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Capstone Project Submitted for Culmination of the Master of Education at Post University
Erica McCarthy
Post University
March 2017
capstone project 2
Abstract
This project studied innovative pedagogical techniques in order to make history more
engaging and interesting to the online learner. The study of history teaches students advanced
critical thinking and analytical skills that can be utilized across any academic and professional
setting, so it is important to ensure students stay engaged while they're learning to maximize
their potential for growth. Through the course of the project, innovative pedagogical and
andragogical techniques were evaluated and applied to a new online course, for the purpose of
increasing student engagement, and applying what the students have learned to the real world.
The final deliverable product showcased a number of ways to increase student engagement, as
well as critical thinking and analysis skills throughout the study of history; however, there is still
Capstone Project Submitted for Culmination of the Master of Education at Post University
Problem Statement
If one were to randomly sample the population at large, it is almost a foregone conclusion
that history is considered by many to be boring and useless. Indeed, a recent Gallup poll
indicated that, out of the main four subjects (math, science, English, and history), history came in
dead last (Jones, 2013). The main problem is how to make history, in general, more interesting in
an online format. The study of history always seems to be considered the least important subject
in school. In fact, in 2012, the Washington Post reprinted a blog article by Roger Schank, a
cognitive scientist from Yale University, in which he explained why subjects are useless and why
students hated being required to learn them. In it, hes quoted as saying you will learn untruths
about the Revolutionary War and the Civil War and World War II, all meant to teach that the
United States is the best country in the world (Schank, 2012, para. 6). While this is, in effect,
one argument that students make in regards to history, it is an opinion that can be overcome.
There are a number of reasons as to why the addition of history programs and/or courses at Post
are important. History is important because we need to know where we have been in order to see
where we are going. Too often, the vast majority of people are ignorant (usually through no fault
of their own) about things that directly impact their lives. History, that is, the day to day
knowledge of how we got here, has been lost to the general masses, in favor of institutionalized
ignorance. The study of history is how we get it back. This project will address the following
questions: How do we make history more engaging and interesting in an online format?
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Introduction
The study of history always seems to be considered the least important subject in school,
and there are significant reasons why that is so. A significant part of the problem is not just in
what is being taught, but how it is being taught. History is taught as a set narrative-- a process
that reinforces the mistaken idea that the past can be synthesized into a single, standardized
chronicle of several hundred pages (Conway, 2015, para. 5). Students are taught that historical
analysis is simple and based solely on the views of the victor. There is, after all, a reason why the
phrase history is written by the winner has become clichd. The argument, then, is how
educators break from this mold of history taught in a traditional pedagogy that may or may not
The three major points of this literature review are as follows: how do we make online
courses in general, and history specifically, more interesting and engaging for the general student
to enjoy it and want to take more classes; the importance of history programs and the study of
history across the board; and the utilization of Blooms Taxonomy in regards to critical thinking,
If there is a course that engages students through assessments that require more than just
rote memorization of facts, really gets them involved, and connects history to them in a more
personal way, then students will be more engaged in the subject material and actually retain the
information and critical thinking skills, and this will result in better learning outcomes, more
interest in history, and (maybe) interest in a full history program (long term goals).
History, when taught the way most people have taken it, is nothing more than a large
number of facts, figures, people, and dates that need to be memorized. It is for this reason that
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many people say that they have never liked history (or flat out hated it). It is difficult, as an
online instructor, to really engage students in meaningful ways, especially in regards to a topic
they do not want to take or have any care for. One of the ways to keep their attention and change
this opinion of history as useless is to make even the basic classes more interesting and engaging,
using better pedagogical techniques, especially for online learning, to make the coursework more
There are a number of sources out there that help instructors with different ways of
keeping students engaged. Two of the main ones are The Online Teaching Survival Guide and
Engaging the Online Learner. Both of these sources include a number of examples of exercises
and activities that can be adapted and implemented across an 8-week course (Conrad &
Donaldson, 2004; Boettcher & Conrad, 2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide gives a
number of techniques and tips based on traditional pedagogy but updated for an online or
blended course. As an instructional tool, it allows for any instructor, regardless of whether they
are well-versed in pedagogy or have little knowledge of educational theory, to apply effective
learning strategies to an online course (Conrad & Donaldson, 2004). Engaging the Online
Learner, on the other hand, is a book entirely focused on activities and resources for the purposes
of creative instructionthat is, how does an instructor make an online class engaging and fun,
while still fulfilling all learning outcomes that are required for the course (Conrad & Donaldson,
2004).
Within Pedagogical Models: The Discipline of Online Teaching, Shaugnessy & Fulgham
(2011) brought together a number of educators who wrote essays on various pedagogical models.
One such essay, specifically on instructional design, discusses how to build an online course in
an organized and systematic way, arguing that his way of building a course will produce an
capstone project 6
end result that is exciting for both student and teacher (Simonton, 2010, p.51). In The Pedagogy
of Online Instruction, Berge (2010) argues that the overall goal of learning, regardless of how
that instruction gets delivered, should not change. Indeed, Berge argues that there are a number
of factors that determine whether online students are successful or not, and his chapter goes into
some detail about how to incorporate those factors in a way to make sure students are successful
(Berge, 2010). One technique in engaging online learners is by utilizing interactive entertainment
strategies, according to Stapleton & Hirumi (2010). It can seem counterintuitive to combine
entertainment with education; however the authors argue effectively that games can motivate
learners through fun, challenge and instant feedback within a virtual, interactive and immersive
environment (Stapleton & Hirumi, 2010, p. 184). By utilizing a different format for the delivery
of educational content, instructors might be able to engage students in a way that creates
experiential learning. Finally, editor Susan Fulgham (2010) writes about effective learning using
multimedia tools in an effort to engage students in another, more stimulating way. Fulgham
discusses techniques for instructors to choose appropriate media through principles learned by
research and practice, so they may in turn, create effective learning environments (Fulgham,
2010, p. 141).
In an article from the Quarterly Review of Distance Education, Fabry (2009) questions
what types of guidelines must be in place in order to ensure that learning outcomes are met in
both an online and a traditional classroom setting. While this article focuses mostly on
developing the classes with learning outcomes in mind (and thus probably could fit into another
section of a literature review as well), the article also talks about designing the courses in
Another article, this one from Bill Pelz (2004) discusses his particular principles in
regards to effective online teaching. In the article the author discusses his three principles, laying
them out in a very clear way. His three principles are: let the students do most of the work,
interactivity is the heart and soul of effective asynchronous learning, and strive for presence
(Pelz, 2004). Under the heading of each principle, Pelz lists the different ways instructors can
The study of history is probably one of the most important subjects one can studyeven
the Framers of the Constitution thought so, with almost all of them having studied classical
Greek and Roman history before going to college. Indeed, it was their study of the classics that
led to the way our political system is structured. Beyond the fact that the demand for history
courses and programs is taking off, the study of history itself is vital to the continued
understanding of the world. The intrinsic problem, therein, is that history is studied in a linear
manner that does not do the discipline a serviceif anything, it denigrates the importance of the
subject (Conway, 2015). Indeed, history is vital to study as it is about explaining and
interpreting past events analyticallyskills integral to the first year of a college education
There is really only one topic in this section, but there have been a number of articles on
it. The American Historical Association published an article titled Why Study History? on their
website (Stearns, 1998), and as part of their discussion on history standards, UCLAs National
Center for History in the Schools talked about the importance of learning history in regards to
being educated overall (National Center for History in the Schools, n.d.). A third article,
published in the Chronicle of Higher Education, discussed the importance of history even to
capstone project 8
STEM fields (Dubcovsky, 2014), thus showcasing that it does not matter what the field is, the
study of history is vital to it. All of these articles indicate that importance of history in regards to
building a better-informed society of people. Stearns (1998) argues that history, in general, is a
storehouse of information about how people and societies behave (para. 5); arguably, then, the
study of history is beneficial across subjects with a distinct social science focus. Stearns (1998)
also argues that political and current events can be understood, stating that only through history
can we begin to comprehend the factors that cause change (para. 5).
One article, by Stephen Stein at the University of Memphis, discusses not just the
importance of history as a general rule in higher education, but also the experiences he had in
building an online history program at his university, indicating that it was also a popular program
(Stein, 2014). This is included here solely as an example not just of the importance, but also as a
reference in regards to building courses that spark interest in the field itself.
There have also been books written on the importance of learning history. One such book
is a set of essays, edited by Williamson Murray and Richard H. Sinnreich, indicating the
importance of history in the military profession. Indeed, in their introduction to the book, the
editors put the U.S. military on blast, stating that the political and military assumptions
preceding the 2003 invasion of Iraqlargely ignored the history of the region (Murray &
Sinnreich, 2006, p. 1). They went on to argue that because the leaders of the Iraq invasion had
believed they could control the future, and as such, chose deliberately or by oversight to ignore
history. The future, unfortunately, turned out to look all too much like the past (Murray &
The overall importance of studying history, regardless of ones chosen major, should be
At the end of the day, making history interesting is one thing, and is relatively easy to do.
The challenge, therefore, is in keeping it interesting within the confines learning outcomes. In
making history interesting, one must also make sure that, through the coursework, students are
meeting specific learning outcomes and gaining a sense of historical awareness. To do so within
those confines requires a strong study and knowledge of Blooms Taxonomy of learning.
The studies that evaluate Blooms taxonomy are numerous, though not all that varied.
Most of them, such as one by Halawi, McCarthy, & Pires (2009), talk about the use of Blooms
taxonomy through online classes, which is the purpose of this capstone project. Within their
study, the authors discuss the effectiveness of Blooms taxonomy in an online setting, citing a
variety of other sources that have also done research into the topic (Halawi, McCarthy, & Pires,
2010). This indicates that the utilization of Blooms taxonomy within online education has been
thoroughly studied, allowing for multiple future resources and references to delve into the
Another such article discusses using Blooms taxonomy as a learning tool towards
critical thinking (Athanassiou, McNett, & Harvey, 2003). Indeed, the authors mention that they
focused on Blooms taxonomy in regards to critical thinking skills because one of the authors
noticed that her students lacked an ability or willingness to frame interesting questions
(Athanassiou, McNett, & Harvey, 2003, p. 534). Such a comment is one that is certainly not
limited strictly to the management field. Since critical thinking is such a vital skill within the
study of history, articles such as these provide a necessary framework for understanding how
Blooms taxonomy contributes to the ability of history coursework to meet specific learning
outcomes.
capstone project 10
Some studies use Blooms taxonomy with the theory of multiple intelligences to plan
curriculum in a way that connects all students with the coursework. One such article is by Toni
Noble, a senior lecturer in education in Australia. In her article, she discusses the necessity of
using both Blooms taxonomy as well as multiple intelligence theory to keep students engaged
and interested while also meeting specific learning outcomes (Noble, 2004). Noble, though
focused on special education and gifted children in elementary schools, argues that both
beginning and experienced teachers are reluctant or unable to differentiate their curriculum to
cater for the student diversity in their classrooms (Noble, 2004, p. 193). Through the connection
of Blooms taxonomy with Gardners theory of multiple intelligences, Noble found that by
combining these two theories, teachers were able to provide a practical structure or grid to
facilitate their programming to cater for greater breadth (over the multiple intelligences) and
greater depth (at different levels of thinking) (Noble, 2004, p. 208). Ideally, this line of thinking
indicates that, regardless of grade level, the combination of Blooms taxonomy with multiple
intelligences should keep students engaged long enough to ensure they are retaining the
Conclusion
There has not, as yet, been a lot of study in this area, though the general idea of making
history more interesting is prevalenta simple Google search would showcase this. Overall, the
idea of making history more interesting is mostly overshadowed by those who consider the study
economic climate, which seems to disregard the value of solid critical thinking skills in favor of
job-ready degrees. While those degrees are important, the preference for those over other
degrees (such as history) that are perceived as useless, as many in the humanities field are
capstone project 11
considered, denies students across the board the ability to think critically about our past in order
to avoid repeating the same mistakes that those before them have made. The phrase those who
do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it is trite, but true.
Overall, the strength in this is the amount of information regarding the importance of
history to every field. It is difficult to convince students that history is important to study when
so many of them find it boring to sit through and retain none of what they have learned. This lack
of interest, generally, leads to a lack of the very courses which could teach them the critical
thinking skills they need to become educated global citizens. A very strong argument can be
made that the lack of interest in history, therefore, is hurting the student body, both in their
critical thinking skills as well as in their overall general knowledge of the world around them,
and that these oversights in their education would be a hindrance in their job search, as many
As yet, it would be difficult to argue the importance of a whole program in history, even a
minor, in a school where the majority of students are focused in business or public service. As
yet, there has not been a clamoring for more history classes, and the concern is that there may
never be, which is a fair concern to have. However, an argument could be made that by making
the current course offering more interesting, this might cause students in general to be more
interested in the field, allowing students more opportunity to learn the very skills that historical
The lack here is in the statisticsthere really are not any strong, solid statistics behind
this line of study. Because history is a more artsy profession (that is, history doesnt focus on the
hard sciences, but the more interpretive details), there are few statistics that study or focus on the
strength of these courses in regards to giving students the skills they need once they enter the job
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market. There are no studies (as yet) that indicate with statistics that students who study history
have better outcomes coming out of degree programs, or that they even use them. Most of the
evidence out there, as seems to be the case for the study of history as well as the profession itself,
is anecdotal.
The study of history is important to developing a more educated, informed global citizen.
More evidence is needed to fully understand the level of skills that students acquire through the
study of history, and how those skills translate into the real world. Anecdotal evidence is good,
but the lack of solid evidence does cause some concern in regards to the necessity of the study.
However, even the anecdotal evidence is enough to realize that further study in this area is
necessary, if for no other reason than current global events necessitates the requirement that the
next generation of student has the critical thinking and analytical skills to understand the world
around them, and what their choices can mean for future generations. Through the utilization of
effective online teaching practices and an application of Blooms taxonomy, making history more
The research design for this capstone project is the nonrandomized control group, pretest-
posttest design. Much of the reason for that design style is because the group that is being
surveyed is not random in any way. This capstone will not be implemented; as such, it requires
the use of a panel of expertshence the nonrandomized control group. Essentially, the
nonrandomized, pretest-posttest design will allow me to use the panel of experts who already
have an idea of both online course design as well as a background in the subject matter. That
does, to a certain extent, remove the problems of selection and maturation that are inherent in
this design. Many of the other designs mentioned in the textbook would not work for the type of
capstone project being undertakenthis one really is the best option, and even then, some
Methodology
This capstone project is to build an online course in the American Revolution, with the
purpose of proving that history can be both interesting and engaging in an online format, while
also fulfilling specific learning outcomes in the process. Were this capstone to be implemented, it
would be on a sample of online student learners; however, since non-implementation is the goal
here, the sample will be a panel of experts with a background knowledge in the subject matter as
Before the test course even sees another person, the researcher will be building it from
Using Coursesites, the researcher will build a fully functional, eight-week long online
course. This course will include rubrics for each assignment, learning outcomes for each unit,
To begin, some basic choices need to be madespecifically, the start and end dates of the
course. Knowing that the course is going to be focused solely on the American Revolution, this
means setting beginning and end times would need to be decided. For the purpose of this course,
the American Revolution will be defined as a period from 1763-1800. By starting at 1763,
students will be able to understand the earliest catalysts for revolution, since the end of the
points for revolutionary activity. The end date of 1800 is more challenging, as historians have
not, as yet, reached a consensus for a true end to the revolution. However, the election of 1800 is
a solid place to round out the course in general. From here, the researcher will plan out what each
unit/week will cover, with students using the skills from the previous week to build upon the
Having decided on the dates of the course, the next step is to decide upon textbooks. Post
University traditionally uses electronic course materials; however, in this case, it would be best
to utilize traditional books that also come in e-book format. To that end, two books were chosen
The Glorious Cause: The American Revolution 1763-1789 (revised and expanded edition) by
American Revolution, edited by Jack Greene. These two books together combine both a
traditional, secondary synthesis of the American Revolution with a primary source history book.
