How many course units do I need? What structure should they follow?
Normally, a course unit represents either a temporal unit (e.g., a school or semester week) or a content-related/thematic unit (e.g., the thematic unit: "Reasons for the outbreak of World War I").
- A structured timeline makes sense if the learners use Brian to supplement their classes.
- A content-based/thematic structure makes sense if students primarily use Brian in a self-organized manner, e.g., for exam preparation after completing a course.
Usually, it's easiest to mirror the structure already familiar to the students (e.g., the chapter structure of the teaching text or the structure of the course's LMS site).
How many and which exercises should I include in each course unit?
The number and type of exercises are highly course-dependent. Generally speaking:
- Quizzes help to build and review knowledge and to check reading comprehension. They are particularly suitable for introducing new facts, terminology, or concepts.
- Individual quizzes work best when they contain approximately 15-40 questions. If the number of questions exceeds this, it is pedagogically more effective to offer several separate quizzes.
- AI dialogues allow for the creation of taxonomically more complex tasks.
- AI dialogues work best when they are relatively short and variable. This facilitates quick feedback loops and encourages students to repeat the dialogue multiple times.
- Chatbots work best as an open-ended practice or information resource that relates to the teaching materials.
Example: Course structure
Each learning unit
- One or two quizzes (knowledge transfer/assessment). Based on teaching materials (texts, videos, lectures, etc.).
- One short AI dialogue (knowledge reinforcement). E.g. using the templates: "explain a concept", "relate two terms"; or based on existing worksheets, etc.
AND/OR
- 1x AI dialogue (applying knowledge) e.g. useling the templates: "roleplay", "develop an argument", "interpret a text passage", etc.
OPTIONAL
- 1x Chatbot (free in-depth activity, based on the teaching material)
Important: The proportions of quizzes to AI dialogue should be adjusted depending on the level, subject area, and examination format of the course.
Tip: A Brian course can be very simply structured and still be effective. One AI dialogue or quiz per week/topic (perhaps in combination with the contextualized AI tutor) already offers enormous added value for students. The course can then be expanded year by year – e.g. in collaboration with colleagues.
See:
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