Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

            While searching the internet for two resources that would be useful in estimating the costs, effort, and/or activity durations associated with Instructional Design projects, I found a lot of different websites associated with this topic. I however, could not find any listservs, message boards, or blogs. I did however find blogs, but they were blogs that other students had posted about this same topic, so I decided to look for websites instead. When discussing costs, efforts, and activity durations, I immediately think of what a project would cost or a budget. “A project budget is the financial plans for allocating organization resources to project activities” (Portny et al., 2008, p. 118). Project managers have a difficult job of not only making sure project gets completed on time, however, they also have to estimate budgets, and make sure their IDs are good workers. While searching through all the websites, I decided to look up project budgeting cost and budgets for projects.

            One of the websites that I found that would help anyone with information about creating a project budget cost, would be Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design. This website is truly fantastic when trying to estimate costs and time within a project. I think when it comes to the making my own project, I will refer back to this website. It also gives examples of what a budget cost or time would look like. It is a nice reference to have. Project managers must remember “project managers recognize a cost after a commitment is made to pay someone for resources or service” (Portny et al., 2008, p. 119). However, no one really states how to figure out the budget or time. This website helps break it down a bit better for everyone.

            The second website I found very interesting for Project Manager and Instructional Designers to look at for project budget and time would be Estimating Instructional Development (ID) Time. This website was also very interesting because it only focuses on estimating time on ID projects. When I think about project management, it is very difficult to get excited about a project, knowing something can always go wrong, but more importantly not knowing how to estimate the project cost and time. This website helps PMs to better understand that time and cost go together, and both are equally important. The author has experience within project management or instructional design because his suggestions seem very accurate. I will also be coming back to this website for help when I decide to take on a project.

            Overall, there are many websites out there that will help with ID projects-cost and time. However, I know I will need to keep referring back to these websites for extra help if and when I decide to take on a project. I hope everyone enjoys the websites. “The fundamental items to plan, monitor, and control are time, cost, and performance so that the project stays on schedule, does not exceed budget, and meets its specifications” (Portny et al., 2008, p. 317).

References

            Clark, D. (2010). Estimating Costs and Time in Instructional Design. Retrieved from http://www.nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html

            Greere, M. (2013). Estimating Instructional Development (ID) Time. Retrieved from http://michaelgreer.biz/?p=279

            Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Communicating Effectively

            This week’s assignment was to reflect on communication by watching the video “The Art of Effective Communication”. There were three different types of communication that was sent between two co-workers; email, voicemail, and face-to-face. Communication between: email is what someone writes, voicemail is what someone says, and face-to-face is how someone acts when standing in same area. According to Dr. Stolovich, we see “communication is clear, concise, and focused” (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Sometimes, with using different types of communications, Dr. Stolovich’s message can be lost. After watching this video, we see how communication can be different within different approaches.

Email

            In this, an email was sent to Mark from Jane. The email was very “clear, concise, and focused” (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Jane had a point to make, and after reading the email, Mark would know what she was asking for. Jane needed a report that had been missing. Jane was working on a project, and she needed the data from Mark. Jane is worried about missing her own project deadline and needs Mark’s report before she can finish her project. Jane was very polite in her email to Mark.

Voicemail

            In this voicemail, Jane leaves a message for Mark, about his report being missing. With Jane leaving this voicemail, it seems like her voice portrays this to be more urgent than the email was. She is very nice about needing the missing report and she does not blame Mark for the missing report. She just asks if he could give her the report or the data from the report so she does not miss her own deadline on her own project.

Face-to-Face

            In the face-to-face meeting with Jane, she seems more at easy and more relaxed about not having the data she needs from the missing report to finish her report on time. Jane seems more compassionate about Mark being busy and she does not blame him for the report missing, as it seems she did in the voicemail. Jane has strong "tonality and body language" as she is talking face-to-face to Mark (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). In the voicemail, Jane makes it seem like this report is urgent, but in this she seems more relaxed and understanding that he has been busy all day.

