Design Document

EDUC 767
Autism Spectrum
Disorders: Part 1
Obtaining Tendency
Scores for Activity
Tolerance
Michelle Ritter
Purpose of the
Course

In respect to students with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), resource teachers have been
noticing that there is ample room to increase the supplemental, assistive and alternative
activities within the inclusive classrooms of Witberg Elementary School. In order to increase (1)
awareness to teachers, (2) the various needs of students and (3) the implementation of these
activities, this course aims to provide teachers with alternative and supplemental tactics to assist
the ASD student. These tactics should be quickly accessible and easily employable in order to
support the longevity of their use.
ASD=Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Audience Description K-12 teachers who have inclusive classrooms with students of ASD.
Major: Teachers will demonstrate the knowledge of scoring students on a Tendency Scale.
Major Course
Objectives (Terminal) Teachers will gain the preparatory skills to incorporate/employ alternative and supplemental
activities.
1. The teacher will identify the verbal, behavioral and attentiveness characteristics found
within these 3 domains.
2. The teacher will identify the scores of sample students within the RLO.

Course Enabling
Objectives

Enabling in bold
1. The teacher will identify and score the basic characteristics of a student:
A.

Verbal or non-verbal (chart)

B.

Behavioral (chart)

C.

Attentiveness (chart)

2. With the characteristics of sample students identified, the teacher will correctly identify
a score.
A.

The learner will identify 2 of 3 scores for given verbal/non-verbal attributes

in sample students.
B. The learner will identify 2 of 3 scores for given behavioral attributes in
sample students.
C. The learner will identify 2 of 3 scores for given attentiveness attributes
in sample students.

RLO Enabling
Objective

Learner will be able to effectively utilize an activity tolerance scale by identifying a students
autistic tendencies. Learner will correctly identify the verbal, behavioral and attentiveness
characteristics in 2 of 3 sample student scenarios.

Learning Assessment
for Course

A formal, online assessment will be administrated using sample students. Successful results will
be reported to the administrator/principal.

Learning Assessment
for RLO

Sample tendencies of students with autism will be utilized. The learner will correctly identify a
tendency score for at least 2 of the 3 students.

Instructional Delivery Online modules in which text will be read by the learner. Recorded assessment results available
to administrator (school principal).
method for Course
(overall)

Instructional Strategy Attitude Strategy-Model

for RLO
Teachers already know, at least at a minute level, how to conduct of rough evaluation of
tendencies and needs for ASD students. There may be many reasons as to why a teacher does
not evaluate tendencies. Two reasons may be that ASD tendencies can vary tremendously from
student to student or they assume they already know the tendencies for their students. In either
case, using this Tendency Scale may clarify some of the tendencies and needs of students, in
turn promoting awareness to teachers we depend upon so greatly.
In this case, teachers know how to evaluate students but there is little to show the follow-up of
such skill at Witberg School. An attitude consists of a belief and associated behavior
(Morrison, Ross, Kalman & Kemp, 2011, p. 165). The Attitude Strategy is used here to change
a behavior behind a belief -or complacency in this case.
I plan to model the behavior by giving teachers a picture of a 7 year-old boy with Autism and
asking them to brainstorm supplemental classroom activities. Naturally the teachers should
come to the conclusion that they need more information on the student. And this is where selfrealization occurs and that is needing to know and needing to really look into their student at a
deeper level. Although this model is based off Banduras Social Learning theory, and there is an
absence of other learners (social), I believe this is an effective tactic for online delivery (with
non-F2F support).
Morrison, p. 165
Media

Major: Online Tutorial

Minor: Readings, pictures, one video, descriptions, simulation

508 Accommodations -Provide appropriate feedback for possible incorrect answers, even in the RLOs guided
instruction
-Within the menu and tabs, provide a way for the learner to bring up aids such as the Tendency
Score Table and the Activity Map at any given time (screen within screen)
-Provide a written outline on the left so that one may go back or navigate within the tutorial at
any given time.
-Allow learners to click on extra time before displaying answers
-Utilize screen space as best as possible with regard to screen display and usage theories

Course Structure
Description

Presumably 7 modules
1. The teacher will identify and score the basic characteristics of a student in a given rating
chart:
Module 1 A. Verbal or non-verbal
Module 2

