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Synopsis
Development and delivery of training and resources on the topics of learning management systems and e-learning standards integration.
I was asked to deliver two presentations on the topic of learning management systems, learning content management systems and e-learning standards. One presentation was for the University of Colorado Denver (UCD) students. The second presentation was for the Denver Metro- E-Learning Developers Users Group (DMELD). These two groups of learners are involved in developing instructional design, developing e-learning and related courseware. These learners are often involved in projects that must utilize either the infrastructure of a LMS/LCMS or design courseware that is compliant with standards like SCORM. The learner's gap in knowledge in the topics generated interest deepening their knowledge and understanding in these topics.
The
Learners
The learners are all adult learners pursuing additional professional knowledge
and understanding of the topics. Their interest was to begin to understand
the topic and gain additional resources relevant to their professional development.
The learners professional experience and technical knowledge varied. The learners
included: courseware developers, instructional designers, technical communicators,
and web learning developers. The attendees were generally familiar with the
subject matter. Most of the learners did not have any professional experience
with the content matter.
The Learning
Environment
The delivery method was to be delivered using face to face presentation style
of learning. Both learning environments were organized by the learning criteria
of time, schedule and delivery method of this style of presentation as established
by the organizations of UCD and DMELD.
The time allotted for each group varied from fifteen minutes to one hour. The UCD environment would be held in a computer classroom and would be limited to fifteen minutes. The DMELD presentation would be co-taught with Bob Lobis of FX170, an e-learning company, in a conference room with audio/video and projector equipment. The DMELD presentation would be limited to a one hour presentation. Both presentations would allow for time to facilitate a brief discussion and review learner questions.
Learning Objectives
Explore introductory
level information and resources on LMS.
Review the differences
between LMS and LCMS.
Identify standards relevant
to e-learning and provide examples of how to integrate the standards into
content for e-learning.
Identify resources for
additional knowledge and exploration.
Learner Supports
The two groups required different learner supports for the presentations.
The topic is much too broad to cover in any depth in either fifteen minutes
or an hour. Providing learning supports and additional resources for continued
learning beyond the presentation is a learner support need to aid the learners
in gaining additional knowledge in this topic.
The UCD learners
were receiving a fifteen minute presentation focusing more on LMS and related
topics. The time limitation for the presentation made learner supports an
important part of the design strategy. The learners would need to have access
to content and additional resources to explore the topic after the presentation
was delivered. Part of the design strategy for the UCD learners needed to
include additional learning resources to provide coverage of the content much
deeper than what was possible in the fifteen minute presentation.
The DMELD learners would have one hour for the presentation. These learners
would still need to resource additional information to explore and learn information
after the presentation. Learner supports on the topics and additional resources
for continued professional development and exploration is an important design
consideration for both of the groups of learners.
Constraints
The most important constraint was the amount of time allotted for the
presentations. The time allotted only allowed a broad approach for delivery
of the content. The analysis of the attendees indicates the group of learners
are self-directed and can easily resource additional resources to continue
their learning after the initial presentations were delivered.
University
of Colorado Presentation
The training environment was already determined as face to face with a
specific time allotment. For delivery of the presentation I had access to
the Internet, a training lab, and projection equipment. In this environment
I was able to design a program the students would be able to follow in class
and use as a training tool or resource after the initial presentation.
I utilized the multi - media learning environment to enhance the experience of the presentation and the learning supports by designing a mini Website for the presentation. The learning Website included the general topic of LMS/LCMS/ learning portals. The Website utilized the tutorial concept where the learner could move forward through the mini-tutorial. The tutorial content was the primary presentation content, but was designed so the learner could go back to the Website and reuse the content on their own, using the web based learning environment.
The mini Website also included links to resources, articles, demos and graphics to help the learner conceptually learn the content or research the topic on their own. The design was created to facilitate the learner who had an interest in the topic beyond the tutorial level of learning. The design provided both basic coverage of knowledge and the opportunity to extend the learning into a more comprehensive level of learning. The web tutorial was short, comprising of nine pages and used easy navigation.
The delivery of the web learning provided an overview of the content and the web learning resources. The coverage of the content provided opportunities for students to ask specific questions and ask for clarification on the topic. Since the allotted time was so short, the students were directed to the web learning resources to continue their knowledge and understanding of the topic.
The presentation of the web learning provided an overview of the content and the web learning resources. The coverage of the content provided opportunities for students to ask specific questions and ask for clarification on the topic. Since the allotted time was so short, the students were directed to the web learning resources to continue their knowledge and understanding of the topic.
In the presentation for the UCD learners I researched the topic, conducted the analysis, developed the content, and learning Website and presented the materials.
Denver Metro E-Learning Developers - DMELD
The DMELD presentation came as result of the research conducted for the first presentation. In my query for professional knowledge in my professional community Bob Lobis of FX170 elicited my support to present to DMELD on the same topic. Access to the Internet was not available in the conference room utilized for the presentation, so alternative presentation media would need to be created to cue the presentation and present the information to the learners. Bob and I would share the presentation responsibilities of creating the learning content and presenting.
The DMELD presentation would be presented using face to face presentation and slides. The mini Website prepared for the UCD Group would be provided as a learning support to the group, but would not be the primary focus of the presentation. Since I had conducted the initial research on the LMS and LCMS I took this portion of the project and worked with Bob to create a cohesive design between the e-learning standards and the LMS/LCMS content. Over the course of a month we created a cohesive design of content, met to review the learning objectives, design, delivery and finalized our design. The day of the presentation we met to review the presentation and finalize any design and content strategies.
The presentation design included several links and resources for the users to access after the presentation. The links included the learning Website I designed for the UCD learners and resources to additional knowledge bases on e-learning standards. The presentation allowed for extensive discussion into related to the topics including XML, designing courseware for LMS and LCMS and references for learning SCORM.
The delivery of the presentation revealed the learners in both groups were very interested to gain the knowledge and explore the content provided. Many of the questions asked by the learners indicated they either had a surface knowledge of the content or no knowledge of the content. The information provided in the presentation was useful to provide a basic framework and develop additional knowledge. The interaction and discussion provided evidence that the learning was useful to expand their existing knowledge in this area.
The DMELD presentation was a good example of how content can be reused. In the DMELD presentation I brought the knowledge of the research I had compiled for the first presentation and developed the content. In collaborating with my co-presenter I was able to expand my knowledge and bring some additional resources to the presentation, which helped to make the content stronger. One of the additional resources I utilized was William Horton's latest book "E-Learning Tools and Technologies". