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Assignment 2: Group Mini ProjectbyRuth JohnRhonda GrantSasha GoodridgeKristle GangadeenA Paper Presented in Partial FulfilmentOf the Requirements ofEDID 6505: Systems Approach to Designing Instructional MaterialsTrimester II, 2015Email:ruth.john2@my.open.uwi.edurhonda.grant@my.open.uwi.edusasha.goodridge3@my.open.uwi.edukristle.gangadeen@my.open.uwi.eduUniversity:University of the West Indies Open CampuseTutor:Dr. LeRoy HilliHillHCourse CoordinatorDr. LeRoy HillTable of Contents TOC \o "1-3" \h \z \u Executive Summary PAGEREF _Toc302191550 \h 3Background PAGEREF _Toc302191551 \h 4Needs Assessment PAGEREF _Toc302191552 \h 5Task Analysis PAGEREF _Toc302191553 \h 7Procedural Analysis PAGEREF _Toc302191554 \h 7Hierarchical Analysis PAGEREF _Toc302191555 \h 8Objectives PAGEREF _Toc302191556 \h 9Terminal objective PAGEREF _Toc302191557 \h 9Enabling/ Performance Objectives PAGEREF _Toc302191558 \h 9Rubrics PAGEREF _Toc302191559 \h 10Assessment PAGEREF _Toc302191560 \h 12Learner and Contextual Analysis PAGEREF _Toc302191561 \h 14Instructional Strategies & Lessons PAGEREF _Toc302191562 \h 15Lesson 1: Business Email Basics PAGEREF _Toc302191563 \h 16Lesson 2: Winning with Subject Lines PAGEREF _Toc302191564 \h 16Lesson 3: Amp up Your Signature PAGEREF _Toc302191565 \h 16Review of the Process PAGEREF _Toc302191566 \h 20References PAGEREF _Toc302191567 \h 24Appendices PAGEREF _Toc302191568 \h 26Appendix A: Needs Assessment Plan PAGEREF _Toc302191569 \h 26Appendix B: Task Selection Worksheet PAGEREF _Toc302191570 \h 29Appendix C PAGEREF _Toc302191571 \h 31Appendix D: Hierarchical Analysis 1 PAGEREF _Toc302191572 \h 33Appendix E: Hierarchical Analysis II PAGEREF _Toc302191573 \h 34Appendix G: Evaluation Questionnaire PAGEREF _Toc302191574 \h 37Executive SummaryThe administrators of Antigua & Barbuda’s Department of Labour engaged a corporate communications training company to provide training for its staff on the topic “Email for Business”. Based on the fact that the 41 members of staff to be trained are all computer literate as well as cost-saving considerations, it was decided that the course would be delivered entirely online via the Learning Management System, Blackboard CourseSites. The overall objective of the course, entitled Email for Business is for staff to be able to write effective emails. The course, which was designed to take three hours to complete, comprises 3 lessons. The first core lesson is Business Email Basics. Two smaller lessons zone in on Winning with Subject Lines and Amping Up Your Signature. A multi-faceted approach to instruction was used, based on the results of a learner and contextual analysis, which indicated that the participants had various learning styles. Thus, a range of instructional strategies were employed and delivered in accordance with Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction. Some of the instructional strategies employed included discussions, reflections, demonstrations, peer reviews, practice, graphic organisers and analogies among others. Despite the fact that the course was delivered online, the designers made an effort to design the course such that there were many opportunities for interaction between students and for peer learning and feedback. Reflection and integration were also carefully woven into each lesson. The three lessons each ended with a business-relevant, scenario-based formative assessment in order for learners to appreciate the context and value of the course. A final capstone assignment, using the same scenario enabled students to fully apply all of their learning from the course and assess whether they achieved the desired learning outcomes. BackgroundFor the past few years, the Labour Department in Antigua and Barbuda has been the subject of much public scrutiny. ? A article entitled “Labour Department gets Failing Grade,” stated that three prominent Labour Specialists posited that the Labour Department’s operational procedures were poor. ??In response to this, the Ministry of Information in conjunction with the Labour Department’s administration will effect changes to what prevails in electronic correspondence from the Department. ?Although members of staff are computer literate and know how to use email programmes, the quality of the staff’s email correspondence does not meet acceptable business standards and betray employees’ ignorance of business email etiquette. Many employees for instance have added personal touches to their email signatures - one employee even included a picture of herself in her signature! Now that employees are all being given official email addresses and a new enterprise server and software has been implemented, management has decided to provide training for all staff on email etiquette. A corporate communication training company has been hired to facilitate a course on Email for Business.Due to the dispersion of staff across Antigua (39) and Barbuda (2), management chose the option of having the course delivered fully online in order to save on transportation and event hosting costs. The Email for Business course will be facilitated through the learning management system, Blackboard CourseSites found at . Participants are required to dedicate a total of 3 hours over a 5 day period to complete the course. The course is divided into 3 lessons; the core lesson, which is entitled Business Email Basics and two special purpose lessons, Winning with Subject Lines and Amp Up Your Signature. ?Needs AssessmentA Needs Assessment was undertaken by the course designers to obtain the information