Communicating Effectively

This week we were provided with a multimedia program that had one message delivered three different ways: written, voicemail, and face-to-face. We were to read/listen to each message and jot down our interpretation of them and what changed from one form to the next. Below is what I thought about the different deliveries.

In the e-mail message, my interpretation was that Mark was holding a very important puzzle piece to the project and Jane needed that in order to complete her report. The tone read a bit threatening using a lot of “I’s” and what she needed and not seeming very understanding in the end that he is a part of other projects and in meetings all day. It read as though Mark would be the one to blame if her deadline was missed.

In the voicemail message, my interpretation completely changed because I could hear the tone of voice so I am not misinterpreting how the message was meant to be conveyed. It appeared less threatening and more understanding and trying to work with Mark to get the reports completed. She seems to emphasize the importance of his report and how it will help her complete her report. I still do not like the wording about how she may miss her report’s deadline if she doesn’t get his; however, I did take it this time as more of a sense of urgency than thinking Jane would blame Mark if she misses her deadline.

In the face-to-face message, my interpretation didn’t change too much from the voicemail. The benefit of this was seeing her body language and how friendly she was making her appear to be more approachable. She conveyed that she needs his report to finish hers (still having a sense of urgency) and truly willing to accept it in many different formats, whatever was easiest for him.

Out of the three variations in delivering the message, the one that conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message to me was face-to-face. The voicemail worked well for me too, but I think seeing how approachable she was in person, helped take away any threatening tones. Her communication in person was the most effective also because her attitude, body language, and tone influenced her message in a positive way (Stolovitch, n.d.). If I were working on a project with her, I would be more willing to take time out of my busy day, finish up my report (if that hasn’t already been done), and send it to her as soon as I could.

From this exercise, I saw how not every message should be conveyed via e-mail. E-mail is our primary form of communication these days and I know I forget how important it can be to just walk over to someone’s desk and meet them face-to-face or at least a phone call if they are not nearby to talk to in person. If e-mail is the only way to send the message, Dr. Stolovitch (in his video Communicating with Stakeholders) presents some key information to keep in mind:

- Begin with a clear purpose

- State the situation

- Include possible solutions

- Indicate if a sign off is required

- Specify the form that the response is required to take

- Keep tone of all communications business friendly and respectful

I also learned that my tone (in e-mail or in person) has a big influence as to how people will take my message. I tend to appear stand-offish to people when really I am more than willing to help. Therefore, my tone and body language need to convey my willingness to provide assistance when needed and not convey that I may be annoyed or bothered by the request. Dr. Stolovitch’s video and this exercise have helped me see why some colleagues aren’t as open to coming to me when they need to and that is on me, not them. In addition, I have learned that in any form of communication (written, voicemail, or face-to-face), it is essential to keep your audience in mind and avoid any ambiguity in the message so there is clear communication to all involved. This is especially critical when working on a project team so that there isn’t any miscommunication on people’s responsibilities, deadlines, scope creep, any changes, any issues, etc. An important question to ask before deciding on how to convey the message is “How is the best way of communicating this message so its true meaning is conveyed?” I will certainly be asking myself that question from now on so that the intent of my message comes across clear.

References

Stolovitch, H. (n.d.). Communicating with Stakeholders. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved November 15, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4603378&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

In projects, “it's important for project managers and team members to take stock at the end of a project and develop a list of lessons learned so that they don't repeat their mistakes in the next project. Typically, such reviews are called post-project reviews or ‘post mortems’” (Greer 2010). Reflecting on a past project I was a part of is a reminder of what (and what not) to do. This particular project did not end up being successful. The project was designing and implementing online learning into a face-to-face course making it become a blended learning course. The course was for new employees to the company. The project was called “Blended Learning”. There are two questions that will help me reflect on this project in what went well and what needed improvement:

1. What processes, project artifacts, or activities did you include in the project that contributed to its success?

2. What processes, project artifacts, or activities did you not include in the project that might have made the project more successful?

