Week 4 HPI

1. One major problem we have at my workplace lies within the curriculum department.  This department has been tasked with writing curriculum for three brand new products.  These products include reading, science and math for a range of seven grade levels.  This curriculum includes scripts for the software portion as well as over 500 Teacher Directed Lessons.  There are currently three employees in the curriculum department.  They are all at an equal level within the company and therefore there is no leadership.  The two problems I see are 1) the lack of leadership and 2) the lack of resources needed to succeed.  In order to improve performance, one of the three current members of the Curriculum team must be given the task of leadership.  This person should understand the vision of the three new products and also know what the deadline is.  This person will then be able to communicate with the other members of the team and motivate them to meet their personal goals of curriculum writing.  In addition to a leader, more curriculum writers need to be hired.  Having only three employees dedicated to writing curriculum sets them up for failure.  There is no motivation to accomplish their goals and or meet their deadlines because these goals and deadlines are impossible to meet. By at least doubling the number of employees in the curriculum department, the performance of each employee would greatly increase, thus ensuring the success of the new products and therefore the company.

2.  (Electronic Performance Support System) A computer system that provides quick assistance and information without requiring prior training to use it. It may incorporate all forms of multimedia delivery as well as AI techniques such as expert systems and natural language recognition.

A performance support system provides just-in-time, just enough training, information, tools, and help for users of a product or work environment, to enable optimum performance by those users when and where needed, thereby also enhancing the performance of the overall business.

I like this last definition the best because it encompasses “users” as well as employees.  In my workplace we need EPSS for our customers as well as our employees due to the fact that all of our products are presented either online or as software. 

I think EPSS hasn’t been greatly used in the past because not all work environments had access to the technology needed to access them.  This lack of technology is becoming more and more rare as almost ALL jobs use technology in some form or fashion.  I see EPSS becoming the norm in the very near future because of its comparative low cost as well as the immediate “time on task” it allows for new employees/ users.

3.  Training new employees (marketing, curriculum, sales, etc.) on the “saving/labeling” practices of the art and graphic design department is time consuming and frustrating.  It is also time consuming for the art and graphic design department to create an illustration, design or video only to discover later it already existed.  To solve these problems I created an online database that includes all graphics, video and product information that is searchable by type, various key words, and product line.  This has been incredibly helpful in managing our resources and increasing our time on task.  We are no longer spending half a day looking for or creating an image that is needed in a Sales presentation or a Teacher Directed lesson. 

4.  I have been exposed to many informal learning experiences as a teacher.  Most of these were extremely boring since I was expected to sit in a cafeteria full of my coworkers and listen as someone talked about teaching styles or new learning resources for hours on end.  YUCK!  Recently though I was able to experience a new informal learning experience through a webinar.  This was much more engaging.  The instructor switched back and forth from lecturer to facilitator.  I was able to engage with the other participants through a chat space as well as conversations with VoIP.  The instructor placed us in groups for “practice” of the software we were learning which was helpful as we all acted as peer tutors for each other.  By the end of the training I felt I not only had a good grasp of how to use the software but also had support from my fellow participants.

Section 3: Evaluating, Implementing and Managing Instructional Programs and Projects

1. Chapter 10 discusses evaluation in instructional design and provides you with two evaluation models, the CIPP and Kirkpatrick models for evaluation. Search for at least two other models used for evaluation and summarize these models. Describe how you would use them to evaluate your instruction. 

Flagg

The Flagg model of instructional design evaluation, requires that first a needs assessment be conducted.  This will reveal what content needs to be included in the instructional design.  Next, experts and “users” will be surveyed to determine if in fact the needs included are correct and presented in a way to promote maximum learning outcomes.  After testing the instructional design on small groups, it is adjusted to better meet the needs of the learners. This step usually includes experts as well as the comments from the target group.  Finally, the design is presented on a wide scale and additional tweaks are made to finalize the program.

I would use this model in creating new training models for curriculum.  I have to first determine what the teachers and administrators need to know to implement the new curriculum with fidelity.  Then I would survey our curriculum department and some of our existing customers to find out how to best explain this material.  After tweaking the content, I would present it to a few test groups who are new to the curriculum.  Upon completion, I would have these groups complete a survey and then make the determined changes to the presentation.  At this point I would release the training model for broad use, making small changes when necessary.

