Most people have a little fear when it comes
to change, this can be positive or negative based on the reaction. I can
reflect back to scope creep (now that I know what it is) to getting my students
ready for state and national Skills USA competitions. Regardless of how well
planned and organized you are, you cannot possible anticipate people and
behavior. I had rosters planned, buses reserved, payments, uniforms, contest
supplies, meal tickets, and permission forms. Good gosh, could there be
anything else? Why yes, welcome to high school.
Scope Creep is known as “the natural tendency
of the client, as well as project team members, to try to improve the project’s
output as the project progresses”
(Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, & Kramer,
2008, p. 350). My natural tendency is to include all the students. An
impossible task. As each day passes, my
student roster changes due to failing grades of the students. This causes
everything to change, buses, payments, contestants, etc. My problem seems to be
that I wanted more and more students to compete. I overburdened myself by
adding more students.
Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton,
& Kramer (2008), believe that with every project change there needs to be a
change order that includes a description of the agreed upon change and any
other changes to the plan, process, budget or schedule. For me this included
email communication with skills usa, the bus depot, the lunch committee, and of
course parents.
How to avoid or mange scope creep
Begin with a scope statement that spells out
the project and is agreed upon by the students (maintain passing grades) and
parents.
Payment penalty could work for this project
in that parents want a deal and therefore would submit payment before the due
date (no refund for failing grades) and encourage students to perform better in
all classes or risk losing money.
Managing change is important in that it could
be costly or could jeopardize the whole project. Using technology with this project simple
project helped me manage, rearrange and delete students without causing
disruption to the entire list that fed into and created other list. (Bus list
fed to the lunch list and so on).
The best approach to manage scope creep is to
set up a well-controlled, formal process whereby changes can be introduced and
accomplished with as little distress as possible using a change control system
(Portny 2008). A change control system is to do the following:
Scope statement
Communication and approval from stakeholders
Use of technology to create small manageable
sections
Negotiate changes
Resources:
Portny, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer,
S., Sutton, M., & Kramer, B. (2008). Project Management: Planning,
Scheduling, and Controlling Projects. Wiley & Sons Inc.
“The key to successful project
management is effective communication.” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Schafer, and
Sutton (2008). Every day we are charged with communicating
with people, but in some instances the message is not always received in the
intended way. Tone can be perceived in various ways depending on the media of
the communication. (Portny,2008), noted
“the ability to communicate well, both orally and in writing, is a critical
skill for project managers. Effective communication should be influenced by (1)
spirit and attitude, (2) tonality and body language, (3) timing, and (4)
personality of the recipient (Stolovitch, 2014).
Email
The first modality used to deliver
the message was via email. The write, Jane expresses understanding of how busy
Mark is, but still with a little sense of urgency stress how dependent she and
her work is to his. Based on the level of technology that Mark has in his all
day meeting, this message could be received and thus communication would be
complete. However, lack of technology could create a wall for this type of
communication. Written communication should be identified with a clear purpose
followed by an explanation of the issues and it should include suggestions for
potential solutions. (Laureate, 2014). This email message does set a clear
purpose and does offer two solutions, however the time line element is missing.
Email is great for keeping documentation because it is important in case
a problem arises (Stolovitch, 2014). I feel as if it is a suggestion and not a
demand based on the tone that I perceived in the email.
Voice mail
The message of the voice mail is the
same as the email, but does communicate a little differently. This type of
communication does not allow for instant feedback or clarification. The
voice mail seems to demonstrate an authoritative tone which may not be well
received as it could put the receiver on the defensive or simply be misunderstood;
however in my opinion it seems courteous and professional.