required to design effective lessons that would effectively equip participants with the knowledge, skills and abilities to function optimally with emails in the corporate environment. The Selected Audience: There are thirty-nine (39) workers in the Ministry of Labour; in addition, there are two (2) labour officers at the Barbuda Council. ?The descriptions are outlined below:Age Range: 23 years to 58 yearsJob Titles: Labour Commissioner, Deputy Labour Commissioner, Senior Communications and Labour Officer, Labour Support Officer, Senior Statistics Officer, Prosecutions Officer, International Labour Organization [ILO] Desk Officer, a Free Movement Officer, Conciliators, Secretaries, Labour Officers, Inspectors, Clerks, Petty Officers, a Cashier and a Driver.Skill Levels: Most workers are in possession of at least a secondary school diploma. ?Approximately ten workers have at least a bachelor’s degree. One employee has a Master’s in Business Administration. Background: ?The entire complement of staff is computer literate.The Topic of Instruction: The Department of Labour in Antigua will facilitate an online course on Email for Business for all members and levels of staff. ?It is the hope of the Labour Commissioner to use this training period to improve the worker’s competencies in sending and receiving electronic correspondence.Optimals, Actuals, Feelings, Causes and SolutionsOptimals:A workforce that is competent in using professional email proceduresStaff members who know the various components of an email and their proper usageEmployees who are competent in writing effective emailsActuals:Some employees are currently unaware of proper email etiquetteSome employees do not know the components of an email and their purpose.A percentage of the employees fail to write cogent emails. The Labour Department has been accused of having poor operational procedures by trade unionists.Feelings:Due to the complaints aired on the radio and print media, the administrators desire that training be facilitated to bring meaningful change to the issue at hand.Some staff members do not consider the training to be necessary since they are already computer literate and accustomed to using email.Causes:A training session on effective email correspondence has never been facilitated at the Labour Department.There are no standard operating procedures to govern electronic correspondence at the Labour DepartmentSome staff members seem apathetic to changing the current modus operandiSolutions:The facilitation of a systematic training session on Effective Email CorrespondencePeriodic ‘follow ups’ to ensure compliance with the newly implemented procedures.For information on the sources of information as well as data collection methods on the Optimals, Actuals, Causes, Feelings and Solutions, please see Appendix A.Task AnalysisA task analysis was conducted to determine which areas were most critical for training during the course. As a core topic, Email for Business comprises a number of subtopics. Given the Labour Department’s constrained resources, in order to decide which topics?would be most suitable for a three hour online programme, a task selection analysis was prepared (See Appendix B). ?A number of topics for units were identified including email etiquette, email writing and components of emails. The unit chosen for delivery via the LMS was components of emails. This unit was chosen for the LMS because it was believed to be the most appropriate unit as identified by the task analysis. Components of Emails would be delivered via LMS and broken down into three lessons: Basic Components of Emails (Business Email Basics), Email Signatures (Amp up your Signature) and Subject lines (Winning with Subject Lines). This decision was supported by the needs assessment, which indicated that the labour department needs a workforce that is competent in using professional email procedures as well as?knowing the various components of an email and their proper usage and who are competent in writing effective emails.Procedural AnalysisThe procedural analysis is used to analyze tasks by identifying the steps required to complete them (Morrisson, Ross, & Kemp, 2004). The instructional designer was able to use the procedural analysis to describe the steps in the process of developing the topics in the different units. ?The course consisted of three units and each unit was broken down into subjects that could be developed into lessons. ?For the instructional designers, the procedural analysis assisted in helping to clarify what learners needed to know about the topics in the units and the steps necessary to perform the tasks in the different units (see appendix C). Hierarchical Analysis??????????The hierarchical analysis was used by the instructional designers to determine the prerequisite skills needed to facilitate the writing of an effective business email. Appendix D illustrates the hierarchical analysis for the units chosen. ?The first hierarchical analysis gives a macro level view of the units developed in the LMS. ?The second hierarchical analysis, is entitled composing an effective email. The third hierarchical analysis, entitled “Components of an email” was used as the basis for the development of the course “Email for Business” in the LMS. ?The hierarchical analysis mentioned previously breaks down the unit into tasks. The simpler tasks are at the bottom, while the target task is at the top of the chart. ?At the first level of analysis for the target objective of writing an effective business email, there are prerequisite skills that learners need to know, these