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Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Analyzing Scope Creep
Describe a project, either personal or professional, that experienced issues related to scope creep. What specific scope creep issues occurred? How did you or other stakeholders deal with those issues at the time? Looking back on the experience now, had you been in the position of managing the project, what could you have done to better manage these issues and control the scope of the project?
In 1990, I worked as a graphic arts instructor at a local vocational school. Twenty-one years ago I realized that the school lacked current technology resources. I had to develop a plan to meet the social change within our business community in order to have my students employed within the district. I was instructed by my supervisor to develop a five year plan to incorporate current technology into my program.
That year, I presented a plan to the board of education for incorporating computers into my department for a graphic design lab. I had to unfreeze the administration's attitude about the use of technology in meeting local corporations request for computer savvy students. The moving process entailed data and statistics collected from community leaders and then presented to the board of education. Regrettably, I did not have verbal or formal suggestions from community leaders signed in a summary report. I lacked the evidence from the community required to support my five year plan.
Unfortunately, since I did not have prior experience as a project manager, I had underestimated the resources and cost required to meet the board of education's projected one year plan. The first year plan embedded a purchase of three computers which followed one additional computer purchase each year after the first initial phase. The cost did not exceed over $9,000 dollars total for three Macintosh computers and one small black and white printer. Nevertheless, I had fifty students enroll into my program and I taught multimedia skills with three small Macintosh computers. Sadly, the technology lacked in the ability to perform the required skilled need to employee students in the community. I had no control over the purchase of the equipment. My principal ordered the computers without my knowledge prior to school starting in September of 1991. Obviously, there was a miscommunication on the purchase of the type of computers that was required for my program. I made accommodations that year and I survived working with three small computers and one black and white printer. Again, I reassessed the project and realized that I had to adjust to the project plan and deal with the modifications from my initial summary report presented to the board of education.
The following year I revised the documentation of each scope change that applied to my needs in order to purchase additional computer and larger monitors, tablets, and a color printer. I updated a new project scope statement and a new project five year plan. The plan included conditions for the needed equipment, a project five year time frame, and the community leaders who recommended and approved my five year plan. The community leaders also purposed a project report with a rationale statement and a written confirmation for the changes and the corresponding revised plan needed to sustain an emerging technology program.
Finally, the closing stage enabled changed behaviors among the students who were motivated to learn new technological strategies and became employed before graduation. Overall, fifty percent of the students became employed as a result of the five year phase of change brought into the revised program at the vocational school. Initially, the multimedia program was a stepping stone to implementing a phase of technology resources exposed throughout the entire school. Today it remains as one of the most popular courses to enroll in at the vocational school.
As an inexperienced instructor dealing with project planning, I realized that I needed to analyze the situation and prepare a summary and progress report for my new computer lab each year for the board of education and my community leaders. According to Portny (2008) "A progress report is a convenient way to keep key audiences involved in a project and informed of anything they have to do to support the project's ongoing performance (p.361).
References:
Portny, S.E., Mantel, S.J. Meredith, J.R., Shafer, S.M., & Sutton, M.M. (2008). Project management: Planning,
scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Describe a project, either personal or professional, that experienced issues related to scope creep. What specific scope creep issues occurred? How did you or other stakeholders deal with those issues at the time? Looking back on the experience now, had you been in the position of managing the project, what could you have done to better manage these issues and control the scope of the project?
In 1990, I worked as a graphic arts instructor at a local vocational school. Twenty-one years ago I realized that the school lacked current technology resources. I had to develop a plan to meet the social change within our business community in order to have my students employed within the district. I was instructed by my supervisor to develop a five year plan to incorporate current technology into my program.
That year, I presented a plan to the board of education for incorporating computers into my department for a graphic design lab. I had to unfreeze the administration's attitude about the use of technology in meeting local corporations request for computer savvy students. The moving process entailed data and statistics collected from community leaders and then presented to the board of education. Regrettably, I did not have verbal or formal suggestions from community leaders signed in a summary report. I lacked the evidence from the community required to support my five year plan.
