Introduction (Objective):

Design a learning activity for your course where students demonstrate higher order thinking (analysis, synthesis, creation, etc.) according to Bloom's taxonomy.

Description (Assignment):

As we discussed in Module 3 of OL 2050, there is more than one way for students to demonstrate what they know. We thought through some of these activities in Module 3, but in general terms. Now we are going to get more specific. More can be done with assessment in an online course than a multiple choice quiz. Just like in any other teaching situation, we want to help students think more deeply about the material and to do that, we need to think through activities that will get students to practice higher order thinking skills but that also make sense with learning objectives.

Let’s describe an activity that you think would help students practice higher order thinking skills in an online course. This does not have to be something completely novel. You may have an idea for a writing assignment, but a writing assignment that asks students to approach a topic in a different way. But you might be thinking about using a different online technology like a blog, wiki, or even something like Twitter or a Google Hangout.

Example: Jordan Peterson of University of Toronto found a way to increase student achievement and well-being by reflecting on the past and articulating their goals. “Students reflect on important moments in their past, identify key personal motivations and create plans for the future, including specific goals and strategies to overcome obstacles” (Kamenetz, 2015). In this way, writing exercises not just the cognitive abilities of students, but touches on their affective domain as well. Students learn about themselves as they learn about the course content.

1. Describe the learning objective of the activity.
2. Explain the process of the activity including any materials or resources that you and the students would need.
3. Justify why this activity will challenge students to practice higher order thinking skills and why this will result in sound learning outcomes.
4. Think through any challenges or obstacles that you might encounter. How will you work through or around them (e.g., do you have a “plan B”)?

Overall length of submitted work should be 300-400 words.

Kamenetz, A. (2015, July 15). The Writing Assignment That Changes Lives. Retrieved July 23, 2015.