To answer the first question, there were a lot of areas that went well and it looked like it was going to be successful. There are 5 phases that a project needs to pass through: conceive, define, start, perform, and close phase (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer 2008). The “Blended Learning” project did follow this process and created the idea to incorporate blended learning to enhance the learners’ experiences in the new hire course. The plan was then developed explaining how the team will make this possible. The project then began with the project manager, in case the unit manager, picking the members that would be a part of this project team and the core work began. At the close of the project, approval was received of the final results.

In addition to the 5-phase process, weekly communication was conducted via e-mail and meetings were held once a month to ensure the team was on track and in an effort to keep the lines of communication open. In each monthly meeting, the materials created thus far were brought for review to determine if it met the goals and objectives of the project. Towards the end of the project and before implementation, a Train-the-Trainer session was held to receive feedback from the Training team and make any necessary adjustments before the roll-out date. Once implemented, evaluations were performed during the blended learning course from the Trainer as well as completed by the learners. After 10 blended learning classes, data was put together from the evaluations and the test scores to see how they compared to the traditional face-to-face course. The results of the data is where it was determined the project had been unsuccessful, which leads me into the second question.

The test scores revealed a dramatic drop from face-to-face to blended learning and the evaluations were mostly negative as to how the learners felt the blended learning course impacted their learning. At first glance, it looks like the perfect thought out project on paper; however, there were a lot of holes that should have been filled. To begin, the 5 phases may have been performed, but not diligently or thoroughly. The conceive phase was performed like this was a small project when in fact, this was a large project that should’ve had “formal review and decision” before proceeding (Portny, et al. 2008). All upper management and Vice President of the company’s Ohio, Georgia, and North Carolina sites should have been involved as this project’s goal was to be first conducted in Ohio and then implemented in the other sites in phase 2 of the project. Therefore, the other sites were supporters and the project needed their approval of the idea. If that were done, many of the issues with implementation at the other sites wouldn’t have been there.

The define phase did not include many of the elements that are needed such as, “a detailed description of results to be produced, a detailed project schedule, budgets, assumptions, and detailed roles all team members will play” (Portny, et al. 2008). There was not a detailed plan as to how the project team will conduct this project. Including a more detailed plan and in writing would have dramatically increased the probability of success with this project.

When the team was formed (the start phase), the project manager didn’t look into detail everyone that needed to be a part of this project. This allowed for many stakeholders that have now caused a lot of rework to try and get the “Blended Learning” project to be successful the second time around. One important group that was left out the majority of the project was the IT Department. They needed to be included as they are supporters and would help the project team know what software and capabilities the computers can do with the online portion of the course. For the members that were chosen, project roles were not assigned right away and instead, done sporadically throughout the project as the project manager saw fit. Another big downfall in this phase was when it was time for implementation, instead of letting the whole center know the progress of the project, only the associates who were signed up for the course, and their managers, were notified that they would be going through the new blended learning course. This caused for a lot of frustration as the managers thought they were signing their associate up for the traditional course (face-to-face), not be a beta tester in the new blended learning course. Had the project manager ensured all needed people were a part of the team, taken into consideration the stakeholders, and assigned roles at the beginning it would have made the project more successful. A work breakdown structure and responsibility chart would have been two excellent forms to utilize in this project helping it be more productive and successful.

The perform phase seemed to be better than the first three phases; however, it also had areas of improvement. The biggest improvement would be to keep everyone informed of changes, scope creep, issues arising, revisions, etc. The drivers of the project were informed throughout, but the supporters and observers were not. The supporters are the ones that have a heavy involvement in all of the phases as they are the “people who help to perform project work” (Portny, et al. 2008). These are the members that are working on the project and to not inform them of changes needed produces work that isn’t following the revised project plan. The project ended up following none of the new objectives since the supporters were not informed of changes made to the original objectives. This was discovered during the close phase with the evaluations and the observers noticing a different flow than what was discussed.

The close phase was the best phase conducted out of the others simply because without this phase, the project wouldn’t have been deemed unsuccessful and would have continued as it was. As many Training Departments know, evaluations are vital when conducting courses as things will need improved in order to keep up with the learners. The downfall in the close phase is that the final results did not receive approval of the other sites before implementation. Because of this and the results from the evaluations, the project team went back to square one to go through the project in more detail the second time around ensuring the same mistakes aren’t made twice.