capstone project 15
Additionally, other references, including primary source documents from after 1789, and videos
Each week, now having been planned and with the knowledge of the textbooks being
utilized, will need set learning outcomes, and assignments that go toward these learning
least one unit, a discussion board debate. The purpose, of course, of the various styles of
assignments is to engage students in as many ways as possible to keep them engaged and
Having planned the course week-by-week--the assignments, the discussion boards, and
the references being utilizedit will be time to decide upon the panel of experts. This panel will
likely include the assistant academic program manager for liberal arts at Post University, a
member of the associate faculty in history at Post University, a Ph.D. candidate who focuses on
the early republic at University of Massachusetts, Amherst, a course designer and adjunct faculty
member at University of Bridgeport, and the academic program manager for the instructional
design and technology education department at Post University. Upon finishing the course in its
entirety, the course was opened to those experts. The experts were questioned about the ease of
use, information within, the appropriateness of the learning outcomes and the assignments, and
whether the course is effective in its set goal, among other questions. The information was
The eight steps for evaluating an action research project are simply four steps repeated
twicereflect, plan, act, and observe. The difference between the two sets is what is being
reflected upon, planned, acted upon, and observed. For the first half, the researcher is reflecting
capstone project 16
upon a problem, planning a solution, acting upon that solution, and observing how the solution
works, identifying any problems that are related to the problem. The second half begins by
reflecting on the new information garnered from the original plan of action, followed by an
updated plan to resolve the secondary problem discovered, acting on that plan, and observing
how the new solution works (Ary, Jacobs, Sorenson, & Walker, 2014).
Assessment
The purpose of this project was to ensure students were more engaged and interested in
the study of history, with the goal of increasing their critical thinking and analytical skills across
disciples and platforms. The first stage of reflection, also known as identifying and limiting the
topic (Ary et al., 2014, 554), is where personal experience as an instructor of adult students in
an online format was used to identify the fact that students were not as engaged with the work as
a whole. Upon recognition that the type of coursework necessary did not exist, a plan was
formed to build one that would suit those specific needs. This first planning stage is defined as a
plan for taking action and/or for gathering information and data (Ary et al., 2014, 554). At that
point, the topic of historical study and engagement of online students was discussed with
department heads and colleagues. Subsequently, a new online course was built from the ground
up that had its basis in historical study. Learning outcomes, rubrics, assessments, and discussion
boards were all written with the goal that the course would, through these activities, combine
innovative ideas with traditional methods in order to increase student engagement and, hopefully,
critical thinking skills, thus making history more interesting and relevant in the lives of the
students.
While the project itself would be implementation ready by the end of EDU 699, there is
no feasible way to do so. Post University does not employ an Institutional Review Board, which
capstone project 17
would allow the course to be put in front of real students, nor would it be feasible for the
administration to allow an untested course to go live for credit. As a result, a panel of experts was
assembled to evaluate the course on a variety of different aspects. There are many moving pieces
that indicate whether a course would work in the real world or not; due to this fact, there is only
so much that a panel can evaluate. The only concrete way to know what does and does not work
would be to put the course in front of real students. Since that cannot happen, the best outcome,
in this case, would be that the panel of experts evaluating this project come to the conclusion that
There were five members of this panel of experts. They were all given access to the
project course, and they were all given a copy of the questionnaire to assess and evaluate the
effectiveness of the project (see Appendix A). Using the questionnaire, the panel evaluated the
pedagogical structure of the course, as well as whether it was student-centered, whether the
objectives were linked to an assessment, appropriate workload, adequate and varied resources,
and whether the class would meet the different needs of different learners, among others. Based
on the answers to the questionnaire, the course was updated to better reflect what the panel
After completion of the questionnaire, and the adjustments made to the course based on
those answers, it is assumed that the project as it stands could be implementable as of March 6,
2017.
This was both simple and significantly more challenging than originally anticipated. It
seems like such a simple thingmake history exciting for students so they do not get bored. Yet,
capstone project 18
at the same time, the sheer amount of work and thought that goes into building a course from the
From the beginning of building this project, many of the skills utilized by the researcher
had been learned through the online teaching concentration courses, including how to build a
successful rubric and how to write the best types of learning outcomes. The vast majority, in fact,
of the skills used to build this course came both from those four classes, as well as experience
teaching courses online. It is easy to know what works and what does not, to a certain extent,
when one is already teaching online history classes. Armed with that knowledge, the researcher
assumed more knowledge than was actually available. The first sign that this was going to be a
bigger project than originally anticipated while building my project management plan. Because
the requirements for that assignment were to list everything step by step, it very quickly became
apparent that there was significantly more work than previously anticipated. However, by laying
everything out clearly in that manner, it also meant that nothing was missing from the course.