            "Communication is sharing the right message with the right people in a timely manner" (Portny et al., 2008, p. 357). Communication needs to be done effectively and efficiently for any type of message to be passed along. Personally, I like more face-to-face communication. It helps me remember tasks I need to complete or to better understand what is being asked. I also enjoy emails because they help remind me on the things I have to do, and you do not get the sense if someone is upset or angry with you.  Voicemail is very hard to decipher from because depending on the persons tone (that left the voicemail), you may not know how important something is by the tone. Some people are naturally relaxed even if stressed, and some people sound stressed even when they are not. I personally do not like leaving voicemails because the way people hear what you say could change everything that you stated in your message. It is very important to always communicate with your team members. All team members need to be on the same page when it comes to projects.

            I learned through these three examples: email, voicemail, and face-to-face that you need to be careful the way you are communicating your messages. If you are writing a message via email, you should always "begin with a clear purpose, state the situation, and include possible solutions" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.) When leaving voicemails, never let the person know you are upset or angry with them. Try not to have too much tone in your voice. I feel like angry voicemails are not going to get a good response as someone who is nicer. Finally, with face-to-face, make sure your body language does not suggest you feel differently than what or how you are saying something. I would much rather have a face-to-face conversation with someone who is nice as opposed to someone yelling in my face. In the end, it comes down to what type of communication is better for each individual to get his or her overall message to someone else. If you are better at writing, then email. If you are better at speaking then maybe voicemail or face-to-face. We all have to remember, "communication is not just a word", it is the way we share our thoughts and ideas with other individuals (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.).

            Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Communicating with Stakeholders. Baltimore, MD: Author

            Portny, S. E., Mantel, S. J., Meredith, J. R., Shafer, S. M., Sutton, M. M., & Kramer, B. E. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling, and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Learning from a Project "Post- mortem"

               "A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service" (Portny et al., 2008, p. 2). My project that was unsuccessful happened about five years ago. Once out of college, I was hired at a middle school/high school to become a 7th and 8th grade Intervention Specialist. I was so excited that I had found a job and that I would officially be teaching. When I went in to meet my principal, I realized she was odd. She took credit for many things, which I already knew she did not do. She took credit for the littlest things: the wall colors, why her students were passing the Ohio Achievement Tests (at the time now Ohio Achievement Assessments) and who was hired or fired. She took me off guard because everything was all about her and she did no wrong.

                Towards the end of the year (April), I was asked to come into the principal's office to help with an idea. She had decided that the students Math achievement scores were not high enough, and they were making her look bad. Therefore, she needed the students to bring up the scores, and this needed to be done by buying something that helped them practice for the tests. She asked four other teachers and myself to become a team and find a solution to this problem. The first thing we had to do was " define the project concept clearly enough so that you can get support from key people in your organization" (Greer, 2010, p. 8). We all decided we would find some type of booklet that the students could either do in Math class or take home to do on their own time. Something that would help the students practice their skills before taking the OAT's. We went to the principal and told her our plan and she said whatever we needed, it could be done.  According to Greer (2010), we went through the first project management step: "Define the project concept, and then get support and approval" (p. 45). We were specifically told that she supported whatever we decided and the superintended supported whatever efforts we could find.

                "Get your team together and start the project" (Greer, 2010, p. 45). After giving us the problem, the teachers decided to meet a few times and all us teachers had agreed that we would buy a math booklet. It came down to two choices, Measuring Up or Buckle Down. Both went according to the 7th and 8th grade math standards. We asked for sample booklets from both companies, and both companies were happy to help us. After looking through both sample books, we as a team decided which one we liked. We "figured out exactly what the finished work product would be" (Greer, 2010, p. 45). We were all very excited about the booklet we picked and we were excited to get the information turned in to the principal so it could get ordered.