Unfortunately, since I did not have prior experience as a project manager, I had underestimated the resources and cost required to meet the board of education's projected one year plan. The first year plan embedded a purchase of three computers which followed one additional computer purchase each year after the first initial phase. The cost did not exceed over $9,000 dollars total for three Macintosh computers and one small black and white printer. Nevertheless, I had fifty students enroll into my program and I taught multimedia skills with three small Macintosh computers. Sadly, the technology lacked in the ability to perform the required skilled need to employee students in the community. I had no control over the purchase of the equipment. My principal ordered the computers without my knowledge prior to school starting in September of 1991. Obviously, there was a miscommunication on the purchase of the type of computers that was required for my program. I made accommodations that year and I survived working with three small computers and one black and white printer. Again, I reassessed the project and realized that I had to adjust to the project plan and deal with the modifications from my initial summary report presented to the board of education.
The following year I revised the documentation of each scope change that applied to my needs in order to purchase additional computer and larger monitors, tablets, and a color printer. I updated a new project scope statement and a new project five year plan. The plan included conditions for the needed equipment, a project five year time frame, and the community leaders who recommended and approved my five year plan. The community leaders also purposed a project report with a rationale statement and a written confirmation for the changes and the corresponding revised plan needed to sustain an emerging technology program.
Finally, the closing stage enabled changed behaviors among the students who were motivated to learn new technological strategies and became employed before graduation. Overall, fifty percent of the students became employed as a result of the five year phase of change brought into the revised program at the vocational school. Initially, the multimedia program was a stepping stone to implementing a phase of technology resources exposed throughout the entire school. Today it remains as one of the most popular courses to enroll in at the vocational school.
As an inexperienced instructor dealing with project planning, I realized that I needed to analyze the situation and prepare a summary and progress report for my new computer lab each year for the board of education and my community leaders. According to Portny (2008) "A progress report is a convenient way to keep key audiences involved in a project and informed of anything they have to do to support the project's ongoing performance (p.361).
References:
Portny, S.E., Mantel, S.J. Meredith, J.R., Shafer, S.M., & Sutton, M.M. (2008). Project management: Planning,
scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
The Art of Effective Communication at Work
This week's assignment request to view communication strategies utilizing three different modalities: email, voicemail and video messages. Reflect upon each modality and determine which form of communication best conveyed the true meaning and intent of the message.
1. Email
This form of communication is best when it is necessary to respect a recipients time. The recipient can choose when it is best for them to receive and respond to email. However, emails are less personal and effective when it comes to urgency. One may not attend to emails until the end of the day or later in the week. Emails tend to delay decision-making. Jane's email demonstrates some urgency, yet does not give a specific date or time that data needs to be collected. Therefore, I would place this email on the back burner until I am able to attend to my other tasks for the day. An effective email response should include the date and time to show urgency of the required material needed to stay on task. As noted by Stolovitch (2011) in your written form of communication, include a purpose stated in the beginning and implement a solution for your client or team members.
2. VoiceMail
This message was conveyed in a friendly tone while creating urgency. Yet the message did not give a date or time to meet a deadline. Jane's voice message was monotone and professional. This message was a quick conversation for getting the point across. Hopefully, a receptive phone message or email will respond to her request by the end of the day. Stolovitch (2011) notes effective communication includes clarification and understanding of the task given to the stakeholder and team. Additionally, make sure all details are documented and signed - always have documented evidence during a conversation. Hence, Jane left out the response time in her message and is unable to document this message sent to Mark. Though, a recording of this message can be documented through the company's phone system.
3. Face-to-Face Communication
This is the most effective form of communication for personal discussions in an organization. People are friendly, respectful, and attentive to the discussion when meeting face-to-face. You are able to read the person through facial and body expression in seeking understanding of the topic. In person and scheduled meetings work bests for discussions requiring consensus for a project. As noted by Stolovitch (2011) request a time frame from your team members. This is an area that Jane lacked in each modality. In this scenario, face-to-face appears to be an effective communication strategy for Jane. She is personal and sincere in requesting information from Mark.
Refection:
Overall, this exercise revealed that different methods of communication are effective depending upon the urgency of the task. Additionally it depends on who is making the request and how urgent the memo is. In Stolovitch's (2011) video he demonstrates, "How does one know if they are communicating properly?" It is obvious that the Project Manager/Instructional Designer is required to make contact frequently (written/ oral communication), respond to a time-frame, remain business friendly, and use respectful language often.
