Hi Everyone,
Play the video for an audio presention of "The Truth About Training" blog posted below.
Change is something encountered in organizations on a regular basis. Processes change, positions change employees and employees change positions. Therefore, when new concepts and people come on board, it is necessary that training takes place to ensure individuals are brought up to speed with concepts and able to sync with one another in order for daily operations to successfully carry out an organization’s purpose. Without training taking place to help communicate the things that are necessary, performance stands a great chance of suffering.
Training has to be presented in a fashion that reaches out to all different types of learners. This necessity can cause training to be complicated at times b/c that implies that training material has to be created and delivered to suit the needs of all learners. And in a case where you are training on different concepts to a group of people who all each have their own unique way of learning, you have to find a way to make that delivery a success.
Because of this need to often reach everyone in their very own special way, training can be fun as well. Learning is usually successfully at taking place when information is given in more than one format and is related to information that learners are already familiar with. Different formats can include learning interventions such as such as group exercises and simulations and that can allow trainees to not only retain information, but bond with and entertain each other as well.
In closing, although challenging at times, training is definitely essential to today’s organizations. If it is structured around assisting organizations to reach their business goals and objectives, training can help them gain a competitive advantage that will, overall, allow them to produce better products, processes, and employees (Noe, 2010).
References
Noe, R. A. (2010). Employee training and development (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Analyzing Scope Creep
A project that comes to mind that involved an issue with scope creep is a project where a campus housing application/assignment system was being implemented. The project process (bidding on and choosing a vendor) began in December of 2008 but really got on its feet in April of 2009. The main objective was to have the system in place in time in order to take housing applications and make campus housing assignments for the Fall 2010-Spring 2011 academic year. Things were running pretty smoothly, therefore stakeholders became very interested in pushing to have the system in place to take applications for the Summer 2010 session as well. Pushing for this early of a release was an issue because the project was to be implemented in certain phases. And there were certain components and integrations that where scheduled to be implemented during the time that applications and assignments for summer housing would normally be taken and made. In other words, if the stakeholders wanted to move forward with using the new system for the Summer session, it would cause the remaining originally scheduled project processes to be hurried in order to have all components functioning in time for Summer 2010 usage.
Some of the stakeholders at the time were disappointed that the possibility of advancing the system that early was slim to none because the new system had been the buzz for a while and they were very amped up about making the new technology available to users as soon as possible. Therefore, it a little difficult for them to accept "no" as an answer. I think that the PM of this project, handled this situation of scope creep fairly well. The PM immediately made it evident that the risk of jumping so far ahead was too high. Rushing to integrate with this new system, systems that were very important to the campus' operations, was not the best thing to do and if anything went wrong while trying to do so, it could really set the project back and even possibly cause the original deadline to be missed.
If I were in control of the project the only thing that I probably would have done differently was constantly remind the stakeholders and team members of the project's goals and why the objectives and schedules were set as they were. It's important to refresh one's memory of the project's goals and boundaries and make sure he or she has a clear of what the desired results should be at points relative to deliverables, schedules, costs and quality (Greer, 2010).
References
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: just enough pm to rock your projects. Laureate Education Ed. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/56607/CRS-CW-4744643/educ_6145_readings/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf
Some of the stakeholders at the time were disappointed that the possibility of advancing the system that early was slim to none because the new system had been the buzz for a while and they were very amped up about making the new technology available to users as soon as possible. Therefore, it a little difficult for them to accept "no" as an answer. I think that the PM of this project, handled this situation of scope creep fairly well. The PM immediately made it evident that the risk of jumping so far ahead was too high. Rushing to integrate with this new system, systems that were very important to the campus' operations, was not the best thing to do and if anything went wrong while trying to do so, it could really set the project back and even possibly cause the original deadline to be missed.
If I were in control of the project the only thing that I probably would have done differently was constantly remind the stakeholders and team members of the project's goals and why the objectives and schedules were set as they were. It's important to refresh one's memory of the project's goals and boundaries and make sure he or she has a clear of what the desired results should be at points relative to deliverables, schedules, costs and quality (Greer, 2010).
References
Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: just enough pm to rock your projects. Laureate Education Ed. Retrieved February 10, 2011, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/courses/56607/CRS-CW-4744643/educ_6145_readings/pm-minimalist-ver-3-laureate.pdf
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Communicating Effectively
I interpreted the email delivery of Jane's message to Mark to be well mannered buy yet serious and concise about the information she needed from him. I feel this way because, within her email, Jane expresses consideration for Mark's possible situations that has kept him busy. At the same time, she explains the importance of why she is asking him for the information. The voicemail version of this message had a tad bit different affect on me. Even though it's the same verbiage that was sent in the email, the tone of Jane's voice had a slightly different feel. At certain times her voice had an irritated tone to it. It was not a strong tone of irritation at all, but it was noticeable enough to me to have a different effect on how I perceived the message. The sincerity that I heard in her voice when she said "I really appreciate your help" made me not hold on so tight to the "not so nice" vibe I received initially.
