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Course Name: Modern World History

Client: Rock Hill School District

DESIGN DOCUMENT DETAILS

REPORT DATE PROJECT NAME PREPARED BY

9/21/20 LTEC 646: Asynchronous eLearning Class Misty Skiles

This design document aims to present and support the necessity and proposed structure of an eLearning course for students
enrolled in Modern World History, a required course for high school students in South Carolina. The curriculum is provided by the
South Carolina Department of Education.

ORGANIZATION DESCRIPTION

The contents of this document pertain to 10th grade students enrolled in one of Rock Hill School District’s (RHSD) public high
schools (York County District 3) and required to complete the course, Modern World History. RHSD is the largest of the districts in
York County, with nearly 18,000 students. It is a 1:1 district with a reputation for early adoption of technology and successful
integration efforts across grade levels. The goal of RHSD and all South Carolina public schools are best described and presented
in the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate (see image below). Course curriculum standards for South Carolina seek to build
these skills in their overall course goals. The course content for Modern World History can be found outlined in the 2020 South
Carolina Social Studies College and Career Ready Standards and directly references the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate
throughout its pages.

Sources:
https://www.ed.sc.gov/newsroom/profile-of-the-south-carolina-graduate/
https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/social-studies/standards/
RECENT PROBLEM

Due to the spread of COVID-19 and new safety regulations on the local, state, and federal level, students are now required to
meet their educational requirements utilizing alternative learning models. Students either take part in the Virtual Academy or
within a hybrid model where students attend traditional and virtual classrooms on alternating days (C/A/B schedule). High
schoolers enrolled in the Virtual Academy will complete their coursework for the 2020-2021 academic year virtually with the
option to return to a traditional setting if needed for specific courses. Students utilizing the hybrid model are susceptible to
abrupt changes that may require a change to 100% virtual learning environment if the pandemic results in changes to safety
regulations or negatively impacts staff or students. Each student’s remote learning environment is diverse and may not be
conducive to a traditional synchronous class interaction given the lack of homogenous structure. An eLearning course for Modern
World History would provide a consistent, flexible, and quality program that could be utilized asynchronously providing the
flexibility and fluid continuation of learning in the case of abrupt changes to environmental and learning conditions to
accommodate students during this unprecedented time.

LEARNER ANALYSIS HIGHLIGHTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

HIGHLIGHTS DETAILS
Target Audience 10th grade students (Aged: 15-16) enrolled or requiring Modern World
History to meet graduation requirements.
Type of Audience Captive- Students are required to take the course.
Enrollment Totals for Target Audience Currently unknown. What we do know:
• Approximately 40% of total students in the district (6700+ students)
are enrolled in the virtual academy.
• At the end of the 2019-2020 academic year, 1376 students were
counted as 9th graders out of a total of 17,481 students.
*Using this data, we can estimate the current number of 10th grade
students in both learning models:
• Virtual Academy = 527 students
• Hybrid model= 849 students
Ethnicity Reporting indicates a predominately Caucasian (42.6%) or African American
(40.6%) population. There is a modest population of Latinos (10%) and
other races reported are 1% or less (American Indian, Asian, and Pacific
Islander/Hawaiian). Reporting of identification with two or more races is
less than 5%.
Socioeconomic Status (SES) RHSD is responsible for a high number of students who are classified as
living in poverty; nearly 60% of the student population.
Technology RHSD is a 1:1 district that issues Windows OS laptops to all high school
students. Students who need repair to their Chromebooks will have to
return them for repairs and will be issued a replacement. In the case of
damage/abuse of the computer, privileges can be suspended.
LMS Software Canvas LMS is the current software used. Students’ experience with the
software varies and is dependent on prior experience with previous
instructors. Teachers depth of LMS usage has been reported to be

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 inconsistent. New students to the district may have no experience with the
LMS if their previous district was not an adopter of Canvas.

Prior Knowledge to the Course Students were last exposed to concepts in World History in 6th grade. They
are familiar with historical thinking skills and using primary and secondary
sources to learn and draw conclusions.