Reference:
Laureate Media (2010). The art of effective communication [Video podcast]. Retrieved March 16, 2011 from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html
Stolovitch.,H. (2011) “Project Management Concerns: Communication Strategies and Organizational Culture”
.[Video Podcast]. Retrieved March 16, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
1. Email
This form of communication is best when it is necessary to respect a recipients time. The recipient can choose when it is best for them to receive and respond to email. However, emails are less personal and effective when it comes to urgency. One may not attend to emails until the end of the day or later in the week. Emails tend to delay decision-making. Jane's email demonstrates some urgency, yet does not give a specific date or time that data needs to be collected. Therefore, I would place this email on the back burner until I am able to attend to my other tasks for the day. An effective email response should include the date and time to show urgency of the required material needed to stay on task. As noted by Stolovitch (2011) in your written form of communication, include a purpose stated in the beginning and implement a solution for your client or team members.
2. VoiceMail
This message was conveyed in a friendly tone while creating urgency. Yet the message did not give a date or time to meet a deadline. Jane's voice message was monotone and professional. This message was a quick conversation for getting the point across. Hopefully, a receptive phone message or email will respond to her request by the end of the day. Stolovitch (2011) notes effective communication includes clarification and understanding of the task given to the stakeholder and team. Additionally, make sure all details are documented and signed - always have documented evidence during a conversation. Hence, Jane left out the response time in her message and is unable to document this message sent to Mark. Though, a recording of this message can be documented through the company's phone system.
3. Face-to-Face Communication
This is the most effective form of communication for personal discussions in an organization. People are friendly, respectful, and attentive to the discussion when meeting face-to-face. You are able to read the person through facial and body expression in seeking understanding of the topic. In person and scheduled meetings work bests for discussions requiring consensus for a project. As noted by Stolovitch (2011) request a time frame from your team members. This is an area that Jane lacked in each modality. In this scenario, face-to-face appears to be an effective communication strategy for Jane. She is personal and sincere in requesting information from Mark.
Refection:
Overall, this exercise revealed that different methods of communication are effective depending upon the urgency of the task. Additionally it depends on who is making the request and how urgent the memo is. In Stolovitch's (2011) video he demonstrates, "How does one know if they are communicating properly?" It is obvious that the Project Manager/Instructional Designer is required to make contact frequently (written/ oral communication), respond to a time-frame, remain business friendly, and use respectful language often.
Reference:
Laureate Media (2010). The art of effective communication [Video podcast]. Retrieved March 16, 2011 from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html
Stolovitch.,H. (2011) “Project Management Concerns: Communication Strategies and Organizational Culture”
.[Video Podcast]. Retrieved March 16, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Week 2 Learning from a Project "Post-mortem"
In 1993, I was employed as a multimedia instructor at a local vocational school. I realized that the school lacked current technological resources. My supervisor instructed my partner and I to implement a five-year project plan that demonstrated evidence for improvement for our multimedia program for high school students. The goal for the five-year improvement plan would increase successful employment among the students in our high school program. At that time, students qualified to seek employment in this field was low. Hence, our program was out dated with inefficient computers and software programs that could not be utilized in the real-world businesses. Organizations requested students to be trained with current emerging technology prior to being considered for employed with their local corporations.
Immediately, my partner and I decided to develop a plan to meet the social change within our business community in order to have my students employed within the district. My partner was a thirty year veteran teacher who did not have the desire to learn emerging technologies for our program; this was the single most frustrating part of my project. I realized I needed to encourage him to become knowledgeable with current trends, yet he was not interested. I knew I was going to be the major force toward implementing this program into the current twenty-first century. I collected data and statistics from community leaders and presented the summary project report to the board of education.
Unfortunately my initial plan did not impress the board of education. The following September, they only approved three small Macintosh computers for an enrollment of thirty students into my program. The board of education continued not to understand the urgency for staying current with multimedia software.
Quickly I utilized the Kurt Lewin approach, unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. (Hitt, Miller & Collela, 2009). I had to unfreeze the administration's attitude about the use of technology in meeting local corporations request for computer savvy students. The moving process entailed six months of contacting community leaders to visit the school's program. The professional leaders shared their insight on how to improve the program with current technology. They were interested to attend a school board meeting and share ideas with the board members in a positive way. At the meeting, I provided a PowerPoint summary for a five-year plan that would transition multimedia student's into a real-world environment for employment. A summary of equipment, time-frame, and anticipated expenses were embedded in the summary report for review.
