I created this partial course to demonstrate my instructional design techniques and philosophy in action. I picked a subject I was relatively well versed in (I had studied Shakespeare at Stratford-Upon-Avon College), so that I could act as my own subject matter expert. I have often used this course to demonstrate various aspects of teaching online, from the design to the technical. Note: In the course’s LMS format, these topics were grouped and divided onto separate, linked pages, in accordance with the platform.
Course Outline
Course Credit Hours:
4 credit undergraduate hours; estimated 180 Carnegie units.
Prerequisites:
None
Course Description
In this 10-week online course, learners will develop a fundamental comprehension of Shakespearean poetry and plays based on a representative selection of William Shakespeare’s works, including one comedy, one tragedy, one history play, and several sonnets. Learners will analyze the use of literary elements in these works, including meter and rhyme, as well as characterization, plot, action, metaphor, etc. Learners will also assess Shakespeare’s works in the context of the political and cultural environment of his period and evaluate the relevance of his writings in our world today.
In addition to traditional written papers and course discussions, learners in this course will have the opportunity to create three synchronous and asynchronous presentations, choosing from the following formats:
- Perform a short scene from an assigned play, either in live performance during a synchronous virtual meeting or by pre-recording the scene and providing a link for the class to review during the virtual meeting.
- Create and deliver a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation on a selected topic in relation to the assigned play.
- Write a “translation” of a short (or abridged) scene from the play, reinterpreting the text into a modern English vernacular.
The aim of these presentation format options is to allow the learners an experiential learning opportunity that will engage multiple learning strategies, incorporating kinesthetic, visual, and auditory learning styles.
Learners will also complete two interactive quizzes in this course, based on their performance in a virtual simulation environment. Finally, learners will also complete two traditional, written papers in this course: one 5-page analysis of Shakespeare’s sonnets and the 10-page final paper synthesizing the course activities with the learner’s independent research on a relevant topic that has been approved by the instructor.
Student Learning Outcomes
In this course, you will:
- Demonstrate a fundamental comprehension of representative works of Shakespeare.
- Analyze Shakespeare’s use of literary elements.
- Assess Shakespeare’s works in the political and social context of his environment.
- Evaluate the relevance of Shakespeare’s work in our time.
- Research a selected topic in the field of Shakespearean study.
- Create presentations that demonstrate synthesis of the course subject matter.
Course Schedule and Evaluations
Module Schedule
| Modules | Readings | Week | Evaluations | Grade Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initiation to Shakespeare | Intro Packet | Week 1 | Initiation to Shakespeare Interactive Quiz | 5% |
| Comedies Module | Much Ado About Nothing | Week 2 | ||
| Week 3 | Much Ado About Nothing Presentation | 10% | ||
| History Plays Module | Henry V | Week 4 | ||
| Week 5 | Henry V Presentation | 10% | ||
| Sonnets Module | The Sonnets | Week 6 | Shakespeare’s Sonnets Paper (5-page minimum) | 15% |
| Tragedies Module | Hamlet | Week 7 | Hamlet Interactive Quiz | 5% |
| Week 8 | ||||
| Week 9 | Hamlet Presentation | 10% | ||
| Final Synthesis | Independent Research | Week 10 | Final Synthesis Paper (10-page minimum) | 20% |
Course Evaluations Summary
Note: All assignments and quizzes must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday of the week they are assigned.
| Evaluation Format | Grade Percentage | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Discussion Participation: | 25% | Weekly |
| Quizzes: | ||
| Initiation to Shakespeare Interactive Quiz | 5% | End of Week 1 |
| Hamlet Interactive Quiz | 5% | End of Week 7 |
| Presentations: | ||
| Much Ado About Nothing Presentation | 10% | End of Week 3 |
| Henry V Presentation | 10% | End of Week 5 |
| Hamlet Presentation | 10% | End of Week 9 |
| Papers: | ||
| Shakespeare’s Sonnets Paper | 15% | End of Week 6 |
| Final Synthesis Paper | 20% | End of Week 10 |
| Total: | 100% | |
Required Course Materials
The following learning materials are required to complete this course:
Cross, W. L., & Brooke, T. (Eds.). (1993). The Yale Shakespeare: The complete works. Barnes & Noble Books. ISBN: 9781566191043.