Sources:
https://form.jotform.com/202426061347044
https://ed.sc.gov/data/other/student-counts/active-student-headcounts/
https://www.wbtv.com/2020/09/03/rock-hill-parents-concerned-by-large-virtual-class-sizes-school-district-still-hiring-virtual-teachers/

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR INSTRUCTION BASED ON LEARNERS ANALYSIS

*It should be assumed that all/some students will have:
• a range of skills and abilities (academic, linguistic, and physical capabilities)
• mandated requirements outlined in 504 Plans and IEPs
• inequitable access to resources such as reliable internet connection, equitable quality and variety of electronic
devices, etc.
• varied depth of experience using the Canvas LMS
• a moderate motivation level to complete the course successfully attributed to a needs-based desire to meet
graduation requirements. Intrinsic interest in the content may vary.

*It is recommended that the design and creation of materials for eLearning instruction should:
• embrace UDL principles to reach all learners of various skills and abilities
• include navigational guidance and provide troubleshooting resources to account for varying levels of LMS experience
of learners
• utilize multiple mediums for instruction and interactions with instructor, content, and peers
• accessibility requirements and recommendations are represented, tested for, and revisited/revised as needed (CC, ALT
Text, etc.)
• instructional materials and content outside the LMS should be mobile-friendly and considerate of the affordances and
constraints of tech resources provided (see more details in technology and software analysis)
• all materials and instruction should have the ability to be accessed offline and/or converted to an alternative format
(i.e. print) if a student at any point is limited or faces challenges that cannot be remedied, rendering them unable to
access, utilize, or benefit from the eLearning course.

TECHNOLOGY AND SOFTWARE ANALYSIS KEY HIGHLIGHTS

AFFORDANCES CONSTRAINTS
Laptop/Resources Equipped with Microsoft Suite, Canvas Age of laptops vary
LMS, and PowerSchool
Condition of each laptop vary.
RHSD provides district-level Tech
Support via Hotline and/or Tech Ticket
for parents/students

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 Each school has a local tech specialist

Internet access can be obtained if

solicited through the district via a
HotSpot Application or through the
district’s partnership with Comporium

Specs of Laptops TBD (i.e., hardware

capabilities).

LMS Canvas User-friendly design No internal video-conferencing feature.

• student dashboard using
icons, content modules, and Some dependency on third-party integrations for
drag and drop functionality optimal use and to meet accessibility
Synchronous and asynchronous recommendations.
communication tools
• discussion forum, chat, and
email.
Third-party integration capabilities
• YouTube, Google Docs,
Accessibility extensions
Accessibility features
• Alt Text, screen reader
capable, contrast control
Analytics features
• Individual and comparative
data using tables and graphs
with access for teachers and
students (if enabled).

Extensive support for navigation,

troubleshooting, and tutorials via
Canvas website and RHSD Technology
Services Department website.
Source:
https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/domain/302

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Modern World History is a one-semester course (17 weeks with approximately 76 days of instruction). “Students will study the
history of the Modern World in grade ten, beginning with the time period of 1300 to present. Students will begin by learning
about the emergence of the Modern World from 1300–1500, global affairs and interactions (1450– 1815), the rise of the new
governments and competition in the global community (1815–1918), the emergence of new world powers (1885–1950), and the
world from World War II to present day (1933–present). Students will learn all Modern World History through the lens of inquiry
in order to study the world that trade created, which led to the influence of interactions of various changes to culture,
governments, ideas, innovation, people, religion, and revolution with an intent to create a citizen who has a global perspective.”

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Students will take the course one unit at a time, divided by weeks with expectations and assignments detailed daily. Students will
be required to participate in weekly discussions on the classroom discussion board in Canvas LMS. Topics on the discussion board
will be related to the content covered during the week. Students are not anticipated at this point to need to meet synchronously
however, this may be subject to change during course development.
Source:
https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/Page/2#calendar1/20200923/monthhttps://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/social-
studies/standards/

COURSE GOALS

STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO:

• Demonstrate historical thinking skills to include:
o Categorize events to make comparisons for analysis purposes (CO)
o Evaluate the causation of events (CE)
o Demonstrate understanding of periodization or characteristics of an era (P)
o Analyze historical events and topics within the context or time period they occurred (CX)
o Identify patterns for continuities and changes (CC)
o Utilizing social science inquiry tools for investigating historical concepts and events. (E)

• Identify key factors and events that contributed to innovation and change between the 14th and 16th century.
• Analyze the effects of commerce, innovation, and expansion on global affairs and interactions between nations
during the mid-15th to early 19th century.
• Explain how the perspective of governance changed between the 15th-20th century.
• Connect impacts of industrialization, warfare, and globalization to modern-day policies, organizations, and
humanitarian efforts.

