Aggregated Content Approach to Course Development

We live in a rapidly changing world where information and knowledge are being created and shared at everincreasing rates. Futurist Ray Kurzweil has actually predicted that, in the near future, the quantity of available knowledge will double every 12 hours (Wolf, 2008)! One reason for this phenomenal rate of growth is the corresponding and pervasive development of digital technologies (e.g., digital learning tools, search engines, open source documents, apps, MOOCs). It is this factor that will greatly impact the way higher education defines and manages the parameters of knowledge.

How individual instructors define knowledge is central to effective course design (e.g., the types and quantity of information selectively included or excluded from the content, the sources of information that are modeled and students are exposed to, methodologies used for determining the veracity of information). In the past, faculty may have focused their course design efforts on a textbook, a set of PowerPoint slides, and a collection of articles from the professional literature. Now they must broaden their perspectives and consider the expansive and seemingly boundless world of the Internet, where vast storehouses of knowledge and information are quite literally at their students’ fingertips.

Given a set of learning outcomes for a designated course, instructors often first turn their attention to selecting a textbook. This decision is generally based on a number of factors, including readability, scope, chapter organization, and supplementary resources (Durwin & Sherman, 2008). The expectation in this process is that a chosen textbook provides adequate coverage for the identified topics, concepts, skills, and knowledge that faculty wish their students to master.

Textbook publishers recently have become inventive in designing a variety of digital tools (e.g., test question banks, videos, interactive digital tools, PowerPoint slides, web-based resources) that can be used to supplement a basic textbook. A well-written textbook provides a basic framework for conversations and exploration on the topic of choice. That said, it is highly unlikely that a single textbook in the 21st century, even with all of the bundled bells and whistles, can single-handedly capture an entire topic with all of the best available information. Textbooks, when published, have been in development for two years or more and therefore may already have diminishing currency. Given the inherent limitations of a textbook, another factor to consider in the selection process is how the text can be used as a starting point for a collection of resources to assist students in their learning.

AN AGGREGATED APPROACH

Aggregation involves bringing together a diverse collection of content and resources to create a unified whole. Although the textbook will probably continue as a central feature in course design, faculty should also give thought to aggregating that book with other digital assets that will supplement and enrich the basic content. For example, instructors might consider the following tools to help with aggregation:

»» Textbook evaluation—The degree that the chosen textbook emphasizes the course topics and content articulated in the learning outcomes needs to be assessed. This initial examination provides guidance in identifying topics and content that may need additional coverage or that might be better examined by using alternative resources.

»» Video supplements—A variety of free, online, searchable databases provide rich, vibrant resources that can be used inside (i.e., as part of presentations) or outside (i.e., as assigned content students can watch on their own) the classroom. Examples include

»» TED (http://www.ted.com/),

»» YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/),

»» Educator.com (http://www.educator.com/), and

»» Khan Academy (https://www.khanacademy.org/).

»» Electronic database articles—University libraries are rapidly transitioning to emphasize digital resources that supplement traditional, hard-copy documentation. Part of this transition comes from the availability of searchable online databases, which provide access to digital versions of current academic publications. Links to selected articles can be easily assembled into a collection of assigned readings for students. This process assures that students are being exposed to the best and most current thinking in the discipline.

»» Open educational resources (OER)—Defined as “high-quality, openly licensed, online educational materials that offer an extraordinary opportunity for people everywhere to share, use, and reuse knowledge”(The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, n.d., para. 1), these include documents, videos, simulations, activities and labs, case studies, lecture notes, and assessment strategies. Most of the web-based repositories provide searchable databases that make the process of locating resources more efficient. Examples include

»» Open Educational Resources (https://www.oercommons.org/),

»» Merlot II (http://www.merlot.org/merlot/index.htm), and

»» The Open University on iTunesU (http://www.open.edu/itunes/).

By thoughtfully assembling a variety of instructional resources, instructors can deepen their students’ engagement with chosen content and widen the breadth of learning experiences in their courses.

Consider the advantages in learning that can be realized through intentional aggregation!

This article was originally published in November 2014.