Chapter 18 discusses instructional design in business and industry. Give an example of rapid prototyping and discuss how this could be used in education.

One example of rapid prototyping in education is intervention.  As the students move throughout the year, teachers learn what activities do and do not work with their students.  What might work to introduce one skill may not work with another.  Teachers must constantly evaluate and with the input of their students “tweak” the instructional plan to better meet the students’ needs.  As these adjustments are made the students enjoy greater success in learning.

Pretend you are hired as a consultant for the military. They want to use technology in its training, but electronic access is not always available. Using the Full Spectrum diagram, what alternatives could you suggest for a successful program?

Since the each area of Rank/Capability, Skill Level and Environment can cover a broad spectrum the training program must be flexible.  The participants may be on base in a controlled environment or they may be out in hostile conditions.  Regardless, they still need to be trained.  Of course the perfect use of technology would be to have constant access to updated materials but this is not always the case.  Having a learning lab (Deployable Learning Resource Center) that can be updated when time allows is a great way to use computers as a training resource in the field.  Also ensuring there is at least one member of the team that is trained and can use hard copies of training materials to train the rest of their group and also serve as a peer tutor until the skill is mastered is a great way to train whenever/ wherever. 

Chapter 21 looks at radical educational change in P-12 settings. I visited the Chugach School District in Alaska and know Richard DeLorenzo very well. I can assure you that this change can occur in our schools. Review the Step-Up-To-Excellence methodology and the GSTE. Outline a staff development activity that will introduce both methodologies to your colleagues.  

Click here to view Staff Development presentation

Navigating through the ranks of a faculty member in higher education can be tricky. A good institution has support for its faculty and provides faculty development opportunities to grow and learn. Research three different university offices for faculty development. Answer the following questions for each office:

CSU Fullerton

• What are the different names used for faculty development?
• Faculty Development Center
• What division is it under?
• Office of the President
• What services does it offer?
• Enhancing excellence in teaching
• Understanding and assessing student learning
• Enhancing the effective use of technology in teaching
• Promoting scholarly research and creative activities
• Enhancing professional and service activities
• Sponsoring special support programs for special faculty constituencies, including the Chair Support Program, New Faculty Orientation and Semester Series, Untenured Faculty Support Program, Women & Under-represented Faculty Support Program, and part-time faculty, and
• Promoting other campus-wide intellectual and community-building events. 

• How often are programs given and what specifically are they?
• Consultation on Designing Learning Environments
• Consultation on Purchase and Effective use of Instructional Technologies
• Faculty Classroom Observation
• Graphics Design Services
• One-On-One Consultation for Faculty
• Part-time Faculty Support
• Teaching & Technology Workshops (see workshop schedule)
• Teaching, Learning, and Technology Assessment
• Technology Training & Support
• Videoconferences on topics of Interest to Faculty

Virginia Tech

• What are the different names used for faculty development?
• Faculty Development Institute
• What division is it under?
• Learning Technologies
• What services does it offer?
• Peer Mentoring
• Course Development
• Production Support
• Funding Support
• Technology
• Online Resources
• How often are programs given and what specifically are they?
• Programs are offered each semester
• Teaching
• Research
• Technology

Eastern Illinois University

• What are the different names used for faculty development?
• Faculty Development
• What division is it under?
• Academic Affairs
• What services does it offer?
• Faculty Resources
• Support Grants
• Mentoring
• Workshops
• How often are programs given and what specifically are they?
• Online resources are available
• Workshops are offered yearly
• Wholesome Professor Workshops
• Center for Academic Technology Support
• Library Computer Workshops
• Research Resources

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.