Face
to Face
I like face to face communication
as opposed to most other methods, but that is simply a personal choice. Where I
find email a faster easier approach, I still prefer face to face communication
due to the immediate satisfaction that I seek. This style can change the interpretation of
the message. Others can see this as aggressive and rude because it puts the
other person on the spot. While this does appear that she is talking to
Mark due to the nodding of her head and use of her hands. The body language and
nonverbal cues soften the tone of the message. Due to Mark’s schedule this may
not be the best method at this time. This can create a gap in attention and
therefore understanding. F2F communication will give the most immediate results
for what Jane needs based on her timeline of submitting her own work. Mark can
give an immediate answer.
Conclusion
The modality of each communication
provided only a slightly different interpretation based on contextual cues.
Verbal and non verbal cues can influence how a message is received based on the
relationship of the people involved. This relationship can influence the
sending and receiving of the message. Portny, et al. (2008) recommended
developing a communications plan to address formal and informal communications,
both oral and written, as part of the planning process to ensure that all team
members are aware of the expectations for communicating information related to
the project.
References
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.
Projects should be planned carefully
to ensure that the deliverables are met. As such, certain elements are
essential during the planning process. For example, these elements include
defining the project, developing a plan, and deliver the project in a timely
manner within budget constraints. Last year, I was contacted by a CPR
instructor and asked to participate in a project with her to train 75 teachers
in CPR and then certify them as CPR instructors.
A needs analysis was conducted
through a survey of teachers to determine how many were already certified, how
many held an expired certification and how many were already CPR instructors at
some point. This was important information
to understand where the training should begin. Would there need to be a novice
class, an intermediate class for those who had been certified in the past and
then how many would need to be taught how to be an instructor verses those who
just needed to demonstrate technique and show class rosters of participants?
I met with the instructor who had
hired me and did a little planning and looked at the survey results. All
teachers had been certified in the past yet no one had ever been certified as
an instructor. We determined we needed three sessions.
Part 1: Demonstrate CPR to the group,
practice with the group, and certify the group in CPR.
Part 2: Certify the teacher on how to
train the students including the use of videos, worksheets, rubrics and
grading.
Part 3: Train the teachers on how to
complete and submit the student rosters. ( This allows the student to then be
certified in CPR)
I was a co trainer, so I assumed that
the instructor would be prepared for the training. We did not have a brainstorming session that
defined our roles. We were not creating deliverables but were planning to
execute the ones already in place. We spoke briefly about what she wanted me to
do.
My job duties included:
Unpack and assemble the mannequins, the
manuals, the videos and the face shields.
Set up the sign in rosters for the
teachers.
Observe teachers as they demonstrate
technique and check off the tasks on the rubric.
Assist 4 groups of 4 students each
(16 teachers) on being an instructor. This includes planning instruction for
the other student in the class.
Problems:
The instructor did not check the
school that we were using for training to see if they had working technology
for the videos, such as projector and screen or television and DVD player. This
was not available in the room and the time delay in searching for this set us
back by 45 minutes. The rosters and the rubrics were not printed prior to the
teacher’s arrival. We both arrived 1 hour early to set up. I was unfamiliar
with the type of mannequins that the instructor had and it took me much longer
than expected to set up the mannequins for practice.
Most of this could have been avoided
by simply creating an implementation strategy and ensuring that the
deliverables and the technology was ready. This project also had multiple
objectives and multiple tasks that included certification and instructor
requirements. This training could be better by following the Phases of the
Project Management:
Planning-We could have met to enhance
communication.
Scheduling-This phase is to
coordinate people and resources to achieve the goals of the training.
Controlling-Monitoring progress of
the project by anticipation of problems and have backup plans
Terminating-taking action to prevent
problems in the future. Evaluation of the instructor is critical for improving.
The project manager needs to be
flexible, identify impacts of changes, and communicate the advantages and
disadvantages of the change. (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton, &
Kramer, 2008)
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.
