Week Two:
Think of something that you might need to develop in order to train people in your workplace or other environment. Pick something that would have negative consequences of learner did not learn. It does not have to be life or death if concept is not learned – but it is critical for the learner to learn what you are developing instruction for. If you already have a project that you would like to improve, then by all means, you can use that.
I chose to improve a past project.
E-Learning Module Proposal Revisited
Adam Rethlake
EDTC6329
University of Texas - Brownsville
July 21, 2014
Instructor: Janice Butler, Ed. D.
E-Learning Module Proposal Revisited
Introduction:
Originally this module was created for 6325. The module was completed for the class, but I would like to add more to the module. There is a need to have a well created web module for staff to understand how to use WebEx. I would like to address the difference between the web application and the downloadable application. Some improvement would be welcomed to help make this module easier to understand and to increase the enjoyment of user.
This e-learning module pertains to the installation and use of WebEx from Cisco Corporation. Currently, universities, public school districts, and corporations are all in search of ways to save money. In this WebEx modular the user will install the WebEx software, create an account, invite other users to a meeting via email/phone, and develop the skills to facilitate a remote technical help session. I am curious to hear how you are going to apply some of the concepts to this module. I see it as being a fairly straight-forward "how-to-do" module that does not necessarily lend itself to engaging content that grabs and holds the learner. I am interested in seeing how you will do this.
Austin Community College has just started to use online collaboration to lighten the load of travel for meetings. Most faculty and staff of ACC are not familiar with WebEx. The HelpDesk is in the process of using the remote features of WebEx to complete easy remote computer services that once before the tech had to drive to the location. That is becoming a thing of the past. The faculty and staff have started to use WebEx to conduct the weekly meeting that would take faculty and staff away from their home campus and force the users to drive and collect mileage. The staff and faculty can now meet on line from their own offices or on the go. The user can even use a phone or tablet to view and partake in the meeting.
A must much better solution than that of conference calls. There is no fancy phone to buy, just the subscription fee for the service. The user is able to be viewed and heard over the internet. WebEx is more than a conference call. WebEx is a way to work in collaboration. Yes - those conference calls are a thing of the past as is webconferencing for classes.
Instructional Goal and Objective:
Instructional Goal:
Faculty and staff successfully completing this training will be able to install, configure, and conduct web conferencing meetings with remote users using the WebEx web application.
Sub Goal 1: Faculty and Staff will correctly install WebEx to their computer.
Objective 1.1 Users will correctly navigate to the IT website and locate the WebEx application.
Objective 1.2 Users will reveal the correct procedure to download the WebEx application to their c:download folder.
Objective 1.3 Users will double click the WebEx application
Objective 1.4 Users will accept the licensing agreement when prompted during the installation of WebEx.
Sub Goal 2: Faculty and Staff will demonstrate how to request login credentials.
Objective 2.1 Users will demonstrate how to correctly locate and submit the WebEx credentials web form.
Objective 2.2 Users will correctly describe how to login to WebEx
Objective 2.3 Users will identify and select the “Sign in Automatically” check box on the WebEx application.
Sub Goal 3: Faculty and Staff will exhibit the correct way to start a conference
Objective 3.1 Users will administer an email invite the participants.
Objective 3.2 Users will explain the correct way to invite participants by phone
Objective 3.3 Users will validate an invitation
Objective 4.3 Users will demonstrate how to stop a session
Sub Goal 4: Faculty and Staff will illustrate the correct procedure to start a help desk session in order to make corrections on a remote PC.
Objective 4.1 User will construct a proper e-mail to request faculty or staff to participate in a help session
Objective 4.2 User will give an example of how to construct an invite by e-mail
Objective 4.3 Using Gmail or Outlook the user will summarize the correct procedure to request a HelpDesk session.
Intended Audience:
The intended audience is made up of 4500 men and women that are either a faculty or staff member currently employed at Austin Community College. The audience is diverse in age. The age range is from 18 to 60 plus. The education level will also range from high school graduate to Phd. Every employee has at least a high school diploma or GRE.
The application is newly acquired and very few employees have any experience with WebEx. All employees have access to a computer that is on the network, but audience varies in computer skills from expert to novice.
Learning Environment and Context:
Students may access this instructional module from a computer lab or computer with local network access. The computers would need to have internet access and a web browser installed. The user must have rights to install software on the computer. The class would most likely be available for continuing education credit. All faculty and staff must have 12 hours of continuing education to meet the requirements set by the college. A WebEx meeting request could be sent to each VP and administrative assistant. This would get the higher ups using the software and thus start a trickledown effect to the rest of the college.
