Running head: STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 1

Standardized Writing Course: Introduction and Thesis Development

Jason Bell

12 October 2019

EDTC 2465, Fall I, 2019-Instructional Design

Professor Kate Sprague

STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 2

Standardized Writing Course: Introduction and Thesis Development

Design Plan

Needs Analysis

The Army is instituting a new curriculum that is writing based. This writing and citations of

sources will be in APA format. There is not a course that is designed for the older soldiers who

are senior in rank and status. These learners are being forced to learn APA while in a course that

is a prerequisite for their next promotion. Designing a course on writing an APA style paper is

needed.

Learning Environment and Resources

This course will be an asynchronous course given on the LMS Google Classroom. This provides

the students with the ability to access the course on any platform they choose. The students will

need access to a stable and reliable internet connection, computer, Microsoft suite or Word, and

ample time to complete the required modules. The students will have access to the syllabus,

rubric, and course material in the LMS and will be provided with reminders throughout the

course to reference them. The students will use https://bubbl.us/, google classroom, PowerPoint,

and their computer to complete the course.

Task Analysis:

Instructional Goal:

At the conclusion of this lesson students will be able to write a properly formatted introduction

with a well-developed thesis statement. In order to achieve the instructional goal, students will
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 3

conduct smaller lessons that focus on the writing process, this will allow the student to fully

demonstrate each piece of the APA writing process.

Learning Objectives:

During this module students will, construct an introductory paragraph and thesis development,

using the correct formatting and writing style.

During this module students will, demonstrate the thesis development and share a well-

developed thesis to their peers in a discussion.

Type of Learning Outcome:

The learning outcome that will take place for this lesson will be Cognitive Strategy, the students

will be able to compose a properly formatted APA paper from a topic that will be given.

Prerequisite Analysis:

Students will have some basic knowledge of sentences, but the bad habits will need to be

corrected. Most of the students will have no knowledge of how to properly formulate and

structure an APA paper.

Learner Analysis:

The Learners have some stable differences as this course is not designed for a specific job but for

the enlisted soldiers within the Army. In a class there will be 25 students, their ages range from

18-55.

Cognitive Characteristics:

In general, the students within the course will have a wide variety of aptitudes mainly focusing

on their specific jobs within the Army. There are students who are more educationally savvy than

others but for the most part the students will have a general knowledge of word and sentence
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 4

structure. Most of the students will be working a full-time job while also completing this course

which may cause the critical thinking to not be at their best.

Prior Knowledge:

Students will have some basic knowledge of sentences, but the bad habits will need to be

corrected. Most of the students will have no knowledge of how to properly formulate and

structure an APA paper.

Physiological Characteristics:

Students go through a yearly checkup for vision, hearing, and health issues, as member of the

Army they are all able to read and write.

Affective Characteristics:

Students enrolled in this course will need to pass in order to meet the requirements for promotion

to the next grade which is a great motivator. The students having full time jobs and training

events may have difficulty completing assignments to the best of their ability. Some students

may be reluctant to learn the proper writing skill in order to be successful in this course due to

having a hard time comprehending the material.

Social Characteristics:

The Army prides itself on being a diverse organization, there are some students where English is

their second language. The requirements to be able to read and write are present within the

Army, but some may have to put the curriculum into a translator.
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 5

Lesson Design:

Introduction:

Humor (even corny) can elevate the stress that the students are feeling about the writing process.

Using humor in a distance education environment is difficult, using the internet find a funny

picture or video that will lighten the mood of the class. You can use the picture from the lesson if

you are drawing a blank.

Introduce yourself and give a brief background statement about yourself, let the students know

you are there for their success and ensure you give them your contact information and office

hours.

Reference the objectives when ever you can throughout the discussion boards or when speaking

to a student one on one.

During this module students will, construct an introductory paragraph and thesis

development, using the correct formatting and writing style.

STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 6

During this module students will, demonstrate the thesis development and share a

well-developed thesis to their peers in a discussion.

Body:

Type up an announcement or place in the discussion board about the previous lesson on

APA formatting and basic writing.

Remind students to pull up the formatted APA paper they saved from the previous lesson.

Instruct the students to use that template throughout the lesson on developing their

introduction and thesis statement.

Have the students refer to their topic and subtopic selection that they worked on in the

previous module. This is the one they completed on https://bubbl.us/. Remind the

students that the topic is their thesis statement and the subtopics support the thesis and are

essentially the headers in their papers.

Students will be uploading their introduction and thesis statements to the discussion

forum for peer-review feedback, it is imperative that you are monitoring that and

responding with constructive feedback to EVERY student. (Remember you are

reinforcing the rubric grading criteria) this enforces the 70-30 rule of feedback.

Email the rubric the students explaining that for this assignment they need to focus on the

topic introduction section. Remind them that the lessons will build, and the entire rubric

will be covered throughout the course.

STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 7

General (Topics) Unsatisfactory 0-3.9 pts Needs Improvement 4- Satisfactory 7-8.9 pts Superior 9-10 pts
6.9 pts
Topic Introduction: The text has an unclear The text focuses on a The text focuses on a The text clearly focuses
20% topic with very few topic that informs the topic that informs the on a topic that informs
ideas, concepts, reader on ideas, concepts, reader on ideas, concepts, the reader on ideas,
information, etc.; no and information. little to information, etc.; thesis concepts, information,
thesis statement. no thesis statement. statement is present but etc.; provides a strong
vague. thesis statement.

Remind students that quality feedback is 4-6 quality sentences not just “I agree, or

you did well”.

Assessment:

This is your time to provide quality feedback on the introduction and thesis statement. You need

to provide reliable feedback to the students during the discussion portion. Redirect them if they

are not meeting the requirement of quality introduction. Look for the following when reviewing

the introduction and thesis statement:

Did the student's introduction introduce the paper without using

quotes?

Are the subtopics discussed within the introduction of the paper?

Are there 5-6 quality sentences within the introduction?

Is there proper sentence structure and no passive voice?

Is the thesis statement thought provoking and taking a stance?

Do the subtopics support the thesis statements main idea?

Conclusion (Wrap-Up):

In order to reinforce the learning in an asynchronous learning environment send out a course

message restating the objectives and explain how the students met those objectives. Remember

you may not be in a classroom, but the course discussion is your classroom, be imaginative when

coming up ways to reinforce the learning that took place over the week. Remind the students that
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 8

the lessons build on themselves and using the feedback they received throughout the week will

aid them in the final paper.

Use the following links for the videos that are in the course if the ones in the course do not

work

How to write a thesis statement https://youtu.be/wCzuAMVmIZ8

Writing an introductory paragraph https://youtu.be/k5jgNh4FwBU

Evaluation:

In the design of this course as a fully asynchronous course the evaluation can be done when the

course is in the pilot phase of implantation. Receiving feedback and end of course critiques can

aid in the overall evaluation of the course. I will also request that there be a critique at the end of

each module where the instructor and student evaluate the design, functionality, clarity, and

overall learning within the lessons.

STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 9
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 10
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 11
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 12
STANDARDIZED WRITING COURSE 13