The Science of Reading Short Course - E-Learning Design

The Challenge

In 2020, five exceptional reading organizations, calling themselves The Big Dippers, came together to create the Science of Reading Short Course, an effective online course that supports both new and experienced reading teachers in learning best practices for teaching the science of reading.

The Big Dippers desired a course where price and access would not be a barrier. While other courses exist on this topic, they are often too expensive or too lengthy. Teachers have very little free time to do professional development, so the solution needed to be something they could fit into their busy schedule. The Dippers hired The Farthest Pixel to partner with them to bring it all together, and the course was developed and launched in the fall of 2020. In 2022, The Big Dippers agreed that the future of the course, which was very popular (with enrollments all over the world!) would benefit through the single management of one of their members, Hill Learning Center, that had been hosting and primarily managing the course up until that point. Hill Learning Center desired to update the course with new animations and engaging interactive solutions, as well as to rebrand the course so they could better promote it going forward.

The Solution

Since that time we have embarked on a journey through the science of reading, learning ourselves about the best way to learn to read, while collaborating with Hill Learning Center and their advisors to build learning objects, infographics, illustrations, animations, interactive practice tools, and helping organize the research around the science of reading into perhaps the best course on the topic available today. We like to think so! The course is offered through six modules in the LearnUpon LMS, with downloadable resources and course “extras” for learners to extend their learning on a variety of topics. Learn more about the course at: https://www.thebigdippers.org