The current
perspective on distance learning is changing to a more positive outlook and the
rapidly developing world of technology is contributing to the shift. The
demanding schedules of the working America is now demanding education that is
more flexible and more time conscious for the student. The benefits of distance
learning are becoming clearer as more people enroll and take course. George
Siemens (2010), in speaking on the future of distance education, spoke of
bridging the gap of comfort and explaining that as learners have more
experience with technologies they will be more comfortable with using them in
an educational format. Instructional designers can continue to change the
perspective of distance learning by
Electronic
communication now means that the student and the instructor no longer have to
be in the same time or place for the acquisition of knowledge. The equivalency
theory states that distance courses should be equivalent but not identical to
F2F courses. (Simonson, Smaldino,
Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, pp. 52-53). It is the learning
activities that will look different though the outcomes will be the same. The
use of Skype, Face Time, Google hangout all allow for real time communication.
With the internet
and technology being one of the best teachers and sources of information in
world, people now know more than they have ever known and are demanding to
continue learning in many different ways. Teaching without interaction is not
teaching. It is providing information and students and they no longer need
teachers to do that. One student asked me this week, how are pencils made. We
spent the next hour watching videos from the internet on how things are made
and then wrote a reflection about it is done. Definitely a learning experience for all.
I love this quote
about eLearning. It really speaks volume about the job of the Instructional
Designer (ID) “The most profound words will remain unread and unheard unless
you can keep the learner engaged. You can't see their eyes to know if they got
it so ... say it, show it, write it, demo it and link it to an activity”. James
Bates
ID must create
course and activities that engage, provoke critical thinking skills, require
participate and provide learning that meets the needs of the students. Multimedia
provides resources that can be more effective than text and images
alone. (Simonson et al., 2012)
As a teacher,
changing the perspective of at least one student is a success, so if by
speaking out about my personal experiences as a distance learning student and
continuing my growth as an Instructional Designer changes the perspective of at
least one but counting on many then I am successful. I am trying to flip my
Forensic high school classroom and I hope this will ease the anxieties of my
senior about entering college and taking courses online. Most high school
students think of college in terms of the traditional F2F classes because they
have very limited information and access to online course except as credit
recovery. By continuing to focus on student centered learning, teachers can
prepare future learners for distance learning.
Due to the fun
stigma attached to living on campus, joining fraternities/sororities and the
overall college experience, it seems unlikely that the young first time college
students will give all that up for purely distance learning, but the mature
working group with families, it will still be the most chosen method of
continued education.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S.,
Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance:
Foundations of distance education (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
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 time.
What are the pre-planning instructions that the trainer needs
to consider before converting to the blended learning environment?
What aspects of the training program could be enhanced for
the distance learning format?
What is the role of the instructor or trainer?
What steps should the instructor take to encourage the
trainees to communicate online?
With the
advancement of technology and societies ever changing view of the public school
system, the demand for learning is changing.
Planning an
online course for the first time should begin 3-5 months in advance of the
course’s start date (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright,
& Zvacek 2012)
Since the
data will be stored on a server for later use, the appropriate CMS or LMS must
be chosen. The content, method of delivery, and environment must be carefully
considered. The ADDIE model is used by the Instructional Designer to meet the
needs of the students through the design of the course.
Analysis:
Study the environment in
order to understand it and describe
the
goals and objectives.
Design: Defines he learning objectives
Development: Build the content of the
course and
the learning materials.
Implementation: Putting the course into
action
Evaluation: Formative and Summative
evaluation.
Use to evaluate the
course and the learning
By using the addie model of design, the unique characteristics of the
learners can be considered and content can be adjusted to meet the needs.
When
designing the course, avoid “shovelware”,
which Simonson says is dumping traditional class material onto the web and
calling it an online course. (et. al., 2012, p. 134) Online activities should
meet a specific learning objective.
Blended
courses include activities that are substituted for a portion of the actual
seat time in an otherwise face to face conventional course. (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek
2012, p. 125).
