Design of Online Student Orientation with Conceptual and Procedural Scaffolding

This article reports a study about the design and development of an orientation course to prepare students’ readiness for online learning. Based on the Instructional Design Process Model, the research project applied the Analysis, Strategies, and Evaluation phases. The analysis identified the complexity of concepts and procedures to be addressed in preparing students and the technology affordance that could be utilized. The strategies of development focused on conceptual and procedural scaffolding that aligned with learning activities and assessment methods. The formative evaluation included collecting and analyzing data related to student performance in the course and students’ reflections in online discussions. More than 600 students voluntarily participated in the course. The formative evaluation results demonstrated that over 95 % of those who completed the course gained technology competency, understood learning strategies, and identified characteristics of successful online learners. The applied thematic analysis of student reflection transcripts revealed that perceived usefulness, readiness for online learning, and effective design were the top three themes with frequent code co-occurrence. The key takeaways include the design and development process of an online orientation course from an instructional design perspective and the methods used for assessment.

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