                "Estimate time, effort, and resources" (Greer, 2010, p. 45). It did not take much time to come up with the ideas of the math booklets because apparently, the teachers had already looked at buying these types of books before but the funding was not there. Efforts were important because without everyone in our group, we would have never made it as far as we did in that period.  In the end, we took our final product to the principal. We not only had which booklet we wanted to order, but also why we wanted this one. We also figured out how many students there would be the next year, and how much each booklet was, and how many we had to order to receive a teacher booklet. We handed in our proposal to the principal. She said she would look it over and get back to us. After about two days, one of the group members went to the principal and asked if she had heard anything back. The principal told us all to get a Purchase Order form (P.O.) and fill it out. She specifically told us not to put any names on the paper because she was not sure whom she should put so we left it blank. We all filled out the necessary paperwork and we gave it back to her. Personally, I was so happy with the progress I had made that year with my teaching, with work relationships, and I was very excited that I was asked to be in on this project.

                After a few days, the principal asked us all to come meet her in her office. She told us all that we would not be receiving books until the following year because we turned in our purchase order too late and the superintendent would not approve this. We also had apparently wasted our time, because in the end she ended up picking the other booklet because (we thought) she did not like our ideas. In the beginning of the year, we received an email from the superintended that congratulated the principal on her strong efforts and dedication to the entire project to helping student's math grades improve. Apparently, she had filled in her name on the purchase order and told the superintended she had done it all. This not only was a failure on us (teachers) because after all our time and efforts we put into this idea was wasted, but our idea in the end was not the one picked.

                I feel looking back now we did a great job with project management. "Project management is the process of guiding a project from a beginning through its performance to its closure" (Portny et al., 2008, p. 3). We all stayed within a period, budget, and we knew what our finished project should be. As of today, that principal has been demoted to an In- school Suspension. I was upset this situation happened, but at the same time, I never realized until now how much project management can come into any situation. We had many successes through the project but the biggest failure was putting all our trust into the principal and not handing it to the superintendent ourselves.  Honestly, I would not have changed anything about the project because not only did I develop good working relationships with my teachers but in time the principal was demoted because of the things she did to not only teachers but students. I feel like looking back, we accomplished many parts to the Project Management process but the one I wish we would have followed through with was "Close out phases, close out the project" (Greer, 2010, p. 45). Maybe if we did this stage correctly, we would have stopped the project and handed all our findings to the superintendent our selves. However, we live and learn.

References

                 Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Balitimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

                Portney, S., Mantel, S., Meredith, J., Shafer, S., Sutton, M., & Kramer, B. (2008). Project management: Planning, scheduling and controlling projects. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley Sons, Inc.

               

Project Management in Ed and Training

I am happy to start my 7th class through Walden University. I am excited to see what this class is all about. Enjoy my blog!

Reflection

           "Distance education is institution-based, formal education where the learning group is separated, and where interactive telecommunications systems are used to connect learners, resources, and instructors" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2010, p. 7). Distance education has become a bigger name because of new advances in technology. Technology is what distance education work, by allowing users to learn by using the internet. "In 1979, computer and internet technology introduced for distance learning course delivery" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Even when distance education first started, I am sure it is not the same today as it was back then. Even in recent years, (2007-2009), "new and emerging Web 2.0 technologies including, wikis, blogs, podcasts and multi-user virtual environments greatly expanded distance learning options" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Web 2.0 tools have really helped distance learners to have the best online learning experiences. Today, there are three types of distance education courses. The three options that distance learners can choose are online, blended or hybrid, or web-facilitated courses. Online is where all the content is delivered online and students communicate via discussions with peers and instructors, over 80% is caught online. Blended or hybrid courses "combine online and face-to-face delivery, thus 30% - 79% of the course's content is delivered online" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2010, p. 5). The last type of course offered is web-facilitated courses, and these are "web-based technology, but less than 29% of the content is delivered online" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2010, p. 5). The three different types of distance education gives the learners a chance to obtain degrees in any type of classes they enjoy: different-time, same place; same-time, different-place; or different-time, different-place.

