EMMA webinar - Task-centred approach to MOOC design: challenges and opportunities This one hour webinar is intended for people willing to improve the pedagogical design of MOOCs. Often MOOCs tend to follow an instructivist approach where learners are mostly expected to acquire and remember the knowledge presented by the teacher. This webinar will guide participants through the phases of Merrill’s task-centered instructional design model. We will show how the model can be applied to MOOC design for engaging learners in active and collaborative knowledge construction through meaningful and practical assignments. Opportunities that task-centered MOOC design offers and challenges that need to be considered will be discussed. Discover more about EMMA, its MOOCs and webinars on the website: http://project.europeanmoocs.eu/

1. Task-centred approach
to MOOC design
Mart Laanpere
Tallinn University, Estonia
Olga Firssova
Open University Netherlands

2. What is design?

3. Instructional design
• The process by which instruction is
improved through the analysis of
learning needs and systematic
development of learning materials.
Instructional designers often use
technology and multimedia as tools to
enhance instruction.

4. Example: Dick & Carey ID model

5. Merrill: Pebble in the Pond model

6. Traditional vs task-centered strategy
TRADITIONAL STRATEGY
TASK-CENTERED STRATEGY

7. Component analysis
Tell Show Ask Do
Information
about…
Name --------- Name ---------
Parts-of… Location --------- Location ---------
Kinds-of… Define
concept
Examples
Non-
examples
Define
Explain
Classify
examples
How-to… Steps in
sequence
Demonstrate
task
Steps
Sequence
Perform task
What-
happens-
if…
Conditions
Consequences
Demonstrate
process
Describe
Justify
Predict
consequences
Find conditions

8. Example: teaching MS Excel to youngsters
• Whole task 1: Collecting and analysing the data
about classmates
• SHOW: Screencast on entering the data
• TELL: Text with images, explaining what is table,
cell, formats, heading, column, row
• SHOW: Screencast on the procedure of sorting
• ASK: self-test on the concepts (cell, heading…)
• DO: Enter the height to the right column of Excel
sheet, sort the classmates for height

9. Example: Excel for youngsters (cont.)
• Whole task 2: Planning and reporting on the
budget of a class trip
• TELL: text on currency format, formula (SUM)
• SHOW: screencast on calculating the sum
• DO: exercise on entering data, calculating sum
• TELL: text on pivot table, pie chart, bar chart
• SHOW: creating a pivot table and pie chart
• DO: homework assignment on creating the pivot
table and bar chart

10. Example: Excel for youngsters (cont.)
• Whole task 3: Helping Aunt Susan to do
accounting for her café with Excel
• TELL: text on recording transactions, entries
• SHOW: video on journaling, adjusting entries
• ASK: define journaling, adjust the entries
• SHOW: Screencast on calculating the balance
• DO: homework assignment on calculating the
balance

11. Your assignment
• ASK: what is the difference between SHOW and
TELL? Which of these two components should
be directly related to the whole task?
• DO: Imagine that you are asked to compile a
MOOC on information seeking and referencing
skills for new students
– Describe two whole tasks (one simple and another
a bit more advanced) for the MOOC
– Suggest one of each components: SHOW, TELL, ASK,
DO for the simpler whole task