Estimating the costs

The site list provided below will guide an ID in the estimating the budget for their project in training and education. Using these tools will provide a step by step process for developing the budget. These sites will provide the beginner with needed information in one location.

http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html

Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design:

This is a good site; it highlights the time ratio you would use to estimate the development hours within an ID project. It provides short statements that would help guide you through the process of establishing a good frame work for your budget and timeline for your project. Although the site is a little old the time frames it provides to convert conventional to E-learning is still a good starting reference point. It even provides you the Instructor preparation time. This site would assist in the activity breakdown and cost for the project’s budget. In using the information provide by this site the project manager could design a project fitting the client’s desire.

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/fall123/gordon123.html

Using a Web-based System to Estimate the Cost of Online Course Production:

This site is good for the ID who is developing online course material. It discusses estimating the cost with the awareness that it will cost more to develop online instructions. It provides examples for the designer as models in an asynchronous environment, which is most of online instructions today. Using the ACM model it shows you how to estimate the ratio cost per hour.

These two examples guide an ID through the process of estimating time and cost for an educational project. These type of tools will aid greatly in provide an accurate budget for the project manager.

Communicating Effectively

In this case of communication; there is one message conveyed in three forms. The intent of the message is to relay the importance of the data that Jane needs to receive. If she doesn’t receive the data soon she will miss her deadline for her report. She wants to make sure Mark understands his report is important because of the data it contains. She expresses her desire for the data over his report. The e-mail states a business position and the importance of the data that Mark has in his possession to the report that Jane needs to develop. However, if Mark is that busy he could easily misunderstand the message because it is only words that he sees. When Jane states that he could just send her the data, his report is no longer important. So the construction of the e-mail becomes very important.

In relaying the message through a voice mail, Jane expresses the importance of the data she is waiting to receive, through the tone of her voice. She isn’t being unforgiving but she is conveying the severity of the data she is requesting. Here the statement I need an ETA is more pronounced than the e-mail. Hearing ETA in the tone she used lets you know this is important to her. Here she is truly letting Mark know that is actions are important toward the completion of her report. In this message she seems to express the point better through her tone of importance.

Face to face the message is seen and heard. You are reading the expression on her face as well as interpret her body movement and gestures. The tone of her voice seems to be softer that the voice message. She still states the desire and importance of the data she is requesting for her report. However, there seems to be a plea for help that I didn’t see in the other forms of communication. Although the tone is lighter than the voice message she is making request but almost too soft. You want to keep your business atmosphere business like and to the point.

Though this is the same message, the methods of communication and the quality of the communication, determine the outcome of the message conveyed to the receiver. I personally preferred the voice message; it stated the importance of the data in tone that kept it business.

there is one message conveyed in three forms. The intent of the message is to relay the importance of the data that Jane needs to receive. If she doesn’t receive the data soon she will miss her deadline for her report. She wants to make sure Mark understands his report is important because of the data it contains. She expresses her desire for the data over his report. The e-mail states a business position and the importance of the data that Mark has in his possession to the report that Jane needs to develop. However, if Mark is that busy he could easily misunderstand the message because it is only words that he sees. When Jane states that he could just send her the data, his report is no longer important. So the construction of the e-mail becomes very important.

In relaying the message through a voice mail, Jane expresses the importance of the data she is waiting to receive, through the tone of her voice. She isn’t being unforgiving but she is conveying the severity of the data she is requesting. Here the statement I need an ETA is more pronounced than the e-mail. Hearing ETA in the tone she used lets you know this is important to her. Here she is truly letting Mark know that is actions are important toward the completion of her report. In this message she seems to express the point better through her tone of importance.

Face to face the message is seen and heard. You are reading the expression on her face as well as interpret her body movement and gestures. The tone of her voice seems to be softer that the voice message. She still states the desire and importance of the data she is requesting for her report. However, there seems to be a plea for help that I didn’t see in the other forms of communication. Although the tone is lighter than the voice message she is making request but almost too soft. You want to keep your business atmosphere business like and to the point.

Though this is the same message, the methods of communication and the quality of the communication, determine the outcome of the message conveyed to the receiver. I personally preferred the voice message; it stated the importance of the data in tone that kept it business.