Seels & Glasgow  

The Seels and Glasgow method for instructional design evaluation uses a team of experts, and designers as well as experts on the learners to determine what the needs are.  After determining these needs and designing instruction to meet these needs, the instruction is used on a small group.  After conducting these “tryouts,” necessary modifications are made.  Finally, the instruction is presented in an operational tryout or “field test”.  This tryout ensures that all necessary modifications have been made and that the instruction will be successful. 

When using this in the same training scenario, I would gather a team made up of curriculum writers, field trainers, and current customers.  After reviewing the new product and determining what needs to be presented to new users, I would conduct training with a few small implementations.  After reviewing these sessions, I would make modifications to the instruction and then send it out with the field trainers.  Most likely minor modifications would need to be made to have best use. 

2. Think about a technological innovation within your social system that was recently introduced (social system = place of work, home, etc.). Any innovation has what is known as perceived attributes - relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability. Describe these attributes of the innovation and which of the attributes assisted and/or hindered adoption of the innovation. For example, was it not compatible with the existing beliefs of the system or was it overly complex to use or understand?

The most recent technological innovation that was introduced to me was at work.  At the recommendation of the marketing dept. we purchased several licenses to an email management system. I’ll call this system Eloquent.  Eloquent is designed to allow the user to design mail outs, landing pages and various other things in order to inform a specific population of educators about our products.  This would be a great benefit to our company. The information on the Eloquent system was that it would be compatible with the other systems we had in place for our marketing and sales depts. My department was responsible for the content to be included in the emails as well as the landing pages.  We were informed that there were tutorials on the Eloquent website that would show us how to use the program or we could also pay an additional $5000 to have someone come and train us onsite for 3 days.  As our budget did not allow for a $5000 training for two people, we decided to go with the online tutorials.  These tutorials were found to be not very helpful.  The user needed to have a great deal of prior knowledge to understand the online tutorials.  In accessing the website there wasn’t an opportunity for trialability and observability.  This innovation was not adopted due to the lack of trialabitiy and observability.  We are now going to use a separate system for email mail outs and landing pages.

3. Chapter's 12 & 13 focus on project management and how to manage projects when resources are scarce.  You have been assigned to develop a series of professional development sessions focusing on technology use in the classroom for teachers.  How will you use Situational Leadership to facilitate this project? 

As resources are typically scarce in education, odds are that I would have to use classroom teachers to assist in leading the professional development sessions.  After informing them of the topic of our sessions I would then begin a discussion on how to best transfer this knowledge to their fellow teachers. I would lead them to create an outline of the points that need to be covered in the session and then encourage them to each take responsibility for one or more of these points.  As we continued planning the sessions I would give consistently less input in the discussion, only stepping in to adjust the course or correct misinformation. My role would be to ensure the team has what they need to carry out the sessions successfully.

Theories of Instruction

Learning Goal: Training teachers on how to access and read student assessment reports.

Cognitive Information Processing Theory:  The Trainer would gain the attention of the participants by reminding them that data is necessary in order to modify instruction, therefore encouraging the success of their students.  Next, the Trainer would activate prior knowledge in participants by reminding them of former assessments they have used and what ways they accessed and used the data and then build on that to teach them how to access the data with the current assessment.  The Trainer would lastly allow the participants the opportunity to “practice” accessing the data on their own while there was still support around them to help.

Gagne’s Theory of Instruction: 

1.       Gaining attention – The trainer would point out how understanding how to access and use data is a mandatory part of instruction.

2.      Informing the learner of the objective – the trainer would state the objective as the participants learning how to access and use the assessment data on their own.

3.      Stimulating recall of prior learning-  The trainer would show the participants former assessment packages they have used and how the data was aggregated and used.

4.      Presenting the stimulus-  The trainer would show an example of how to access data as well as options for use. 

5.      Providing learning guidance – ­­­ The trainer would encourage the participants to discuss how they can use their data in a lesson plan they will be using in the immediate future.

