more graphics depicting the concept
   
7. How will you address any potential barriers for your learners in the use of this video to ensure an inclusive design?
   
   As mentioned before, I will ensure to address any potential barriers that certain students may be encountering. For example, for students who may have an auditory processing delay, I would ensure that the video has accurate live transcription.