Planning for distance
education "must occur well in advance of the scheduled instruction"
(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 153). Consider the
following strategies when planning for a blended learning experience. Strategies include:
Face to Face Instruction
Blended Learning
Teacher led instruction
Shift Instruction to visual and
timed presentations.
Keeping student attention
Illustrate key concepts, using
tables and other visuals like pie charts.
Lecture, group work
Discussion boards that provide
interactivity
Technology Failures
Always have a backup plan that
includes activities and projects outside of the computer and alternate ways
to communicate. Fax, email. (p. 161)
(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright,
& Zvacek, 2012, p. 153).
The training manager needs to consider the following
components necessary for a successful online course: the learners, the content,
the method of delivery, the material, the learning environment, and the
technology necessary for learning to occur (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, &
Zvacek 2012, p.137).
The feedback may help him determine whether the
blended-learning environment is really the right format for his training.
(Simonson et al, p. 127)
What
aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance
learning format?
The content for the
course needs to be sufficient to ensure the entire learning experience will
lead to the desired outcome. (Simonson et al, p.157) The challenge of education is to match the
content of the subject to the needs of the learner. (Simonson et al, p. 158).
The facilitator
should use a wide variety of technology tools to assist in communication and
learning, but only if it has a purpose and is useful. The instructor needs to
focus on selecting instructional strategies that engage all the learners, by
switching from information to discovery of information. (Simonson et al, p.
159). Problem based activities, and games is a excellent way to promote
critical thinking skills. This YouTube video does a nice job of illustrating
tools that can be used in the digital classroom.
Gabgorilla. (2011). Technology in the classroom [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbVKPhVCRFI
How
will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?
According to Dr. George Piskurich (2010), the methods used
to facilitate online and traditional courses remain the same. However, it is
more difficult to perform the role and communication in an online environment.
In a distance learning course:
Facilitators should not resort to PowerPoint presentations
because it is an “unengaging way to deliver content in an online or virtual
environment” (Piskurish, 2010).
Activities are more important in a distance learning
environment. Although the content is critical, it is the activities that keeps
the learner going and enthusiastic and helps them learn the content.
Because the course is now student driven, the trainer now
becomes a facilitator and must keep in constant contact with the learners. It
is very difficult for a facilitator to communicate with all the learners.
However, the facilitator must keep in contact and make himself available to the
students. It is the job of the facilitator to guide the students instead of
training them.
What
steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?
The trainer should foster a learner-centered learning
environment by engaging the trainees in stimulating collaborative activities
such as small group projects and by setting up thought-provoking discussion
threads and requiring the trainees to respond to a minimum number of student
posts. “The threaded discussion is one of the most powerful techniques used in
distance education” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p. 186).
In an asynchronous environment, the trainer could create
trainee debates and trainee-moderated discussions, have the trainees create and
respond to one another’s blogs, or collaborate on projects by using Wikis. For
synchronous communication, trainees can be encouraged to communicate using
audio- and video-conferencing tools, participate in online chats, and instant
messaging.
More:
These
presentations are part of the faculty development program in blended teaching
and learning offered by the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee through the
Sloan Consortium. The program provides rigorous, practical, and comprehensive
training in all aspects of course redesign for blended offering. The workshop
trainers, all from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, are experienced
blended instructors who represent a wide range of disciplines including the
humanities, fine arts, social and natural sciences. The trainers have
successfully offered this program on numerous campuses across the United
States.
References
Clark, D. (2008) Kirkpatrick’s four-level training
evaluation model
Open Kaplan courses are free introductory courses where the goal
of these courses is to provide educational material to all who wish to learn.
Online E learning allows the learner to gain knowledge and deepen their
understanding of what it means to learn in the digital age. There are posted
topics, modules, discussion/essay questions and quizzes.
Theories
Learning theories provide a solid foundation for a multitude
of strategies and reasoning techniques needed for instructional designers to
create meaningful learning systems. The
andragogy learning theory in combination with the equivalency theory and constructivism
are types of theories that guide distance learning. The andragogy theory states
that “courses should have clear descriptions, learning objectives, resources,
and timelines for events” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012, p.