6.      Eliciting performance The trainer would have the participants access their own data and come up with some uses.

7.      Providing feedback -  The Trainer would assist participants in logging in viewing their data.

8.      Assessing performance -  If the participants can get to their data there has been success.

9.      Enhancing retention and transfer –The trainer will allow the participants time to modify a lesson plan they will be using in the immediate future based on the data they have successfully accessed.

Gagne’s Nine Events	First Principles	Goal
Gaining Attention	Activate	Mandatory part of instruction
Informing the learner of the objective	Activate	Accessing and using data
Stimulating recall of prior learning	Activate	Former assessments and data usage
Presenting the stimulus	Demonstrate	Show example of reports
Providing learning guidance	Application	Trainers would guide participants in logging in and viewing data
Eliciting performance	Demonstration/Application	Participants access data and brainstorm uses (with guidance)
Providing feedback	Application	Have they accessed their data?
Assessing performance	Application/Integration	Have they accessed data and discussed usage?
Enhancing retention and transfer	Integration	Participants will access data and modify a current lesson plan according to data shown.

http://tip.psychology.org/gagne.html

Whole Task Approach – There are many parts to accessing data and then understanding a student’s performance. In the whole task approach the trainer would instruct the participants to do these all at one time.  The participants don’t simply need to know how to log in and stop.  They need to know how to follow through with the whole process in one sitting.  Thus, they need to be taught the “whole task” from start to finish.

Scaffolding – When using scaffolding to address accessing student assessment data it is best to start with a simplified whole task then increasing difficulty until the task is mastered.  The trainer would instruct the participants in how to log in and access and understand student data with a basic summary report.  From then, the task would increase in difficulty as the participants accessed other reports and “dug down” in the data to find specific parts of skills required intervention, (for ex: comprehension is the broad skill and cause and effect is the specific need.)

Mathemagenic – The participants will show their mastery of the skills by using them weekly in their own planning.  They will log in and view student data on a weekly basis as they construct their lesson plans.  They will modify their lesson to provide intervention for their students in the areas shown in the reports.

Attention
Perceptual arousal:	What can I do to capture their interest?	I can point out how much time the currently use to decide what interventions are necessary and how to implement them.
Inquiry Arousal:	How can I stimulate an attitude of inquiry?	I can inform them that they can do that in less than 30 minutes by using the data.
Variability:	How can I use a variety of tactics to maintain their attention?	Application, visual aids (whiteboard), discussion.
Relevance
Goal Orientation:	How can I best meet my learners’ needs?	By specifying what their needs are and then pointing out how these are met by looking at reports.
Motive matching:	How and when can I provide my learners with appropriate choices, responsibilities and influences?	By showing them how to get to data and therefore pinpoint instruction to their at risk students.
Familiarity:	How can I tie the instruction to the learners’ experience?	Their experience is to create instruction that will meet the needs of the students.  The data (my objective) will show them how.
Confidence
Learning Requirements:	How can I assist in building a positive expectation for success?	By encouraging team motivation, meaning that each member of their teaching team will encourage each other to use the data in planning sessions.
Success Opportunities:	How will the learning experience support or enhance the students’ beliefs in their competence?	They will leave the training knowing how to access and read data.  They will also leave with tools to help them should they struggle later.
Personal Control:	How will the learners clearly know their success is based upon their efforts and abilities?	It is their hands on the keyboard. J
Satisfaction
Intrinsic Reinforcement:	How can I provide meaningful opportunities for learners to use their newly acquired knowledge/skill?	In requiring the participants to bring their current lesson plans to the session and then use the data to modify them, they will use their new skill.
Extrinsic Rewards:	What will provide reinforcement to the learners’ successes?	The success they see in their students after having modified instruction based on the students’ needs.
Equity:	How can I assist the students in anchoring a positive feeling about their accomplishments?	Positive feedback!

If you do not engage in design research, how will ever get better.  Your instruction will become flat and ineffective.  It is imperative as a successful instructional designer to be involved always in design research.  What worked?  What didn’t work?  How can we tweak that a little so it will work?