            With how much technology keeps changing, I expect distance education to be different from what it is now. In the future, 5-10 years away, I see distance education becoming more popular than what it is today. Today, "distance education is not identical to face-to-face education, but equivalent" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). In 5-10 years, I think distance education will be closer to identical (if not better). Distance education incorporates all types of technologies, which traditional face-to-face courses do not. I would rather take a course that offers more about the growing technologies than the older ones, wouldn't you? In 10-20 years, I see distance education maybe being a higher number than traditional face-to-face courses. Many people are aware of distance education today, but are leery to sign up. In 10-20 years, many more people will know about distance education and many more will realize the benefits associated with distance education. Benefits being: ability to do class work on your own schedule, "technology, develop course management skills, support services, and communication with peers/instructor" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2010, p. 70).

             Instructional Designers have a difficult job with designing instruction for distance education. First, instructional designers should "involve facilitators in the course development process" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). It is important for all facilitators to know the course before the course is given over completely. In addition, instructional designers must "train the facilitators on software that they and their students will be using" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). If the facilitators do not know the software, how will they be able to answer questions if they are not aware of the software? Being an instructional designer, I will constantly be looking for new ways to help improve or promote distance learning. Maybe, by using my Instructional Design degree to do side work that might promote distance learning, or working for a campus to create distance-learning courses. The possibilities are endless, but overall, I know how I feel about distance education, and I want others to try it for themselves and see how they feel afterwards.

            Before even starting this distance education class, I knew a little bit about it. I originally began to understand the idea of "distance education" because while in high school we had a distance-learning lab. It was a great idea, and many students used the lab. Today, my workplace has a virtual academy where students take courses online instead of attending the traditional face-to-face classes. I think distance education is important and everyone should be aware of the benefits of distance education. Ever since I started my degree through Walden, I have told many people about my experiences with distance learning. Actually, since starting I have convinced two co-works to sign up for distance learning classes. This class, just heightened my ideas about distance education, things I was not aware of before. To be a positive force for continuous improvement, I plan to still participate in online distance education courses after I have obtained my degree. I also, will still tell my co-workers about my experiences, and hopefully more people will begin to sign up for distance education.

             "Growing acceptance of distance education is fueled by: the increase in online communication, practical experience with new tools, growing comfort with online courses and ability to communicate with diverse and global groups" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). I think Dr. George Siemens had it right about the future of distance education. "Distance education will be impacted by: new communication technologies, contribution by experts around the world, and increase use of multimedia, games and simulations" (Laureate Education, Inc., n.d.). Distance education is a great tool that everyone should know about and maybe try at least once in their life. Distance education is not done growing, and maybe in a few years, it will not be anything like it is today. Whatever the case, the purpose of distance learning is "providing the student with the best possible scenario where learning outcomes will be maximized" (Schmidt & Gallegos, 2001, p. 2).

References

                Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Distance Learning Timeline Continuum. Baltimore, MD: Author

            Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Facilitating Online Learning. Baltimore, MD: Author

            Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].The Future of Distance Education. Baltimore, MD: Author

            Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and evidence [DVD].Theory and Distance Learning. Baltimore, MD: Author

            Schmidt, E., & Gallegos, A. (2001). Distance learning: Issues and concerns of distance learners. Journal of Industrial Technology, 17(3). Retrieved from http://atmae.org/jit/Articles/schmidt041801.pdf

            Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.

Converting to a Distance Learning Format

           Converting from a face-to-face traditional classroom to a distance learning (blended) environment

 can be hard but it is possible. "Distance education and face-to-face education should have the same 

learning outcomes and provide equivalent learning experiences to meet those outcomes" (Laureate 

Education, Inc., n.d.). Regardless of the environment, all learning experiences should be met and every 

person should be able to flourish in the distance learning (blended) environment. "A blended or hybrid 

course combines online and face-to-face delivery; thus, 30% to 79% of the course's content is delivered 

online" (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 5). When using a distance learning (blended) 

environment to teach, it gives way of using new technologies. Technologies that students are not able to

 use unless in a distance learning environment. Within this, the training manager will better understand 

what are some pre-planning strategies before converting his program, how to use original ideas and 

convert them to distance learning format, ideas for what the facilitator's new role will be and what he 

should do to help the students to better communicate.