are defining terms such as email, bcc and cc, salutation and subject line. After outlining the simpler tasks, the degree of complexity of task increased, such as using bcc and cc, or writing a subject line and a paragraph. Therefore the hierarchical analysis displays a pattern of progressively complex, intellectual tasks until the instructional objective is accomplished (Morrisson, Ross, & Kemp, 2004).ObjectivesTerminal objectiveOn completion of the course, participants would be able to write an effective business email when required to communicate via email for business purposes. Enabling/ Performance ObjectivesOn completion of lesson 1, participants would be able to:Given an email, correctly identify 5 components without error.Clearly explain the use of To: Cc: and Bcc: when addressing emails.Given the nature of a provided email and the relationship between the sender and the recipient, write an appropriate salutation without error. ?Write an appropriate closing salutation without error, given the nature of the email and the relationship between the sender and the recipient. Given a topic or scenario, write the body of an email with a clear introduction, body and close/call to action. On completion of lesson 2, participants would be able to:State the characteristics of a quality subject line. Based on the contents of an email, write an appropriate subject line that has less than eight words.On completion of lesson 3, participants would be able to:List the core components of a professional email signature.Given a business card, develop an official company signature with all required components. RubricsRubrics were developed from the enabling objectives associated with the lessons, as seen in the 3 matrices below. Rubric for Lesson 1Criteria4Excellent3Good2Fair1PoorSalutationsAppropriate opening salutation.Appropriate complimentary salutation.Acceptable opening salutation.Acceptable complimentary salutation.Unacceptable opening salutation.Unacceptable closing salutation.No salutations.BodyBody contains introduction, middle (details) and call to action in conclusion. Body contains introduction, middle (Details) and conclusion but no clear call to action.Body contains introduction and details but no conclusion or call to action.Body does not contain a clear introduction or correct details. Mailing list/AddresseeAppropriate use of To, Cc and Bcc.Correct use of To but incorrect use of Cc and Bcc. Incorrect use of To and CC and BCC (Student confuses addressees).No addressee. Email ComponentsClearly states all components of an email.Missing one component of an email.Missing 2 components of an email.Miss more than 2 components of an email.Rubric for Lesson 2Criteria4Excellent3Good2Fair1PoorRules for Subject lineState 7 rulesState 6 rulesState 5 rulesState less than 5 rulesLength of Subject line5 words.6-7 words.8 words.More than 8 words.Relevance & EffectivenessSubject line is specific to email topic.Subject line generates interest to open email.Subject line is related to email topic. Subject line is somewhat interesting.Subject line generally relates to email topic.Subject line does not generate interest in opening email. Subject line does not relate to email topic and is very vague.Spelling and GrammarNo errors of spelling and grammar.No more than one error in spelling and grammar.No more than 2 errors in spelling and grammar.More than 2 spelling and grammar errors.Rubric for Lesson 3Criteria4Excellent3Good2Fair1PoorComponents of an email signatureAll essential components of email signature provided.Missing 1 component of email signature.Missing 2 components of email signature.Missing more than 2 components of email signature.Spelling and grammarNo errors in spelling or grammar.Maximum 1 error in spelling and grammar.2 errors in spelling and grammar.More than 2 errors in spelling and grammar.Rubric: Capstone AssignmentCriteria4Excellent3Good2Fair1Poor0No submissionSubject lineSubject is clear and contains 6 words or less.Subject is clear and contains 7 wordsSubject is relatively clear and contains 8 words.Subject is unclear and/or contains more than 8 words.No subjectBodyAppropriate opening and complimentary salutations.Body contains 3 clear, succinct paragraphs: An opening, middle and end.End contains call to action.Suitable opening and complimentary salutations.Body contains 3 clear, succinct paragraphs. No call to action in the concluding paragraph.Opening or complimentary salutation missing or inappropriate.Body contains 3 paragraphs but paragraphs may be longwinded. No clear call to action in concluding paragraphNo salutationsBody does not contain 3 clear paragraphs. No call to action in last paragraph. No submissionSignatureSignature meets all requirements.Signature missing maximum one requirementSignature missing maximum 2 requirementsSignature missing more than 2 requirementsMissing signature Mailing List/AddresseeEmail was correctly addressed to all relevant partiesEmail was sent to all parties necessary but was inappropriately done (to: cc: bcc)Email was sent to only one relevant party.Email was sent to no relevant parties.No submissionGrammar and PunctuationNo errorsNo more than 2 errorNo more than 3 errorsMore than 3 errors in emailNo submissionAssessmentThe assessment was derived from the enabling objectives associated with each lesson. ?The assessments were scenario-based and helped to determine whether participants developed the prerequisite higher order thinking skills inclusive of both declarative knowledge (knowledge, comprehension, application) and procedural knowledge (evaluation, synthesis), as demonstrated