Week 11 reflection

During the second week of my formative evaluation, I finished up my one to one and then my small group.  My small group started out with five people, but was only able to get three people who could agree on a meeting time that didn’t conflict with their schedules.  I got a lot a feedback from my SME and One to one, but have not made all the major changes.  The  doc students were a little apprehensive, because two of them had no intentions of teaching , and felt they would not be helpful in the evaluation.  When I did small groups before, it was easier to get them scheduled. I met them at their school right after dismissal.  This time I had to send out two different Doodles polls.  I was beginning to think I would only have one participant in my small group.  The evaluation went smoothly.  I was able to work out the kinks with the technology.  We resolved D2L issues.  I think the evaluation went well.  I got good feedback. They said even though they did not feel they were fully prepared, they felt better prepared after the module.  I think they would felt more prepared had they completed the entire course, but they only completed two modules because of time constraints.  Now that I am finished with the evaluation, it is time for me to write it up.  I have been trying to write up each section as I complete it so that I won’t feel so overwhelmed trying to remember what happened two weeks ago.  

Week 10 reflection

 I was the lead evaluator, and was responsible for the formative evaluation of our model.  The first week, I schedule the Subject Matter Experts and started the one to ones. This was important because we needed to make sure that what we have put in the modules was accurate.  I got some interesting feedback.  Some of the sections are a little text heavy and we needed to find more videos that modeled more teaching strategies.  I was given a list of possible strategies to include.  When I did the formative evaluation before, I only had one sme and she did the whole unit.  This time I scheduled three and they each had an introduction module plus two others.  So some of the feedback I got included suggestions that were already present in other modules. In order to keep up with who was doing what, I created a table of testers and which section they would be responsible for testing.  The first SME was unable to take the quizzes because we had them set to only open when the first quiz was passed.  We opened them up so the others were able to take the quizzes. Next week I will finish my one to one and have a small group of three people.  

Week 9 reflection

This week I worked on the formative evaluation plan. This is an important part of the instructional design process. I get to test the product that we develop to see if it is ready to go into the field. I spent some time reading other evaluation plans. When I did this before, I broke each step down and worked on them weekly. I did my subject matter expert evaluation, revised and then reported my results. I did the same for my one to one and small group evaluations. This time the evaluation is more reflective of real world practice because I am writing my plan up with each step in mind, and then following it rather than by piecemeal. However, going through the process previously has helped me to better understand what is expected during the same process this time. The strategies I used were effective for this assignment. While writing the forms that I would use during the evaluation, I went back to make sure that I had included the components in the course. I tried hard to keep to deadlines, but when working in a group that does not always happen. But my group is getting better about following a plan. I think I covered all that I need to be sure that our module is going to be effective. I am learning how all the parts are working together – making a plan, breaking down the tasks, and working through the design process. So over the next week we will implement our evaluation plan, and modify as needed as we go.

Week 8 Reflection

I worked on the instructional strategy this week. Unfortunately, I did not finish it in time for Tod to get a video put up by Sunday at 11:59. I was in a lot of pain from my back, so it was hard to focus for more than a few minutes at a time. This was an important task because it lists the strategies we will take to build our content. It was a little tricky for me because we had already begun building our content so I wondered if we were going to have to make some changes. When working in MRKK, I did preinstructional strategies and set strategies for each goal. Also, I thought about my audience and getting their attention as in strategies in Gagne’s nine steps. Eventually, I was able to complete the task to my group members’ satisfaction. During this process, I learned more about strategies and learning theories. This will be helpful this summer when I design other instruction. Next week we will continue to work on our treatment report. Claire was able to get all the components in, we will spend the week tweaking it.

Week 7 Reflection

I worked on putting content into the LMS. We decided to have it all put in by Sunday. I have one more module to complete. I can’t believe that we are more than half way through this project. This part is important because we have to be sure that we have the information in that was discussed at our focus group. When I was in Dr. Tamim’s class, this was one of the most time consuming parts of the project. Of course, I was doing it alone. I have group and it seems to go a little faster. I have decided that for loading the information in the course I would do the instruction first, and then move to the overview.

 I think things are going well. I tried to be mindful of cognitive load when developing the course. I did not want to put too much information in, but there is a lot of information that needs to be covered. The next thing is for Tod to create summary videos, so I am finishing my content up tonight.

Week 6 reflection

This week I worked on gathering material for adding content to our course. The focus group was helpful when thinking about what should be included and weeding out some things that may not be a useful. I have also been reading about the formative evaluation process. That will be happening after spring break, and I want to be sure I understand what needs to be done to make the process go well. Dr. Weaver said that she could assist in getting volunteers to help with the course. We will meet as a group to discuss how much should one person complete. We all agree that it would be too much to ask one person to complete the whole course. I did meet my goals this week; though we were a little late getting the project plan done. When working on content development before, I was working independently. So I did not think about things like uniformity. We have to make all the parts look cohesive, and not like three different people worked on it. So now we have to talk about formatting, fonts, etc. I see the need for a WBS because sometimes we don’t always have who will do what worked out, and now having a WBS that we can refer to helps out tremendously. This week, we will meet and pound out the content. We will do this for the next two weeks. Then we will begin the formative evaluation process.

Week 5 Reflection

In addition to the 15/5s, be sure your individual site includes your name, your email, and a link to the project Web site. When your 15/5 is complete, be sure to post a link in our G+ community so we know it's updated.

