Justin Olaguer Instructional Design Strategies

The Editing Digital Photographs with Photoshop is a 5-week course designed to teach basic Photoshop editing skills for someone who is unfamiliar with editing digital photos. The specific lesson that will be used from this course is Digital Image File Formats. The lesson starts by introducing the learner to the basic concepts of digital photo formats then into more specific detailed information. It was designed this way so that the learner does not become overwhelmed initially with information but rather it is organized in a manner that is clear and succinct.

The first lesson is chunked into three separate sessions of information and starts with understanding the most basic knowledge that is necessary in order for the learner to completely grasp the entire lesson. The lesson is divided into three sessions or chunks because it will help immerse the learners with new knowledge. I used a constructivist based learning theory to create a virtual environment where the learners will be able to gauge their progress of what they just learned. To gauge the learner’s progress, at the beginning of the lesson, a poll will be administered to assess the learner’s prior knowledge of Photoshop before starting. Following the poll each chunked part will begin with a PowerPoint presentation that will introduce the learner to basic information of Photoshop. A brief class discussion will be held after all three of the PowerPoint presentations and students will be called on randomly to answer some open ended questions as well as multiple choice questions. The brief discussion will cover the topics just covered from the preceding lesson and the facilitator will ask students to think critically about what they just learned. During the discussion a role-play scenario will be prompted to the students to think critically and solve a problem. At the end of the entire lesson another poll will be given to gauge the learner’s understanding to see if it has improved.

The ultimate goal is for the learners to have a better understanding of the basic characteristics of Digital Image Files than they did before they took the course. This understanding will help students who currently use computer technology during real world scenarios when dealing with these files and formats whether for academia, work-related, or for personal interest. Having this basic understanding will greatly improve the quality of photographs or graphic images whether it is used web-based media or print based media.