EDID6512 Design Project 1

Design Prospectus

By

Nyeisha George-Minott

Presented in Partial Fulfilment of

EDID 6512 – Design Project

Date of re-submission:

Sunday March 11, 2018

Email: nyeisha.georgeminott@my.open.uwi.edu

University: University of the West Indies (UWI) Open Campus

Course Coordinator: Dr. Camille Dickson-Deane

Project Advisor: Camille Bremnor

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Abstract

This paper provides a summary of a proposed design on improving the writing skills of students through

the use of an e-lesson. The subjects consisted of third and fourth form students from a private

secondary educational institution in Antigua and Barbuda studying English A in preparation for the

Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) Examinations offered by the Caribbean Examinations

Council (CXC). Their skills in summary writing, argumentative writing, short story writing and Expository

writing needed to be addressed. Based on the theories of learning, experiential learning and operant

learning an e-lesson is the proposed solution. A description of the proposed design and explanations on

how e-lesson supports the students are included in this paper. Additionally similarities and differences

between the proposed design and existing solutions is also part of this paper.

Keywords: Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC).
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Introduction

The following design prospectus is created to illustrate the intended project which will be

designed, implemented, evaluated and submitted as a requirement for the course EDID6512 Design

Project. It is hoped that the project advisor gets a clear understanding of this designer’s intention for the

duration of this course.

Background and Problem

Mastery of the English language has been a challenge for some students. Students may not be

confident in their ability to learn, speak and understand English, write the language or pass an English

Language Exam. This is true of the students at the Antigua and Barbuda Seventh-day Adventist

Secondary School.

The English Language Exam and other subjects form part of the general proficiency exams

students can obtain through the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC), which is

administered by the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC). In interviews conducted with one of the two

English teachers, it has been observed that year after year students have been underperforming in the

English A exam, specifically paper 2.

CSEC is a set of proficiency skills examinations used to test and certify a student’s academic

achievement at the end of their secondary level education. Exams are offered under three proficiency

schemes: Basic, General and Technical. The Basic scheme provides students with the knowledge, skills

and attitudes usually associated with completing a secondary course. The General and Technical

Proficiencies provide students with the foundation for further studies and entry to the workplace. CSEC

exams can be written in 32 subject areas ranging from Agricultural science, Food and Nutrition and

Integrated science to Mathematics, Principle of accounts and theatre arts.

CXC is the examinations body that administers exams to students in 16 countries in the

Caribbean region. The council offers a comprehensive suite of qualifications such as Caribbean Primary
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Exit Assessment (CPEA), Caribbean Certificate of Secondary Level Competence (CCSLC), Caribbean

Vocational Qualifications (CVQ), Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), CXC Associate

Degree (CXC-AD) and CSEC. It offers service in areas such as syllabus and curriculum development,

Competence development for professional certification development of educational resources,

examinations development for various levels, test construction and editing.

English A is a subject that emphasizes the development of oral and written language through

comprehension, diction, grammar and mechanics. There are two main dimensions to the subject, that of

understanding and expression. The assessment comprises three papers, paper 01 (29% of total

assessment), paper 02 (50% of total assessment) are assessed externally and paper 031 or paper 032

(21% of total assessment) are assessed internally by the teacher and moderated by CXC. Student’s

comprehension skills are tested during Paper 1. Then in paper 2, their writing skills are put to the test.

Paper 031 is the school based assessment (SBA) and paper 032 is an alternative to the SBA catering to

candidates who are registered as private candidates. Students can obtain passes from grade one (1) to a

grade three (3) from the year 1998.

Let’s look more closely at paper 2, and why this area is of interest for this project and the

problem students may be facing when writing this part of the paper. Paper 2 consists of four sections:

 Section 1 – summary

 Section 2 – exposition

 Section 3 – Short story

 Section 4 – argumentative essay

Students are experiencing difficulty in demonstrating their understanding, knowledge and practice in

writing the CSEC English A exam Paper 2 in these four sections. As noted earlier 50% of the total

assessment comes from this paper. Therefore half of a student’s grade then lies heavily in this paper and

poor performance here, results in poor results for the entire subject, a failing grade. It is the intention of
EDID6512 Design Project 5

this designer to produce an innovative project that will assist the teachers and students in this school to

help to improve the results in subsequent exams in the near future.