My portion in the project was one of the supporters and I created the majority of the online material being implemented into the blended learning course. Being left in the dark about many things was quite frustrating, but I also learned from it and this time around I am ensuring I ask many questions and for the Project Manager to keep the supporters in the loop. This time around, I have been appointed the second project manager to help the original one out. So far, I have conducted a statement of work and am currently working on a work breakdown structure and responsibility chart. This Project Management course couldn’t have come at a better time as it is truly helping me conduct a successful project.

References

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., $ Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Perception of Distance Learning

Distance learning as a whole has grown in the past 5 years. It has been incorporated in many K-12 environments as the teachers create their own websites, with adult education, and in corporations for training purposes. The growing acceptance of distance education is “fueled by an increase in online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing comfort with online discourse, and the ability to communicate with diverse and global groups” (Siemens, n.d.). The growing technology we have in our society is a big part in distance education increasing and the perception of it becoming a positive one. “The concept of distance education is exciting, and recent hardware and software innovations are making telecommunications distance education systems more available, easier to use, and less costly. Distance education has begun to enter the mainstream” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek 2009). Distance education has been around for many years, but only within the past 5 has it grown in education and corporate businesses.

The question is what it will become in the future – next 5-10 years. This will depend on how our technology grows as distance education will be impacted by “new communication technologies, contribution by experts around the world, and increased use of multimedia, games, and simulations” (Siemens, n.d.). The more people embrace technology and the more technology creates, the bigger the opportunity there is for distance education to become even more popular than it currently is. It has seemed to have spread like wild fires throughout all areas of our world and predictions indicate that it will likely become the preferred method for courses and/or training. It provides many benefits that more people are gaining access to and although it is unlikely face-to-face traditional classroom will disappear, I can see it becoming drastically less of what people want. For K-12, it would be difficult for children to have the discipline for solely distance learning to be beneficial to them, but for adult education and the business environment, it offers so much potential and allows corporations to interact with different offices around the world bringing the communication level to an all-time high and increased productivity (Siemens, n.d.).

To keep distance learning growing, it is also the responsibility of the Instructional Designers and Facilitators to promote this type of learning. For me, I am an advocate of distance learning and truly believe it is the better option for some learners and learning environments (e.g., corporate trainings). In my career, I fought to incorporate online courses into our training program and offer it for associates to attend at their desks as well as blended learning in the classroom for our new hires. After months of research and presentations on the benefits, it was agreed that this would work for our corporation and software was purchased to make this happen. Currently, material has been created for the blended learning environment in our new hire classes. The facilitator is there to provide the content and the learners go online to take the assessments, some activities, and simulations. It has improved our new hire class greatly and after initial quarks were worked out, it is the preferred method for our site. Online courses for the associates to complete at their desks on their own time are currently being developed and will hopefully be implemented by the end of the year. The managers are raving about this new opportunity training has provided and we anticipate many requests for online training. It has also been shared with our other sites across the United States and that has proven to be a huge benefit because we are now all delivering the same information.

Keeping the exciting perceptions of distance learning alive in the company is going to be a challenge as the programs we have don’t allow for everything people are going to want. There are restrictions that we will have to overcome and at the same time keep promoting this type of education and its benefits. Another key challenge will be “bridging the gap of comfort for the learners” (Siemens, n.d.). Most associates have a high school diploma and very little are savvy with technology beyond their job requirements. My next job is to make sure I create something that will help them be comfortable with the new learning environment and we plan on holding orientation sessions to help everyone become familiar with the programs we’ll be using and provide them with the knowledge needed to be successful in the online training modules. Continually improving the content will also help the perception of the distance learning courses as well as being sure to keep it interactive, fun, and non-stressful. The goal is for us to create an easier way to train everyone and be sure we are able to reach as many associates as possible.

