How to construct a Frame, type 1

Select main ideas, concepts, and principles from the material
Titles
Headings
Topic sentences
Transitions
Summaries
Examine main ideas, concepts, and principles for relations between them
May use frame to organize instruction you intend to write
Determine if material is appropriate for matrix
Comparison/contrast, similarity/difference, cause and effect, pros and cons, etc.
Draw the frame
Draw grid
Label Rows and Columns
Fill in slots

How to construct a frame, type II

Study material (or design content) thoroughly for theories, relationships, concepts, and laws
Verify that theory/content to be represented is highly structured
Verify that learners possess sufficient ability to use inference and systematically recall information
Select main ideas, concepts, and principles from the material
Develop the associated grid (see type I steps)
Verify that concept 1 represents a large set of possibilities
Verify that concept 2 meaningfully influences concept 1
Verify that at least concept 1 can be easily divided into naturally or logically indicative subcategories of the concept
Verify that each subcategory for concept 1 and/or 2 represent a set of categories
Verify that possibilities of concept 1 can interact with possibilities of concept 2
Clearly express the relationship between the two categories to the learners

Three main responses to large/dense information sets: Rows & Columns, Frame in Frame, Third Dimension

Each have limitations and advantages

Rows & Columns

As set grows, add additional rows and/or columns
Once you hit the limit imposed by your medium (e.g., your frame is too large to fit on an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of paper), you can split the frame up into parts
The more pieces your frame is in, the harder it will be to interpret and manage, and you risk losing the "big picture" effect

Frame in Frame

Instead of (or in addition to) adding rows and columns, you put a frame inside the slot of another frame
This is appropriate especially for dense content, where the frame serves as the overall view of the subject initially (e.g., the course itself), but then becomes a means of organizing and presenting the more specific information within each slot (e.g., the units which make up the course). Each unit, of course, could also contain frames for individual lessons and topics. There is no theoretical limit to how deep you can go, but at some point the learner's ability to maintain a mental conception of the overall frame will be degraded.

Third Dimension

Adding a third dimension allows the designer to represent one-third again as much information in little more space than a two-dimensional frame.
Can be harder to manage and interpret, and may require additional training for students to use correct.

*** Stop now and go back to the course site and complete the application 4.3.