Timely Studies

I know that there is no blog assignment this week, but I'm finding that this course is incredibly timely and the comments and discussion really helpful, since I'm basically new to the formal process of Project Management.

I've been tagged at school to be the sponsor for the school's chapter of the Science National Honor Society (different than the NHS you may remember from school).  Since this is a brand new group, I have to plan how students will be notified of possible induction, the application and criteria process, and the actual induction ceremony after that.

The topics from the last few weeks in class have been rather helpful, since I now find myself breaking down all of the tasks, trying to estimate times, and identifying stakeholders.  The stakeholders part has been surprising; the data processing IT guy at Central office, the guidance counselors to verify student GPAs, the events coordinator, culinary instructor, students, science teachers, other core teachers,....  At times, it seems like it's a never-ending list.

And on top of that, my principal has asked me to help the VP's convert some of our standard, start-of-the-year required meetings to web-format.  Doing this would allow only those teachers that need the training (newer teachers with 0-3 years teaching experience and those needing a refresher) to complete the training on their own time, and would free up much needed hours for all teachers during our 4-day pre-school work sessions.  It's a daunting task, as my experience with the multimedia side of our program has pretty much been limited to what we have done for the Walden courses.  I am much more comfortable with the ID process and even the PM process (just not the formality of parts of it; language, forms, etc.).  Also adding a bit to the stress is the limited time.  There are only 5 weeks until the faculty returns to school and there are possibly 5-8 training modules that would be converted to web form.

Enjoy your weekend!

UPDATE:  So the number of modules has decreased after the conversation with the principal today, but the initial meeting to discuss the project won't happen until next week.  We decided that if we could get the first module up and running by the time teachers returned, then we could add additional modules during the school year.

Communicating Effectively: Comparisons on Modality

The Art of Effective Communication

This week we are to review a message delivered through three different communication modes: email, voice mail, and face-to-face (F2F) conversation.  Jane needs data and information from Mark to include in a report that is quickly approaching a submission deadline.  Each mode of communication contains the same script and message, and all can be classified as informal communications.  "Informal communications occur as people think of the information they want to share" (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton & Kramer, 2008, p. 357).

My interpretations changed slightly between the written text mode and the voice mail mode because of hearing the tonality and inflection in Jane's voice.  It also changed between the voice mail and the F2F because of body language displayed by Jane in the video clip.  Since the script for the three modes was identical, my perception may have been altered slightly by the time I viewed the F2F mode.

I think that the true meaning and intent of Jane's message is best conveyed by the voice mail mode of communication in this example.  The physical communication modes (voice mail, F2F) hold more urgency with me, as the sender has thought that she may be able to catch Mark at his desk, either by phone or stopping at Mark's desk, and needs a more immediate answer.

The email provides the best form of documentation of the three modes.  It clearly states the purpose and reason for the message, and that the sender expects a reply.  The email does not convey the same urgency, as specific dates and times are not included in the message.  How long does Mark have to get the information to Jane?  When is her deadline?  Written communication does not allow the recipient to ask questions about the message (Portny, et al, 2008).  Although those questions could be asked during each mode, inclusion of that information would have made the email clearer on the urgency of the situation.

The script and body language in the F2F mode seemed very contrived to me.  If Jane is standing there talking to Mark, why would she deliver the message in such a scripted matter?  Why not just simply ask Mark for the information?  Her crossed arms and wandering eyes made it seem that she was uninterested in both her own message and any reply Mark might have had, which undercut the urgency of her needing the data for her own report.  Dr. Stolovitch and his students discuss important components of effective oral communication in the video "Communicating with Stakeholders" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.).  In the video, Dr. Stolovitch makes note that the non-verbal communication can be just as informative (and often contradictory to) as the verbal communication through the spirit, attitude, tonality, body language, and timing of the message. (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.).

For time-sensitive actions and messages, a personal conversation, either by phone or in person (not a contrived script) is best to convey urgent and time-sensitive information or requests, followed by an email clearly stating the purpose, specific deliverables, and any agreements reached including deadlines that the parties need to meet.  Voice mail and email can be more unpredictable as there is a greater change that Mark may not get the messages until much later in the day, especially if he is in an all-day meeting.

References

Laureate Education, Inc., (n.d.) Communicating with stakeholders. [Video]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Flauncher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_1342057_1%26url%3D

Laureate Education, Inc., (n.d.) The art of effective communication. [Multimedia]. Retrieved from http://mym.cdn.laureate-media.com/2dett4d/Walden/EDUC/6145/03/mm/aoc/index.html

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.

