Activity Plan: Lesson Plans

This paper provides a description and project plan for the Lesson Plans activity within the Technical Standards for Digital Education project.

This document is a work in progress: it will be updated in collaboration with the focus group for this activity.

Table of Contents

• 1.Activity summary
• 2.Expected outcomes
• 3.Deliverables and timeframes
• 4.Methodology
• 5.Related standards activities
• 6.Related projects
• 7.Communication and dissemination plan
• 8.Further information

© Copyright 2009 University of Southern Queensland

---

1.Activity summary

Deployment of digital curriculum content to the classroom has illustrated that teachers find it useful to create and share simple "lesson plans" that contextualise the use of content.

Many learning environments provide the ability to create simple collections / sequences / plans for content usage. The systems do not, however, allow these plans to be shared between different learning environments. This is an interoperability issue hindering sharing of valuable teacher created lesson plans both between jurisdictions and within jurisdictions.

This activity will gather current recommended practice in the sharing of lesson plans between platforms and jurisdictions, and examine the current standards in use in the creation of lesson plan content. The activity will create a demonstrator to indicate how this sharing may occur.

2.Expected outcomes

Gather emerging recommended practice regarding sharing of lesson plans

This activity will support the sharing of lesson plans between institutions and jurisdictions within the schools sector. This will be done through firstly the establishing of a Focus Group. This group will consist of stakeholders within the sector and from across various jurisdictions, and will help feed into the requirements gathering to establish the priorities in this theme.

The activity will gather the current recommended practice in lesson plan sharing as well as examining current standards in use within learning management systems and their compatibility for lesson plan sharing.

Develop a demonstrator as example of moving content between platforms

A demonstrator will also be developed, using content created with Scootle’s lesson plan feature and migrating it to the Moodle learning environment.

It should be noted that the detailed outcomes and deliverables within the activity will be shaped by the input received from the focus group and other sector feedback.

3.Deliverables and timeframes

4.Methodology

• Identify sector requirements through consultation with key stakeholders and focus group.
• Gather requirements for interoperable lesson plans 
• Identify formats and standards for transporting lesson plans between learning environments 
• Analyse standards on lesson plan creation (Common Cartridge K-12)
• Collect intelligence on emerging standards for lesson plans through participation in IMS Common Cartridge K-12 working group and other relevant standards groups
• Write progress report, capturing key findings (Deliverable 2)
• Develop a demonstrator of standards based transport showing how lesson plans could be shared between Scootle and Moodle learning environments 
• Provide input and feedback for standards activities discovery (Common Cartridge), representing Australian requirements and informed by sector consultation
• Communicate findings on migration of lesson plans between Scootle and Moodle
• Write closure report (Deliverable 3)

Sector consultation plan

• Establish focus group through sector contacts, with at least three meetings, including one face-to-face. Focus group to stay in communication through EDNA Groups.
• Approval of nominees for focus group.
• Circulate background brief to focus group and key stakeholders. Integrate feedback.
• Ongoing consultation on requirements and current developments in lesson plans and the migration of content.

5.Related standards activities

6.Related projects

7.Communication and dissemination plan

It is critical for this activity to achieve its goals that the information it gathers and produces is disseminated effectively to the appropriate audiences. The focus group will define the communication strategies it will employ, taking advantage of existing channels relevant to each member's organisation and jurisdiction. Communication to the sector generally may take advantage of wider dissemination methods such as web site postings, blog posts and sector-wide mailing lists and events.

8.Further information

Activity lead: Caroline Drury

Project team members: Nigel Ward, Kerry Blinco, Nick Nicholas, Yvonne Cheong

Focus Group: TBA

Link Affiliates: http://www.linkaffiliates.net.au/

The Technical Standards for Digital Education project is funded by the Australian Government's Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR)