Online learning environments are almost always broken up into instructional units or modules organized by time constraints and/or by topics. At RIT, the instructional design of online learning environments is typically organized around what's referred to as the ORPA (Outcomes, Resources, Practice, and Assessment) model.
The ORPA model is applied to the course, as a whole, and to each module within a course. It provides a structure that helps to integrate course elements and ensure that all learning objectives are met. The model requires detailed descriptions up front of what learning outcomes students are required to demonstrate by the end of a course/module. It also accurately presents all resources (text, multi-media, Internet, communications with instructors and peers) available to the student to practice activities to aid in the learning process. Finally, the assessment portion of the model is comprised of a variety of methods that are used to demonstrate effective learning.
Here's a closer look at each element of ORPA:
Outcomes are measurable performances that, at the course level, are sometimes cumulative, i.e the sum of a number of interim goals and objectives, or a portfolio of completed work. Outcomes help faculty choose what learning resources, activities, and assessments should be made available to students in the application and learning of key concepts. Some examples of specific outcomes-oriented exercises include:
Use action verbs, such as analyze, explain, discuss, predict, compare, create, etc., when writing outcomes-based modules and state the knowledge/skill to me mastered and what student must do to demonstrate learning.
Resources are basically all the reading, viewing, listening and interactive materials inside a module or course. They include everything from a paper-based text book to video streams and interactions between faculty, students and education technologies. Resources can also come in the form of learned and applied processes and procedures.
Practice entails applying knowledge gained. Practice exercise in the form of homework, reports, and projects, for instance, allows instructors to check on their students' learning progress. Practice can be in the same form as assessments and can mark cumulative steps to reach a specific learning outcome or goal.
In general, there are two levels of learning: learning to be and learning what and how. Learning to be a member of a specific discipline involves the appropriate use of a certain vocabulary and the implementation of the right problem solving methods to address challenges and concerns. Instructor-planned discussions, research reports and papers, case-study exercises, etc. are all forms of learning to be.
Learning what and how involves correctly manipulating the material and cognitive tools that are common to any given discipline. Examples of what and how are a manager writing memos and reports using specified content and formats, a printer setting up a four-color press, and a operations manager creating financial and risk-management plans for designing and building computer chips.
Assessment involves having students demonstrate that learning has occurred in a way that is observable and/or measurable. For a detailed explanation and examples of assessment practices, see the Assessment section.