Project Post-mortem

Blog Assignment: Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

Besides my normal teaching duties at school, every spring I serve as the Graduation Coordinator for the senior class.  As the school is rather large (2300 students, graduation class of 500+) this project or process can become quite involved.  Between the parent volunteers, senior class sponsors, administration, sheriff’s department, and vendors, there are many details that need to be adjusted and communicated each year.  The class of 2009 was our first graduating class, and this year was our largest.

Thankfully, I do not have to do the coordination all by myself.  Each year some of our administrative and faculty staffs change; I am the one static person on the Graduation Team that remains constant from year to year (last year I had to fill in as Mistress of Ceremonies for our senior class Vice Principal who was out on maternity leave).  In this position, I am able to help newcomers acclimate to their individual roles (our vice principals are on a rotation and move up as their group of kids move from one grade to the next), as well as advise the team on how well expectations were met in previous years, and how we can improve our deliverables for the coming year.

In some respects, I act as a project manager, in other ways I am a functional manager.  “Functional managers are responsible for orchestrating their staffs’ assignments among different projects, as well as providing the resources to allow their staffs to perform their assignments in accordance with the highest standards of technical assistance” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, Sutton & Kramer (2008).  During graduation practices at the end of the year, I schedule the sequence of practices, guest speakers, student speakers, special events, and parent volunteers.  I also instruct the senior class Vice Principal on what he/she needs to accomplish with the senior class during each day’s practice.  The most difficult part of the position is not having any real authority.  As each role that contributes to the graduation team is either voluntary (in my case) or part of the job requirements (vice principals), there is no incentive to put the best effort forward.  That being said, the entire team always wants the graduation process to achieve the best possible results.  Primarily, the drive is for the students themselves, but also for the parents, guests, VIPs, and the Board of Education members and Executive Staff from the county offices that attend.

There have been several aspects of project management that we have dealt with during the four graduation events since 2009:

                Scope creep: Including a VIP reception and a series of photo booths stretched our resources and didn’t precisely fit in with the overall project.

                Limited budget:  Between the second and third years, our budget available for graduation decreased.  We had to change lighting and sound companies in order to stay within budget.

                Inappropriate staffing assignments:  Staff personalities were sometimes assigned to less-than-ideal locations on graduation night (introverted people assigned to deal with ticket holders at the door, which could sometimes be confrontational).

The team has been able to succeed in the project objective each year, to the satisfaction of most of the guests and graduates.  Our frequent meetings, updates, and communications have been major factors in that success.  For the team, having clearly defined roles and obligations has also helped.  People are not overwhelmed with any aspect and individuals know what their goals and responsibilities should be each year.  After the ceremony is complete, and everyone has had a chance to rest, the team holds a post-mortem to reflect on the good, the bad, and the needs-improvement aspects of the project.

One part of the process that I wish we could do a little better is the communications.  I know I mentioned it earlier as one of the strengths of the project, but it also belongs in the weakness column as well.  The team is pretty good at communicating with each other during monthly meetings, and with each other when working on related aspects of a particular piece.  The communication does not always proceed in the same fashion outside of the Graduation Team.  The Team is comprised of the Principal, Vice Principals, a secretary, the guidance department, me, and the senior class sponsors.  It does not include the group leaders that we utilize on graduation night, such as the faculty member leader for the ticket-taker group, or the leader for the parking crew.  This can, and has, lead to confusion and miscommunications on expectations and established procedures.

With everything considered, I am surprised every year at the graduates and my colleagues for the hard work and accomplishments that go into making graduation happen.  And I am also very thankful that my boss lets me take the day after graduation off.

Reference

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.

Back in the Swing of Things

Welcome and Welcome Back!

I have been on a little hiatus lately from classes.  Between work, home, and school, I found that my attention was far too divided.  As grad school was the optional task, I took a break so that I could focus on work and family.  Now that the school year is finished (work) and the family situations have improved, I’m back at the grad work.  I had hope of finishing the last three courses and the program by December, but I have a feeling that it will be spring before I’m done.

By day, I teach high school Honors and AP physics at a science/technology magnate school.  I am also the sponsor for the school’s chapter of the Science NHS.  At the end of the school year, I am in charge of organizing our administrators, faculty, staff, vendors, and seniors for the graduation ceremonies, which comprises of 500+ graduates and 5000+ guests and VIPs.  In some respects, it is similar to the role of a Project Manager.  I have filled the position of graduation coordinator since the school graduated the first senior class in 2009.  It is a challenging, and often stressful, role, but it is also fulfilling and gratifying when everything goes well.

