Design Brief

Course
Course: Voting 101 Abigail Smiles
Coordinator:

Course Program: Course Length: 4 Weeks Credit Value: 1 credits

All materials will be provided in the modules for learners without the need to purchase any additional materials.
Textbooks and
Materials
(APA format)

Additional
Offered in Canvas. Link to Canvas Template:
Technology/LMS

Timeline: Time
on Task (TOT):

General deadline: The Friday after the course ends (after 4 weeks)

This course walks learners through the basics of voting in the United States. This includes who is eligible to vote, what
Course the different types of elections are, what election questions are asking voters, how to register to vote, what absentee
Description: voting is, and how to fill out a ballot.

The course will be given completely online and will be delivered using Canvas. The modules will include videos, readings,
Course Code:

and interactive assignments. Assignments include quizzes on scenarios, sorting activities, and several mock ballots to fill
out.
Learners: Learners are a mix of high school, college, and adult learners who are new voters in the United States. Most learners have
little to know background information on how voting works in the United States. Some learners are new citizens who have English as their
second language while others have been citizens their entire lives and grew up speaking English only.

Objectives:

Learners will be able to determine eligibility to vote

Course Learners will be able to differentiate between different types of elections
Objectives:
Learners will be able to register to vote in person and through an absentee ballot

Learners will be able to fill out a ballot

Course Overview & Competencies

Week 1: Eligibility to vote

Unit Objectives

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 Learners will be able to determine eligibility to vote

Required Readings and Resources:

 Chart showing what makes someone eligible or ineligible to vote

Lectures/Asynchronous Tasks:
 Learners will be introduced to the course, the content topics they will be learning about each week,
and what success will look like by the end of the modules.
 Learners will then be given the voter eligibility chart to examine

Week 1:
Assignment:

 Learners will be presented many different scenarios that show a picture of a person and a list of
characteristics that make them either eligible or ineligible to vote. Learners need to click on the
buttons labeled “eligible” or “ineligible” depending on what they determine from the characteristic list.
Clicking on the right answer will move them to the next scenario. Clicking on the wrong answer will
give feedback directly below the buttons.

Week 2: Types of Elections

Unit Objectives

 Learners will be able to differentiate between different types of elections

Readings and Resources:

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 Video on different types of elections and election questions

Lectures/Asynchronous Tasks:

 The video audio will be given by an avatar that is presented as the president of the United
States. The lecture will include the following topics:
 Primary elections
 Local elections
 Presidential elections
 Types of election questions
o Voting for candidates
o Constitutional amendments
o Ballot proposals

Assignments:

 Sorting activity with two parts

o Sorting election scenarios into primary, local, or presidential elections
o Sorting election questions into candidate, amendments, or proposals

Week 3: How to Vote

Unit Objectives

Learners will be able to register to vote in person and through an absentee ballot

Learners will be able to fill out a ballot

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Required Readings and Resources:

 Readings on how to vote, absentee voting, and in-person voting

 Google form for mock registration if needed
 Primary election mock ballot
Lectures/Asynchronous Tasks:
 Reading on how to vote with graphics
o How to register to vote
 Screenshots walking learners through the Michigan Online Voter Registration page
 Screenshots will have text bubbles with arrows explaining how to register online
o Absentee voting
 Short video explanation of what absentee voting is, mentioning that everyone in Michigan is
eligible for absentee voting
 Screenshot walkthrough of the Michigan Absentee Ballot Online Registration page
 Screenshots will have text bubble with arrows explaining how to register online
o In-person voting
 Video simulation of a voting precinct and what to do once you get there
 Example ballot and how to fill it out
 Before completing the assignment:
o Learners who are eligible will register to vote if they have not already
o Learners who wish to vote absentee will register for an absentee ballot for the next election if
possible
o Learners who cannot do either will fill out a mock voter registration form on google forms
provided by the instructor. This form will include much of the same information as the real
registration form does, but without any information that could compromise the privacy and
safety of the learner (i.e. social security number and other private information)

Assignments:
 Learners will fill out a mock primary election ballot to nominate fellow learners for various elected
positions. These nominations will be used in the next lesson for another activity.
o Learners will choose two fellow learners for the following positions
 President

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 Vice president
 State Senator
 School Board Member
 Mayor
 City Council
 County Clerk

Week 4: Mock Election

Unit Objectives

Learners will be able to fill out a ballot

Learners will be able to differentiate between

different types of elections

Required Readings and Resources:

 Mock ballot
 Mock voter registration for some learners

Lectures/Asynchronous Tasks:

 Learners will be given an overview of what they have learned so far through video from the
same avatar as before.
 Learners will then be introduced to their final activity for the course. This activity will assess
whether they have met the objectives of the course or not.

Assignments:
 Learners will be given two mock ballots to fill out. One will be for a presidential election and the other
will be for a local election. Each ballot will have a variety of candidates to vote for as well as
constitutional amendments and ballot proposals. Learners will have to identify which type of election

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the ballot is for at the top of the ballot and then fill the ballot out correctly. They will then label each
type of ballot question. The learner will be graded on identifying both types of election correctly,
identifying each type of ballot question correctly, and filling out the ballot correctly.