Identification and Justification of the need

For the past 10 years a notable trend has emerged from the CSEC results for English A in this

school. The teacher, after evaluating the results of summative assessments for the past two terms

realizes that the third and four form students have been performing poorly particularly in writing in

these key areas. Since CSEC are high- stakes tests and the consequence of not passing the exam have a

significant impact on job seekers, college applicants and society.

When students leave school they either apply for a job or apply to a college or university. When

you look at the minimum job requirements today, most job applications require five subjects including

Mathematics and English A. Failure in these two subject areas reduces the prospects of being hired for

certain jobs. Imagine then, those that are hired are not able to function efficiently, especially in their

ability to communicate through reports and emails which are common for most jobs.

Then there’s the prospect of higher education. The minimum matriculation requirements for

entry into college or university is similar, requiring the same five subjects including Mathematics and

English. Depending on the passes some students are not allowed to matriculate until they take not-for-

credit courses. Thus they end up spending more money, and thus prolonging their tenure and

graduation date. However those who do matriculate, often struggle in their courses because they do not

have the requisite writing skills to complete essays, term reports and research papers.

Now consider society at large, imagine the jobless, under-educated young people who are then

left as a burden on their families and communities. Families who are taking care of someone who had

the potential of providing for that household or their own household. Communities who are hosts to

idle youth who, having nothing to do but find alternative means to support themselves, through begging

and even theft.

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If we do not stem the tide, we are going to have a problem, something must be done to curtail

these failing results.

The Design Idea

My project proposes to come up with a tool to remedy the aforementioned problem. An e-

lesson will be designed. This tool will include a menu of options which will provide content on the four

problem areas: summary writing, argumentative writing, short story writing and Expository writing. This

will be presented in a series of slides that provide information about each topic. Students will be able to

view and listen to examples and YouTube videos will be embedded to help explain certain topics of

interest.

A Check Your Understanding component entails short quizzes incorporated after each area to

test their knowledge and to allow students to reflect and review. Students will be able to interact with

the software and with other students. Students will be able to e-mail the teacher for further discussion

on the topics of review for feedback and advice.

A help and support section will include, links to vocabulary support, basic skills support (subject,

verb agreement etc.), parts of speech, spelling rules, grammar rules and will also provide a link to a

dictionary and thesaurus. Questions from past papers and links to past Exam Papers will be integrated

into the design.

Once created, the e-lesson will be embedded into the existing blog site that is currently being

used by the English A teacher. Students will be encouraged to interact with the software. Once

deployed, a simple survey as well as testimonials and interviews will be conducted with the students

and teacher to find out their thoughts on the e-lessons, what worked, what didn’t work and suggestions

for improvement. This will form part of the evaluation and Design Project Report which will be

submitted in the future at the end of the course.

Rational and theoretical foundation

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Driving the research design process for this project are the following theories and models and

approaches: Cognitive theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML), Experiential learning, and Operant

Learning theory.

Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML)

Central to the design of this designers proposed solution is the principle known as the

“multimedia principle” which states that people learn more deeply from words and pictures than from

words alone. Richard Mayer posited that there are two separate channels for processing information,

that of the auditory and visual channels. He suggests that each channel has a limited or finite capacity

and that learning is an active process of filtering, selecting, organizing and integration information based

upon prior knowledge (Mayer, 2009). Three memory stores are presented: sensory memory which

receives stimuli for a short span of time, working memory which actively processes information creating

mental constructs also called schema and long-term memory where all things are learned and stored.

The notion is that attention on relevant words and images creates connections in the working

memory. Connections are made among selected words or images creating a mental model, which then

integrates with ones prior knowledge for a better understanding. In other words, multimedia

presentations connect with ones sensory memory, how these are presented and selected creates

connections in ones working memory, these are linked with prior knowledge and stored in long term

memory.

The proposed e-lesson intends balance the use of visual and verbal information in the hopes of

engaging the learning in the learning process. It will include carefully selected descriptive text, diagrams,

pictures and videos that will actively stimulate the mental constructs of the student. Intertwined in the

e-lesson are aspects of twelve principles of multimedia design. These include and are not limited to the

signaling principle which states that learners are able to recognize and learn information when callouts,

arrows and highlighting is used for key aspects. The segmenting principle here learners understand the
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instructional multimedia piece when the lessons is broken into user-paced chunks rather than all in one

multimedia piece.