Outside of work and grad school, I married my best friend last summer and I am a full-time mom to a wonderful 6 year old stepson.  My husband and I are involved with a historical recreation group called the SCA on the weekends (that’s how we met 7 years ago).   Aside from that, I am a football and hockey fan, seamstress and beginning quilter.

Please leave me comments and questions and I look forward to our course together!

~Shelley  

Farewell for now to the Grad Program

It's very rare that I blog about non-grad work assignments, so this will be brief.

My husband left about 2.5 weeks ago to begin carving a new life for our family in the hills of SW PA.  As I am a full-time teacher, I cannot move until the end of the school year.  My stepson is in kindergarten and we decided that he should also finish the school year before making the move.  In the grand scheme of things, I now have a very healthy respect for working, single parents.  Things have been more than a little hectic during the last two weeks of the course.  My stress levels went through the roof and BoyWonder has had a difficult time, too.  I cannot feel good about taking so much time away from him while pursuing the Master's program.  It's just not fair to him (or my sanity).

So for the short term, I've postponed my last three courses in the MSIDT program until at least the Summer terms, when I have more time and we have fully adjusted to not having Hubby/Daddy around.  For those of you continuing with the Project Management course, I wish you the best and look forward to seeing your posts!  I can now say that I love my RSS feed and check it daily.  :)  Hopefully, I will be able to converse with some of you in future courses!

Shelley

The Future of Distance Learning

What do you think the perceptions of distance learning will be in the future (in 5-10 years; 10-20 years)?

            In the next 5 to 10 years, I think the perceptions of distance learning will change a great deal.  People are realizing that geographic location does not need to dictate their access to quality education and that distance can be overcome through the use of distance learning.  The development of quality distance learning programs will continue during this time, as education institutions look to established models of successful distance education, such as the Florida Virtual School, the Digital Dakota Network, and accredited online universities (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).  The development of distance learning institutions will continue to grow, not as just a trend or fad, but as institutions, government, and businesses continue to cater to and reach a more diverse and global economy (Siemens, 2010). 

Accreditation will become more important as employers and potential students become more aware of what quality distance learning can achieve.  Institutions offering distance learning programs will improve their course offerings to utilize the new developments of technology and communication, offering a more comfortable and engaging learning environment to students, while meeting (or exceeding) the academic rigor required by accreditation or industry standards.  For established, traditional learning institutions, this may be a painful process in rethinking how content can be delivered to learners, how learners and instructors interact, and how to avoid “the craft approach” (simply transferring face-to-face classroom content to an online forum without regard to the differences between online instructional strategies and classroom instructional strategies) (Moller, Foshay, & Huett, 2008, p. 67).  The quality of distance learning programs will be examined when compared to identical programs offered face-to-face by the same institution in terms of academic fidelity and integrity, meaning that the distance learning programs ought to have the same support from the institution in terms of technology, resources, faculty, and society acceptance (Gambescia & Paolucci, 2009).  

Communication between far-reaching destinations will be all but erased by distance learning and training.  During this time, technologies and interactive communications will improve, as will the use of interactive games, multimedia applications and simulations, providing a more engaging and effective learning environment.  As tools and technologies develop, distance learning and instructional designers will need to keep pace with the improvements to provide learners with the practical experience necessary to be successful in the career field.

            In the following decade, distance learning programs and technologies will achieve mainstream acceptance.  By that time, it may be that more than half of working professionals will have received at least some of their education through distance learning courses.  Communication and multimedia technologies will continue to improve and new innovations will cause us to rethink (again) how people relate and interact with one another and the digital world.  Who knows?  Simulations and video conferencing may achieve 3D capabilities that are accessible to everyone.

How can you as an instructional designer be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning?

            As an instructional designer, I think one of the main misconceptions of society is the perceived lack of quality in distance learning programs.  Most misconceptions can be overcome simply by talking or showing individuals what a quality program entails.  As an instructional designer, it will be important for me to follow the ADDIE process to ensure that the goals of a program are clearly defined and that the best instructional strategies and tools are utilized to meet those learning goals.  It will also be important to publish the successes of distance learning programs, and educate the public that quality distance learning opportunities are available.

How will you be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education?