COURSE STRUCTURE
The content for this course is recommended to be broken down into units. The units provide a structure where clusters of
content can be grouped and organized in a way for students to identify and connect material to a focal point or theme.
Additionally, grouping into units could help students more readily commit to memory the chronology or sequence of the
historical events they are studying. The units will be further broken down into weeks and days. The “weeks” will only be a
placeholder for daily entries of expectations, learning objectives, instructional materials/assignments, and assessments (see
Module Structure). Every day of that week should be present to allow students who choose to work ahead that flexibility.
Students can also explore each day to see what will be expected of them but should be made aware that days need to be
completed sequentially. The subsequent weeks coursework should be posted on Sundays to be ready for the students to
complete on Mondays.

The reasoning behind breaking learning objectives down to days is due to all units not ending on an even week or even week and
a half. Secondly, 10th grade students are required to attend school every day. With an asynchronous class, attendance is still likely
to be taken based on the login data. Students need to know what they are expected to do daily, and listing everything by week
may be overwhelming and create time management challenges that are unnecessary.

Below you can find the course outlined using the proposed unit design that includes the unit titles, respective standards and skills
outlined in the South Carolina state standards, the major unit goals and a sample of the content found in the unit to include an
inquiry question that could be used in the unit for discussion or other formative assessment purposes. The duration of each unit
was calculated using 15 weeks of instruction for a semester, each semester is 17 weeks but two of those weeks are generally

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used for testing and introductory work. I purposely left out one week to create flexibility in the current structure and deducted
holidays from available instruction days based on the Rock Hill School District Calendar and a pacing guide produced by a SME for
each standard.

COURSE OUTLINE

*UNITS STATE UNIT LEARNING GOALS CONTENT *INQUIRY *DURATION

STANDARDS SNAPSHOT QUESTION (81 DAYS)
AND SKILLS
Welcome See Profile Engage and utilize all tools necessary ▪ Course Introduce 5 days
Class of South to interact and complete materials Navigation yourself and
Carolina for the course. ▪ Submitting answer: what
Graduate Assignments has your
▪ Using Discussion experience been
Forum like in history
class prior?
What are your
expectations?
Foundations MWH.1. Describe the factors that contributed • Religious and What factor 6 days
and World CO, CC, E to the innovation and change political belief contributed the
Religions responsible for ushering in the systems most to the
modern age. • Creation and development
expansion of and expansion
Identify the changes that occurred in Ottoman, Ming, of early
the early modern age and the global Mughal empire, empires,
impacts they had. medieval kingdoms, and
Europe, Mali, nation-states?
pre-Columbian
societies

Connecting MWH.1. Explain the development of trade • Black Death What were the 8 days
Hemispheres CE, CX, P networks and the role it played in • Renaissance and consequences
shifting power to different groups. Catholic Church of increased
MWH.2. • Exploration global
Assess the consequences of • Indian Ocean connection and
CC
increased global interaction. trade routes interactions?
• Silk Road

Intellectual MWH.2. Describe the different forms of • Absolutism How did new 9 days
Revolutions CO, CX, E government present during the 15th- • Constitutional ways of thinking
and Political 19th century. Democracy challenge
Philosophies • Scientific traditional,
Explain how the intellectual Revolution cultural, and
revolutions of the time influenced • Enlightenment political norms?
peoples’ view of their world. • Protestant
Reformation