below.22860057150Scenario: HR Manager, Ms. Fayola Smith has just been verbally informed by her Permanent Secretary that the Minister of Security & Labour is hosting a function with the Labour Union on Monday 7th September, 2015 and requires event support, including press kits, media invitations, room setup, refreshments, sound system and MC. Ms. Smith decides to write to the Communications Manager, Ms. Sariah Shaw, providing details of the event and what is required of her.00Scenario: HR Manager, Ms. Fayola Smith has just been verbally informed by her Permanent Secretary that the Minister of Security & Labour is hosting a function with the Labour Union on Monday 7th September, 2015 and requires event support, including press kits, media invitations, room setup, refreshments, sound system and MC. Ms. Smith decides to write to the Communications Manager, Ms. Sariah Shaw, providing details of the event and what is required of her.. The following questions test the achievement of objectives in Lesson 1: Introduction & Components of an EmailBased on the scenario above, which person(s) should the email be sent to and/or copied?Give an example of an appropriate opening salutation Ms. Smith could use in her email. The following questions test the achievement of objectives in Lesson 2: Crafting an Effective Subject LineAdvise Ms. Smith on what factors/rules she should consider when developing her subject line. Ms. Smith has been called to another meeting and has asked you to write a suitable subject line. What would you write? Ms. Smith has asked you to submit via email the period of time you desire for vacation. Circle the most appropriate subject line for your email response to your supervisor from the options below:a) VACATION TIME THE MONTH OF AUGUSTb) Vacation dates requestedc) Vacation time the month of AUGUST#d) Vacation dates.The following question tests the achievement of objectives in Lesson 3: Amp up your signature.The picture below is Ms. Smith’s business card. Use the information to write an appropriate signature. 1257300-114300The following questions, based on the original scenario, formed the capstone assignment:Compose a complete email, including all components, for Ms. Smith based on the scenario.State to whom you would send the email and if you would carbon copy or blind carbon copy any other named persons.Learner and Contextual AnalysisA learner and contextual analysis was conducted to ensure that the instruction developed was suitable to the learners and the environment that the lesson would be delivered in for maximum impact. Orienting Context:The result of the learner and contextual analysis indicated that learners are different ages (23-58), have different levels of work experience (entry level to decades), learners have different learning styles, and different levels of motivation and attitudes to the training. The instructional designers took these into consideration during the design process. Instructional Context:Learners are computer literate although some are more “techie” than others. The LMS used by the instructional design team has a simple, intuitive user interface with clear instructions that each participant should be able to successfully navigate. Transfer Context:Since the Administrators and management team are championing the training, it is hoped that they would lead by example and implement and monitor policies to ensure compliance. Please see Appendix F for Learner and Contextual Analysis WorksheetInstructional Strategies & LessonsAs noted earlier, the course will be delivered wholly online via the learning management system, CourseSites by Blackboard. Participants would be issued an email inviting them to join the course and complete the three lessons over a 5-day period. Although the course would be available for five days, the combined 3 lessons should not take longer than 3 total hours. The three lessons were designed using Merrill’s First Principles of Instruction and instructional activities were designed to address participants’ higher order thinking inclusive of both declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. Thus, the instructional activities addressed knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation levels of higher-order thinking. The complete course may be accessed using the following credentials:45720076200LMS: CourseSites by BlackboardWebsite: Username: edid6505Password: 12345678OR*Note: An email invitation was sent to leroy.hill@open.uwi.edu for student access to the course. 00LMS: CourseSites by BlackboardWebsite: Username: edid6505Password: 12345678OR*Note: An email invitation was sent to leroy.hill@open.uwi.edu for student access to the course. Students were oriented into the course with a quiz on email etiquette. This quiz was intended to help students quantify their competency levels on the topic. They were also asked to retake the quiz at the end of the course so they could see how their competencies had improved following the course. Lesson 1: Business Email BasicsActivation: Participants were asked questions to link the topic to what they already know.Demonstration: Video, an interactive PowerPoint lesson and articles were used to teach the topic. Additional resource articles for further edification were also provided. Application: Individual practice activities and scenario-based formative assessmentIntegration: Discussion with peers and peer feedback. Lesson 2: Winning with Subject LinesActivation: The video was used to gain attention. Participants were asked questions about subject lines before the rules of the subject lines were