P1. Remember Anastasia? To refresh your memory, she is a high school science teacher who has the dream of traveling the world. Anastasia decides that if she teaches a science course online, she will be able to work from anywhere in the world if she has an internet connection.

Question

To construct her course, Anastasia needs to put together a rough course calendar. Her course is going to be on biology, or the study of living organisms. The course has eight sections, with each section covering three to six subtopics. Each subtopic takes a week to cover.

Here are the sections in the course. To help Anastasia out, do some research online and find at least three subtopics for each section. (You could look at websites such as or textbook publishers such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt or Prentice Hall to see what topics are typically covered in these types of courses).

Biology Foundations
Cells
Energy and Transport
Reproduction and Cell Division
Classical Genetics
Molecular Genetics
Human Body Systems
Ecology
That is a lot to fit in! Anastasia needs her course to consist of 36 weeks’ worth of lessons. Create a 36-week chart to help Anastasia fill in her lessons so that she knows when each topic will be covered. Fill in the subtopics that you found and spread them out evenly so that all topics are covered in Anastasia’s 36-week period. Anastasia will use your chart as a course calendar. Don’t forget that one subtopic takes a week to cover. Some sections may take more weeks to cover than others, depending on the number of subtopics included, and that is just fine!

Part 2
Now that Anastasia can see her course laid out, she wants to find a platform to use in order to teach her subjects. Anastasia reaches out to Barry, a web designer who has created online learning platforms in the past. Anastasia explains to Barry that she wants to be able to include interactive features in each lesson as well as a weekly online experiment for the students.

Barry gives Anastasia two options:

Option 1:
He can build a website that includes Anastasia’s content. It would have modules that students can explore and videos embedded through the text. There would also be a drop box for students to upload their work directly to Anastasia, as well as a web conferencing system so that Anastasia could teach her students during class time.

Barry says that his initial setup fee for this website is $500, plus $20 per hour of Barry’s time. Barry thinks the website would probably take him about 100 hours to create. Once the site is set up, Anastasia could pay Barry a yearly fee of $100 to host her site.

Option 2:

nastasia could use an existing platform, such as Teachable, which already has everything laid out. Barry could just add Anastasia’s content to the existing platform. The platform is all inclusive, so Anastasia could manage her course and her students from an easy website. Barry says that he could create Anastasia’s course on the online platform for a flat fee of $1000. The platform costs $30 monthly.

Help Anastasia choose the right option. Calculate Anastasia’s costs for her first two years of teaching her course using both options. Then make a list of pros and cons so that Anastasia can weigh the differences. Traveling is expensive, so Anastasia wants to get the most for her money. Still, she wants her online course to run smoothly because she may not always have time to troubleshoot. Would it be better to have Barry on hand to fix errors? Or should she use an established platform that is made for her to tweak things herself? Help her decide!

Finally, help Anastasia by thinking of three professionals who can help her in the next steps of her course development. Do some quick research about each of the clusters we discussed in this unit and select one career from each that will help Anastasia create her online course. For each position, write two to three sentences about what the career is and how it can help Anastasia.

Create a summary of the components from Parts 1, 2, and 3 for Anastasia in a word processing document. Your summary must include the following elements:

Part 1: Anastasia’s Biology Course Calendar, with the subtopics scheduled correctly within 36 weeks
Part 2: Barry’s Web Design Options, with two-year expense calculations
Part 3: Three professionals who can help Anastasia moving forward (one from each cluster)

