NG CMS Functional Requirement:Access

Each column explains an aspect of a functional requirement. The Recommendations column is where suggestions from visitors are placed.

1. Function The Function describes how specific events, supports, designs, and interactions should work or be designed within a CMS.

2. Examples The Example is one illustration of how a Function might be conceptualized. There may be many examples that illustrate one Function.

3. Deeper Learning Principles NLII's Deeper Learning Principles include (a) Active, (b) Social, (c) Contextualized, (d) Engaged, and (e) Ownership.

4. Teaching Practice Teaching Practice describe how the function supports instructional decision-making, management, and behaviors.

5. Learning Activities Learning Activities explain how the organized experience of the learner support the deeper learning principles.

Recommendations

1. Functions

2. Examples

3.(a)Active

34.(b)Social

3.(c)Contextualized

3.(d)Engaged

3.(e)Ownership

4. Teaching Practice

5. Learning Activities

Enable students to add to the content of the course and be course co-authors

Faculty-granted student privileges to create discussion threads, post web pages; make announcements, etc.

By generating products and being able to make them available to my current peers, I can more easily get reinforcement and feedback for my efforts. If I and other learners can create discussion threads, the discussions may be more learner-focused.

By having direct access to the creative contributions of my peers, I can give feedback more directly to them, and engage in collaboration with them.

If I as a learner have access to the "contexts" of other learners who can mark their creative efforts available to me, I have more course content choices available to me, and can begin to compare my context to theirs.

If I can provide my work products to the instructor and to my fellow learners in media of my choice, in the CMS, I have more choices about how I can complete assignments. I also have more choices about what I study, from the increased content.

By being able to place my work and thoughts in the semi-public, persistent place for other learners' review, a sense of ownership for my work is reinforced.

Higher levels of scaffolded learner control will make discussions more engaging and give learners more sense of responsibility for their learning and the resource that their peers represent (rather than turning always to the faculty for responses to questions and feedback).

Learners can construct and organize discussions as part of their assignments, and can create, post and share work products. Learners can work together in a process of discovery, exploring the issues around a domain as they emerge from their own understanding and previous experience.

Provide function so that student work can be accessed/displayed in public places to serve as models for other students.

For example, students can set access defaults to allow vistors to access their course products.

Need authentication and authorization infrastructure that allows for co-designers, e.g. team teaching (including inter-institutional teams); support for multiple sections + instructors – collaboration is the norm, not the exception.

For example, instructors who want cross-course activities can allow different user groups access to any combination of course areas.

Functionality that provides a “common space” that multiple courses could share, where re-usable resources could be accessed; get sharing of learning objects, and economies of scale

For example, a publishing area in which students can proceed through a publishing cycle, e.g. receive critique, submit for publication, and publish.

Granularity and flexibility of roles and privileges (for all “modules/tools”)

addressed in another area

Provide different levels of design template/interface/process for different needs of novice and advanced faculty user.

For example, a pre-assessment tool that determines level of skill sets and designates most appropriate design tools.

When you close a window by mistake, need to log in all over again; this should be simplified.

For example, a warning system that alerts user.

Give advisor access to student profile within a course and across courses, i.e. permissions, multiple levels of access, exportable to advisor database.

For example, when entering gradebook, instructor can choose to access institutional student advisor database.