I informed and encourage the board of education that support and training would be provided in order to obtain employment for the students upon graduation. Finally, the refreezing stage enabled changed behaviors among the students who were motivated to learn new technological strategies and became employed before graduation. Overall, seventy-five percent of the students became employed as a result of the planned phase of change brought into the revised program at the vocational school. Initially, the multimedia program was a stepping stone to implementing a phase of technology resources exposed throughout the entire school. The five-year plan was a grueling experience, yet as a result of a cohesive strategy to stay current, the multimedia program remains as one of the most popular courses to enroll in at the vocational high school.
References:
Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella. (2009). Organizational Behavior: A Strategic Approach (2nd ed.) by A. Copyright 2009 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. Reproduced with permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. in the format electronic usage via Copyright Clearance Center.
Immediately, my partner and I decided to develop a plan to meet the social change within our business community in order to have my students employed within the district. My partner was a thirty year veteran teacher who did not have the desire to learn emerging technologies for our program; this was the single most frustrating part of my project. I realized I needed to encourage him to become knowledgeable with current trends, yet he was not interested. I knew I was going to be the major force toward implementing this program into the current twenty-first century. I collected data and statistics from community leaders and presented the summary project report to the board of education.
Unfortunately my initial plan did not impress the board of education. The following September, they only approved three small Macintosh computers for an enrollment of thirty students into my program. The board of education continued not to understand the urgency for staying current with multimedia software.
Quickly I utilized the Kurt Lewin approach, unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. (Hitt, Miller & Collela, 2009). I had to unfreeze the administration's attitude about the use of technology in meeting local corporations request for computer savvy students. The moving process entailed six months of contacting community leaders to visit the school's program. The professional leaders shared their insight on how to improve the program with current technology. They were interested to attend a school board meeting and share ideas with the board members in a positive way. At the meeting, I provided a PowerPoint summary for a five-year plan that would transition multimedia student's into a real-world environment for employment. A summary of equipment, time-frame, and anticipated expenses were embedded in the summary report for review.
I informed and encourage the board of education that support and training would be provided in order to obtain employment for the students upon graduation. Finally, the refreezing stage enabled changed behaviors among the students who were motivated to learn new technological strategies and became employed before graduation. Overall, seventy-five percent of the students became employed as a result of the planned phase of change brought into the revised program at the vocational school. Initially, the multimedia program was a stepping stone to implementing a phase of technology resources exposed throughout the entire school. The five-year plan was a grueling experience, yet as a result of a cohesive strategy to stay current, the multimedia program remains as one of the most popular courses to enroll in at the vocational high school.
References:
Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella. (2009). Organizational Behavior: A Strategic Approach (2nd ed.) by A. Copyright 2009 by John Wiley & Sons Inc. Reproduced with permission of John Wiley & Sons Inc. in the format electronic usage via Copyright Clearance Center.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
The Future of Distance Learning
For this week's assignment, consider your learning in this course and the presentation by Dr. Siemens; reflect on the current and future perceptions of distance learning in our society. Take into account the societal forces in the world, including the advocates for and skeptics of distance learning, and consider the following:
• What do you think the perceptions of distance learning will be in the future (in 5–10 years; 10–20 years)?
• How can you as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?
• How will you be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?
According to George Siemens (2011), "Distance learning is gradually being accepted into our society. Once people begin to find a comfort level in learning with technology, distance learning will increase into the future". Siemens' insight for distance learning depends upon the quality of technology, educational implementation, collaboration of global knowledge, and the increase use of multimedia, games, simulations, and video application within online courses (Siemens 2011).
I believe that the perceptions of distance learning will change the way we teach and learn in the future. I believe that the United States Department of Education will establish e-learning guidelines to set the pace for distance learning for K-12 and secondary learning. According to Simonson, Sandino, Albright, & Zvacek (2009) "Within the next decade every state and most schools will be turning to distance education to expand offerings for students and increase professional development opportunities for teachers" (p.340). Simonson et al. (2009) notes the United States Department of Education suggests giving virtual schools special attention toward the future of educating students. Additional suggestions include: strengthen leadership roles, implement online teacher training, improve broadband access, create effective digital content and integrate data systems (p. 340).