B. Behavioral

Module 3

C. Attentiveness

2. The teacher will locate a minimum of 2 appropriate supplemental/alternative activities

for a sample student.
Module 4 Sample student 1
Module 5 Sample student 2
Module 6 Sample student 3
Module 7 Possible re-cap, formative assessment

Seat Time of Course

20-30 minutes

Seat Time of RLO

10-15 minutes

RLO Outline
See outline below
RLO Title: Identifying Behavioral Characteristics of Students
By the use of an online tutorial and sample scenarios throughout guided practice;
1. The teacher will identify and score the basic characteristics of a student (ASD) in a given
rating chart:
A. Verbal or non-verbal
B. Behavioral
C. Attentiveness

Table 1
Overarching Topic

Specific Concept(s)

Assisting the inclusive

teacher how to rate the
tolerances of students
with ASD. This allows
the teacher to identify

Conveying steps
necessary for scoring a
student on the
tolerance scale.

Where RLO May Be

1.
2.

Used
Witberg
School
Other schools
with the
district or

Possible RLO Users

1.
2.
3.
4.

Teachers
Other
Educators
Parents
Caregivers

proper supplements
and modifications to
classroom work and
classroom
communications.

3.
4.
5.

CESA
Home-School
Educators
Community
Education
National
Autism
Association

5.

Scouts/Extrac
urricular
activities

Table 2
Cognitive Level

Verbs

(Remember, understanding, applying etc.)

(Define, change, describe)

RLO 1. A.
Remembering

Remembering

I want my learners to identify if their

students are verbal or non-verbal by using
the provided job aid. (Job aid will be a chart
that the teacher rates the student from. E.g.
the student displays no verbalization in
feedback to educators or less than 20 fluent
words per day that are accurate to the subject
or topic at hand = non-verbal). The learners
will identify by remembering the students
actions (past interactions) or current
knowledge (from reports or other teachers).
RLO 1.B.
Applying

Application

I want my learners to classify (rate) their

student in a behavioral tendencies from a
scale of 1-5 by use of a job aid.
RLO 1.C.
Applying

Application

I want my learners to classify (rate) their

student in the area of attentiveness from a
scale of 1-5 by use of a job aid.

RLO 1.A., B., C.

Creating
From the results of the scores in enabling

Creating

objectives A-C, I want my learners to

formulate the overall tolerance score of a
student as either low, moderate or high.

Table Adapted from:

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/wc140, Gouldthorpe, Harder and Stedman, Reusable Learning Objects: Tools for
Teaching in Nonformal Education, May 17, 2015

RLO Flowchart
Screens/Pages in
RLO
Knowledge Checks or
Other Assessments or
Practices

See below

23 pages
____Dichotomous (T/F, Y/N, etc.)
_2___Multiple Choice
____Multiple Select
_2___Drag and Drop
____Custom describe; if appropriate, supply flowchart in an Appendix and reference it
here.
____Other describe

Rollovers/click events

____Rollovers
5____Click Events

Course and Project

Navigation

[mod 3 include navigation buttons/links ideas, even if will be taken care of by authoring tool]
-Tabs throughout entire tutorial (bottom or top) to navigate to any portion of the training
-Buttons to access the 3 charts utilized within the tutorial
-Possible links to Autism videos (if appropriate to use with training [must also fit within time
limits]).
-Additional practice links if the learner would like to practice with more student samples

Screen Layouts

-Researched clips on observing Autism in the classroom

Development Tools

-Articulate Storyline 2
-Bing images
-Photoshop
-possible free cut-out from e-learning Brothers
-possible voice over technology if available

Ownership

Michelle Ritter will develop the initial course for Witberg School District with the advisement
of school and district SMEs. The schools Curriculum Advisor will be distributing the
assessments to teachers by email as well as maintaining/updating the course curriculum.

Development Time

2 weeks

Support
requirements

4 days content

4 days assessment

4 days slide development

2 days cushion to deadline

Teacher Mrs. Kotenberg

Principal K. G.
The schools Autism Project Members (Team)

Project
Sign-off [optional]

Please sign below indicating agreement with the proposed course plan and approving start-up of
the storyboard and development phases.

Instructional Designer

Date

Project Manager/Sponsor

Date