Distance learning “provides the opportunity to widen intellectual horizons, as well as the chance to improve and update professional knowledge. Further, it stresses individuality of learning and flexibility in both the time and place of study” (Simonson, et al. 2009). Distance learning has many benefits that outweigh the main downfall of no face-to-face interaction with the facilitator because webcams have helped bridge that gap. It is the Instructional Designer’s job to create an interactive course that will be beneficial to each group of learners and the Facilitator’s job to support the learners to ensure their success. Instructional Designers and Facilitators need to work together so the idea behind what the ID has created is communicated to the Facilitator so they can in turn communicate that to the learners (Piskurich, n.d.). Ultimately, distance learning is only going to be as successful as we all make it.

References

Piskurich, G. (n.d.). Facilitating Online Learning. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Siemens, G. (n.d.). The Future of Distance Education. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 27, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (4^th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

This week in class, we were given this scenario: A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.

To help this training manager in their excursion to convert the classroom content to distance learning content, I created a best practice guide they can utilize throughout the conversion process for a successful distance learning course.

Best Practices for Converting Classroom to Distance Learning

When an instructional designer or facilitator decides to convert their classroom content to a distance learning environment, there may be a lot of questions and anxiety. Utilize these best practices to guide you through the conversion process for a successful distance learning course.


1. Pre-planning Strategies

Converting classroom material to a distance learning environment requires some items that need to be pre-planned before diving in.


Storyboard and Sitemap

A big part of the pre-planning strategy would be developing a storyboard and sitemap. According to the course video Developing Online Courses, a storyboard is a document that maps out the flow of the course and includes the content, resources, learning objectives, assignments, and evaluations. The video describes a sitemap as a document that’s created after the storyboard and shows how the students will move through the online environment (e.g., what is linked together, how they will access the file and resources, and how they will end the day). These two items are created in the development stage and are a great outline to use when creating distance learning content.


Structuring the Course

This is where the facilitator needs to clearly explain the expectations of the course to the students, what their responsibilities are, what is expected of the facilitator, and determine how often the students will meet online and in the classroom. It is essential that “the students understand how the course will function so that they can be better prepared to participate. The more informed the students [are] the greater chance for success” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek 2009). To accomplish this, the facilitator will need to create a syllabus that ensures clear expectations and communication. “An instructor needs to provide enough information within the syllabus that students are able to understand the structure of the course, expectations and assignments, and the assessment process” (Simonson, et al. 2009). The students will utilize the syllabus to determine what their role and responsibilities are in this course allowing for them to prepare for a successful learning experience.


Technology

Hosting all of the material on a server is a good idea; however there are many options to choose from. The main question that needs to be addressed is what type of server, a Course Management System (CMS) or Learning Management System (LMS)? It is important to read the difference between a CMS and LMS to ensure the right one is chosen as the focus of each is different. A good research article that discusses the differences is Watson and Watson’s An Argument for Clarity: What are Learning Management Systems, What are They Not, and What Should They Become? This article defines a CMS and LMS and discusses their similarities and differences. Once the type of management system is determined, research the programs offered to decide which one is best suited for the course (e.g., Blackboard, Moodle, etc.).

A second crucial part to technology is to ensure the students have access and can utilize the management system chosen as well as any other technology being used. If students do not have access to the technology or it is not easy to gain access, then there is frustration from the student that takes away from their learning experience. On the other hand, if the students have access to it but are unsure how to use the technology, then that is also decreasing their learning abilities (Piskurich & Chauser, n.d.). The purpose of the technology is to enhance the face-to-face interaction in a blended session. If the technology is too much for the students, then their learning experience is not a positive one.



2. Distance Learning Enhancing Original Classroom Material

When converting classroom material to online delivery, it is important to incorporate the following:



Delivery Method

The main decision of how this course will be delivered has been decided – blended learning. However, there are a few more important decisions to make involving how the content will be delivered. For example, will it be teacher centered or student centered? “The student centered learning fits well into distance education environments” because adult learners come to distance learning expecting a self-directed approach (Simonson, et al. 2009). For a blended learning course, the student centered approach is crucial during the online portion and the teacher centered approach will need to be included in the face-to-face facilitation. To determine which one is a best delivery method, “apply your project constraints to your first choice of delivery methods and see if it will work. If it won’t, eliminate it and move on to your second preference. Keep working through each of your preferred delivery methods until you find the one that will accommodate all the constraints of your training project” (Piskurich, n.d.). Whatever delivery method is chosen, it will need to ensure there is a lot of engagement for the learners through interaction.


