Checklist for Brain Compatibility

that guides online learning materials preparation:

Organization of online Spaces:

□ provides rich, stimulating environments – color, hyper-texture, sound, and graphical "teaching architecture"

□ includes displays created by students

□ provides some predictable space with clear and redundant support

□ provides spaces for students to add their own comments, content, web-links, reactions, sounds and images or other supportive display

□ spaces are carefully integrated into the whole course in order to minimize confusion

□ spaces include options for undiscovered directions that activate student-led learning

Use of Programming Options:

□ Technical considerations such as sufficient server space considered

□ enabling tools to provide alternative access for diverse learners and ADA compliance considered

□ support plug-ins that meet cross-platform and application-based challenges considered

□ access speed issues considered

□ Java, JavaScript, VBscript, DHTML, CGI and Perl, XML and other database languages considered for potential contribution to design

□ interactive webisodes of learning that target and review concepts for individual study using multimedia such as FLASH, Tool book, Hyper studio and most commonly, PowerPoint incorporated without regard to designer preference

□ instant learner feedback systems incorporated

□ Appropriateness of the task to the target skill or knowledge has been considered and review, remediation, practice and enrichment levels are provided

Planned Group Spaces:

□ Places to facilitate social learning are included in assignments

□ “living rooms” for conversation are provided

□ teams are organized in a variety of meaningful ways

□ synchronous communication is carefully integrated

□ Structured whiteboard activities are developed

□ short term as well as long term projects include some teaming

□ there is a plan for cycling team members, organizing teams based on a common view, background, and social context throughout the course

□ A variety of instructional structures are employed including debates, single question teams, email tag-teams, research scavenger hunt teams and voluntary groups to study an issue in-depth. Create space. They will come.

Larger Community Integration:

□ Links are provided for inside and outside the course context.

□ links are provided to ergonomically sound computing information

□ provides assignments for out of class interactions with the larger community, such as interviewing, observing or interacting with members of the business community, requiring some volunteer time, community service, or action such as editorial or political letter.

Community Building Online Spaces:

□ Online greetings, webcorridors and welcoming public places containing symbols of the school community’s larger purpose provided to build motivation

□ tools for online learning success included

□ provide connection to the University’s testing, placement, computer labs and other relevant resources

□ Assign students roles in developing, accumulating and arranging course resources

□ Ask teams to develop team colors, symbols, slogans, creeds, mottos, legends or other team culture tools increases identity within and among teams and regularly require team culture sharing

□ sharing publicly important elements of the preexisting larger University life

□ Going beyond sloganism to illustrate values and ideals as a part of the University community

Computer-rich Work Spaces:

□ Plan for changing displays and evolving the changing environment

□ Provide display areas for students and timely information

□ change within context provided for

□ structure and opening portals left intact

□ student-led change planned for and incorporated

□ Recognition of accomplishments, special events, holidays or other interpersonal hallmarks incorporated

□ all needed resources available and archived including past educational resources that proved useful in enhancing learning, to encourage rapid development of ideas generated in a learning episode.

□ Not everything needs to be posted prior to the beginning of a course if a course is truly inquiry-based

□ consider that some arenas explored by some students and student teams in one semester may never be entered into in other semesters

□ computer-rich workspaces all integrated and not segregated.

□ Multiple functions and cross-fertilization of ideas planned for

Flexible Online Spaces:

□ interactive, student-driven syllabus which is flexible in terms of delivery, outcome and evaluation issues

□ Defined what elements are vital to the integrity of the course to drive instruction into student-identified areas of weakness or readiness to learn

Active/passive online Spaces:

□ places for reflection is supported and maintained

□ as places for active engagement for interpersonal intelligence is planned for

□ Assignment, participation or other course credit for reflection is considered

□ Permitting credit for the development and maintenance of digitized personal thinking space and rubrics for evaluating as well as supporting journaling activities that provide for privacy while encouraging deep thinking are considered

□ Security for online journal is considered

□ Group privacy is considered in team whiteboard space.

□ a college atmosphere is planned for and will be maintained in all course interactions

□ spelled out specifically what will be evaluated and what will be treated with regard for privacy at the beginning of the course

□ Alerting administration to your policies is planned for

Personalized Online Spaces:

□ allow learners to express their self-identity and personalize their special places beyond obligatory course webpage

□ Encouraging self-expression in personalized course websites and team pages

□ allowing latitude in how students choose to share about themselves

Guest Participants:

□ online web cast and/or guest speaker considered

□ the community-at-large considered for input into course content

□ Inviting guest speakers to white-board forums considered

□ permitting students to introduce outside experts into the community of learners considered

□ specific directions for accessing internal search tools included