Project proposal for an e-Learning module

Learning module topic

The learning module topic will be Sociological Writing Techniques. The title of my proposed module will be ‘Sociological Theories and Essay writing skills in Sociology’.

Learning Context

The learning context will be designed to provide students with an introduction to major Sociological theories and to improve their writing skills in this particular field. Academic papers usually require students to adhere to certain guidelines and disciplinary criteria. These criteria may include document formats, structures, referencing, and so on. This module proposes to instruct the student to adhere to general guidelines of Sociological writing. This is done in conjunction with an introduction to major Sociological theories. The module will teach the student how to structure an essay; how to submit and support an argument; how to introduce evidence; and how to compare and analyse data.

This module is not restricted to, but, most suitable for students at University undergraduate levels who have an interest in Sociology and wish to write presentable essays in this field. Ideal for those contemplating or undertaking a course or degree in Sociology! The learning module will be conducted through an e-learning environment such as Moodle or AdobeConnect. It will contain a series of written and visual information with external links to references, examples, and support sites together with intermittent quizzes. The module may be used with minimal to basic computer and internet skills.

Learning objective

Upon completion of the learning module, the student should be familiar with major Sociological theories and possess a sound knowledge and understanding of the disciplinary writing techniques used in the field of Sociology.

Learning theory

The learning theory will be based on Constructive Alignment as described by John Biggs, (1999). The foundation of Constructive Alignment theory is appropriate for this module because the student will be expanding their knowledge in a subject area through various activities and practically applying their learned knowledge by means of quizzes which must be completed satisfactorily in order to advance through the course. In order to constructively align the learning process, I will be utilising the five-step approach of SOLO Taxonomy in the following sequence:

1) General introduction to Sociological concepts and basic essay writing procedures at the pre-structural level

2) Introduction to Sociological theories and various aspects of the writing process at the uni-structural level

3) Introduction of general writing techniques related to the discipline of Sociology and description of various Sociological theories at the multi-structural level

4) Connections, relationships, associations of the task at the relational stage

5) Generalisations, and comprehensive understanding of the task at the extended abstract level

Hybridisation of the internet

By observing the trends within Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), one realises that it was inevitable that the internet was going to be mashed up, integrated, correlated, and connected on different levels as digital technology progresses. Web2.0 has made it possible to move the internet towards a new level of integration. Mashups are merely one aspect of this integrative process. Hip-Hop music lovers may be familiar with the term ‘mashup’ as it meant remixing two or more songs to make a hybrid song. Mashing up the internet works on the same principle. Web services are now allowing for the use of their own databases, content and applications on other sites by providing an application programming interface (API) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/API . This means that now, you can use for example, a Google map database or a film clip from Youtube on your own site and integrate or configure your own concept onto the application.

Mashups are no doubt born out of interest in marketing strategies to reach a wider audience. By mashing up the internet though APIs, a web service is able to promote its source, content and applications through other web services that mash their databases and applications. APIs can be provided by web services on a contractual agreement. However, currently there are free APIs on the internet that are mostly bound by the General Public License (GNU), http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html . So, Web2.0 provides a platform on which user compatibility between web interfaces becomes freely accessible to everyone.