Instructional Materials

Instructional materials enable learners to achieve stated learning objectives or competencies.

The instructional materials contribute to the achievement of the stated learning objectives or competencies

Evidence

Instructional materials used include: sections from an OER textbook, LMS-internal web pages and external web pages including embedded images, PDF files from academic articles or book excerpts, instructor introduction videos, external videos for discussion.

Each instructional material appears to align with the course or module learning objectives.

Suggestions for Improvement

Perhaps a summary of which learning objectives are supported by which readings in the module overview page would increase student ability to connect the reading with the learning objectives

The relationship between the use of instructional materials in the course and completing learning activities is clearly explained

Evidence

• The order of the instructional materials in the module guides the students through the correct order of reading.
• The list of the module's reading in the module overview page suggests a connection to the learning objectives of the module.

Suggestions for Improvement

• The building page instructions often contain text to read in between the activities direction in them. Perhaps placing them directly at the module level at the end of the readings would better direct students too them. You could include a warning at the top of the page explaining that there will be reading to do along with the page building activity.

• Clarifying the purpose of the in-person activities (class participation) together with identifying learning objectives supported through attending class would improve student awareness of the significance of the in-person portion of the course.

• Students may appreciate an explanation of how Quizlet will be used to support in-class and out-of-class learning via the learning objectives

• Guidelines for acceptable sources in the archaeoastronomy project would improve student use of scholarly sources for the archaeoastronomy presentations

The course models the academic integrity expected of learners by providing both source references and permissions for use of instructional materials

Evidence

• Quotes in Pages Building Intructions are referenced and linked to references.
• Students are instructed in the first module how to cite sources of information.

Suggestions for Improvement

• All embedded photos or images in page-building instructions should have their permissions for use indicated.
• The celestial sphere images in Sun Pages Instructions should have their origins referenced in captions.
• The photo of Orion and the video of star trails in Stars Pages Instructions should be referenced.
• The planets photo in Planets Pages Instructions should be referenced.
• The world land image in Culture Pages Instructions should be referenced.
• Permission for including PDF files of scholarly articles should be indicated in the readings list of the module overview page in which the article is used.

The instructional materials represent up-to-date theory and practice in the discipline

Evidence

The course uses selections from the most recent edition of an astronomy OER textbook while blending older and recent sources to support the course learning objectives.

Suggestions for Improvement

Beyond adding the learning objectives supported by each reading to the module overview page reading list, a short motivational description of each reading assignment may encourage increased student engagement with that reading.

A variety of instructional materials is used in the course

Evidence

The course utilizes web pages both internal and external (including the OER textbook excerpts), PDF files of academic articles, and videos both internal and external for instructional materials, with the greatest emphasis on web page readings.

Suggestions for Improvement

• You might create more videos for the course to add more audiovisual-supported explanation of difficult concepts.
• You might consider some online interactive tools such as the Nebraska Astronomy Applet Project to improve student apprehension of three-dimensional and/or dynamical concepts.

---

Return to main QM rubric