for Effective Teaching through Online Environments

Workshop: Creating Quandary Exercises for the Virtual Learning Environment
Wade Maki, University of North Carolina Greensboro

Overview

In an asynchronous learning environment, how can students participate in meaningful, active learning critical thinking exercises? This brief hybrid workshop will explain how to utilize Quandary software to create interactive, low budget, portable learning objects. Quandary software is an application for creating digital decision-tree action mazes where the user is presented with a situation and various decision choices as to an appropriate course of action. Working through the branching decision-tree is like negotiating a mazebecause choosing a particular option leads to additional content presentations and more decisions. The Quandary application has features to track students’ decisions and set decision triggered conditional events thus allowing the construction of dynamic, creative learning objects. Quandary is a valuable software tool as it is easy to use, full featured, and very affordable. The short eClip explains the basics of building in Quandary. Further helpful resources are provided including a longer eClip focused on more advanced Quandary features and examples of some completed Quandary exercises.

Initial Activity

Take a few minutes and answer the following questions on a sheet of paper:

  • In an online course, how might students practice problem-solving and critical thinking skills?
  • Are these types of activities interactive and engaging?
  • Do these methods assess student consistency and point out any contradictions?

 

eClip - Basic Quandary

Quandary

Reflection Activity

Consider the following questions and record your responses. Then pair with a partner and share your thoughts.

  1. How might you use Quandary to build a learning exercise for your course?
  2. In what ways can Quandary exercises improve student learning?
  3. What potential barriers do you see in implementing Quandary exercises?

Follow-up Resources

The Virtual Philosopher: Designing Socratic Method Learning Objects for Online Philosophy Courses
Hornsby, K. & Maki, W. (September 2008)
(A case study on designing digital learning objects to replicate the Socratic dialectic process of inquiry in a digital learning environment. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, Vol. 4, No. 3. Retrieved, June 15, 2009 from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no3/hornsby_0908.pdf.)

Using Quandary to Add Interactive Learning Objects
(This article introduces Quandary interactive decision software and discusses how Quandary exercises can be enhanced by using digital media to support your teaching material. JISC Digital Media Retrieved, June 15, 2009 from http://www.jiscdigitalmedia.ac.uk/crossmedia/advice/using-quandary-to-add-interactive-learning-objects/).

Creating Simulations in Quandary
Harris, Jane & Henning, Jolene (2006)
(This website provide “how to” documents, templates, simulation examples and basic training in assets. Retrieved June 28, 2009 from http://www.uncg.edu/~jdharri5/Quandary/UNC%20TLT%20Quandary.htm)

Advance Quandary eClip
Maki, Wade
(The link provides step-by-step examples of how to use Quandary “assets” and methods for building decision-tree exercises. Retrieved, June 27 from http://web.uncg.edu/hhp/half-baked/quandary/Quandary%20advanced/Quandary%20advanced/Quandary%20advanced.htm)

Faculty Grading Dilemma Quandary Exercise
Maki, Wade
(This Quandary exercises tests student intuitions about what is required for a meaningful life and when a life might lack meaningfulness. Retrieved, June 27 from http://web.uncg.edu/hhp/half-baked/quandary/Meaning%20of%20life/The%20Meaning%20of%20Life%20-%20currently%20uploaded%20version.htm

Learning Online with Games, Simulations, and Virtual Worlds: Strategies for Online Instruction
Aldrich, Clark (2009)
(A practical guide to identifying when and what kind of games, simulations, and virtual environments should be used, how to get them, how to deploy them, and how to measure their effectiveness. San Francisco: Jossey Bass)