A Case of the Heart

I remember working a project for an organization that wanted to start an international school. The concept was to bring in student for other nation and provide training for them in certain areas. In turn, the student s would be able to return to their homes and implement what they had learned. My task would be to create the course material based on the documentation provided by the client. One of the main courses was leadership. The objectives of the course were provided with a request to review and provide feedback. In reading the objectives I notice the terms, concepts and activities were all from an American view point. This was would be a problem if the student didn’t have an understanding of the American culture. The client didn’t think this would be a problem, (They’re the client). The budget of the project was small in terms of what needed to be completed. The client believed that a normal developed course would provide what they desired. The statement of work was drafted and accepted by all parties but stated that special concerns were provided by the developing agency.

The development of the first project would take about 9 months. The project was completed and tested with American students. It went off without a problem. The client asked if I would make myself available for the first class, which was not a problem. I made sure to place myself in a seat t6o witness the instructor and the students. After the first day the client asked if I would sit in on a review with the instructor. The instructor didn’t feel that the class was connecting with the material. The client wanted my thoughts on the matter. I agreed with the instructor. At this point the client wanted to know how to correct this and keep it from being a total lost. I asked the client if my team and I could teach the remainder of the course and edit the material as we teach. This was a working solution for the client. The three of us had worked in the native country of the students. This gave us some insight into their culture and helped us teach the course to them.

The client asked if we could meet and discuss what it would cost to re-work the course. The reply was this; the only way to re-work the course is for us to be allowed to conduct research into each nation you want to bring into the classroom. The problem was simple to correct. We just needed to make it an international course. The team understood that leadership can have many views. When developing course for other nations, it is good to under the culture of that nation. This establishes the communication lines that we need to operate with understanding. The course didn’t match the audience. The client was looking at the budget and did not understand the impact of course in relationship to culture. In this case it was a desire of the heart over what it takes to develop a great course.

Reflection on Distance Learning

Distance learning has evolved greatly over the past 10 to 20 years. I remember early in my military career the correspondence courses that were offered to us. It seems like a memory from my childhood. When I consider the progress that has been made over the last ten years, it seems as if we are moving at light speed. As I review the steps being taken today within the realm of development and design, there seems to be no limit to what can be achieved in the near future. Today we are using avatars with voice to carry a message between the presenter and the learner. The aspects of making the avatar more interactive are progress. The details of how to make it acceptable in the market are underway.

I think within the next five years we will see the use of these types of feature being used not only on campus but deeply with the realm of distance learning. Much of the population entering the education arena grew up with interactive video games. These games have become larger than life for some. Today you can log on to an account online and create an avatar to represent you in the game and become so involved that you may forget it’s just a game. Take this same technology and input a learner in an interactive classroom. The student is given the role to play out the will achieve a goal set in motion by the teacher. As the student walk the process out they see the process in motion. They can understand the steps they are taking. This type of environment can be helpful to those that need to see other individuals in the classroom. They will know that the avatars represent other students.

As distance learning continues to evolve within the next ten years we can easily see the interaction of a smart board being used for online instructions. A smart board is an interactive whiteboard system, like a touch screen. However, a smart board will allow you to do more interactive learning and interface. In this setting the instructor and the learner could interact together on a problem. This type of interaction makes it a real classroom. Technology is not the bottle neck in online education and learning. The growth of the acceptable individuals with the technology may be a factor. The fear or concerns of many about online learning must become a focus of the educational system online. The instructor and the designers must begin to put to rest these concerns by embracing these concerns and addressing them with that part of the population. Instead of just walking away from these individuals we should take the time to discuss the improvements made over the years. During this course I was placed in an environment where online learning wasn’t an acceptable venue for education. In listening to the concerns I was able to explain the improvement of validating the institution before becoming part of a diploma mill. In discussing the types of environment being setup for distance learning and the technology such as the CMS. A foundation was developed to bring enlightenment and awareness to the great improvements that have taken place.

Keeping this type of thinking in the forefront my future as a designer, I need to constantly think about designing material that will reach out to everyone. Often I classes that appeal to those of us that work with technology or we are involved with technology through education. I must keep in mind those that may not have embraced technology to that level. In like mind I must create education that will keep both types of individual engaged in the learning process. I must keep in mind that in twenty years distance learning more than likely will involve 3D images on a holographic table. As instructional designers we must keep in mind that technology is evolving and the education process must evolve with it. We are forced by future events to create more interactive education because the students in distance learning need to be more interactive with the learning process. Creating better process in our CMS through the creation of better tools is a plus for the ID person.