History is both a difficult subject and not a difficult subject, and this project showcases
that contradiction. It gives the students the information they are expecting to learn, while also
almost forcing them to think outside the box with a few of the assignments. One very large
challenge was figuring out interesting assignments that were also feasible in an online format,
and there are precious few of those, which is why there were few assignments rather than
most. With a longer session, it is likely that it would be possible to do certain things that did
not seem possible within an 8-week class session (specifically, a Constitutional online debate).
course designer, was figuring out the proper workload for the hypothetical students. One of the
main concerns from the panel of experts was that the workload seemed too light. Most weeks,
capstone project 19
the students only had one discussion board, so the recommendation was made to put in
requirements for length of the initial post. Otherwise, it would be too easy for students to type
one paragraph and fulfill the minimum requirements. Another concern was that most of the
discussion boards were traditional, so the recommendation therein was to require a video
discussion board or two. It was really only after the questionnaires came back from the panel that
this even occurred as a problem. Large spans of time were spent making sure that there was not
too much or too little reading; the idea that the workload itself was not up to par for what would
Overall, the main concern from the panel regarding the workload was that it just was not
enough. However, upon objective self-assessment of my project, the concern is that the work that
is there is not innovative enough. More studyboth in the education field as well as the field of
course designwould be needed to truly make a course of this type innovative enough. As it
stands, while there are some aspects that are different and engaging, and most of the assignments
are built to keep students engaged, it does not go far enough to be truly innovative. It fulfills its
As previously mentioned, this was so much more challenging than expected and, as a
result, there are many things that could have been done differently. However, the foundation of
the project showcases a number of connections to the program objectives for the Master in
Education at Post University, both through the core curriculum, as well as the classes taken for
the concentration in online teaching. The idea of innovation in teaching is a thread that connects
both the concentration classes, as well as the core classes, and this project does showcase some
innovative ideasthe researcher has yet to see an online course that utilizes debate in the same
way my project does. Additionally, every discussion board and assignment was set up using
capstone project 20
techniques taught in the concentration classes. The biggest goals for this project were to ensure
that every assignment was pedagogically sound, that they were innovative and interesting (for
the purpose of keeping students engaged in the coursework throughout the length of the course),
and that those assignments were set up to reach a diverse population of students with different
learning styles, while still teaching them the skill set they need to be successful in the future.
With that in mind, the researcher stands by the opinion that this project has accomplished
its intended purpose, and has done so while meeting every expectation of the outcomes for both
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Pedagogical Models: The Discipline of Online Teaching (pp. 87-96). Hauppauge, NY:
Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R.-M. (2010). The Online Teaching Survival Guide: Simple and
Conrad, R.-M., & Donaldson, J. A. (2004). Engaging the Online Learning: Activities and
Conway, M. (2015, March 16). The Problem with History Classes. The Atlantic. Retrieved from
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Dubcovsky, A. (2014, February 24). To Understand Science, Study History. The Chronicle of
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Fabry, D. L. (2009). Designing online and on-ground courses to ensure comparability and
10(3), 253-261.
capstone project 22
Fulgham, S. (2010). Effective Learning with Video, Audio, and Simulations. In S. Fulgham, &
Halawi, L., McCarthy, R. V., & Pires, S. (2010). An Evaluation of E-Learning on the Basis of
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planning tool for curriculum differentiation. Teachers College Record, 106(1), 193-211.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/why-kids-hate-school--
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Shaughnessy (Eds.), Pedagogical Models: The Discipline of Online Teaching (pp. 51-79).
Stapleton, C., & Hirumi, A. (2010). Interplay Instructional Strategy: Engaging Learners with
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Stearns, P. N. (1998). Why Study History? Retrieved from American HIstorical Association:
https://www.historians.org/about-aha-and-membership/aha-history-and-
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Stein, S. K. (2014). Lessons Learned Building the Online History Program at the University of
Urist, J. (2015, February 15). Who Should Decide How Students Learn About Americas Past?
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capstone project 24
Appendix A
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
6. The resources utilized for this course are adequate and varied.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
capstone project 26
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
11. The learning objectives for the course cover the entirety of
Bloom's Taxonomy.
Strongly Disagree
Disagree
Neutral
Agree
Strongly Agree
No
capstone project 27
14. Does this course meet your expectations? Overall, what could
be improved upon?
Submit
capstone project 28
Appendix B
Deliverable Product
Exemplary Proficient Needs Deficient Comments
1 pts
Course Design
This section will help you determine the effectiveness of the course design.
