Ashley Chiasson, M.Ed

Instructional Designer & Consultant

Grab the free Course Development Plan

Sign up for my newsletter and grab your free Course Development Plan PDF to streamline course creation.

Terminology Tuesday: Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

This week’s edition of Terminology Tuesday was inspired by a term I hadn’t heard of much in recent months (or maybe I was selectively reading…who knows). I figured I’d dive back into the world of MOOCs and get to the terminal bottom of them just for you!

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

MOOCs are just what their un-acronymed name indicate: Massive Open Online Courses – course materials for some of the world’s leading post-secondary institution are available online, for free! Bananas! These courses provide individuals all over the world (well…online, that’s the hitch) with access to course materials (e.g. lectures, readings, assignments, forums), emphasizing open access of content and encouraging the lifelong learning movement.

I remember being so excited when MIT Open CourseWare came out; the idea of learning information that I would only otherwise have been privy to as an MIT student was mind-boggling. Then came the onslaught of other open course content, such as edX, Coursera, and Udacity.

As MOOCs evolved, the free stays free, but the rich can still get rich…I say that jokingly; I don’t know if anyone is getting rich off MOOCs…someone likely is, but I’ll never know. Many MOOCs still offer their courses for free in the open access world, but some also offer upgraded certifications for a fee. The fees typically aren’t that crazy, so it really is a great opportunity to take if it’s presented to you.

For the self-motivated learner, MOOCs can be wonderful, but for the over-zealous learner, MOOCs can be particularly time-consuming and overwhelming on your inbox if you haven’t prepared yourself adequately for the number of courses you’ve eagerly enrolled in – be cautious, my friend!

3 Tips for Data Collection

This week I’m observing a training program with a goal of collecting information for an e-learning conversion project, so I figured it might be useful to share some tips for collecting data if ever you’re in a similar situation. You may have a secondary goal of building relationships; even if this is not overtly stated by your company and/or client, ensure you are polite and not disruptive. Be considerate.

1. Identify High-Level Goals

I’ve been on data collection trips that have had defined goals, ranging from high-level to module-specific training objectives. However, I’ve also attended data collection trips, like this one, where one of the goals is to identify learning objectives. Before data collection, you should outline the goals for your data collection trip. For example:

  • Identify Learning Objectives and Program Requirements
  • Define Learning Paths
  • Identify Media Requirements
  • Determine Assessment Type

Having this list will help guide you in your collection.

2. Absorb Everything

On most data collection trips, your primary responsibility will be to act as a sponge and absorb any and every bit of information you can. If you’re sitting in on Instructor-Led Training, you will be presented with a wealth of information, but the facilitator will likely have their own anecdotes based on personal experiences; likewise, other attendees may have anecdotes based on their personal experiences. ABSORB EVERYTHING! This comes in handy, particularly if you need to develop scenario-based training, these anecdotes will come in handy!

3. Be Prepared!

Mentally prepare yourself to be a keen observer. Bring your laptop or a pad of paper, and before you leave, prepare and print off a checklist. This is a particularly important point if you are collecting specific information or media.

With media, you should prepare a shot list. If you’re doing 3D development, you will need multiple views of each object; account for this, and when you obtain the shot, check it off the list.

Keep a running list of questions or concerns, and during breaks or at the end of the day, ensure you ask all questions.

When you return to your room at the end of each day, review all documentation collected and make a list of any questions or concerns you may have. Ensure you ask for clarification prior to the end of the trip and/or through communication after the fact.

Terminology Tuesday: Templates

Today I’m inspired by things that make life easier: templates!

Templates?!

Templates are magical! They can save you so much time, allowing you to streamline your development and make your process a lot more efficient. Templates will contain design elements, often times with placeholders for content and/or multimedia. These templates can be used as is, or they can be customized based on your particular needs, using the template elements as a baseline, reducing your time spent in customization.

When I first began my development journey, I would manually develop templates and design elements, paying no mind to any resources available to me. However, when I began customizing existing templates, I realized how much time I was saving, and now as a small business owner, I can appreciate the importance of any and every resource saving I can get my grubby little hands on! You should make it a point to realize the importance of these time/cost savings too.

Examples of Templates

Terminology Tuesday: Hustle

This week’s term isn’t really specifically related to Instructional Design; it’s a little more broad, and can be applied to any profession. It was inspired by a recent conversation in the E-Learning Heroes Community, and is a term I always find myself using when talking to aspiring freelancers.

Hustle 

In my opinion, the hustle is anything you do to generate new leads for business. In the freelance (or independent or contracting…whatever you prefer) world, you really can’t afford to turn your inner salesperson off. Eventually, you might be able to reduce the amount of hustling you do, but that’s a luxury a lot of folks just can’t afford.

Hustling can take many forms. For example, cold-calling/emailing, promoting your portfolio, creating social media profiles, participating actively in community and social media discussions, or applying directly to job prospects.

The phrase “Everyday I’m hustling'” is an accurate one!

Resources

I really don’t have resources for this week’s term; however, feel free to inquire with me in the comments, and I’ll offer my best stab at advice. Don’t let the idea of hustling stand in the way of your dream. Create your own freedom!

E-Learning Challenge #4 – Flatten Up Your Course Design Skills

Earlier this week, I asked David to challenge roulette me some challenges to work on next (because I need peer pressure), and he gave me some suggestions for the more popular challenges, and then some recommendations for ones that need a little bit of love. This challenge was one of the first challenges, and it needed a little love, so love I gave it.

The Concept

Create a flat course design template, using at least three slides, and showing how the flat design concept will move throughout the course. The slides could be static or entirely built-out interactions.

The Method

Initially, I was going to include a progress meter, but figured I would save that effort for the progress meter challenge….so I did. Instead, I used Tint UI  to create my palette for the sample slides, added some key elements (e.g. header, navigation buttons), and then changed up a few different screen styles. I made use of some free flat icons I acquired from somewhere on Creative Market or Smashing Magazine (I’m sorry…I can’t remember!), and then made final modifications to the player settings before publishing.

The Result

Screen Shot 2015-01-29 at 9.04.52 AM

Click Here to see the Full Demo.

 

E-Learning Challenge #41 – Low-Tech, High-Speed Course Design

Tonight I was sifting through the previous ELH challenges, and decided to take my artistic abilities to the next level (in my opinion), so I settled in for a doozy of a challenge!

The Concept

Get back to basics and create an emergency response course using pen and paper. Now, I’ll humour David here, but if I was presented with this ‘interaction’ when I was in school, I would have dropped out immediately. This task required us to take a news story or disaster event and help learners navigate the event.

The Method

Inspired by the giant winter storm that is making its way up the eastern seaboard this evening, I was reminded of White Juan. White Juan was a giant snowstorm that brought our city to a standstill mere months after Hurricane Juan decimated much of our coastal areas. There was so much snow that folks had to wait for their neighbours to somehow magically get out of their homes to shovel them (the other un-freed neighbours) out. I believe my folks were stuck inside for two or three days because they couldn’t open their windows/doors. Bananas, right?

I grabbed my mousepad (which is also a giant post-it note/memo pad), ripped off a couple of sheets and got to work. I added a header and a prompt (which you can’t read very well in the example, but I’ll transcribe – don’t worry), drew an emergency kit (or a child’s backpack – same difference), and went to work drawing items that might be in the kit.

All of the items were drawn on itty bitty post it notes, which I then affixed to the main content ‘slide’. I imagined a drag and drop interaction where users would drag the items to the emergency kit.

Taking a second sheet of memo pad, I re-drew the emergency kit, added the header and prompt, did some research over at the Red Cross’ website and added the correct responses (post-it notes), and then added a little note.

I then took photos, with my iPhone, of both ‘slides’. Ta-da!

The Result

Here is an image of the main content slide. The transcription is as follows: 

Header: “SNOWSTORM 2015”

Prompt: “CHOOSE ITEMS TO FILL YOUR EMERGENCY KIT! (CHOOSE WISELY)

ELH_Challenge_41_1

Here is the correct feedback slide. The transcript is as follows:

Header: “SNOWSTORM 2015”

Prompt: “IF YOU CHOSE THE FOLLOWING ITEMS, YOU CHOSE WISELY (ACCORDING TO THE RED CROSS)”

Note: “PLEASE NOTE: WHILE THEY MAY SEEM IMPORTANT, THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE CONSIDERED NON-ESSENTIAL IN THE EVENT OF A SNOWSTORM (ACCORDING TO THE RED CROSS): CAKE, NETFLIX, ALCOHOL, BEAGLE, SNOWMEN. STAY SAFE!”

ELH_Challenge_41_2

Disclaimer: If we get nearly as much of a blizzard as Environment Canada is calling for, I will be sitting on my couch, with my beagle, watching Netflix (providing the power does not go out), eating cake, and drinking wine…I may have a burst of energy, and will use that to build a snowman.