51).
Constructivism is a theory that suggests that students can
gain knowledge and meaning from interactions, experiences and ideas and that
humans create meaning as opposed to acquire it.
When a course is designed with constructivism in mind,
instructors must create engaging environments that grab the attention of the
learner to gain knowledge and develop meaning for themselves.
Some factors that Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek
(2012), believe are important to include in a course are: student-instructor
interaction and student-student interaction,like discussion
groups, activity based strategies, assessment, and the use of multimedia
(print, audio and video).
http://ocw.kaplan.edu/criminal-justice
I chose Kaplan University’s free online open courseware to
preview. I am looking at the Forensic Biology and Impression Evidence course. While
reviewing some of the Fundamentals of Teaching online, it is clear that very
few if any of the guidelines are being met.
What is required?
Course
Analysis
Organize
the course and make the requirements clear to the students. (Simonson p. 134)
The course is organized and
requirements are clear. There is not any detail to the assignments.
Pre-Planning
Distance education instructors often
find that to be effective, they must acquire a different set of skills than
they use in a traditional classroom. For example, planning must be
conducted in advance, materials must be made to conform to the standards of
the technology being used, and lectures must be designed to be interactive
enough to hold the students’ attention when they do not have an instructor
directly in front of them. (Smith, N. 2003).
Introduction
There is a welcome section that is
sufficient. Resources and the plagiarism policy is listed.
Teacher
and Student Interaction and Student to Student Interaction.
Keep
Students Informed (pg. 135)
Clearly stated on course content
instructions is: This Open Courseware version is intended for autonomous
learning and does not facilitate your involvement with an instructor or
interaction with classmates. This does not meet the standards of effective
online learning.
There is not a discussion group for
this course.
Syllabus: The most important document the
instructional designer can create for an online class is a syllabus
(Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).
There is not a syllabus for this
course.
Objectives: objectives should state the conditions
under which learning should occur, the performance expected of the learner,
and the standard to which the performance will be matched(Simonson)
While there are some objectives
listed, they do not meet the criteria of distance learning.
The objectives are clear, but the
expectation of the learner is missing.
Example: What the student will learn.
The role and responsibilities of the
expert witness.
Technology
Without
technical assistance and properly trained instructors, even the best
technology can prove almost worthless. (Smith, N. 2003).
This course does not use any
technology other than the CMS. The CMS is easy to navigate but is not
interactive.
Teaching
strategies and Media.
Since there is not any instruction
interaction, there are not any teaching strategies.
The vocabulary words are simple root
memory and do not meet the needs of the adult learner.
Learning
Activities: Active learning means that the learners need to be involved in
their own learning (Simonson et al., 2012).
Extend
course readings beyond the text.
While
these are clearly stated, there is not any interaction.
·Review the Key
Terms
·Read Chapter 1,
"Introduction," and Chapter 2, "The Crime Scene,"
in Criminalistics
·Review this
unit's Additional Resources.
·Respond to the
Discussion questions
·Take the quiz
·In some
sections there are additional resources for required reading.
Benefits
of this course to the learner.
It may course credit at Kaplan
University or meet the needs for certification or Professional Learning.
It gives open access to material and
information.
It is self-paced.
Conclusion:
Adult
learners need to control their learning experience. Open courseware
opportunities all adults to gain knowledge for free at their own pace without
any cost. Most of these courses do not meet the fundamentals of designing and
teaching online. The course is not designed for multiple learning styles, or
learner ability. There is very little if any use of technology. Where there is
a learning potential in all open source courses, I decided not to continue in
the course that I started. I was bored, lacked interest and motivation. Maybe
this is the goal of the free program, to entice me to enroll in Kaplan
University and take a different more interactive course.
References:
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvack, S.
(2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education
(5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