Summary:
This modular places emphasis on how easy it is to install WebEx. The user really gets to see just how easy the application is install and use. The training modular illustrates some of the most asked questions when it comes to installing and use of WebEx.
Reflections:
Week Two Reflections.
Reflection Week 2
One of the topics that really jump out to me is that you should.
“Think in layers and not linear. People are always asking me about how many slides a course should have. This is the wrong approach when you’re building eLearning courses. Don’t think slides. Think content.” (Rapid E-Learning Blog)
I really did like the way that section address how bad PowerPoint presentations are and that you really don’t have to use PowerPoint to create the presentation. You can use Flash or some other type of animation or just learn some of the advanced technics to for PowerPoint. The information is all valid and something that we as presenters don’t always put into effect.
Creating an ELearning generic template is a great idea. That would have saved me so must time in the past. I think of the projects that I have turned out over the last two years and if I would have had a generic template I could have saved a lot of late nights. Step away from the bullet points is probably the best advice, but extremely hard to do. I was always told that it is hard to argue with a good bullet point. Unfortunately, it is hard to have an audience attentive enough to want to argue with a good bullet point because they stopped listening 6 bullet points back. :-)
I am so glad to see that it was pointed out that learners do not want to waste time playing games or doing some kind of activity that just makes your course look good. I have taken a lot of classes and in the past attended more than my share of presentations for a leadership academy. You name it I have seen a waste of time in un-needed activities that should have not been in the presentation. Yes - it must be relevant. A game that is on target and helps the learner better understand the content could be OK - but not bells and whistles just for bells and whistles sake.
I have a question after reading all this Rapid ELearning. That question is as follows:
“Why don’t college graduate programs teach the Rapid ELarning technics from the beginning?” That is the million dollar question. I think that programs believe graduates should be cognizant of things like Dick and Carey - but really, one class should be enough - right?
The information presented just seems like a no brainer. The information is straight forward and used in real life applications. So why not educate the student to be up and running and ready to get to work in the “Real World”. This is what I would like to accomplish with my Revisited Module from 6325.Excellent - and I look forward to how it turns out.
Also, I know that uploading the document as a link works for some classes - but in this class I really like the ease of commenting directly on the page at the point I want to comment on without having to download the document, provide comments, saving it, uploading it back to your wiki, etc. Too time consuming. If you don't want to just add content to the wiki, you can share a Google Doc and provide the link. I appreciate your cooperation on doing it my way.
Reflections Week 3:
Webinars on Training
The information from the first webinar had a couple very interesting segments. Ethan Edwards offered some very helpful information that made me think. The ability to create scalable single source distribution for multiple devices is what it takes now. You have to have that ability to let the learner use the course wherever the learner is located. Being not just tried to a laptop or a desktop, but being able to use your tablet or phone. That is useful.
Ethan Edwards touched on something that is being used more and more. Just like the gamers use a gamer score and have achievements for doing complex tasks. Xbox has made a lot of money putting this idea into practice. Most people are competitive by nature. Other users can click on your achievements and start a discussion on the topic. The user can then learn even more from the achievement. You can turn the achievements into a way to start a discussion.
Ray Jimenez, Ph.D., brought a very basic idea that is not always addressed. Designers do not always take a look at their product. If you have been creating the same product over and over and not changing the product up. If the product was working last year or the year before that same product could be dated and learner my tune out. The user is no longer learning from the product at the same rate back when the product was first created. The solution was simple. Find a new way to present the content. Simple, straight-forward, and not always put into use, I know I have to do a Sexual Harassment class every year and it’s always the same content. I believe that after 10 years one might want to change things up and offer the content in a new way.
Cammy Bean brought up some that I was introduced from working in advertising and web design. The buyer is going to believe what you are trying to sell if the content looks good. Mac has been doing this ever since that first IMac rolled off the line and then kept selling the same Kool-Aid to the people. The computer might not be better, but the product sure looks good. The point was then addressed that one should know what the people need. That really sounds like marketing to me and is a valid question to know the answer too. If you can work with your client and learn what their employs really need then you can meet the needs of the learner and client.
How to use the information
I would really like to use Cammy’s idea of knowing your constraints. The constraints of the project that I would like to redesign are quality and time. If I had more time I would improve upon the quality of the project. I know that I don’t have the time to make an interactive flash module, but I have the time to create something that will address an E-learning product that will enable learners to become emotionally connected. How to accomplish this is a whole other topic. The human connection is lacking in my old module. If I can build in the human connection then the emotional connection will follow. That will give me a new way to present the content and create a front end that looks good and will build the trust and emotional connections to the module.
Reflections Week 4:
TED Webinars
The information was informative and seems to have a continues link. I am not sure if that was the plain, but that is what has happened. One topic that was mentioned throughout the presentations was to take what you have and go further. The question was not always to go outside the box, but just let go. So many people believe that creativeness and suffering go hand and hand, but that’s not always true. Some people hit a home run right out of the box. Elizabeth Gilbert stated that her greatness is behind her. That could be a truthful statement. It’s hard to have created something early in your career and you’re not sure that throughout the rest of your life if you will ever create something like that again.
I really enjoyed what David Kelley had to say that confidence comes in small victories. I can really see that as being true. If you have a few small victories you ride that for a long time. Instead of one large victory that you are always compared to and can never create something that is close to that first time. The small victories let you string that out over time and really help to build your self-confidence.
Kirby Ferguson really brought this home and I believe really sums up where and how we obtain creativity. Creativity is created by depending on one and other.
Story-based eLearning Design:
Ray Jimenez, Ph.D. article “A cure to boring eLearning” seems to state it pretty clearly that if you have a good story your learner will not get bored and tune out what’s going on. If the learner is bored the learner will not be able to recall the story. If the story is good enough to keep my attention I know that I will follow the lesson better than without the story. Add some 3-minute and chunk eLearning development, now you might really have something. I know that with the good story a 3 minute chunk development I could ask for nothing more. I know that I would not have time to wonder and would be forced to follow the story and at the same time be introduced to the information.
I am not sure if I can use a story in my project. There is a chance that I could come up with a story that would illustrate how useful the product is to use. I do know that if I break the project down to smaller chunks and let the learner be enveloped in the date the user is forced to move more to the center of the story and start learning due to a connection. I know that the reader will need to give the lesson that adds more to the project a test and understanding.
Reflections Week 5:
The one thing that really jumped out and was disused from week to week in the readings and videos was that you should create something not just different but interesting.
We all have seen how bad a PowerPoint presentation can be. I always thought that you could not argue with a good bullet point. The audience can tune that bullet point right out after reading 4 or 5. There are so many other ways to get the point across. You have Flash and animation that are all coded in and part of the StoryLine Application. We like the personal side things. That’s one of the reasons Mac got it starts. You entered in your name and the computer started calling you by name. Interaction doesn’t have to be a game, but just a way to relate to the user. Such as asking for the name and then using the name throughout the project. Not only can you remember names but you can remember numbers and plug those in later throughout the course.
After playing around with this Storyline and reading the Rapid ELearning blogs I have to wonder why don’t we stress the Rapid Elearning in the basic classes. The ability to create templates would have saved me hours of time in several classes. Let’s not forget the ability to go back and change your project is now much simpler. This leans way to creating scalable single source distribution for multiple devices. This is the first time I have heard of such a thing. This makes complete sense not to spend hours creating something that is created at the same time. There are a ton of mobile devices and some of them require you to use a pacific code to develop for. Cammy Bean brought up something that I was introduced to back in advertising and marketing. The product might not be the best, but if it looks good people are will be attracted. This is remake would be a great small victory just as David Kelley pointed out that confidence comes in small victories. I can string out the victory. Not going for the home run just want something better than what I had before.
Storyline can handle the need to keep the viewer’s attention. If you cannot hold the learners attention then you have lost. A good story and the ability to tell the tale. Breaking down the project into smaller chunks and letting the learner jump from section to section. Great means of keep the users attention. I started on the reconstruction of my modular for 6325 and got sided tracked very quickly. Adding the name of the user was simple. That was something that would have had to been coded into the project. Howe ever, this software does this automatically and keeps the name or numbers for use throughout the project. You can build the story for the user to follow along at their own rate. You can create side journeys for the user as much or as little as needed. I know just from the first few slides I was hooked. I wanted to see just what could be done. I know that I just started to scratch the surface. I wanted to know how to do something and that just lead me to another place over and over. Learning curve was somewhat evolved but nothing like Camtasia. I couldn’t have done the things I wanted to do with Camtasia. The ability to have templates that you can use with most of your projects is a great help. The time alone can be cut by using a template. There are times when one will have to build a custom project. You just cannot create a template for everything.
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