Module 2 – Much Ado About Nothing
Prerequisites:
Successful completion of Module 1 – Initiation to Shakespeare.
Module Learning Objectives
In this module, you will:
- Demonstrate comprehension of foundational content of an assigned play.
- Examine literary elements used in a play.
- Analyze cultural themes in an assigned play.
- Reinterpret a selection from a play in a relatable format.
Schedule
- This is a 2-week learning module.
- Weekly discussions:
- The instructor will post the discussion topic for each week by Monday at 8:00 a.m. CST.
- Learners’ initial discussion posts on the topic are due by Wednesday at 11:59 p.m. CST.
- Learners will complete two peer response posts, due by Friday at 11:59 p.m. CST.
- Attendance at 1-hour synchronous presentation on Friday, 4:00 p.m. CST of the third week of the course is required.
Weekly Discussion Participation Instructions
- On Monday of each week, read the discussion topic posted by your instructor on the class discussion board.
- By Wednesday, complete a 200-250 word post based on the topic, including your independent research from at least one source to support your statements. Cite your source according to APA citation style.
- By Friday, read the posts of your peers and complete at least two peer responses, following your Peer Response Guidelines.
Assignment Instructions
Much Ado About Nothing Presentation
Create a brief synchronous or asynchronous presentation for the class based on your reading of Much Ado About Nothing, using one of the following formats:
- Perform a short (5-minute) scene from the assigned play, either in live performance during a synchronous virtual meeting or by recording the scene and providing a link for the class to review during the virtual meeting.
- Learners are invited to use props, costumes, sets, and other resources to enhance their presentation; however, these will not be assessed in the evaluation. (Important: Please do not use real weapons or perform potentially dangerous stunts in your scenes!)
- Learners creating recorded performances are also invited to use editing software as desired; again, these elements will not be considered in evaluation.
- For either option, learners are required to submit a transcript of their presentation in addition to the video URL.
- Create and deliver a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation on a learner-selected, instructor-approved topic in relation to the play. Learners choosing this option must provide both the PowerPoint file and a script of the presentation. Again, learners are invited to incorporate artistic elements in their presentations as appropriate, but they will not be assessed in the evaluation.
- Write a “translation” of a short (or abridged) scene from the play, reinterpreting the Early Modern English text into a modern English vernacular. This translation should be written as a script (in a format similar to text of the plays), and submitted as a Word document for evaluation.
Presentation Evaluation
Much Ado About Nothing Presentation Rubric
This presentation is worth 10 percent of the overall course grade.
| Criteria | Non-performance | Basic Performance | Competent Performance | Excellent Performance |
| Demonstrate comprehension of foundational content of an assigned play. (25%) | Does not identify foundational content of an assigned play. | Identifies foundational content of an assigned play. | Demonstrates comprehension of foundational content of an assigned play. | Demonstrates comprehension and integration of foundational content of an assigned play. |
| Examine literary elements used in a play. (25%) | Does not identify literary elements used in a play. | Identifies literary elements used in a play. | Examines literary elements used in a play. | Analyzes literary elements used in a play. |
| Analyze cultural themes in an assigned play. (25%) | Does not distinguish cultural themes in an assigned play. | Distinguishes cultural themes in an assigned play. | Analyzes cultural themes in an assigned play. | Analyzes and reconstructs cultural themes in an assigned play. |
| Reinterpret a selection from a play in a relatable format. (25%) | Does not a explain a selection from a play in a relatable format. | Explains a selection from a play in a relatable format. | Reinterprets a selection from a play in a relatable format. | Accurately adapts a selection from a play in a relatable format. |