WHAT MAKES A GOOD ONLINE LESSON PLAN? A STUDY OF INSTRUCTIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE THROUGH DIGITAL LIBRARIES

by Roberts, David H.

Digital libraries of American are useful instructional tools. They make primary source materials available to a broad audience. Teachers can use digital collections to implement holistic learning in their classrooms by using the bridging activities such as online lesson plans. Online lesson plans provide teachers with suggestions of how to use the digital collection materials in their class. This study is a content analysis of eighty-two online lesson plans (OLPs) from six digital libraries focusing on American history for secondary education students. OLPs were analyzed to determine the current characteristics of existing OLPs, how OLPs assisted in encouraging higher-order thinking in secondary instruction, and how considering OLPs can affect the design of digital libraries. Some results show that the majority of OLPs encourage higher-order thinking and support the research process for secondary students.