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 Age of MWH.2. Describe the impact of the • The spread of To what extent 9 days
Atlantic CO, CE, P, E Enlightenment on peoples view of government was the
Revolutions governance. philosophies and Enlightenment
Explain the influence of the practices necessary for
American Revolution concerning the • American political
global revolts and revolutions that democracy revolutions in
followed. influencing the Western
revolutions-Haiti, Hemisphere?
Spanish, etc.
Technological MWH.3. Identify technological innovations • Industrialization How did 9 days
Revolution CC, CE, CX, E that sparked the Industrial • Industrial industrialization
Revolution. Revolution act as a catalyst
• Immigration and for political,
Explain the social, political, and migration economic, and
economic impacts of social change?
industrialization.
Rise of Global MWH.3. Identify the factors that contributed • Nationalism How did the rise 10 days
Powers and CO, P, E to the rise of nationalism. • Meiji Restoration and spread of
Competition • Russian nationalism lead
Describe the influence nationalism Revolution to increased
MWH.4.
had in creating the Age of • Chinese economics and
CO, E political
Imperialism. Revolution
• Imperialism competition
between or
within nations?
Global MWH.4. Explain the role competition played • WWI To what extent 10 days
Conflict in the CE, P, CX, in causing WWI and WII. • Treaty of did international
First Half of CC, E Versailles relationships
the 20th Analyze the social, political, and • Technology lead to conflict?
Century economic impacts of WWI and • WWII
WWII. • Holocaust
• Post-WWII
Cold War and MWH.4. Identify the characteristics of a “cold • Post-WWII Were the U.S. 9 days
the Rise of CC war.” • Cold War and the U.S.S.R
Superpowers justified in their
Analyze the cultural, political, and actions in the
MWH.5.
economic conflict between the second half of
CO, P the 20th
Soviet Union and the United States
during the Cold War. century?

New MWH.5. Describe the influence the Holocaust • Holocaust How have global 3 days
Perspectives CX, CE, E had on increasing awareness and • Decolonization attitudes
on Human drive to secure human rights of Asia and towards human
Rights globally. Africa rights changed
between 1945-
Assess how the view of imperialism 2020?
changed post-WWII.

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 Perspectives MWH.5. Identify the purpose of the creation • International Is globalization 3 days
on the CC, P, E of international organizations. organizations good for the
Modern Age • Post-Cold War world?
Explain the political, economic, era
social, religious, and geographic
impacts of globalization.
Source:
https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/social-studies/standards/

*Unit titles and inquiry questions were used from the Instructional Units provided by South Carolina Department of Ed.
*Pacing guide from World History teacher used to estimate duration for each unit

ASSESSMENT SUGGESTIONS
Below are assessment suggestions to meet the goals of Modern World History as outlined in the South Carolina State Standards
and the Profile of the South Carolina Graduate.
FORMATIVE ASSESSMENTS DESCRIPTION
Concept Maps Concept maps are essential for this course because they organize content for purposes of
• Graphic organizer establishing relationships and connections of historical concepts, which is a major course
• T-chart goal. Students need to be able to actively build connections between events, turning
• Venn diagram points, and impacts effectively and in a variety of ways. These can include not only text
• Flowchart but graphics or visuals to promote relationship connections. Students creating concept
• Infographic maps allows them to interact with the content to develop their understanding of
connections and relationships while promoting better retention. Also, the visual created
can serve in assisting with memory retrieval later.

Open-Ended/Short Answer These types of responses can engage students to interact with content for a variety of
Responses purposes and in a variety of ways. This assessment strategy will be vital for this course in
• Discussion Board that it will demonstrate how adept students are at utilizing “historical thinking skills”
• Student-Video Clips and how proficiently they are meeting content goals as students are having to explain in
• “Letter to A Friend” their own words what they are learning (higher-order thinking). Examples of an
• Political Cartoon analysis application include utilizing Canvas’ discussion boards for written responses or FlipGrid
for video responses to inquiry questions. A “Letter to a Friend” is a creative writing
exercise where students must write from the perspective of the time period
(periodization or context skills), which can be submitted as text or an audio file of them
reading aloud, etc. Ideally, this assessment strategy will be used dominantly interactively
for purposes of simultaneously building community and allowing for learning between
peers. The material for these “prompts” will likely be or related to the inquiry questions
for each unit outlined above.
Map Annotation The course needs to support students in having strong geographical skills to meet the
outlined learning goals. This is important not only for attaching content to geographical
locations but to visually observe geographical continuities and changes over time. For
example, students will be asked to observe and identify geographical changes and shifts
in power that occur at specific periods throughout the course.
Games Games need to be utilized for students to practice and work with content in a low-stakes
environment that is engaging. Games can promote curiosity and exploration or review of
a topic or concepts that strengthen retention, provide instant feedback, and promote self-

