Instructional Design Overview
"Designing 21st-century curriculum leveraging VR technology to immerse students in real-world scenarios, enhancing career exploration and better preparing them for future opportunities."
Context
Objective: Seventh- and eighth-graders will explore a variety of future career opportunities through virtual reality. This immersive experience will help them better understand different professions, enabling them to make informed decisions about their high school career pathways and preparing them for successful transitions into the workforce after graduation.
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Subject: CTE Classes: Think Tank (TT) & College, Career, Readiness (CCR)
Instructional Level/ Target Audience: Junior High students (7th & 8th grade)
Intended Audience: Seventh graders in Think Tank and Eighth graders CCR classes.
Learning Management System (LMS): This course will be delivered through Google Classroom, which supports asynchronous modules, discussions, assignments, and resource sharing. Video conferencing tools (Zoom, Google Meet) will be essential for synchronous sessions.​
Key Institutional Documents: Syllabus, TEKS, Rubric
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Duration: This is a 5-week, instructor-led course comprising of 5 modules.
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Design Approach
Educational Framework:
I chose both a competency-based and an outcome-based approach for my course. Using CBE (Competency-Based Education) focuses on students mastering the specific skills and abilities needed for various careers. Regarding career exploration, this means students will gain hands-on experience in resume writing, interviewing, and workplace communication.
Then, by utilizing OBE (Outcome-Based Education), this will focus on broader goals and learning outcomes, such as understanding different career paths, setting career goals, and making informed decisions about their future and higher educational needs, i.e., college or trade school.
Using both of these approaches will allow me to create a course that provides students with clear outcomes (OBE) while simultaneously also developing clear skills and knowledge (CBE) that support their learning outcomes
Instructional Design Model:
For my instructional design model, I chose the ADDIE method. There are five phases that help provide a structured layout for developing an effective and scalable VR experience.
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Analysis: ​Analyze the goals and objectives for the learning material.
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​This phase is critical for helping students identify which careers they wish to explore and the skills they will need.
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Design: Identify the learning objectives, including the knowledge learners should gain and the learning outcomes.
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​In this phase, we will plan VR scenarios that simulate real workplaces or career tasks. There will be clear learning objectives, practicing soft skills, and goal setting.
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Development: Identify how you can help students reach the objectives you identified earlier, and develop the instructional strategies accordingly.
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​This phase will build or source VR content that immerses students in career environments. Help create supporting materials, including guides, checklists, and quizzes.
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Implementation: Test out your training programs with learners.
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​In this phase, we will launch the VR exploration experience for students, making sure they have access and instructions. The teacher will facilitate and monitor student involvement to help guide reflection and discussions.
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Evaluation: Evaluate and measure the success of the training material you have designed and delivered.
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​This phase will collect student feedback on their experience and its impact on their understanding of their career. We will assess if learning goals were met through performance in VR tasks or follow-up activities.
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​Assessment Of, For, and As Learning:​​​
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Assessment of Learning – formative and summative assessments (PL slide deck, coaching model, action plan), etc.
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Assessment for Learning – formative checks, like class discussions.
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Assessment as Learning – self-reflections and peer reviews, where growth is evaluated.
Promoting Deeper Learning:
Using VR’s immersive features gives students the opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of career responsibilities by placing them in a realistic environment where they can explore career tasks firsthand. When we give students the opportunity to “try out” or experiment with these types of situations, we create a safe place for them to problem-solve, face challenges, and think critically before stepping foot into the real world. When we give students the chance to engage in an interactive decision-making process, they can develop COVA in their learning and deepen their knowledge and understanding of career exploration.
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Learning Process:
The learning process would be student-led, teacher-facilitated. The teacher will ask questions about their simulations, career choices, and the tasks each career requires. Students will be in a simulation exploring all aspects of their career choices, not just the highlights. Once students finish their simulation model, the teacher will ask questions and encourage them to think critically.
Design Artifacts
References
Fink, L. D. (2003). A self-directed guide to designing courses for significant learning. Jossey-Bass.
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Harapnuik, D. (2018). COVA. It's About Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=6991
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Harapnuik, D. (2021). Assessment of/for/as learning. It's About
Learning. https://www.harapnuik.org/?page_id=8900
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​​Moiso, D. R. (2024). How to use the ADDIE instructional design model. SessionLab.
https://www.sessionlab.com/blog/addie-model-instructional-design/
Texas Education Agency. (2018). Texas essential knowledge and skills for career preparation (19
TAC §130.112). https://tea.texas.gov/sites/default/files/ch130c.pdf