For this week, my application assignment was to develop a trainer guide for a specific scenario. The scenario consisted of a training manager who has been frustrated with the quality of communication among the trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. His supervisor has given him permission to convert all of the current training modules to a blended learning format. This would provide the learners with the opportunity to interact with one another and learn the material in both a face-to-face and distance learning format. Plus, the learners would have access to the materials at any time.
The guide contains some ideas and tips for the trainer to consider when converting the training modules to a blended learning format. In addition, a trainer checklist has been developed to assist the trainer during the conversion process. The guide and the checklist would be available to the trainer ina PDF portfolio.
Please click here to view the documents contained in the PDF portfolio.
Happy Learning!
Jackie
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Sunday, February 5, 2012
EDUC 6135 Week 5 Blog: The Impact of Open Source
Week 5 Blog: The
Impact of Open Source
Open Course Selected: HSAR 252: Roman Architecture
Open Course Selected: HSAR 252: Roman Architecture
With the inception of iTunesU by Apple, everyone can now
take open courses through major universities such as Stanford, MIT, and Yale,
just to name a few. Some of these universities have also formed a separate open
course area for students and others wishing to learn more about various
subjects to access free of charge.
One example of this is through the Yale Open
Courses system, which is accessible at http://oyc.yale.edu/.
Students and others can complete introductory courses on a variety of subjects
from Astronomy to Religious Studies completely online by reviewing class
sessions, download videos from previous course lectures, purchasing books used
for the course at a discount and the opportunity to participate in an online
study group through OpenStudy.
The open course I chose to review and post on my blog is
HSAR 252: Roman Architecture. The URL link to the course is provided above. All
of the questions answered below are for this specific open course.
Does the course
appear to be carefully pre-planned and designed for a distance learning
environment? If so, how? If not, in what ways?
Yes, the course does appear to be carefully pre-planned and
designed for a distance learning environment. Some examples of this are the
structure of the course lectures available for the course. The student has
several options available for downloading the course lectures, such as
downloading all of the files into a Zip file format called “Course Pages”,
downloading each lecture separately as audio or video files, or through iTunesU.
Also, the course materials and textbooks can be easily purchased directly
through the course site. Students can also see a list of other textbooks used
by the professor teaching the course as well as other books of interest, and
have the option to purchase any of those textbooks as well.
Does the course
follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in the course
textbook? Which does it follow? In what ways? Which does it not follow?
Yes, the course follows the recommendations for online
instruction as listed in the course textbook. The appropriate technologies for
online instruction were selected for the course, such as the Internet, html,
mp3, Flash, QuickTime, iTunesU, and OpenStudy. Also, the learning outcomes were
determined in the course through each of the sessions in the course. Also, by
dividing the course into separate sessions, the student can learn each session
in an asynchronous format on their own time. The open course format is
student-centered and is prepared for online delivery.
Did the course
designer implement course activities that maximize active learning for the
students? If yes, in what ways? If not, how was it deficient?
Yes, the course designer implemented course activities that
implemented active learning for the students. Through each course session, the
students are able to view or listen to the course lecture, complete the
recommended readings, and participate in OpenStudy on a regular basis in order
to interact with other students who are also taking the course.
Based upon this course, I would recommend the Open Yale Courses to anyone who would like to learn more about the subjects that are
available in this format.
Resources
Sunday, January 22, 2012
EDUC 6135 Week 3 Blog: Selecting Distance Learning Technologies
Selecting Distance Learning Technologies
This post will identify two different distance learning technologies I believe provide the best solution to the chosen challenge. My decision has been supported with information from this week's learning resources and external sources.
Example #1: Collaborative Training Environment
This is the example I have chosen to focus on with identifying the distance learning technologies. The situation is a new automated staff information system was recently purchased by a major corporation and needs to be implemented at six regional offices. The issue is the staff is located throughout the different offices and cannot meet at the same time or in the same location. Therefore, a training workshop needs to be implemented so the staff can share information in the form of screen captures, documents, and participate in ongoing collaboration.
Technology #1: Streaming video demonstrations
Since the training workshop needs to include information in the form of screen captures, streaming videos demonstrating the new automated staff information system would be ideal to help meet the learner's needs and outcomes of the training workshop. This technology uses the Internet to allow audio and video content to play or stream as it is downloaded from a remote source (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2012).
An example of how streaming videos have been successful in distance education is at Arkansas Tech University in the Center for Teaching & Learning. They currently have a streaming video library listed on the site, along with a link to the videos. These videos are accessible 24/7 and range in topics from classroom management to distance learning (Arkansas Tech University, 2011). The video library is updated on a regular basis. Here is the link to the video library: http://www.atu.edu/ctl/serv-annualvideos.shtml
Technology #2: Staff Wiki site
Also, since the staff who will be attending the training workshop are required to share information in various documents and participate in online collaboration, a staff wiki site would also be the the ideal technology solution to help meet the learner's needs and outcomes of the training workshop. The staff wiki site would contain a resources section with all of the documents and resources required for the workshop and a discussion area where the staff can collaborate, ask questions, and provide comments on the information taught in the workshop. According to Simonson et al, "A wiki can be an excellent tool for collaborative online writing assignments and group activities compiling information in a single online resource" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, p. 129, 2012).
An example of how wiki sites have been successful in distance education is for the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Program at The Open University in England. In addition to using blogs and online forums for classes in the program, wikis are also used by students and instructors as well to collaborate and share information with one another. According to Niall Sclater, the director of the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Program, "Another group of students gathered their findings on a wiki, a website where people can contribute, comment and change things. They said they didn't see how the project could have been run without the wiki" (Sharman, 2007). By having a wiki site available for the training workshop, the staff members can collaborate with one another and share information in order to be successful with the new automated staff information system.
References
Arkansas Tech University (2011). Streaming video library. Retrieved http://www.atu.edu/ctl/serv-annualvideos.shtml
Sharman, A. (2007). Distance learning: Something wiki this way comes. The Independent. Retrieved http://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/further/distance-learning-something-wiki-this-way-comes-395857.html
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.
