Purpose
At the heart and center of impactful learning are practice and application. With opportunities for practice and application, one is more likely to develop deep learning and long-term retention of the skills and knowledge. While this document explores Practice and Application, please see the Quick Start Guide on Feedback to create a continuous cycle of learning.
Definitions:
- Practice is the act of improving performance through intentional application of new knowledge to a mindset or behavior.
- Examples: Record and practice your sales pitch (Video); Practice the design process when tackling a problem (Assignment).
- Application makes practice meaningful. It is the transfer of new knowledge into authentic, real-world situations.
- Examples: Apply your leadership skills in a kick-off call (Video); Apply your new knowledge in a certificate program (Final Exam, Project, Quiz etc.)
The opportunity to engage with content beyond the initial exposure is a key benefit of practice in a learning environment. Learning happens at a deeper level when the concept is practiced and explored with revision and exposure to other colleagues’ work. Application is the process for that practice to occur and serves to confirm the mastery of a topic/subject within the learning environment. A key benefit of practice and application can be seen in the well-known learning pyramid, known as Bloom’s Taxonomy:
Considerations
Consider when designing the course:
- What should learners take away from the learning experience?
- What are the specific skills or knowledge of the job or role that a learner would need to demonstrate by the end of this course?
- How will they practice and apply the skills or knowledge for mastery?
- What are the appropriate methods to incorporate practice and applied learning?
- How will (Peer, Public, Private) feedback be used to drive improvement?
Ways to Incorporate Practice and Application
Feature: Assignment Component
Assignments in NovoEd are flexible and provide opportunities for practice and application. When creating an assignment, consider if it should be done as an individual or team. This quick guide will focus on assignments for individuals.
Submission Formats
A course builder may add one or several assignment section inputs. For example, one may make a final assignment where the learner is to submit three deliverables: (1) a document, (2) a slide deck/presentation, and (3) a final reflection for one assignment. Inputs NovoEd supports:
- Section Heading (Required): The section heading is a way to organize and call attention to the separate deliverables.
- Instructions (Optional): Details or instructions for the submission.
- Input Format: This is the expected documentation from the learner. The supported formats include:
- Rich Text: Text input and one may upload files and media (Note that media will not be available to track in data downloads)
- Slides: Supports ppt. pptx. or pdf. file up to 50 MB
- Video Link: External Video Host (Youtube, Vimeo) URL
- Video Upload/Recording: Learner may record in their browser or upload a video file (.mp4, .mov, .avi, .mpg up to 750MB)
- Audio Upload/Recording: Learner may record in their browser or upload a video file (.mp3, .m4a up to 750 MB)
- Picture: Image file upload (.jpg, .png, .gif up to 50 MB)
- Short Text: Short text input
- Numeric Entry: Input optimized for numeric entry
- Excel Workbook: .xls, xlsm or .xlsx up to 50 MB
- Document: .docx or .pdf up to 50 MB
- To add or delete sections, simply click on the + or - icons beside the section.
Examples
Practice:
- Scenario-based practice (e.g. video of practicing the skill for a sales pitch, kick-off call, pairs having a difficult conversation, etc.)
- Frequent low-stakes quizzes as knowledge checks (including in-video quizzes)
- Submit varied deliverables: a reflection, summary, presentation, or another assignment type
Application:
- A capstone project that applies the skills and knowledge (e.g. apply design thinking, create I&D curriculum for your department, create a team vision, etc.)
- Low Stakes: frequent short quizzes with multiple attempts for knowledge checks
- High Stakes: Timed Exam to assess learning and give certification
Explore More
- Practice
- Feedback
- Application