Instructional Method

The instructor needs to determine the appropriate instructional methods they will use in delivering the content. They need to consider their options: asynchronous or synchronous. “What is of essence when considering the choices is that the methods selected for a distance setting match the types of outcomes defined by the objectives and the assessments to be implemented” (Simonson, et al. 2009). The type of instructional method chosen, dictates what’s used for delivering the content. For instance, in an asynchronous class, blogs and wikis are utilized most to engage the learners in the content where as a synchronous environment is more face time with video based content. When choosing the instructional method, be sure to select one that will engage the learners and meet the objectives.


Learning Community

The facilitator needs to create a learning community for both the students and the instructor. A great way to do this is through discussion threads. Discussion threads are communities where learners come together and post a response to a topic presented by the facilitator and then begin commenting on each other’s posts to create an “open discussion”. “The instructor should examine the facilitation of the discussion by each person – the building of a community of understanding” (Simonson, et al. 2009). Discussion threads are a key part to distance learning so be sure to clarify the role of the instructor and students to ensure successful discussions.

Another good option is to create icebreakers where the students and instructor learn more about each other allowing for a more open environment. “The icebreaker’s role is to help build a sense of trust among the members of the group. By gaining knowledge about each member of the class, the opportunities for communications and collaborations are enhanced” (Simonson, et al. 2009).


Activities

Activities keep the learners engaged throughout an online course where there is no face-to-face interaction. Even in a blended learning course, interaction online is essential so learners are encouraged to participate in the environment online as well as in the classroom. To determine what activities to incorporate, conduct an analysis of the course and its objectives. Then meet with the subject matter experts for their insight on what information to include and what kind of activities would complement the content (Piskurich & Chauser, n.d.). Once that is complete, then the facilitator and/or designer can build the activities from that information.

Converting classroom activities to online activities is a matter of finding what online application will be similar to that in the classroom. For example, if a classroom module had a topic for open discussion, convert that to a discussion thread in the distance-learning environment. If there were videos shown in the classroom and then small groups discussed them, convert that to creating small groups online and uploading the video to their group. Then the group can post their thoughts and insights on the video and comment on each other’s’ posts. Most applications done in the classroom can be successfully completed online, it just takes some creativity.



3. Facilitator’s Role in Distance Learning


The role of the facilitator in a distance learning course is less prominent than in a face-to-face environment. Piskurich discusses some key concepts that the facilitator needs to keep in mind when instructing a distance learning course in his video Facilitating Online Learning.



4. Encouraging Online Communication

When the classroom is online, communication is essential. The most effective way to encourage communication is with a discussion thread. A “threaded discussion is one of the most powerful techniques used in distance education” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek 2009). The goal of a discussion thread is to create an open community for learning. Follow the checklist below on how to set up an effective discussion thread for the facilitator and learners (Bouchat, 2006).

References

Bouchat, C. J. (2006, October 30). Beyond Self-Teaching Online: Using the Threaded Discussion in Distance Education [Electronic version]. Learning Solutions Magazine. Retrieved October 20, 2010, from http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/202/beyond-self-teaching-online-using-the-threaded-discussion-in-distance-education-

Piskurich, G. (n.d.). Delivery Analysis. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Piskurich, G. (n.d.). Facilitating Online Learning. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 21, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Piskurich, G., & Chauser, J. (n.d.). Planning and Designing Online Courses. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 7, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Watson, W. R., & Watson S. L. (2007). An Argument for Clarity: What are Learning Management Systems, What are They Not, and What Should They Become? TechTrends: Linking Research & Practice to Improve Learning, 51, 28-34.