Furthermore, universities have been utilizing distance education rapidly within the past ten years (Howell, Williams, & Lindsay, 2011). There are many reasons for this advancement: the life-style convenience for older students who are technological savvy, the popularity with the Internet, and the rapid technology change within the workforce that demands our society to stay ahead in a highly competitive economy.
In the next 5 to 10 years, I believe people will find a comfort level with digital content as well as communicating online - yet we're already there! Our society finds communicating through Facebook, Twitter, chat, and texting very easy, yet taking an e-learning class is not common to our society. There are many school administrators and parent who continue to be skeptical in regards to effectiveness of learning online. The neomillennial student will be the immersing factor to online education for the future. In the next 10 - 20 years, the neomillennial generation will implement digital learning with real-world applications that will emerge with different countries. This generation will provide schools, government, and business to interaction with advance video conferencing and emerging technology web-based tools yet to be seen! Overall, the World Wide Web (www) will be the driven tool in projecting distance education for the future.
As our society becomes technology dependent toward adapting to today's workforce and life-style, the instructional designer (ID) will be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning. The ID is required to focus on the learner and what the student needs to learn. Online content is self-directed and self-govern as information and knowledge expands. The ID and the institution must provide the learner with quality curriculum to learn in any geographical location. An ID's goal is to create stimulating and interactive learning environments for all users. The ID must establish a thorough planning phase as noted from Dr. George Piskurich (2011) the ADDIE model establishes awareness for setting the beginning stages for organization skills within the development process for solving a problem within an organization. I believe more accountability will rest on the ID and facilitator to provide necessary curriculum for student learning in the future. According to Howell and Lindsay (2011) "Traditional faculty roles are shifting or "unbundling". The future of the facilitator in distance education requires specialized skills and strategies. Many facilitators will work with teams (including the ID) when appropriate and become accessible to students more often. Our society will find distance learning more favorable when the quality of distance learning is compatible with web-base technology. The quality of distance education will improve as long as communication and web-based technology improves in the future (Siemens, 2011).
As an ID, my role determines if the learner is able to perform a task successfully after training has been provided. The instruction might be delivered through education classes, in-service training courses, on-the-job training, and computer-assisted learning or by means of distance or open learning. I believe that adopting a systematic approach to instructional design content ensures that the instructor and the learner are getting the most out of the training session. The benefits of a systematic instructional design approach determines what the learner already know previous to taking a course and what the learner needs to know after the course. The instructional designer takes the time to analyze what results the instructor needs from the learner and what training and development approaches are needed by the designer to better accomplish those results.
As an instructional designer and teacher, I envision a role of educating students, instructors and assisting education and/or corporate institution into the design of quality learning through the utilization of technology. E-learning is the matrimony of technology and education. As I become knowledgeable in the field of instructional design, I have learned that modification and evaluation is essential throughout the planning stages as well as collaboration among team members. As I progress into the next phase of the instructional design courses at Walden University, I look forward to perfecting my knowledge and obtaining new skills in the career of instructional design.
References:
Howell.,S.Williams.,P.,Lindsay.,N.(2011) Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning. Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/howell63.html
Piskurich.,G.Phd.,Chauser,.J. (2011) Planning and Designing Online Courses.[Video Podcast]. Retrieved February 2, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
Siemens.,G. (2011) The Future of Distance Learning. [Video Podcast]. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.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.
• What do you think the perceptions of distance learning will be in the future (in 5–10 years; 10–20 years)?
• How can you as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?
• How will you be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?
According to George Siemens (2011), "Distance learning is gradually being accepted into our society. Once people begin to find a comfort level in learning with technology, distance learning will increase into the future". Siemens' insight for distance learning depends upon the quality of technology, educational implementation, collaboration of global knowledge, and the increase use of multimedia, games, simulations, and video application within online courses (Siemens 2011).
I believe that the perceptions of distance learning will change the way we teach and learn in the future. I believe that the United States Department of Education will establish e-learning guidelines to set the pace for distance learning for K-12 and secondary learning. According to Simonson, Sandino, Albright, & Zvacek (2009) "Within the next decade every state and most schools will be turning to distance education to expand offerings for students and increase professional development opportunities for teachers" (p.340). Simonson et al. (2009) notes the United States Department of Education suggests giving virtual schools special attention toward the future of educating students. Additional suggestions include: strengthen leadership roles, implement online teacher training, improve broadband access, create effective digital content and integrate data systems (p. 340).