Experiential learning theory

David Kolb’s learning theory is concerned with the learner’s internal cognitive processes. The

notion that abstract knowledge can be applied flexibly in a range of scenarios through new experiences.

Given that the students are accustomed to one mode of teaching (chalk and talk), this e-lesson will be a

new experience for them through engaging audio-visual content, and can become a transformational

experience. Based on Kolb’s four stage cycle students will 1) have a concrete experience 2) review or

reflect on the experience 3) learn from the experience and 4) be able to try out what they have learned.

The e-lesson will provide opportunities for students to experience all four stages.

Operant Learning Theory

Operant Learning theory through the studies of B.F. Skinner showed how positive reinforcement

strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding. The removal of an

unpleasant reinforcer can also strengthen behavior. One such approach is the use of Token economies.

Token economies are based on the principles of applied behavior analysis and emphasize the use of

positive reinforcement to target behavior change.

Token economies help student visualize progress, accept and work for delayed reinforcement,

learn to self-monitor and learn to regulate behavior. (Olsen, 2017) What will motivate students to use

and complete this e-lesson? Built into the e-lesson will be a point system the will keep a running score

that correspond with badges that will be earned as they accomplish various tasks throughout the lesson.

At the end a certificate of completion with the total score will highlight their achievement and display

the badges collected.

EDID6512 Design Project 9

Existing Solutions

Given my intended design, consideration could also be given to the following existing solutions:

1. Essay punch - from Merit Software contains nine writing topics and 1,080 help prompts to guide

students through each step in the writing process with contextual help and feedback. Designed

for students in grades seven to adult. As seen in the screen shot below, students work in a self-

paced and self-advancing environment. Students receive immediate personal help throughout.

Teachers can monitor pupil’s progress and time on a task using an easy to use online portfolio.

(Merit Software, 2017)

2. Odyssey writer is Time4Learning’s built-in online customizable writing program for elementary,

middle, and high school students is called Odyssey Writer. Odyssey Writer can guide students

through the entire writing process and make writing more focused, more effective, and even

more enjoyable. While some users think of Odyssey Writer as a word processor, this is only a

portion of its use. Odyssey Writer, like the bulk of Time4Learning’s curriculum, is developed,

maintained and owned by Edgenuity. (Edgenuity, 2017)

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3. My writing lab owned by Pearson delivers an online tool designed to engage students with

immersive content, tools and experiences. Once students complete a Path Builder diagnostic

test, they receive a personalized set of content modules, in a format called the Learning Path.

Each student's personalized Learning Path shows which modules to practice. Within each

module, a diagnostic Skill Check assesses students' proficiency and determines which topics are

mastered and which need more work. Exercise sets are progressive, moving students from

literal comprehension (Recall) to critical comprehension (Apply). (Pearson, 2017)

EDID6512 Design Project 11

As the above examples illustrate, there are other solutions that are similar to my proposed design. All

are available as a paid monthly subscription. In the case or Pearson’s wiring lab, a case study was

conducted with the University of Greenwich, who were able to see increased student motivation as

students were more aware of the need to continue developing their writing skills.

Description of target audience

The intended audience for this design project are third and fourth form students of the Antigua

and Barbuda Seventh-Day Adventist Secondary School. Students in these classes are between the ages

of 13 and 15 years. The Average class size is 35 students per class. All representative sample students

from both form 3 and 4 will be given an opportunity to evaluate the intended design. Based on

summative tests administered by the teacher, students did poorly on the exams as have their

predecessors. A check of their gradebooks proves the same.

Having taught at this school for 11 years this subject matter expert, as a long standing member

has a unique historic knowledge and perspective on the matter at hand. She holds a Bachelor of Arts

Degree in English and has been teaching English A for quite some time. She is one of two English

teachers and is assigned the third, fourth and fifth form classes at the school and help them prepare for

the SBA’s and CSEC Examination. She will assist in embedding the e-lesson onto the blog site and later

administering the questionnaires to the students.

Conclusion

In attempting to address the writing skills in third and fourth form students including, an e-

lesson is the proposed solution. Various audio and visual content and supportive links will be included to

aid learners. Points and Badges will form part of the motivational strategies. The design will include

attributes of experiential learning and multimedia learning all in an attempt to create an environment

that will promote learning and improve the writing skills of the intended audience.
EDID6512 Design Project 12

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