Once a faculty member visits the Canvas Commons and imports the UMass Dartmouth template into one of their course sites, there are step-by-step, detailed instructions on how to edit, add to, and customize each component of the template. However, as part of the new Canvas course template at UMass Dartmouth, each module is designed to incorporate the 5E model. We want to offer some background on this model and how it can be applied when designing your course. Think of the 5E model as a formula or recipe for teaching and learning success for students!
What is the 5E model?
As stated in Lesley University’s article, Empowering Students: The 5E Model Explained, the 5E Model was developed in 1987 by the Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. This model was designed to promote collaborative, active learning in which students work together to solve problems and investigate new concepts by asking questions, observing, analyzing, and drawing conclusions. The 5E Model is based on the Constructivist Theory of learning, which suggests that people construct knowledge and meaning from experiences. Students can reconcile new knowledge with previous ideas by understanding and reflecting on activities.
Before you move on, please read this article about how the 5 E’s model is designed to align with “How People Learn”.
“The 5E Model of Instruction promotes active learning. Students are involved in more than listening and reading. They learn to ask questions, observe, model, analyze, explain, draw conclusions, argue from evidence, and talk about their understanding. Students work collaboratively with peers to construct explanations, solve problems, and plan and carry out investigations.” –Rodger Bybee
How the 5E Model Integrates with Online Learning
The 5E model directly connects with the educational goals of a flexible online learning environment that includes student-driven inquiry and problem-solving activities. By using this model, instructors can create unique online and blended learning experiences by designing courses that promote active learning, critical thinking, and collaborative learning.
The following is a summary of each E and a few examples of how they can be applied with the tools available to instructors at UMass Dartmouth. These are some of the ways the 5E’s can be implemented. Instructional Development is always happy to meet and discuss more options in incorporating the 5E’s in any course design.
Engage
Activate students’ prior knowledge and pique interest in the topic or concept. Assignment ideas: discussion boards, Harmonize, VoiceThread, and collaborative documents.
Explore
Provide students with ways to explore topics and ideas through interactive activities that might include videos, podcasts, readings, or offline tasks. Assignment ideas: journaling, discussion boards, Harmonize, VoiceThread, short written responses.
Explain (Expand)
Offer students the opportunity to share their ideas with the class, reinforcing what they have learned in the previous module. Assignment ideas: group projects, discussion boards, Harmonize, and presentations using Kaltura or VoiceThread.
Elaborate (Evaluate)
In this phase, students cement their knowledge by applying acquired content and demonstrating what they have learned. Assignment ideas: Kahoot!, Quizzes, presentations, using Kaltura and VoiceThread, creating graphic organizers or mind maps, and collaborative projects.
Evaluate (Extend)
The primary focus of this module is to measure student progress toward learning objectives and desired results, focusing on whether students have a complete grasp of the core concepts. Ideas: evaluating case studies, tests/quizzes, Kahoot!, written reflections or exams, and presentations using Kaltura or VoiceThread.
An example of the 5E model in an online course.
How does the 5E model connect to Bloom’s Taxonomy and the importance of creating and aligning course outcomes?
Like many modern instructional frameworks, the 5E model is based on the Constructivist Theory, wherein students learn by experiencing phenomena and reflecting upon their learning. During the introduction of a class or learning module, the instructor engages students in an activity that builds upon their prior knowledge. Similarly, the steps of the 5E model scaffold new learning in ways that ascend Bloom’s taxonomy, moving from understanding to articulating and developing. At the end of the class or learning module, students might be tasked with assessing their understanding, and the instructor may evaluate the learners on key skills and/or concepts. (Yale Poorva Center for Teaching and Learning).