Processes

The Context

As part of the ED 795A practicum, Elizabeth Rest and myself worked with San Diego Hospice and the Institute of Palliative Medicine (SDHIPM) on a project to transition instructor-led training to an e-Learning format. The audience is the long-term care (LTC) staff at Seacrest Village Retirement Community.  After extensive consultation with the client and analyzing their learners’ needs, the team built an e-Learning Module, organized into three, fifteen-minute, e-Learning Bites.

Demonstrating the Competency

The three e-Learning Bites were based on existing SDHIPM instructor-led training. We converted these Bites into a format suitable for online distribution.

1. The team used techniques and strategies from Shank’s, Ideas for Making Collaboration Work, to build a relationship with SDHIPM staff. This included meeting weekly with SDHIPM’s representative client, Barbara Greenstein.  We interviewed SME, and attended instructor-led training at a LTC facility to gain perspective about the existing training and audience.
2. Allison Rossett’s (2009) book, First Things Fast, assisted us in taking a systematic approach to the project and provided guidance on: 1.) What types of questions to ask stakeholders and subject matter experts, 2.) Methods to use for getting different perspectives, and 3.) Defining measureable results.
3. Nguyen and Clark’s book (2006), Efficiency in Learning, influenced the design and development of the three online Bites. The bites include navigation buttons and an outline, so learners can control the pace of the training.  Audio is synchronized with the slides and introduces content slowly.  Text is provided as backup for accessibility and to accommodate different learning styles (auditory, visual, and tactile).

The Unexpected

Our team developed innovative e-Learning Bites incorporating a variety of media into the design, such as five videos, narration, photos, and sound clips. The complexity of the overall design and the time involved in developing the various assets and gathering feedback delayed the progress of the team and put the completion time behind schedule. While the team fulfilled the deliverables specified in the contract, we did not have an opportunity to pilot or complete a summative evaluation of the Module.

Personal Outcomes

My successful collaboration designing and developing e-Learning demonstrates my capabilities to:

1. Build and maintain strong collaborative relationships with the client to understand their needs and devise an appropriate learning solution.
2. Conduct front-end analyses to understand the current role of training in the organization, and the client’s needs.
3. Design and develop the project by creating detailed storyboards based on a content analysis and needs assessment, throughout prototyping a deliverable matching the clients needs.

References

Clark, R.C., Nguyen, F., & Sweller, J. (2006). Efficiency in learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Rossett, A. (2009). First things fast: A handbook for performance analysis (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Shank, Patti (Ed.). (2007). Ideas for making collaboration work. The online learning idea book: 95 proven ways to enhance technology-based and blended learning, p 49-75. Retrieved from http://ecr.sdsu.edu