Get with the Program

Naat Jairam & Jeff Suarez-Grant
  • 5.0 (1)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

We’re Naat and Jeff. We’re instructional designers. We help faculty design and build courses. Hybrid, online, face-to-face too! Faculty have lots of questions, but so do we. We also wonder about the nuts and bolts, the how and why of course design. Hear us talk about things we might take for granted, design practices we accept, but should question, debate different approaches, and explore new tools. This podcast is for instructional designers, faculty, teachers, administrators, really anyone fascinated or curious about the design of effective teaching and learning.

  1. 05/18/2022

    S2 Ep. 8 - I'm an ID. How do I bring up DEI?

    Concluding our multi-episode discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we ask: “How do I talk to faculty about diversity, equity, and inclusion in online course design?” You do not need to put faculty on the spot. You are free to be deliberative, begin with universal design principles, allow faculty to try out practices, and use your ID perspective to comment on examples. But later, do bring up data about your student body, research about DEI practices, and that universal design practices and specific practices for minoritized students go hand-in-hand. To best implement universal design practices, such as transparency, you change your assignment prompts to reflect the needs of the specific students in your course and institution. Designing for specific students follows the major tenet of instructional design: design for your target audience. We then better practice systematic instructional design yielding a better base for evaluation. Episode Transcript

    19 min

  2. 04/19/2022

    S2 Ep. 7 - What are specific DEI design practices and who do they help?

    Continuing our multi-episode discussion on diversity, equity, and inclusion, we now want specifics: "What are specific DEI design practices and who do they help?" We organize the specific practices into three categories: (1) DEI practices that have significant overlap with traditional course design practices; (2) course design practices that need to be creatively reframed to address DEI in an intentional way; and (3) DEI practices that are difficult to place into a traditional course design framework. We discuss "clear expectations and criteria" to unpack hidden curriculum; "use of various instructional materials" for cultural relevant instruction; and equity gap analysis. We leave the discussion concerned that even with information about students and practices, faculty or designers may not implement them. We still need to answer "Why DEI?" Episode Transcript

    17 min

  3. 04/05/2022

    S2 Ep. 6 - Isn't good design naturally inclusive?

    We continue our multiple-episode discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion in online course design, by pumping the brakes and asking “Isn’t good course design naturally inclusive?” Traditional course design is geared towards a generic student. While needs analysis is a part of traditional instructional design, IDs and faculty typically skip that step to focus on the design for learning the content or Universal Design for Learning principles. When designing for student input and contribution, more information about our students, and their unique needs is required for a design strategy that better meets their needs. But we run into the problem that as designers we do not always have time or the ability to survey student needs before designing a specific course or cannot design courses for individual students. We also do not know what strategies we could use if we had that information. We conclude that traditional course design is accidentally inclusive, but not intentionally so. We set up the question for the next episode: how can we build off traditional course design and make it intentionally inclusive? Episode Transcript

    18 min

  4. 03/22/2022

    S2 Ep. 5 - What’s the best way to introduce DEI to online course design?

    In this episode, we begin a multi-episode discussion about diversity, equity, and inclusion in online course design. Our first question is “What’s the best way to introduce DEI to online course design?” We survey the equity-based and traditional course design rubrics in search of a method of providing helpful recommendations as Instructional Designers. We present a solution to prevent relying on multiple, distinct rubrics: Annotations. These Annotations connect rubrics to inclusive design practices and each to each other. We preview the next episode’s question: “Isn’t good course design naturally inclusive?” Episode Transcript

    18 min

  5. 03/08/2022

    S2 Ep. 4 - I designed and built one course, how do I make more?

    In this episode, we ask “Can you build additional online courses without retaking a course design program?” We encourage you to use your newly found ID powers and self-check your course alignment with a course map. You know how to use one after receiving ID feedback, but you now have the skills to do it yourself. Whatever shortcut you decide to use, don’t forget alignment of activities to module-level objectives. We insist that use of module-level objectives is a good marker of a quality online course. Episode Transcript

    15 min

  6. 02/22/2022

    S2 Ep. 3 - Someone just handed me a course in a box, now what?

    In this episode, we ask “What should I do with a complete, ready-to-use course?” We pinpoint important guidance to help you get your bearings, such as locating a facilitation guide, using built-in guidance in the syllabus or unpublished pages, or what questions to ask your department about your flexibility. We emphasize that a pre-built course does not mean that it runs on its own. Online instruction requires teaching, such as posting announcements, personalized feedback, and communicating with students. Episode Transcript

    11 min
  7. S2 Ep. 2 - How do I hand off my course to someone else?

    02/08/2022

    S2 Ep. 2 - How do I hand off my course to someone else?

    In this episode, we ask “How do I get my course ready for someone else to teach?” We discuss how a guide lists teaching practices, such as writing personalized feedback, posting announcements, and participating in discussions. We also recommend guidance on outside resources required, such as third-party tools or recorded lectures. Episode Transcript

    10 min
  8. S2 Ep. 1 - Remote or Online. What’s the difference?

    01/25/2022

    S2 Ep. 1 - Remote or Online. What’s the difference?

    In this episode, we ask “What’s the difference between remote and online instruction?” We explore how remote instruction is dependent on faculty initiating a Zoom session at a designated time, like lecturing in-person. A traditional fully online course is flexible and designed with robust, asynchronous modules so students can initiate their own work. But online courses still benefit from live interaction to build community and work through problems. Episode Transcript

    9 min
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About

We’re Naat and Jeff. We’re instructional designers. We help faculty design and build courses. Hybrid, online, face-to-face too! Faculty have lots of questions, but so do we. We also wonder about the nuts and bolts, the how and why of course design. Hear us talk about things we might take for granted, design practices we accept, but should question, debate different approaches, and explore new tools. This podcast is for instructional designers, faculty, teachers, administrators, really anyone fascinated or curious about the design of effective teaching and learning.

Information

  • Creator
    Naat Jairam & Jeff Suarez-Grant
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    20
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Naat Jairam & Jeff Suarez-Grant
  • Show Website
    Get with the Program

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