In my opinion, the face-to-face modality was the best representation of Jane's message to Mark. The points that needed to be expressed seemed to have been done so just right. Being able to see someone as they speak allows the comparison between body language and tone. That, in turn, helps to interpret how a person intends for a message to come across.
These different modalities are an implication that how one communicates with other members of a project team is very important. It's important for several reasons but mainly because it determines how one will respond to someone's attempt to communicate. With working on a project, there will be times when completing your work depends on the completion of another person's. In the case where one person has to approach the other about it, no matter how bad the case, it's key to come to that person with total respect. Once someone sees that you have respect for them as a person and their possible situations, they are probably more likely embrace your concerns or questions. Engaging stakeholders and communicating with them is an art (Achong, 2010). So getting to know how they respond to communication types is crucial to your relationship as team members and to your survival in the project processes.
When it comes to asking others important questions or questions that may potentially cause an eyebrow to be raised, I think it would be good to rehearse it a few times and then place yourself in the other person's shoes. Doing this, I believe, is one of the best ways to decide on how to say/word something. Word it like so, then ask yourself how you would I feel or react if asked that same question in the same manner. I can see this putting things into perspective fairly quickly, and as a result, it may seem easier to proceed.
References
Achong, T. (2010). Practitioner Voices: Strategies for Working with Stakeholders. [Online video]. Retrieved January 20, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn.
In my opinion, the face-to-face modality was the best representation of Jane's message to Mark. The points that needed to be expressed seemed to have been done so just right. Being able to see someone as they speak allows the comparison between body language and tone. That, in turn, helps to interpret how a person intends for a message to come across.
These different modalities are an implication that how one communicates with other members of a project team is very important. It's important for several reasons but mainly because it determines how one will respond to someone's attempt to communicate. With working on a project, there will be times when completing your work depends on the completion of another person's. In the case where one person has to approach the other about it, no matter how bad the case, it's key to come to that person with total respect. Once someone sees that you have respect for them as a person and their possible situations, they are probably more likely embrace your concerns or questions. Engaging stakeholders and communicating with them is an art (Achong, 2010). So getting to know how they respond to communication types is crucial to your relationship as team members and to your survival in the project processes.
When it comes to asking others important questions or questions that may potentially cause an eyebrow to be raised, I think it would be good to rehearse it a few times and then place yourself in the other person's shoes. Doing this, I believe, is one of the best ways to decide on how to say/word something. Word it like so, then ask yourself how you would I feel or react if asked that same question in the same manner. I can see this putting things into perspective fairly quickly, and as a result, it may seem easier to proceed.
References
Achong, T. (2010). Practitioner Voices: Strategies for Working with Stakeholders. [Online video]. Retrieved January 20, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”
The project that first came to mind for this assignment was fairly small. It refers to the very first time I attempted to bake a pound cake following my mother's (family favorite) recipe. I was hesitant about using it as an example because of its small nature but I think it is a simple example that may work well for this purpose.
The main thing that contributed to the failure of this product was the lack of time that was put into completing some of the processes that were tied to the quality of the wanted finished product: a perfectly baked pound cake. Certain things called for in the recipe, such as having the eggs and butter at room temperature, made a difference in the texture of the cake. Also, the baking temperature and time for the type of cake pan used made a difference as well. If I would have followed the guidelines given instead of melting the butter via the microwave, using cold eggs directly from the fridge, and baking the cake longer then necessary for the type of pan used, I probably would have had a cake of better quality.
For this project, the project manager (PM) was myself - the baker, and the subject matter expert (SME) was my mother. Being that I was acting as both a PM and a supporter of this project, it was I that failed at realizing and enforcing the importance of following the plan designed to complete the project. Corners were cut that still resulted in an editable finished product. However, the product was not nearly as good as it could have been if things were taking more seriously.
A project is defined when the project manager knows the project's needs needs, strategies, objectives, and limitations (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, 2008). Therefore a project is successfully completed when these things are satisfied and properly taken into consideration. With that said, a lesson was definitely learned from this experience: If you want the same finished product, one sure way to get it is the follow the processes exactly as they are given to you.
References
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.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
The Future of Distance Learning - Reflection
Distance learning is certainly a type of learning that is becoming more prominent in today’s society. Although prominent, it is not perceived by all in the same eye. Many will always see the traditional face-to-face learning environment as the best option. However, with the many capabilities and advances made possible by technology, I am convinced that the future of distance learning is very bright. As communication technology increases in quality, we are going to start to see the educational model around it ramp up significantly. So distance education will then become more distributed than it’s ever been (Siemans, 2010).
As an instructional designer, I can definitely be an advocate for improving society’s perception of distance learning. Individuals tend to believe and put trust in things that can be proved to them; therefore, it would be necessary to make known any success in distance education that is encountered. Society’s perception of distance education can also be improved by designing courses that really make a true effort to satisfy the distant learner. This can be done by creating courses that try to create a true learning community and incorporate the proper tools to maximize learning and communication between the learners themselves and the between the learners and the instructor.
Although distance education is not easily accepted by all, it has come a long way to get to its current status. Therefore, it is important for those of us in the field of instructional design to continue to do the things necessary to ensure distance education continues to improve in quality. One of the main differences between the traditional and distance education environments is the line of communication. Traditional’s ability of instant communication gives it an advantage over distance education. As a result of this, one of the main focal points in the development of distance education should be the effectiveness of communication within its environment. By making this a main agenda item when developing/designing distance education courses, I believe I will be able to be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.
As I further my career in the field of Instructional Design, the knowledge I acquired from this course will certainly serve as a good foundation. As stated in our text, one key to effective distance education is correct instructional design, a systematic process that applies research-based principles to educational practice. If the design is effective, instruction will also be effective (Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
References
Siemens, G. (2010). The Future of Distance Education. [Online video]. Retrieved December 25, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
As an instructional designer, I can definitely be an advocate for improving society’s perception of distance learning. Individuals tend to believe and put trust in things that can be proved to them; therefore, it would be necessary to make known any success in distance education that is encountered. Society’s perception of distance education can also be improved by designing courses that really make a true effort to satisfy the distant learner. This can be done by creating courses that try to create a true learning community and incorporate the proper tools to maximize learning and communication between the learners themselves and the between the learners and the instructor.
Although distance education is not easily accepted by all, it has come a long way to get to its current status. Therefore, it is important for those of us in the field of instructional design to continue to do the things necessary to ensure distance education continues to improve in quality. One of the main differences between the traditional and distance education environments is the line of communication. Traditional’s ability of instant communication gives it an advantage over distance education. As a result of this, one of the main focal points in the development of distance education should be the effectiveness of communication within its environment. By making this a main agenda item when developing/designing distance education courses, I believe I will be able to be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field of distance education.
As I further my career in the field of Instructional Design, the knowledge I acquired from this course will certainly serve as a good foundation. As stated in our text, one key to effective distance education is correct instructional design, a systematic process that applies research-based principles to educational practice. If the design is effective, instruction will also be effective (Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
References
Siemens, G. (2010). The Future of Distance Education. [Online video]. Retrieved December 25, 2010, from http://sylvan.live.ecollege.com/ec/crs/default.learn.
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Converting to a Distance Learning Format
Consider the following scenario:
A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.
To ensure that students in a distance setting are successful, it is important to consider those elements that can serve as indicators for achievement (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). The elements that should be taken into consideration are; the students general ability, their prior knowledge, and their learning styles. I found it appropriate to take these elements and incorporate them into a best practice guide that the trainer could use in his attempt to convert his face-to-face training routine into one that is blended with traditional on-site interaction and modern online interaction between trainees and trainers.
Best Practices Guide: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5vzYoOqta_dZDY5OGI5ZjAtN2RlMy00NTc5LWI2NTAtYTU1ODBhNjhkMmJi&sort=name&layout=list&num=50
A training manager has been frustrated with the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions and wants to try something new. With his supervisor’s permission, the trainer plans to convert all current training modules to a blended learning format, which would provide trainees and trainers the opportunity to interact with each other and learn the material in both a face-to-face and online environment. In addition, he is considering putting all of his training materials on a server so that the trainees have access to resources and assignments at all times.
To ensure that students in a distance setting are successful, it is important to consider those elements that can serve as indicators for achievement (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek, 2009). The elements that should be taken into consideration are; the students general ability, their prior knowledge, and their learning styles. I found it appropriate to take these elements and incorporate them into a best practice guide that the trainer could use in his attempt to convert his face-to-face training routine into one that is blended with traditional on-site interaction and modern online interaction between trainees and trainers.