Click here to view my Application: Converting to a Distance Learning Format





References

         Laureate Education, Inc. (Producer). (n.d.). Introduction to scholarly writing: Purpose, audience, and 

evidence [DVD].Theory and Distance learning. Baltimore, MD: Author

        Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a 

distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Open Yale

Open Source http://oyc.yale.edu/

            What is open source (or Open Course)? “Open source software is intended to be freely shared and can be improved upon and redistributed to others” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 141). Before my researching today, I had never heard of this idea. “Open Course websites is class materials such as syllabi, reading lists, lecture notes, and other documents that were once used in an actual classroom and are now available to the public for free” (Littlefield, 2013). I never knew schools offered these types of programs. While researching all the different types of open source software listed in our resources, I realized how important this could be for students. “In our resources for the week, I noticed many different kinds of open sources, and all of them looked very interesting. The open source that I decided to pick and share is Open Yale because that was the most one that caught my attention the most.

            “Open Yale Courses (OYC) provides lectures and other materials from selected Yale College courses to the public free of charge via the Internet” (Open Yale Courses, 2013). I think this is a great idea, and more people should be aware that these courses are available. Like I stated before, I never knew these classes existed and I am glad that I know about these now. I could use these classes when I need to know more information about a certain topic. While looking through Open Yale courses, I realized everything is arranged so anything can be easily accessible. Open Yale makes it very easy to identify where to go and what to choose because everything is laid out so neatly.

            The layout on Open Yale makes it easy to find everything you need. While looking through all the different classes, I realized they offer many programs. When you choose a certain program, it gives you a “about the course” and “course structure” and then, it also gives you course materials that you can download. Lastly, at the bottom of is the “view class sessions” and it takes you to all the different chapters/lessons. When you pick a section, you want to learn about, it gives you the video of the professor teaching about that chapter/lesson. This site was carefully planned because every class is set up like this. Open Yale is designed for a distance learning environment, because it gives the students a chance to learn about a certain topic or idea without being constrained with a certain time or place, like distance learning. In addition, Open Yale would be a good distance-learning environment because this could be “applied to a tremendous variety of programs serving numerous audiences via a wide variety of media” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2012, p. 9). Open Yale course are for more independence, and allowing learners to teach themselves the ideas they want to learn more about.

            Open Yale does not follow the recommendations for online instruction as listed in the textbook “Teaching and Learning at a Distance”. Open Yale does select technologies for online instruction (videos) to explain about the notes/class. However, Open Yale does not “Determine the Learning Outcomes” because there are not learning outcomes. These Open Yale courses are to be used if you want to learn more about a certain idea. Also, it does not fit into “Identify Learning Experiences and Match Each to the Most Appropriate Available Technology”. Once again, there are not any ways to identify learning experiences because Open Yale courses are only for independent use. Students, who want to take these courses, are not connected to other students or professors.

            Within the Open Yale courses, there not activities, but some classes have problem sets that they have to answer after reading the notes or watching/listening to the lecture. These would be good for needing to see how much was obtained from the reading or watching/listen of the certain topic. However, when it comes to course activities that maximize active learning, Open Yale does not offer this. I think it might be very difficult to do this, especially not having instructor or classmates to discuss with. Maybe, in other classes and/or sections, they offer activities, but in the few different classes I selected and researched through, they only offer videos, lecture notes, and problem sets to complete.

            Overall, I feel Open Yale is a great program for someone who wants to know a little bit more about a certain idea or topic. It could be used as a distance-learning environment; the only difference is there is no instructor or students to communicate with.  The next time I find myself wondering about a certain topic or idea, I might have to travel to Open Yale and watch a few sessions or read a few notes, and I might be able to find my answers from these classes.

References

          Littlefield, J. (2013). Open courses. Retrieved from http://distancelearn.about.com/od/isitforyou/a/opencourseware.htm

            Open Yale (2013). Open Yale courses. Retrieved from http://oyc.yale.edu/

            Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a    

    distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.