Forethought Phase

1. Create a SMART goal for the course:

Specific: This goal was specific not only in its objective (creating an IELTS course for Chinese speakers of English), but it was also specific in its method of teaching and its context. (Online is the medium and video-conference and PPT lessons are the context), both of these are supported by the textbook.

Measurable: The goal was measurable because its parameters are set and its distal goal is apparent for both myself and my student. It was easy to gauge the progress because I taught Julie and worked on the course everyday.

Achievable: I have lots of experience with course development for online classes. Previously I worked on courses that helped Chinese students to enter North American universities. This goal, since it does not exist within a vacuum and because it does not have severe consequences- there is room for mistakes and improvements is achievable.

Realistic: We have been trying to diversify our courses for a while now, so it was a great opportunity take on this challenge. As well, my friend Julie is planning to do a year abroad study in Cardiff , so she volunteered to be the guinea pig in this preliminary course.

Timely: The course can be developed over several timelines and it can be understood in those ways as well. I want to keep the bulk of the work and feedback within the confines of this course, and do the necessary adaptation later on. The actual course will not be available until October, but the preliminary work will be complete by the end of August.

2. Quality of Goals align with Scholarly Articles

The goals I have chosen for this inquiry project can align with the articles by Schuk, Zimmerman and Pintrich. These goals contain cyclical goal setting work, they are difficult and have many subgoals, they can help me to understand my own time management and motivation against the constraints I have set for myself. I can engage in regulatory strategies to maintain the integrity of my inquiry.

3. Meet with Colleagues/ Julie

My friend/ student Julie expressed interest in allowing me to test out the video conference and PPT aspects of the course on her. She was planning to take the IELTS test mid-August through self-study so having a chance to take a course with me was a bonus for her.

My colleagues were very happy to hear that I wanted to develop a new course for our website and agreed to offer feedback to make it as innovative and helpful as possible for students.

4. Decide on IELTS textbook

I decided to use a textbook called Magoosh: Guide to IELTS exam. Initially I wanted to use a textbook from a British university as I usually do for ELS courses. Unfortunately, most of these E-textbooks are not available in China. This was one of the first obstacles that I encountered, but I was able to overcome it by enlisting the help of colleagues who were in China and could test out each of the textbook samples I sent to them. Here is a link to Magoosh's blog which I consulted multiple times: https://ielts.magoosh.com/ielts-ebook?utm_source=ieltsblog&utm_medium=blog&utm_campaign=ebookq417&hsCtaTracking=52366117-1728-4a77-9621-214c52e25690%7Cd40c45bc-b3d6-4fbd-824a-deb67af739b7

5.Begin Resource and Research Acquisition:

I began at the official IELTS website, created by the British Council. This website had an incredible amount of information for teachers and students alike. I used their website and recommendations when developing the bulk of the course. Furthermore I consulted a friend of mine who works with IELTS in Canada who explained the structure and exact nature of the test. Furthermore, I consulted scholarly articles to help me develop better motivation, as well as motivate my students in a better way.

6. Create Weekly Schedule with Julie

I created a 5 day schedule with Julie when we were both free. It proved difficult because we were both working at many of the same times but we eventually found a happy middle ground. This was another obstacle that we were able to overcome using our planning skills.

7. Create first week of lesson plans, share with colleagues.

I made 5 PPT presentations on each of the sections of the IELTS test as well as how they will operate. I wanted to begin by assessing Julie's strengths and weaknesses, and prepare further personalized lessons go along with the standardized textbook approaches. I