GPT-4o mini · Answer

### Summary for Anastasia --- #### Part 1: Anastasia’s Biology Course Calendar Here is a breakdown of Anastasia's Biology course calendar which covers 36 weeks with subtopics spread evenly across eight sections: | Week | Section | Subtopic | |------|----------------------------------|----------------------------------------| | 1 | Biology Foundations | Introduction to Biology | | 2 | Biology Foundations | Scientific Method | | 3 | Biology Foundations | Characteristics of Life | | 4 | Cells | Cell Theory | | 5 | Cells | Prokaryotic vs. Eukaryotic | | 6 | Cells | Cell Organelles | | 7 | Energy and Transport | Photosynthesis | | 8 | Energy and Transport | Cellular Respiration | | 9 | Energy and Transport | Membrane Transport | | 10 | Reproduction and Cell Division | Asexual vs. Sexual Reproduction | | 11 | Reproduction and Cell Division | Mitosis | | 12 | Reproduction and Cell Division | Meiosis | | 13 | Classical Genetics | Alleles and Traits | | 14 | Classical Genetics | Mendelian Genetics | | 15 | Classical Genetics | Punnett Squares | | 16 | Molecular Genetics | DNA Structure and Function | | 17 | Molecular Genetics | RNA and Protein Synthesis | | 18 | Molecular Genetics | Genetic Mutations | | 19 | Human Body Systems | Organ Systems Overview | | 20 | Human Body Systems | Circulatory System | | 21 | Human Body Systems | Nervous System | | 22 | Human Body Systems | Respiratory System | | 23 | Human Body Systems | Digestive System | | 24 | Human Body Systems | Musculoskeletal System | | 25 | Ecology | Ecosystems | | 26 | Ecology | Food Webs and Energy Flow | | 27 | Ecology | Biodiversity | | 28 | Ecology | Human Impact on Ecosystems | | 29 | Ecology | Conservation Strategies | | 30 | Review and Project | Group Research Projects | | 31 | Review and Project | Presentation Preparation | | 32 | Review and Project | Course Conclusion | | 33 | Final Exam Preparation | Review Sessions | | 34 | Final Exam | Final Assessment | | 35 | Feedback and Reflection | Course Feedback | | 36 | Wrap up | Future Learning Opportunities | --- #### Part 2: Barry’s Web Design Options **Option 1: Custom Website** - **Setup Fee:** $500 - **Hourly Rate:** $20/hour - **Estimated Hours:** 100 hours - **Annual Hosting Fee:** $100 **Total Costs for First Two Years:** - **Year 1:** $500 + (100 hours x $20) + $100 = $2500 - **Year 2:** $100 = $100 - **Total for 2 Years:** $2500 + $100 = **$2600** --- **Option 2: Existing Platform (Teachable)** - **Setup Fee:** $1000 - **Monthly Fee:** $30/month **Total Costs for First Two Years:** - **Year 1:** $1000 + (12 months x $30) = $1000 + $360 = $1360 - **Year 2:** (12 months x $30) = $360 - **Total for 2 Years:** $1360 + $360 = **$1720** --- **Pros and Cons Analysis** | Option | Pros | Cons | |--------------------------------|--------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------| | Custom Website | - Full customization | - More expensive than existing platform | | | - Personalized user experience | - Longer setup time | | | - Barry available for immediate fixes | - Dependence on Barry for ongoing support | | Existing Platform (Teachable) | - Lower initial and ongoing costs | - Limited customization options | | | - Quick setup and easy management | - Less personal connection with the design | | | - Established platform with support | - Additional fees if scaling is necessary | **Recommendation:** Given the differences in cost and support, the **Existing Platform (Teachable)** would be more budget-friendly in the long run while offering the necessary features for course delivery. However, if Anastasia prefers personalized support and more control, the **Custom Website** could be a viable option. --- #### Part 3: Three Professionals to Support Anastasia 1. **Instructional Designer:** - An instructional designer helps create engaging and effective educational experiences. They would work with Anastasia to ensure her course materials are pedagogically sound and accessible to all students, enhancing the quality of her online course. 2. **Graphic Designer:** - A graphic designer can assist in creating visually appealing course materials and multimedia presentations. They can help Anastasia make her content more engaging through professional graphics, infographics, and videos, which can help attract and retain students’ attention. 3. **EdTech Specialist:** - An educational technology specialist can help Anastasia choose and implement technological tools that enhance learning. They can provide insights into best practices for using online platforms, troubleshooting technical issues, and integrating interactive elements into her course. --- This structured summary of Anastasia's course will help her make informed decisions on course content, technology choices, and the necessary support needed for successful course delivery.