design for learning

Design for Learning: 21st Century Online Teaching and Learning Skills for Library Workers (D4L) is a training program designed to enable library workers to transfer their in-person teaching skills to the online environment.

Since 2015, Design for Learning has been teaching library workers how to design instruction and teach online. Our first two cohorts included participants from all types of libraries, subject specializations, and library experience levels, all over the country. Based on their experiences with the program, the courses have been improved and adapted for WebJunction's free course catalog!

The program is comprised of 7 online self-paced modules: Orientation, Foundation, Diversity, Community, Content Creation, Course Management, and Capstone. What would you like to teach online for your library community? Visit our blog at Design4Learning.info to find out more!

Participants who complete modules of the Design for Learning program will earn a Certificate of Completion for each module, issued jointly by WebJunction and the South Central Regional Library Council. You can read more about continuing education credit for the entire D4L program at http://d4l.syr.edu/about/d4l-continuing-education-credit-guidelines/.

D4L was developed as a partnership between the South Central Regional Library Council, Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies, and the Empire State Library Network. It is funded as a three-year grant, by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). 

Design for Learning 1 - Orientation

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 2 weeks

Overview: By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • navigate the D4L learning management system as a student
  • communicate with your classmates in the D4L learning management system
  • associate the main principles of Self-Determination Theory to personal strategies for success as an online student
  • recognize the structure of the D4L program and how each module relates to the final capstone project

Lead Course Developer: Arden Kirkland

Design for Learning 2 - Foundation

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 6 weeks

Overview: By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • recognize different approaches to instructional design strategy
  • recognize several leading learning theories
  • relate instructional strategies to the principles of Universal Design for Learning
  • apply Bloom’s Revised Taxonomy to writing learning outcomes
  • critique learning assessments for their appropriateness to learning outcomes
  • produce a first draft version of an instructional plan for teaching an online class/session

Lead Course Developer: Dr. Marilyn Arnone

Design for Learning 3 - Diversity

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 4 weeks

Overview: By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • draft your own working definition for diversity as a benchmark
  • interpret the content of a professional document on diversity standards on cultural competency
  • reflect on what you, yourself, bring to the learning scenario
  • collect resources to help you reflect on what your colleagues and learners bring to the learning scenario
  • refine your instructional plans to be attentive to diversity by structuring learning to fit a variety of learning styles
  • evaluate online library training to assess the extent to which it satisfies the ALA/ACRL Diversity Standards
  • incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning in creating your online learning 

Lead Course Developer: Dr. Loriene Roy

Design for Learning 4 - Community

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 4 weeks

Overview: By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Recognize the characteristics of teaching presence, cognitive presence, and social presence
  • Evaluate positive and negative factors in existing online educational communities
  • Identify the motivation for (or barriers to) community participation
  • Develop a strategy for activities that fit with your community members’ motivation for participation
  • Determine the social media platforms that are most relevant to your instructional objectives
  • Consider the role of a code of conduct or netiquette guide for an online educational community
  • Construct a strategy for well-timed and appropriate discussion posts and responses on social media, both as a follower and as a leader
  • Plan how metrics can be used to evaluate and improve how a social media strategy is meeting learning objectives

Lead Course Developer: Arden Kirkland

Design for Learning 5 - Content Creation

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 4 weeks

Overview:By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Recognize principles for using audio, video, text, and graphics in online learning, based on cognitive psychology research
  • Determine how multimedia resources fit into your instructional design plan
  • Evaluate existing online library training with regard to standards for digital content
  • Identify best practices for the process of creating screencasts and multimedia tutorials
  • Select screencasting and online tutorial software and services for your instructional objectives
  • Develop scripts and/or storyboards for your instructional content
  • Use screencasting or other online tutorial software to create instructional resources

Lead Course Developers: Lori Bell, Helen Linda, and Arden Kirkland

Design for Learning 6 - Course Management

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 2 weeks

Overview: By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Examine methods for communicating course expectations
  • Evaluate the features of different software to create an online environment for learning
  • Visualize how to organize all content for one online learning session in a Learning Management System or a combination of different platforms
  • Refine your plans for assessment within the online learning environment

Lead Course Developer: Samantha Settimio

Design for Learning 7 - Capstone

self pacedFormat: Self-paced Course
Developed by: the South Central Regional Library Council, the Empire State Library Network, and the School of Information Studies at Syracuse University, with funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services
Length: designed to take 3-5 hours a week over 6 weeks

Overview: By the end of this module, you will be able to:

  • Integrate what you have learned in all the other modules into one end-to-end instructional design plan
  • Implement your instructional design plan, creating all content for one online learning session
  • Organize all content for one online learning session in a Learning Management System or a combination of different platforms
  • Evaluate the need for alternative formats of content for accessibility
  • Assess the quality of your content and that of your peers
  • Implement improvements to your content based on assessment
  • Recruit learners to participate in online instruction
  • Deliver an instructional session online
  • Assess the work of online students
  • Assess your online instruction and plan for appropriate revisions

Lead Course Developer: Arden Kirkland