given.Demonstration: Video and PowerPoint lessonApplication: Individual completion of worksheet, discussion with peers, scenario-based formative assessmentIntegration: Discussion with peers providing critical feedback. Lesson 3: Amp up Your SignatureActivation: Discussion to link previous knowledge on signatures to prepare participants to learn how to create a business appropriate email signature.Demonstration: PowerPoint presentation, video.Application: Practical activity involving participants creating their own signatures and a formative assignment and a scenario based formative assessment. Integration: Discussion with peers providing critical feedback. To conclude the course, there is a capstone assignment and a final reflective (integration) activity. The capstone assignment is intended to integrate everything that the students learned in the three lessons and to assess participants’ achievement of the terminal objective. Feedback would be provided within 24 hours of participant submission of his/her response. Participants would also be asked to write an email to a colleague, sharing what they learnt, whether and how it was expected to be beneficial in their work environment and whether they would recommend the course to the colleague. The table below elaborates on the instructional strategies and tactics used in the course. StrategyLocationCitationRationale for UseGraphic OrganizerLesson 2: Activity 1Lesson 3: PowerPoint Slide 3Darch,Carnine and Kameenuii (1986)Helps students simplify information and thereby help to guide learners thinkingAnalogiesLesson 2: PowerPoint Slide 3Lesson 3: PowerPoint Slide 4Olsen,Gross and Schulten (2013) Helps to develop a deeper understanding of the concept subject line since analogies are used to explain complex ideas by likening them to something familiar.Formative AssessmentLesson 1: Assignment 1Lesson 2: Assignment 2Lesson 3: Assignment 3Moore (2005)Assists learning during the learning process and enables students to receive feedback that can improve their performance. Also enables the teacher to evaluate student’s progress and increases student engagement.Summative AssessmentFinal Assessment: Capstone Assignment at end of 3 lessonsMcMillan (2011)Assists with evaluating student learning at the end of the instructional unit to determine whether learning objectives and outcomes were achieved. QuestionsLesson 1: “Thinking about it”Lesson 1: Activity 1Lesson 1: Discussion ForumLesson 2: PowerPoint IntroLesson 2: Discussion ForumLesson 3: Discussion ForumMoore( 2005)Used to activate student’s prior knowledge and make connections..ExamplesLesson 1: Activity 1Lesson 1: 10 Ways to say Thank You in an EmailEast Carolina University (2014)Helps to clarify complex ideas, to expose relationships and patterns among even dissimilar concepts, and to organize new information into meaningful constructs.FeedbackLesson 1: Discussion, after activity 1 and following formative assessmentLesson 2: Discussion, after activity 1 and following formative assessment Lesson 3: Discussion, and following formative assessmentFollowing capstone assessmentBellon, Bellon and Blank (1991)Feedback can improve a student's confidence, self-awareness and enthusiasm for learning.Expository teachingLesson 2: PowerPointLesson 3: PowerPointMoore (2005)Means by which to communicate information in a short period of time.Scenario based learningLesson 1: Assignment 1Lesson 2: Assignment 2Lesson 3: Assignment 3Final Assessment: CapstoneErrington (2005)Involves learners in realistic situations that require the use of skills and knowledge being learned, so it is practical and useful. Independent PracticeLesson 3: Discussion BoardLesson 1: Activity 2(Huitt, Monetti and Hummel, p.85) Independent practice allows students more time to engage with newly acquired information and skills. ReflectionReflective email to friend after the three lessons and summative assessment are completed. Reigeluth & Keller, 2009. Helps the learner to derive deeper and broader understanding of an experience. Reflection may also promote self-evaluation through an analysis of individual change as a result of the learning experience.Deductive sequencingGeneral lesson organisation. Students are given an overview in lesson 1 and then lessons 2 and 3 drill down to specifics about 2 different email components Reigeluth & Keller, 2009By going from general to specific, students get a broad understanding of the topic first before drilling down or expanding on the finer details. Procedural sequencingLesson 3: Power Point Slides 3 - 4Reigeluth & Keller, 2009By breaking tasks down into simple, sequential steps, it is easier for learners to grasp.MultimediaLesson:1, 2 & 3 ???videosUmestu (2011)Helps reinforce the concept being taught.DemonstrationLesson 3: Video - How to create a signature in OutlookMoore (2015)Enables concepts and processes to be observed directly, which in turn makes learning easier and it shows the detailed steps in a creating a signature line in outlookDiscussionLesson 1: Discussion ForumLesson 2: Discussion Form Lesson 3: Discussion Forum Moore (2015)Creates opportunities for learners to practice and sharpen a number of skills, including the ability to articulate and defend positions, to share ideas, to consider different points of view, and enlist and evaluate evidence and to share ideas..Review of the Process???????The approach used to formatively evaluate the lesson was a field test. A field test normally entails using the material in the real setting, however, due to time constraints we allowed the pilot users to go through the material within a two-day period