Course Design – OTL542

Final Project Plan

Title:

Using Video Podcasts to Introduce Installers to Online Learning at WB University

Description:

This project describes a series of five new video podcasts (v-cast), which will be added to the WB Certification Program (WBCP) completed by all Installers through WB University. The purpose of these v-casts is to cover topics that will help students be better online learners, which may translate into better job performance. The first v-cast replaces current WB University orientation content. The additional four v-casts are optional, and provide self-help information, strategies and tactics that support online learning.

Size & Scope:

Each v-cast will last about 5-10 minutes, and except for the first one, are optional.

• Intro to the WBCP, and how to use WB University
• Setting personal learning goals, and overcoming learning barriers
• Creating your personal learning space
• Using your Learning Style – determining it, and using it in the online courses of the WB Certification Program
• Strategies for Reading and Learning from Image

The first v-cast will appear as part of the first lesson in the Getting Started course of the WBCP. The remaining four v-casts will appear as a single lesson in the Getting Started course, but will be labeled as optional and will not have a mandatory “view page” tag in the learning management system (WB University), which will allow the learner to skip the lesson if they wish. If time constraints dictate, the four optional v-casts could be created during a subsequent course update.

Project Detail

Choosing Technology for this Project

Many of the students coming to WB University for the WBCP are below-average learners. Many  have informed us that they do not feel they are good learners, and struggle to conquer the vast amounts of reading in the current program. They also comment that they prefer to learn in a ‘hands-on’ manner. For this project, I have chosen to use a series of video podcasts (v-cast.) A v-cast is like a Power Point presentation with a voice track. Having both visual and audio content will appeal to the most common learning styles that we find in our learner population. Using a v-cast that presents information in a tutorial manner, and includes learner activities such as web searches and online quizzes, should provide a higher level of engagement for the learner, reduce some of the reading, as well as provide some real strategies and tactics that will help them be better learners.

Project Plan

This table describes the major steps for this project.

Project Resource Needs

For content development, I will need time on my schedule to complete the key activities. I have all of the software and audio recording equipment necessary. For review, I will need time on SME’s and editor’s schedules. For the production rollout, I will need time on my schedule. This project has no budget requirements.

Project Performance Measures

From the perspective of creating content for the WBCP and WB University, this is a very simple project. Since there is only one developer, simple review, and a simple production rollout, there isn’t much that needs project coordination. The measures I propose would be

• timely delivery of content for review
• timely delivery of review comments
• timely delivery of .PPTs, audio recordings, and flash movies
• timely upload of updated course to WB University

Assessing Student Learning

Assessing student learning for this project is challenging because the content focuses on how to be a learner, and most of it is optional. Most learners coming to WB University are coming for their first-ever online course, and will return only once a year to re-certify, so tracking their improvement as a learner is not possible.  Using a “student satisfaction” survey could be added at the end of all online courses to track whether the students made use of anything presented in the v-casts.

Storyboard

As I develop this project, I plan to use some of the content from my Storyboard from OTL570.

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Other Assignments

The purpose of content below  is to showcase how this course introduced me to, or further developed my skill using, Web 2.0 technologies used in online line learning.

Journal Blogs

Charting a Way through Chaos, Part 1

Charting a Way through Chaos, Part 2

Technology in Search of a Problem

Web Accessibility

Economic Access to Technology

Learning to Podcast

One of my assignments was to record a podcast using the Podomatic website.

Here’s the podcast I published.

Reflections on this assignment:

I had to resort to using my digital recorder to create a quality MP3 file because the quality created by the website was so low, but I found the rest of the site quite easy to navigate. I also discovered that I had to use Internet Explorer, rather than my default browser, Chrome . I also wanted to add a lead in sound track, but the free version of the site didn’t support it. The site allows me to add only 1 image to a podcast, yet when it plays the published file the image flickers as it periodically reloads; didn’t like that so much.  My conclusion is that Podomatic might not meet the needs for our corporate university .

Wiki

My Wiki at Wikispaces – I used a wiki to track the development of my portfolio project. Most of the pages are reflections on various assignments, the instructor’s feedback on those assignments, and then additional reflection on my part based on that feedback, mostly about how the feedback is shaping the way that I envision my course.

You may need an invitation to view the wiki, so leave a Comment below including your name and why you are interested.

Course Design – OTL570 –>