Educational scripting, part 2: sequencing

While the definition of the pedagogical objective must be thought of in a global way by the pedagogues and mobilize their reflection upstream of the design of the training device, it is also necessary for them to complete their analysis before going further in the design process.

Without fixing the content in detail at this stage, the instructional designer first fixes the themes on which the training is focused and then the levels (sequences, activities, workshops,..) for which he or she is careful to determine the learning objectives. All of this work constitutes the sequencing.

 The analysis of training themes, a collaborative effort

 This analysis is most often done collaboratively between the instructional designer and subject matter experts to ensure the coherence of the entire training. This collaboration makes it possible to develop an initial sequencing and a common structure for the various modules or even sequences. It is then an opportunity to exchange on pedagogical practices, methods, tools used and constraints to be integrated.

 On this occasion, a first homogenization on the pedagogical models to be considered can be established. This will initially confuse some teachers who are used to using mainly a deductive approach and expository and demonstrative methods [1]. Should we then rethink the fundamentals of pedagogy? Without going that far, the introduction of technologies in ODL requires at least "reinterpreting" them. Pedagogical innovations will then be expected in order to reconsider the transmission of knowledge and abilities/skills.

 This work is relatively easy when the pedagogical designers rely on a training reference system previously developed during the definition of the device or even when it involves national education programs.

Sequencing, a thorough pedagogical work

The pedagogue determines the set of learning objectives that meet the overall goal of the training. The objectives are then organized. This sequencing phase is the result of collaboration between pedagogues in order to verify that all of the pre-established objectives have been swept through the various modules during the course of the training.

The pedagogues are responsible for the sequencing of the training.

To each sequence generally corresponds a learning objective. However, we observe that a plurality of objectives are to be achieved during a sequence. The choice of one or the other option then varies according to the training course and the audience it is aimed at. Thus in the context of university training it is difficult to limit oneself to a single objective because students must very often mobilize, beyond knowledge, several observable skills/capabilities: it is not uncommon that during the same activity, a student is required to apply, analyze and synthesize.

The objectives are therefore multiple. The pedagogue confronted with this diversity can turn to the work done by Bloom [2] who proposes a level-based approach and identifies different educational objectives. Today, there is a multitude of publications on this subject explaining the taxonomic levels and the activities that can meet them (see references).

The next step is to organize the learning objectives. The most commonly used method is the prerequisite method, which is based on a hierarchy of learning objectives. We will not open the dialogue on this point, as there are other methods that may also be appropriate for organizing them. The booklet on designing a distance course provided by FAO is quite rich in explaining methods suitable for certain situations. 

A goal for each instructional grain

Whether the learning objective is single or multiple at the sequence level is not a real problem. Indeed, pedagogues will ensure that the pedagogical activity, itself, is limited to a single learning objective. This brings us to the notion of the pedagogical grain, which in distance learning jargon is a minimal pedagogical unit.

The result of sequencing is to arrive at a course structure where each grain corresponds to a specific learning objective and contributes to the overall pedagogical objective of the course.

All of this sequencing work is necessarily complemented by strategies in pedagogy. Digital tools, assessment, and support modalities are just the logical continuation. At the same time sequencing is also useful for designing the structure of the site or platform on which the training is made available.

The instructional designer and subject matter expert can only be advised to freeze the entire sequencing as a detailed plan. This synthetic document will serve as a blueprint for curriculum design and a better understanding of the overall course architecture by others involved in the design and development of the training device.