*Could not find a way to attach a PDF document to blog, so copy and pasted instead.*

The Impact of Open Source

When designing a distance learning course, the planning process is the most important part because it is the stage in which all of the thinking, outlining, discussions with SME’s, and other items happen. It is the sketch in pencil before drawing in pen. With that in mind, it’s the Instructional Designer’s job to complete this planning process. They must think of the learners, technology, ability of the learners with technology, interactivity, assessments, feedback, and the delivery method (Piskurich & Chauser).

I found an open course that is a good example of careful planning a distance education site and course, the Open Yale Courses website (found at: http://oyc.yale.edu/). For me, I can tell a storyboard was used for this site, and if it wasn’t, then the designer did a good job of organizing the flow of everything. The site is easy to navigate through with clear directions on the Home, Courses, and other pages. The home page clearly states the objective of this site and what it strives to provide to its users. That adds a good element to the site because the users don’t have to search and see if this is what they are looking for; the first page lets them know what the purpose is and then they can decide if it will work for them to continue to explore the site, or to move on to another one. The layout of the site is clean and I would say the designer utilized a site map to decide how the site was going to look. It has calming colors with the font contrasting the background adding for easy readability. There is a lot of information without making it look cluttered as well.

Moving past the looks and beginning thoughts of the site, it continues to appear that the designer followed many of the course textbook recommendations for online instruction. The designer needs to “be concerned with the layout of the courseware and the types of resources available to the students at the distant sites” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek 2009). This designer took that into consideration. When going into the courses, each one provides detailed information about the instructor, the course, and the course structure. Each class page is set up the same, allowing for easy navigation, which shows that the designer put thought into the learners’ usage of the site. They didn’t create it to be too intimidating for the non-frequent technology users. However, it may appear to be a little too mundane for the frequent technology users (Piskurich & Chauser), but when designing, we need to consider the bottom 25% and I think this designer did that, which in my eyes, makes it successful. To create for the frequent technology users would make the content too intimidating for the other group to try and they would be missing out on a good learning experience. The designer did “balance concern for the operation for the equipment with effective teaching” (Simonson, et al. 2009).

The delivery method that appears to have been chosen is the learner-led asynchronous course (Piskurich & Chauser). All of the sessions are accessible for the learner to complete at their own pace. The designer chose the linear-design model for instruction where “students move in the same path through the concepts, topics, and modules, and complete the same assessments and tests” (Simonson, et al. 2009). The material is delivered through course pages and course media. The media has a high bandwidth and medium bandwidth option, which shows the designer ensured that the learners and facilitators have access to the technology selected (Piskurich & Chauser). The courses have interactivity through discussions and participation, which according to our textbook is “one of the most effective techniques to promote interaction in distance education” (Smaldino, et al. 2009). Some courses have activities with groups, while others stick to just discussions. It appears that it depends on the type of course and the courses objectives as to how much interactivity is embedded.

Overall, this site impressed me and is a great example of how pre-planning can make the site and course(s) successful for many, if not all, learners. The other aspect to this site that is impressive is the fact that each course has a survey link and the site has a feedback link. All of the resources we have learned in my Instructional Designer degree put big emphasis on feedback and continually to improve the content. The designer of the Open Yale website conveys that they understand the importance of feedback and is willing to receive it from all angles to keep improving the distance learning experience they are providing. I will certainly keep this website in mind when doing my own planning process as it displays what the resources in this course were discussing.

References

Piskurich, G., & Chauser, J. (n.d.). Planning and Designing Online Courses. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved October 7, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Selecting Distance Learning Technologies

This week’s blog is going to discuss which two distance learning technologies are most suitable for the scenario below:

A new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented in six regional offices. Unfortunately, the staff is located throughout all the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. As an instructional designer for the corporation, you have been charged with implementing a training workshop for these offices. As part of the training, you were advised how imperative it is that the staff members share information, in the form of screen captures and documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.