ensuring that they stuck to the time limit of the lesson. As the course was developed for persons in the Labour Department of Antigua and Barbuda, it was only fitting to ask three individuals from that department to participate in the course. This was facilitated by Rhonda Grant.After the field test the individuals were given a questionnaire to fill out, see appendix G. The questionnaire was in a two–part format with the first part taking the form of a Likert Scale. Participants were asked to express how much they agreed or disagreed with 19 statements. The scale was rated in the following format: Strongly agree = 5 points, Agree = 4 points, Neutral = 3 points, Disagree = 2 points and Strongly disagree = 1 point. In this way a quantitative element was applied to the evaluation.The statements were classified into three categories: learning material and content, instructional design, and course technology and accessibility. A table was used to record the data, and it was arranged in such a way that a total and percentage could be calculated for each category of the evaluation as well as an overall total. A higher score would indicate a good evaluation and a lower score a poor evaluation.The second part of the questionnaire formed the qualitative aspect of the evaluation where the participants were basically asked to give an overall rating on the course, describe what worked or didn’t work in the course and to offer any suggestions of improvement. All three participants rated the course as good overall and this impression was supported by analysis of the qualitative data as shown in the table below.CategoryPossibleEarnedPercent%Avg. % (overall per category)Pilot user 1Pilot user 2Pilot user 3Pilot user 1Pilot user 2Pilot user 3Learning material and content3027262590878387Instructional design3027212290707378Course technology and accessibility3525242171696067Total9579716883757277Avg. % (individual pilot user)877976The analysis of data further showed that the area needing the most improvement was the course technology and accessibility. In fact, one question that scored consistently on the low scale was question 15 which asked whether there were opportunities for orientation to the learning management system (LMS). This definitely is something to be considered when designing online courses. When participants actually start doing the lessons it should not involve them having to figure out an LMS. This factor was actually evident when one participant was not quite sure how to participate in the discussion forum. It was acknowledged that some instruction was lacking, so this was addressed for the final submission of the online course.Another participant commented on the fact that sometimes they didn’t know when aspects of the lesson were actually links to activate. We took this into consideration and decided to give the links a different colour from the rest of the content on the learning page.The data analysis also showed that the learning material and content, and the instructional design categories scored relatively high points. The following comment from a participant further illustrates these findings: “What I like best about this course was that it was easy to navigate, the content was easy to understand and it used several different learning tools. It was also interactive.”Design ProcessOur evolving design process was based on the Dick and Carey design model which has ten stages (Tennyson & Dijkstra, 1997). ?The first three stages involve identifying the instructional goals, conducting an instructional analysis and analyzing learners and contexts. In carrying out a needs assessment and completing task analysis (procedural, hierarchical, contextual), these three stages were accomplished. ?Performance objectives were also written which is stage four of the model. Assessment instruments, instructional strategies and instructional materials were then developed which parallels stages 5, 6 and 7 of the model respectively. The next stages involved designing and conducting formative and summative evaluations.The evaluation process is one thing that would be improved giving the opportunity to revise or start a new project. Although formative assessment was done, it was only done towards the ending of the project and only one method, carrying out a field test, was utilised. There are actually three other methods that should be used before the actual field test, namely expert review, one- to one and small group evaluations. When conducting an expert review, the content of the lesson can be evaluated for accuracy and completeness. This can be accomplished by a subject master expert (SME). The content for this course was mainly based on our own research but it was not verified with an SME to ensure that the concepts were covered effectively. The one-to-one evaluation method involves the evaluator "walking" through the material with a trial learner in hopes of identifying concepts such as clarity of instruction and directions, completeness of instruction, simplicity or complexity of the lesson among others.The small group evaluation focuses mainly on the delivery of instruction. At this stage areas that are effective as well as in need of improvement can be identified. At this stage concepts such as time sufficiency, appropriateness and quality of assessments, or any collaborative concerns could be assessed.By doing a full formative evaluation using these four methods, most inconsistencies could have been identified and rectified leading to a better quality course design.ReferencesBellon, J.J., Bellon, E.C., & Blank, M.A. (1991) Teaching from a Research Knowledge Base: a Development and Renewal Process. Facsimile edition. Prentice Hall, New Jersey, USACarniege Mellow University. (n.d.). Discussions. Retrieved from, C., Carnine, D., & Kameenuii, E. (1986). The role of graphic organizers and social structure in content area instruction. Journal of Reading Behaviour. 