Best Practices Guide: https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B5vzYoOqta_dZDY5OGI5ZjAtN2RlMy00NTc5LWI2NTAtYTU1ODBhNjhkMmJi&sort=name&layout=list&num=50
Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Impact of Open Source
The course I chose was "Listening to Music" (http://oyc.yale.edu/music/listening-to-music/)
from Yale's open course library. This course was taught by Dr. Craig Wright on Yale’s campus during 2008's fall semester: twice a week at 50 minutes each class. Just like the other courses that are available via Open Yale Courses, this course is there to help expand educational materials to all who wish to learn (Open Yale Courses, 2008). The course's focus is to introduce the musical novice to the ways in which music is put together and how to listen to a wide variety of musical styles.
Overall, the course does appear to be pre-planned for the distant learning environment it is being shared with. This is an open course that one takes by choice and is not receiving credit for; therefore, it seems like a whole lot of effort was not put into to giving it a lot of bells and whistles. Learners are provided a copy of the course syllabus so that they have the basics that are needed to understand the purpose of the course. They are given the lessons titles (in order) that will be covered to accomplish that purpose. And they are also given the title of the textbook and other music resources that are used during instruction.
Because this course is about the fundamentals of listening to music, audio is used quite a bit. As a result, the lessons of the course have an audio format option. These lessons are also available in transcript and video format to accommodate the different learning styles. After all, varying the presentation of materials to match different learning styles can also ensure the greatest potential for reaching all learners (Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
This course does seem to follow the recommendations for online instruction. I only wish that some type of reference list that provided links or information to external sources on the different concepts and songs that were used during the lessons, was made available. I say this because not everyone who takes this open course will purchase the book and CD set that was used with it. Although, one could do the online research him or herself, it would be convenient to the learner to have it outlined and available. This correlates to the suggestion to “Integrate the Power of the Web into the Course” when it comes to online instruction ((Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
The designer of this course did implement course activities that maximized active learning for the student. To explain some of the different concepts, popular musical pieces were often used. This was a good strategy because learners are more inclined to pay attention to things they are familiar with or have an interest for. The instructor also, had the class to actively participate in the lessons (where such concepts such as tempo, for example, were being explained) by using certain hand clapping and feet tapping methods. The emphasis on keeping the learners engaged in learning ensures that students will be in tune with the class (Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
References
Open Yale Courses. (2008). Listening to Music. Retrieved December 5, 2010 from http://oyc.yale.edu/music/listening-to-music/
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
from Yale's open course library. This course was taught by Dr. Craig Wright on Yale’s campus during 2008's fall semester: twice a week at 50 minutes each class. Just like the other courses that are available via Open Yale Courses, this course is there to help expand educational materials to all who wish to learn (Open Yale Courses, 2008). The course's focus is to introduce the musical novice to the ways in which music is put together and how to listen to a wide variety of musical styles.
Overall, the course does appear to be pre-planned for the distant learning environment it is being shared with. This is an open course that one takes by choice and is not receiving credit for; therefore, it seems like a whole lot of effort was not put into to giving it a lot of bells and whistles. Learners are provided a copy of the course syllabus so that they have the basics that are needed to understand the purpose of the course. They are given the lessons titles (in order) that will be covered to accomplish that purpose. And they are also given the title of the textbook and other music resources that are used during instruction.
Because this course is about the fundamentals of listening to music, audio is used quite a bit. As a result, the lessons of the course have an audio format option. These lessons are also available in transcript and video format to accommodate the different learning styles. After all, varying the presentation of materials to match different learning styles can also ensure the greatest potential for reaching all learners (Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
This course does seem to follow the recommendations for online instruction. I only wish that some type of reference list that provided links or information to external sources on the different concepts and songs that were used during the lessons, was made available. I say this because not everyone who takes this open course will purchase the book and CD set that was used with it. Although, one could do the online research him or herself, it would be convenient to the learner to have it outlined and available. This correlates to the suggestion to “Integrate the Power of the Web into the Course” when it comes to online instruction ((Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
The designer of this course did implement course activities that maximized active learning for the student. To explain some of the different concepts, popular musical pieces were often used. This was a good strategy because learners are more inclined to pay attention to things they are familiar with or have an interest for. The instructor also, had the class to actively participate in the lessons (where such concepts such as tempo, for example, were being explained) by using certain hand clapping and feet tapping methods. The emphasis on keeping the learners engaged in learning ensures that students will be in tune with the class (Simonson, Albright, Smaldino, & Zvacek, 2009).
References
Open Yale Courses. (2008). Listening to Music. Retrieved December 5, 2010 from http://oyc.yale.edu/music/listening-to-music/
Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
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