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Goal Checks/Quizzes
correction. This strategy could be used for a variety of topics/concepts throughout the
course to assess students learning.
Multiple-choice and T/F goal checks dispersed within the units allow for quick and
efficient ways to check that learning objectives are being met with the content materials
within each unit. This is effective not only for the instructor but for the student because
of the instant feedback that follows. Students can see their strengths and weaknesses and
it promotes self-correction. Instructors are flagged through the Canvas LMS when
students perform poorly on quizzes and therefore can make adjustments or provide
additional supports if needed.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS DESCRIPTION

Projects: Projects allow students to demonstrate achievement of learning goals and objectives via
• Fakebook Page creative summation and analysis of events, themes, or connections. These suggested
• Storyboard projects can be structured to be demonstrative of student learning outcomes for the
• Walking Gallery units or combined units (i.e. portfolio).
• Portfolio
• Fakebook Page: Students could individually or in groups create a Fakebook Page
for an Enlightenment philosophy where they have to in their own words include
status updates, photos, memes, etc. demonstrating their understanding of that
philosophy. Status updates should include events demonstrating the spread and
impact of those ideas and philosophies spreading.

• Storyboard: Students work in groups to create storyboards for creating storylines

for different characters demonstrating relevant applications of knowledge on the
impact of industrialization on life. Characters could be a factory worker- adult or
child, immigrant, politician, doctor, a historian writing a book, military officer, etc.

• Walking Gallery: Students can create exhibit pages of topics related to the rise of
global powers and the conditions precluding the events of WWI and WWII. Each
exhibit can be compiled in Padlet and presented as a class museum that students
explore and go on a “field trip” and complete a reflective writing assignment
citing observations related to the overall goal of.

• Portfolio: Students compile their work and create works to complete a World
History portfolio due by the end of the course.
Unit Exams Unit exams will be an efficient way to check for levels of mastery for the different
learning goals and objectives. Students may exhibit higher degrees of motivation in the
course with the utilization of unit exams, as they will need to stay engaged, study, and
review to be successful. The feedback from the unit exams will benefit students as it will
allow them to see their gaps in understanding and possibly prompt self-correction or
seeking additional support from peers or the instructor.
Cold War Essay Students at this point in the course will have worked extensively with primary and
• Discussion Based Question secondary sources interpreting and analyzing them. Students after completing this unit
would demonstrate their mastery of the course goal (impacts of the Cold War) using
these inquiry tools and historical thinking skills.

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MODULE STRUCTURE
Structure for Each Unit: Unit Folder
• Unit Overview Video
• Unit Goals
• Weekly Coursework
o Week of “Date”
▪ Weekly Overview Video
▪ Day: “Monday”
• Agenda (Objectives, Overview of Tasks/Requirements, Reminder about Discussion)
• 1. Content Materials and Practice/Assignments (Use same titles as used in Agenda)
• 2. Content Materials and Practice/Assignments
• 3. Content Materials and Practice/Assignments
• Assessments if any

Rationale: I chose this structure for its clarity, sequenced steps, and consistent approach of stating expectations and learning
goals. Students having the ability to see goals for both the unit and hear about what is going to happen will hopefully get
students excited about what their learning and anticipate those topics. The weekly video will do the same thing but with a focus
on expectations for that week. I think tenth graders need the structure and sequencing to not get lost in what they are expected
to do. Once they click on the date, they get the agenda they are likely familiar within a traditional classroom, listing out the
expectations for the day, step by step. I think there will be some comfort in the familiar and it will make navigating and
completing tasks more efficient and effective. Each task with the related practice and assignment will be together and numbered
to avoid students getting distracted or confused as to where to go next. This structure will also help students who have been
absent or need to go back to a certain week or day for any reason, go to the desired place efficiently and hopefully without
frustration.