28(4), 275-295.East Carolina University ?( 2014 ). Concept learning: examples and nonexamples, compare and contrast:Procedural knowledge level. Retrieved , E. (2005) Creating Learning Scenarios, Palmerston North, New Zealand: Cool Books.Huitt, W., Monetti, D., & Hummel, J. (2009). Designing direct instruction. In C. Reigeluth and A. Carr-Chellman, Instructional-design theories and models: Volume III, Building a common knowledge base. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Kovi, H. & Spiro, K. (2013).How to Engage Learners with Scenario-based Learning. Retrieved from , J. (2011). Classroom assessment: principles and practice for effective standards-based instruction 5th edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education IncMerrill, M.D. (2002). First Principles of Instruction. Educational Technology Research and Development, 50(3), 43-59Moore,K. (2005). Effective Instructional strategies: From theory to practice. California, UA: Sage Publications.Morrison, G.R., Ross, S.M., Kemp, J.E., & Kalman, H. (2010). Designing Effective Instruction. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & SonsOlsen, J., Gross. S., & Schulten, K. (2013).Understanding and making analogies. ?Retrieved from , C.M. & Carr-Chellman, A.A. (2009). Instructional-Design Theories & Models Volume III: Building a Common Knowledge Base. New York: RoutledgeReigeluth, C. & Keller, J. (2009). Understanding Instructional Theory. In C. Reigeluth and A. Carr-Chellman, Instructional-design theories and models: Volume III, Building a common knowledge base. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.Tennyson, R. & Dijkstra, S. (1997). Instructional design: International perspectives. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates.Umetsu, J. (2011). Using video as a teaching strategy. Retrieved from A: Needs Assessment PlanIn gathering information for the below stated headings, the following persons were consulted:OPTIMALS: The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and the Labour CommissionerACTUALS: The staff members of the Ministry of Labour in addition to the two Labour Officers at the Barbuda Council.CAUSES: The Trainers at the Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s Training Division as well as the Senior Staff at the Ministry of Labour.FEELINGS: The Staff members at the Ministry of Labour and the two Labour Officers at the Barbuda Council.SOLUTIONS: The Trainers at the Government of Antigua and Barbuda’s Training Division as well as the Senior Staff at the Ministry of Labour.The group considered it prudent to use two methods to garner information: personal interviews and questionnaires. ?Both methods are elaborated upon below:? ??????Personal InterviewInformation Sought: Optimals, Causes and SolutionsGroup Size: One interviewer (most likely a senior staff member from the Ministry of Labour) and one interviewee (from the Training Division). ?In the search for causes one senior staff member from the Ministry of Labour will be interviewed.Anonymity / Confidentiality: NoneDevelopment Cost/ Ease: Low - Transportation between Ministries for the InterviewerProbable Response Rate: ?Very high – Especially since we are not dealing with confidential/ sensitive informationRisks: In this case, nilDiversity of Opinions Sought: Since the information to be taught is objective, there need not be too many interviewees. Advantages: The Interviewer will gain relevant information on optimals, causes and the solutions to outlined problemsDisadvantages: There may be interruptions during the interview.? ??????QuestionnaireInformation Sought: Actuals and FeelingsGroup Size: All staff members at the Department of Labour (Antigua) and the two Labour Officers at the Barbuda Council.Anonymity/ Confidentiality: HighAdministrative Cost/ Ease: Cost of paper and ink for the printing of questionnairesScoring/ Analysis Cost/ Ease: Low per staff member:Risks: Low response – staff members may be indifferent to the initiativeResults/ Product: Information may be summarized in table or chart formObjectivity of Data: With the use of close ended questions, the information gained will be objective.Advantages: A good training and development tool; facilitates broad samplingDisadvantages: In depth discussion may not be facilitated; low response rates and the inaccurate interpretation of data.Appendix B: Task Selection WorksheetTASK SELECTION WORKSHEET FOR Writing effective emails.Criteria for Task Selection WorksheetCriticality40 ptsUniversality10 ptsFrequency10 ptsStandardization10 ptsDifficulty30 ptsTotal100 ptsNotesPriorityTASKS#1#2#3#4#5#6#7#8Components of an email page251010101570This should be familiar to all staff. This is the basic foundation for writing effective emails3Characteristics of an email page351010102590This is the foundation of writing effective emails1Winning with emails401010102595This is major support to writing an authentic assessment.2Email etiquette4010101020904Appendix CProcedural AnalysisThe procedural analysis is divided into three different units. The unit topics as follows:Unit 1: Email etiquette Unit 2: Components of an email message (Business Email Basics)Unit 3: Winning with emailsUnit 1: Email etiquette1.1. Define what etiquette is1.2 State the importance of email