This week our team had a focus group.  We met as a team to decide what we would discuss.  We determined which topics would be covered in our seven module course. This is important because the subject matter experts gave input about the topics that will be covered. Since the SME were from different colleges, we were able to get a range of input so that I course would better suit each school.

I have never been a part of a focus group, and I didn’t quit know what to expect.  The SME gave good ideas. Some of the SME were graduate students so we were able to get things added that they said would have been helpful to them when they first started.

We are moving forward and setting deadlines for having the course developed. We want to leave plenty of time to complete our formal assessment. The focus group went well.  I was most proud of the notes that we took.  We also got helpful links from one of the GTAs.

Now I will type the notes and present them at our next team meeting on Monday.  This will help us to refine our outline and assign modules to develop.

Week 4 Reflection

This week we worked on the analysis report. I am responsible for posting an overview in the Google community. I worked on the performance and the learning context. I also went back and reread those sections in the Dick and Carey book. Our group agreed to have the analysis first draft completed on Friday and edit it on Saturday and post the finished report on Sunday to our Google doc.

 We also discussed the seven module topics that will be added to our course shell. Claire added that on Friday, and we will divide the sections at our next meeting this Sunday evening. We have also sent out invitation for our SME to participate in a focus group. I am responsible for collecting data from the focus group and reporting what we need to tweek on our course.

I think we have gotten off to a slow start, but are steady gaining momentum. We will complete a WBS this week as well. This week I spent time trying to make sure I understand what my role is in this group dynamic. I am the lead evaluator, so I know that most of what I will do will come later. When I wrote an analysis before, I followed the MRKK model and there are some slight differences. But for the most part the main components are there. I worked on a goal and learner analysis when working on my individual project.

 I am seeing a pattern in what we are doing. I see that we must document everything. Because even though we may know what we want to do and anticipate problems, we have to have documentation to support the work we are doing. The SME and other stakeholder know that their money and time is not being wasted. I think I am doing better than I did last week. My understanding of my roles and responsibility is becoming clearer. I have been asking questions to be sure I am on the right track. 

This week I plan to work on the course shell. I am reading the sites and handbooks that we already have. After we speak with the SME, we will begin working on the course. I am wondering if I should send out some form of questionnaire before the focus group meeting or wait until everyone is there. 


This week: Read Dick and Carey Discussed and planned focus group meeting with the project manager Worked on the analysis report Met with my group to provide updates and get more assignments for next week

 Next Week: The project manager and I will conduct a focus group I will collect data to report in our weekly meeting Be assigned sections of the course to the develop Complete assigned reading

Week 3 Reflection

I worked with my group to complete the project charter and completed assigned reading. We set a deadline to have the first draft done before the weekend so that our project manager could make any needed changes before we put it up on the website. This task was an important part of the initial process. We met as a group to be sure we were all on the same page as to the content that would be be included in the charter. I have never done a project charter before. I think it is a good way to get and keep us focused and organized. I can use this on projects that I have moving forward. Some parts of what we did will help set the tone for moving forward. I think I am doing well keeping up with the tasks that I have been assigned. I am going to begin working on the evaluation section this week and completing a screencast.

Week 2 Reflection

This week I read and posted a summary in google community. Our group got communication from our SME. It was all done on time.? I think the reading (WBS) that I did was important for us moving forward on next week’s assignment. I did not set any goals for this week except to meet the deadline of reading and posting. I think the ball will get rolling now that we will have the project charter due. I understand the parts of the assignment and how they connect. I am nervous about meeting the deadline and doing a good job working with my team. When I went through this process before, it was an individual, and I did not go into such details because it was hypothetical. I can definitely use this again when I am out in the real world working in my field. I will be doing the evaluations and I pulled out the summative evaluation that I did in a previous class to refresh my memory. I think that having experience in the evaluation process will help me with this project. I think I will have more of a reflection next week when I have done more than read and post in the community. The reading has been helpful and I think that it will make the process easier. I am glad that I am in a group, but I am nervous about doing my share of the work. Time management will be important as we move through this process. I think that managing my times and setting reasonable deadlines for myself will be useful. My team and I will meet on Monday to discuss how we will proceed with the project charter. I am excited to moving forward, but nervous about my ability to do my part.

Taking the First Steps

Part I

This week was all about setting up blogs, websites, posts, and reading getting started chapters. I have accomplished all of it. Reading chapters 1-3 took the longest amount of time. I read for 3.5 hours which included posts from others, content pages in ecourseware. I Spent 15 minutes watching videos, and about 30 minutes writing responses in the community. I am the lead evaluator. I will primarily oversee the needs analysis and formative evaluation of the eLearning product. This week I spent a lot of time reading.

 Part II

I read assigned chapters as well as information posted in Google community by team awesome. This was important because I am setting the ground work for the project that is ahead. I understand how this connects. Initiating the project is an important first step in which the ground work is laid and roles and responsibilities are established. I have never done anything like this before in that I have not had a real client. I have gone through the instructional design process before with a hypothetical client. But I did not do a project initiation. I understand that I am making the first steps in a project management process. I know that I will be refining as I go along. I think I did okay on the assignment. I really did not have much to do other than read. I connected with my team members as well. I think that is important. I was worried about how we were going to work with a team member being a distant student. But I realize that this is done all the time because there are a lot of companies who have employees that work remotely. I have learned that we have to have established roles and responsibilities and carry them. We have to stay connected through email, video conference and phone. We have assigned roles, so we will move into next weeks assignment ready with set dates and meeting times.