            Although there are days where I feel like I have only just begun to scratch the surface on instructional technologies, it will be important to stay current with new technological advances, and to continue to learn and improve on distance learning theories and methods while incorporating those advances in the products that I develop.   I generally have high expectations for my work and that will continue as an instructional designer.  It will be important to meet those expectations in terms of the development of courses and in working with SME’s and other teams members.  The developments, advances, and collaboration with others combine to produce an efficient and effective learning environment.  Overall, I want to make sure that I provide an environment in which the student feels comfortable and productive.  I want to provide the best learning experience for each student that logs on.

References

Gambescia, S., & Paolucci, R. (2009). Academic fidelity and integrity as attributes of university online degree program offerings.  Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 12(1).  Retrieved from http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/spring 121/gambescia121.html

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008).  The evolution of distance education: Implications for instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 2: Higher education).  TechTrends, 52(4), 66-70.

Siemens, G. (2010) The future of distance education. [video program]. Laureate Education, Inc. Retrieved from sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&Survey=1&47=7309287&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

Converting a traditionally Face-to-Face (F2F) course to a blended or hybrid course can be a daunting task.  One of the many features of blended courses is the opportunity to utilize technology tools that add to the learning experiences of your students while still maintaining a F2F environment.  This week, we were asked to aid a hypothetical training manager who wished to move his F2F course to a blended format to improve the communications among the learners.  The trainer also wants to move the course resources online so that learners may greater access to materials.

Questions to consider:

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?

Pre-Planning Strategies

My initial conversations with the instructor will guide the rest of the development of the hybrid transformation.  Gathering information about his course, his goals for using a hybrid environment, and information about his students will be invaluable for the course development.  A learner analysis will help determine the students' skills and readiness in using technology as a learning vehicle.  An analysis of the instructor's goals for the course can help define how the hybrid elements will incorporated into the course. It will be very important for the instructor to establish for the students an organized course, expectations, and student responsibilities (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).

F2F Hybrid Best Practices Guide

Distance Learning Format Enhancements

Discussion forums, wikis, and other tools provided by course management systems can help organize and track student progress during a course.  The trainer will need to decide which type of website will best meet his needs for the course and which tools will be added to the course for student use.  Specific guidelines and rubrics would need to be developed, and included, to provide students with the desired expectations for the online participation.  In this scenario, the instructor would like to enhance the students' communications.  Discussion boards for each module or topic could be included as assignment, with a rubric that describes appropriate online etiquette, quality of posts, and meeting the requirements of the initial question or scenario.  The instructor should carefully consider several things when designing the discussion board aspect of the course.  Careful attention to details concerning the initial set up, participation, structure of questions, moderation of the forum, and evaluations can provide for a more engaging and informative discussion (Wade, Bentley, & Waters, 2006).

From Trainer to Facilitator

As a traditional F2F instructor, he is probably used to fulfilling the role as the provider of content and 'sage on the stage'.  As the students communicate more with each other and with the content, the instructor's role will need to shift from being the center of attention to that of a facilitator who coaches the students along in their own learning.   The instructor will need to adjust his interaction with students and find "a balance between structure and creativity" that provides enough support to students, but still allows them to think creatively and critically about the content (Wade, Bentley, & Waters, 2006, p. 3).

Encouragement to Learners

As a facilitator in a blended learning environment, he will need to monitor the discussion boards.  He can offer encouragement to students by commenting on their initial posts, asking questions about their thoughts, and providing additional resources that relate the students' post to the course content (such as an article about the course content and the student's career field). It is important for the facilitator to be 'present' and adding pertinent feedback to the discussion forums and not abandon the discussions to the students' own devices.  Instructors need to monitor and support student engagement  in the online environment (Piskurich, n.d.).

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The following table is a short checklist of items the instructor should consider when converting his course to include the online environment.

	Where will the online course be hosted? Will a CMS be used?
	Is the instructor familiar with all of the technology tools and course components in the online environment?
	Will student help guides be available for those not familiar with the online environment and technology tools?
	How will the course components be organized? Will the topics and modules follow those in the face-to-face environment?
	How often will students be required to engage in the online environment?
	How will the discussion posts be evaluated?
	Provide contact information for the instructor and technical support.

Resources

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5^th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc.

Piskurich, G. (n.d.). Facilitating online learning. [Study video]. Retrieved from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn?CourseID=6290464&Survey=1&47=7309287&ClientNodeID=984650&coursenav=1&bhcp=1.

Wade, D. A., Bentley, J. P. H., Waters, S. H. (2006). Twenty guidelines for successful threaded discussions: A learning environment approach. Distance Learning, 3(3), p. 1-8.