Best Practice Guide for Course Conversion

Converting a face to face course to an online course is not a cut and paste scenario. Although this process has been seen it is not a good method to knowledge transfer. The process of educating students online can be difficult if not well planned. Planning within the face to face preparation may be increased for the online development. Therefore planning a strategy should be well thought out before development begins. In this step you will want to answer the questions; what do you what to discontinue in the classroom and place online. In identifying this information you will need to ask you yourself the questions; what will work better online? What is the method of instruction I want to use; synchronous, asynchronous? This is based on the characteristics of the teacher, students, content, and delivery system (Herring& Smaldino 2001). In this process you will need to understand a large responsibility is placed on the student. So taking the slide show from the classroom directly to the internet is not best idea. However, some of the techniques being utilized in the classroom will work online.

You will want to select an array of techniques to create an environment of interest for your online learners. In this facet you want to keep your learner engaged in an active learning experience. Involvement is a key process for the online learner. In a classroom setting a student may be passive however online that isn’t the best course of action. Be creative in your online techniques, as long as you are keeping the students engaged in learning. As you look at the online development, think about improving the aspect of the class that will work better online. What activities can be created that will improve the learners ability to communicate? This would be a good time to review the treaded discussion component of your CMS. Is it presented with ease of use? You want to ensure that your CMS has a treaded discussion that your learners will have no problems navigating. Introduce topics that will simulate the communication between the learners and help guide the discussion by asking questions that will have the learner communicating back and forth with each other.

Checklist on developing Blended Education:

1. A blended course is portion of the face-to-face class time is placed online. The classroom time is reduced by 30% to 70% by online activities and identified in the course description. Identified what portion of the course you want to convert to online instruction.

2. After identifying what portion will be converted, identify what aspect within it can be improved online. Course content must demonstrate integrity. What is the background of the designer? Are they qualified in this area?

3. To ensure you are creating a better environment for your learners, you will need to select a course management system (CMS). You can easily check online and find some examples by reviewing free CMS, before investing in one.

4. You will want a treaded discussion within the CMS. Make sure it is easy to navigate for the learner.

5. You will need to build a list of required items the online learner will need to participate in the course. As well as identify the type of server you will need to provide access to the learners at all time. (Equipment and software etc.)

6. How will you structure your course? You have identified the CMS you will use; now you need to develop a plan. This based on the following:

a. Understanding who your learners are is critical. You will need to assess their background, general characteristics, and learning needs.

b. You will need to know, how many learners you are working with, are they located at different site or how many site.

c. Knowing what technologies are available to the learners is a must to the planning.

d. If this training is for the work place environment, how much time will the learner be involved.

e. Online development must take into consideration the cultural, social, and economic background of the learner. You can obtain this from the personnel records.

f. Identify the teaching strategies and media assets you will use to enhance the learning environment. Identify what worked in the class and what didn’t, what are the best processes, what needs to be revitalized.

g. Assessment is a must in the learning environment. It should be developed before the course is implemented. What steps will you take with the shy students; those that don’t are disinclined to engage in the discussion. What type of feedback will you provide to the student during the course to keep them producing and engaged?

h. You will need to develop a syllabus. This establishes the primary communication with the learner. It must contain enough information to provide understanding of the course to the learners. It must contain the frame work of the expectation of the course with clear instructions.

7. Activities are a must in online learning. You will want to build activities around communication to build better skills in this area.

a. You may want to develop a self-assessment quiz and have the learners discuss their thoughts through the discussion component. Here you will want to guide the learners to ensure tactful and diplomatic discussion is maintained.

b. You can also develop a lesson on verbal communication; highlighting variations in the pitch of your voice, how to use tone to your advantage and the speed of your speech.

8. You knowing the content and design of what the course contains are a must. However you will need to develop training for other trainers to understand and instruct this course. The skills needed to lead online instruction can be much harder than face to face. Keeping the students engaged in the learning process can prove to be challenging.

Following these step will help to develop the basic standards required for an online course. This is just a guide to help you get started in this process. Other resources are listed below that will provide you further knowledge in this process.

References:

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70–75.

Herring, M., & Smaldino, S. (2001). Planning for interactive distance education: A handbook (2^nd ed.). Bloomington, IN: AECT Publications.

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

Simonson, M. (2007). Institutional policy issues. In M. Moore (Ed.), Handbook of distance education (2^nd ed.). Mahwah. NJ: Erlbaum.

Related Resources:

http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer62/schott62.html

http://www.cdlponline.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=whatis&pg=5

http://www.qaa.ac.uk/academicinfrastructure/codeofpractice/distancelearning/

http://www.materials.ac.uk/guides/distance.asp