etiquette1.3. Identify at least 10 components of email etiquette1.4 Identify the don’ts of email communication1.5 Identify when to use emails for business communication/Identify situations in which email communication is effective/identify when to use email for business communication.Unit 2: Components of an email messageBCC and CC2.1 State what is BCC and CC2.2 Differentiate between BCC and CC2.3 State when you use BCC and CC2.4 Create a BCC and CC lineSubject line2.5 Define the term subject line2.6 Locate the subject line in an email 2.7 Identify the rules of creating effective subject lines2.8 Write an attention getting appropriate subject lineSalutation2.9 Describe the components of a good salutation2.10 Identify the components of a professional salutation2.11 Write a salutation for different business situationsBody2.12 Identify the components of a good email body2.13 Identify the purpose of a subject line of a paragraph2.14. Identify the contents of a good paragraph2.15 Write a subject line2.16 Write an effective paragraph for an emailClosing2.17 Identify the purpose of a professional closing2.18 State the words or phrases that are appropriate for a professional email ending2.19 Identify appropriate closings for different business communications via email2.20 Write a professional ending to an email 2.19 Create a signature line2.20 Insert a signature line in an emailUnit 3: Winning with emailsWritingLevel 3.1. State the rules of effective writingLevel 3.2 Use persuasive language in an emailLayoutLevel 3.3 Choosing font size Level 3.4 ?Design email layout Level 3.5 Use of colour in emailsLevel 3.6 Creating images for emailsAppendix D: Hierarchical Analysis 1Appendix E: Hierarchical Analysis IIAppendix F: Contextual Analysis WorksheetContextual Analysis Worksheet-2 Greatly impedes-1 Slightly impedes+1 Slightly facilitates+2 Greatly facilitatesOrienting ContextLearner FactorsWorkers are computer literate -2 -1 +1 +2Employees are change resistant-2 -1 +1 +2Immediate Environment Factors Stakeholders desire greater professionalism among the workers at Labour Department-2 -1 +1 +2Organizational FactorsBonuses are extended to workers in cases of job enrichment-2 -1 +1 +2Training for the general staff is sporadic-2 -1 +1 +2Instructional ContextLearner FactorsSome workers perceive the training to be unnecessary-2 -1 +1 +2Immediate Environment Factors Training will occur wherever the learners have Internet access-2 -1 +1 +2Organizational FactorsStaff from the Ministry of Information will be uploading courseMaterial-2 -1 +1 +2Instructors have been trained to affirm desirable behaviours-2 -1 +1 +2Facilitators are trained in the Learning Management System-2 -1 +1 +2Instructors have been briefed on basic principles of Instructional Technology-2 -1 +1 +2Transfer ContextLearner FactorsLack of ‘follow up’ procedures to ensure use of the new software-2 -1 +1 +2Learners complain that the software has not been uploaded totheir computers at work-2 -1 +1 +2Learners posit that most staff will return from the training period and not use their new found knowledge-2 -1 +1 +2Immediate Environment Factors Stakeholders are desirous of greater levels of professionalism among the staff at the Labour Department-2 -1 +1 +2Organizational FactorsMinimal bonuses are given to staff upon job enrichment-2 -1 +1 +2Appendix G: Evaluation QuestionnaireCOURSE EVALUATION FORMPlease take a few moments to complete the following Course Evaluation Form. Circle the number to indicate your level of agreement/disagreement with each of the aspects of course design, then answer the questions at the end of the table.Strongly agree5Agree4Neutral3Disagree2Strongly Disagree1LEARNING MATERIAL AND CONTENT1The learning objectives for each topic were identified543212All the objectives were addressed543213There was enough content provided to achieve the objectives543214The material and content was appropriate for my level543215I will be able to apply the knowledge learned543216The course content met my needs54321INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN7The time allocated for the lessons was sufficient543218The content covered the topic in the best way543219Enough examples were provided5432110A variety of instructional delivery methods, accommodating multiple learning styles were available throughout the course.5432111The number of practice exercises were adequate5432112The practice exercises were helpful54321COURSE TECHNOLOGY AND ACCESSIBILITY13The user interface was engaging5432114The Learning management system (LMS) was easy to navigate 5432115Opportunities for LMS orientationwere provided.5432116Instructions given were clear5432117The content was arranged in a clear, logical and orderly manner5432118The video files loaded and played properly5432119The text material was readable (size and colour)54321COURSE EVALUATION CONTINUED31432529972000What did you like best about this course?323850127508000What did you like least about this course?Do you have any suggestions about how this course can be improved?3429003619500304800104394000Any other comments?How do you rate the course overall?Excellent Good Average Poor Very poor6953251206500207645095250052768501206500426720095250030670501206500Table used to calculate a quantitative final score for this course.CategoryPossibleEarnedPercent%Avg. % (overall per category)Pilot user 1Pilot user 2Pilot user 3Pilot user 1Pilot user 2Pilot user 3Learning material and content30Instructional design30Course technology and accessibility35Total95 Avg. % (individual pilot user) ................
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