Furthermore, universities have been utilizing distance education rapidly within the past ten years (Howell, Williams, & Lindsay, 2011). There are many reasons for this advancement: the life-style convenience for older students who are technological savvy, the popularity with the Internet, and the rapid technology change within the workforce that demands our society to stay ahead in a highly competitive economy.
In the next 5 to 10 years, I believe people will find a comfort level with digital content as well as communicating online - yet we're already there! Our society finds communicating through Facebook, Twitter, chat, and texting very easy, yet taking an e-learning class is not common to our society. There are many school administrators and parent who continue to be skeptical in regards to effectiveness of learning online. The neomillennial student will be the immersing factor to online education for the future. In the next 10 - 20 years, the neomillennial generation will implement digital learning with real-world applications that will emerge with different countries. This generation will provide schools, government, and business to interaction with advance video conferencing and emerging technology web-based tools yet to be seen! Overall, the World Wide Web (www) will be the driven tool in projecting distance education for the future.
As our society becomes technology dependent toward adapting to today's workforce and life-style, the instructional designer (ID) will be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning. The ID is required to focus on the learner and what the student needs to learn. Online content is self-directed and self-govern as information and knowledge expands. The ID and the institution must provide the learner with quality curriculum to learn in any geographical location. An ID's goal is to create stimulating and interactive learning environments for all users. The ID must establish a thorough planning phase as noted from Dr. George Piskurich (2011) the ADDIE model establishes awareness for setting the beginning stages for organization skills within the development process for solving a problem within an organization. I believe more accountability will rest on the ID and facilitator to provide necessary curriculum for student learning in the future. According to Howell and Lindsay (2011) "Traditional faculty roles are shifting or "unbundling". The future of the facilitator in distance education requires specialized skills and strategies. Many facilitators will work with teams (including the ID) when appropriate and become accessible to students more often. Our society will find distance learning more favorable when the quality of distance learning is compatible with web-base technology. The quality of distance education will improve as long as communication and web-based technology improves in the future (Siemens, 2011).
As an ID, my role determines if the learner is able to perform a task successfully after training has been provided. The instruction might be delivered through education classes, in-service training courses, on-the-job training, and computer-assisted learning or by means of distance or open learning. I believe that adopting a systematic approach to instructional design content ensures that the instructor and the learner are getting the most out of the training session. The benefits of a systematic instructional design approach determines what the learner already know previous to taking a course and what the learner needs to know after the course. The instructional designer takes the time to analyze what results the instructor needs from the learner and what training and development approaches are needed by the designer to better accomplish those results.
As an instructional designer and teacher, I envision a role of educating students, instructors and assisting education and/or corporate institution into the design of quality learning through the utilization of technology. E-learning is the matrimony of technology and education. As I become knowledgeable in the field of instructional design, I have learned that modification and evaluation is essential throughout the planning stages as well as collaboration among team members. As I progress into the next phase of the instructional design courses at Walden University, I look forward to perfecting my knowledge and obtaining new skills in the career of instructional design.
References:
Howell.,S.Williams.,P.,Lindsay.,N.(2011) Thirty-two Trends Affecting Distance Education: An Informed Foundation for Strategic Planning. Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall63/howell63.html
Piskurich.,G.Phd.,Chauser,.J. (2011) Planning and Designing Online Courses.[Video Podcast]. Retrieved February 2, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com
Siemens.,G. (2011) The Future of Distance Learning. [Video Podcast]. Retrieved February 22, 2011 from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.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.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Blended Learning Method of Instruction
My distance learning report reflects on the following hypothetical 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. I am asked to evaluate the following questions:
1. What are some of the pre-planning strategies the trainer needs to consider before converting his program?
2. What aspects of his original training program could be enhanced in the distance learning format?
3. How will his role, as trainer, change in a distance learning environment?
4. What steps should the trainer take to encourage the trainees to communicate online?
Open pdf format A7MorrisD for a detailed report
View the following videos on the perceptions of distance learning:
- Learning to Change, Change to Learn
- Learning to Change: Student Voices
- Classroom of the Future
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Case Study: Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow (ECOT)
This case study is conducted for Dr. Laura Bedford at Walden University for course
Education 6105: Organizations, Innovations and Change
All references are found on the last slide 9 of this report.
Education 6105: Organizations, Innovations and Change
All references are found on the last slide 9 of this report.
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