One distance learning technology that would be beneficial for this scenario is Blogs. Blogs are “online journal sites where individuals, called bloggers, post their entries to express their views” (The Technology of Distance Education, 2010). They are asynchronous, but can include text, images, and links to audio and videos. Blogs can either be open to the public or restricted to a group determined by the creator of the blog, like the instructional designer (Simonson, et al. 2009). First, the instructional designer would start the blog by creating one that entails the material over the new automated staff information system. This can be done through text, links to simulations within the new system, videos, etc. The learners could then utilize the main blog and respond with their insights and share their information such as, screen captures and documents. They would also be able to participate in ongoing collaboration by responding to the main blog and their peers’ comments. All around, a blog would meet the needs of the company, instructional designer, facilitator and the learners.

While searching online, I found a great example that shows how to successfully use a blog in a learning environment. The blog is from Noel Elementary by Mr. Chamberlain (http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/). This teacher posts many different topics that not only include text, but also pictures, video, audio, and links. There aren’t many comments to his post as it isn’t set up exactly like one would need to be for the above scenario. However, it utilizes the same ideas that would need to be incorporated. I was very intrigued by this blog and how well put-together it was. Something I certainly did not have when I was in elementary school. The teacher posts the assignments on there, contact information, videos taken of the students, videos that teach a valuable lesson, educational activities for parents to do with their students, collaboration among the other classes’ blogs, etc. It benefits the viewers in and out of the classroom, which is what a blog for educational purposes should aim to do, much like what I would envision developing if I were the instructional designer for the above scenario.

Another option is using discussion technologies. These are “participatory in nature and require that a number of individuals write and respond to each other’s posts” (The Technology of Distance Education, 2010). This would meet the needs of the corporation wanting the students to participate in ongoing collaboration. The learners would be able to continuously have discussions utilizing this option since the focus is on the discussion topic. A good program for the instructional designer to create the content in is Blackboard as it “integrates discussion technologies such as discussion forum, group collaboration areas, and virtual chat tools” (The Technology of Distance Education, 2010). Blackboard is a course management system (CMS) that focuses on the delivery of the material (Simonson, et al. 2009). The instructional designer would develop the material regarding the new automated staff information system and upload it to Blackboard. The material can be in document form, audio, video, an activity, discussions, and tests. The learners would be able to access this content on their own time, which meets the need for a course where not all of the learners and facilitator need to be there at the same time and location. The discussion threads in Blackboard are where learners can collaborate amongst each other by sharing the required documents and screen captures. The discussion technology used through Blackboard, or most CMS programs, would certainly be beneficial in achieving the goal of the corporation and instructional designer for this course, as well as for the learners in providing tools for them to utilize to enhance their knowledge.

When trying to find a good example of a discussion technology utilized in an educational environment, I immediately thought of Walden University (Current class: http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=4442081&Survey=1&47=6260654&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1) or (www.waldenu.edu). So far, all of the courses I have taken at Walden have utilized the discussion technology through our discussion posts, student lounge, etc. The learners are able to attach links, documents, videos, and audio if desired to the discussion threads that they are to complete each week. It is required for the learners to respond to their peers’ discussions as well, which allows for collaboration and better learning as we discuss and debate our knowledge. The learners are from all over, so we do not have to attend at the same time or in the same place. For the instructional designer, they are able to develop content in many different ways. They post reading assignments, have videos facilitating more content, interactive time lines, and assignments to download and complete. The material is presented in a linear programmed instruction strategy where “all content is organized into concepts that are presented into blocks or chunks” (Simonson, et al. 2009). This site would be a resource I would utilize as the instructional designer for the given scenario as it encompasses the ideal set up for the needed training.

Blogs and discussion technologies would be the two most proficient choices in accomplishing a successful training for the corporation. Which one to choose would depend on the length of the course and other stipulations the company may be looking for. Personally, I find that the discussion technology would work better as it is more interactive and provides more tools to help the learners gain the knowledge needed. It most likely wouldn’t be as extensive as the Walden University example as the content doesn’t appear to be that long, but it would provide a more well-rounded training for the employees.


Resources

Chamberlain, W. (2010, September 22). Mr. C’s Class Blog. Retrieved September 23, 2010, from http://mrcsclassblog.blogspot.com/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek S. (2009). Teaching and Learning at a Distance: Foundations of Distance Education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

The Technology of Distance Education [Filmstrip with audio]. (2010) United States: Sylvan.