Course Exempla Proficie Nee Deficie Commen
Design
ry nt ds nt ts
Description of
learning objectives
Improvement 3
Learning objectives are Learning objectives Learning objectives
units, and
marginally
incorporate levels
from Bloom's
Taxonomy.
capstone project 29
other course-specific
Improvement 2
Instructional design A large amount of Very limited
resources to help the
includes learning supplemental information to help
student Supplemental
activities and information, as well the student further
information is
information presented as links, are provided develop their
given to students
in ways that will to the student to knowledge gained
to help them
engage all learning enhance the from the course; few,
further develop
styles. knowledge they gain if any links, are
their knowledge
from the course incorporated in the
gained from the
course content.
course; some
links to re-
enforcing
material are
included to help
the student
Course Exempla Proficie Nee Deficie Commen
Design
ry nt ds nt ts
Development of
critical
Improvement 3
Assignments, exercises Course provides Course provides
thinking/problem-
and tasks requiring many activities to limited if any
solving skills Course provides a
critical thinking and promote critical activities to promote
few activities to
problem solving skills thinking/problem- critical
promote critical
are integrated solving activities thinking/problem-
thinking/problem
throughout the course. among students. solving activities
-solving activities
among students.
among students.
Assessments
This section will help you determine the effectiveness of the assessment design
capstone project 30
Learning
Improvement 3
All assessments are Assessments are Assessments not
appropriate.
Assessme Exempla Proficie Nee Deficie Commen
nt
ry nt ds nt ts
Facilities for prompt
feedback on all
Improvement 3
Course has facilities The course makes Feedback is not
student assessments.
built in for both adequate provision addressed in the
The course makes
informational and for feedback. Some course.
some provision
acknowledgement rubrics are provided.
for feedback. Few
feedback. Instructor
if any rubrics are
commits to prompt
provided.
feedback in the
syllabus or orientation
area.
capstone project 31
Quality
Improvement 2
Assessments and The course has No facilities for
Improvement
feedback loops are several opportunities course assessment or
There are limited
fully incorporated into for feedback to the feedback are
opportunities for
the course. instructor. available to the
the students to
student.
provide feedback
to the instructor.
Connection to M.Ed. Program
Connectio Exempla Proficie Nee Deficie Commen
n to Program
ry nt ds nt ts
Assesses whether
the learning
Improvement 3
Project demonstrates Project demonstrates Project demonstrates
objectives for the
master of the proficiency in the little proficiency in
M.Ed. program Project
objectives set out by objectives set out by the objectives set out
were met demonstrates
the M.Ed. program the M.Ed. program; by the M.Ed.
some proficiency
some aspects could program
in the objectives
be improved upon
set out by the
M.Ed. program;
many aspects
could be
improved upon
capstone project 32
the project
Improvement 2
Project showcases Project showcases Project does not
showcases evidence
evidence of significant some evidence of showcase evidence
of professional Project
professional growth professional growth of professional
growth showcases little
and knowledge base and knowledge base growth or knowledge
evidence of
base
professional
growth or
knowledge base,
some aspects
missing or
incomplete
Capstone Project
All aspects of the capstone, including the process, the paper, and the Share Fair presentation
Exemplary Proficient Needs Deficient Comments
1 pts
Capstone Exempla Proficie Nee Deficie Commen
Project
ry nt ds nt ts
Adherence to PMP
aspects handed in
late
capstone project 33
cycles followed
Improvement 3
Project showcases Project showcases Project showcases
evidence that all the evidence that most evidence that few
Project
eight steps of the steps in the action steps in the action
showcases
action research plan research cycle were research cycle were
evidence that
were followed followed followed; many
some steps in the
aspects missing or
action research
incomplete
cycle were
followed; some
aspects missing
or incomplete
capstone project 34
are absent;
presentation
requires many
edits to be
considered
professional and
before it can be
shared publicly.
capstone project 35
grammar, spelling,
Improvement 3
Organized, logical and Demonstrates Lacks organization,
formatting
clearly articulated; organization, logic grammar/spelling
Lacks
Polished, demonstrates and clarity; deficient; No
organization,
a high level of Demonstrates sources
clarity, polish;
proficiency in proficiency in
Minimal
grammar and spelling; grammar and
proficiency in
APA format evident spelling; Attempts
grammar and
throughout paper. APA formatting with
spelling; APA
few errors.
rarely used
throughout paper.