COMMUNICATION POLICY
Email: mskiles@iamyourteacher.com
Office Hours: M-F 10 am-12 pm
Appointment Request Form: https://form.jotform.com/202663915519157
Virtual Office Link: thisismyfakezoomvirtualofficeforourclass.com

Mrs. Skiles Is At Your Service

I am always happy to help and am here to support you through this course. Feel free to contact me if you need additional help or
have any questions or concerns. You or your parents can reach me by email or schedule an appointment with me using the
appointment request form link. My virtual office is located in Zoom so you will need an account to access that room. If you do
not have a Zoom account you can set one up using this link: https://zoom.us/. I am always happy to help, so if you need it, just
reach out!

Chatbox
On the occasion that we need to meet at the same time, we will be using the chatbox. I expect that my students will use good
“netiquette” and my rule of thumb; “think before you type.” Anything you post in the chatbox should be appropriate (topics and
language!), respectful to others, on topic, and using your inside voice, please no SHOUTING.

Discussion Board
Students will be required to interact and communicate with each other and the instructor on a every week via our classroom
discussion board. Topics will be related to the material covered each week, except for the first week, which will be for
introductions and getting to know each other. Classroom discussion topics will be posted each week and all students are required
to provide an initial response to the inquiry by Wednesday. After posting an initial response, students are required to respond

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to two peers’ initial posts by Friday of the same week. Below you will find my expectations and guidelines for a successful
posting.

Expectations and guidelines for your initial posts and responses each week are:

• All posts MUST be respectful and exclude inappropriate or offensive language.

• All posts can either be written or recorded video of your response. If you do decide to do a video recording, it is
suggested you write down what you want to say before you click to record.

• All posts should be relevant to the topic and supported by concepts learned during the week.

• Rule of thumb for supporting your post: Ask yourself, does this support my point? Support can take many forms such as
simply stating a connection between your point and something from you learned from the materials for the week. It
could be pictures/images that you came across related to the topic or a link to something you read that helps the reader
understand your perspective. Have any other ideas? Feel free to be creative, just remember the rule of thumb.

• All posts must be made on time to receive full credit and keep the conversations moving. To stay on time, try this
schedule:
▪ Monday: Read the discussion question
▪ Tuesday: Plan what you will say and how you will support it
▪ Wednesday: Write/Record your response and post it
▪ Thursday: Write/Record your first response to a peer
▪ Friday: Write/Record your second response to a peer.

NOTES AND SHORTCUTS

My interpretation of the goal of this design document (DD) at this point in the process was to design, not create, which
influenced the decisions I made in terms of shortcuts. I perceived this document to be an “initial draft” of the agreement of what
the eLearning course design framework would look like. Only after meeting with the SME and stakeholders and getting their
feedback and agreement would the next phase need to begin; development. Therefore, I did not complete a thorough task
analysis (and subsequently an assessment alignment) because it was not necessary at this point but will be when it comes time
to start developing the course. I did identify course goals and unit goals as it felt necessary to create a cogent eLearning design
for the content. I included bullets of content topics intending to give some idea of scope and sequence to increase buy-in of the
design for stakeholders. I felt that giving some idea of scope and sequence would be beneficial in visualizing what it would look
like and avoid any misinterpretation later of what the design was “supposed to look like.”

I did not give a special mention to performance/entry-level behaviors but rather focused on “assumptions” that should be made
to be considerate of how those behaviors will vary and should be prepared for in the course design. I felt this was acceptable
based on the thorough learner analysis data that I did conduct and made sure my recommendations could be inferred and
supported by that data. Skill levels required for completing the coursework were also not mentioned as the development of
specific skills are a major course goal and require incorporation in each unit and tested for in formative and summative
assessments. Using these recommendations, the SME and the instructional designer should anticipate these skills to be at
varying levels and demonstrate that understanding when developing the course structure and materials.

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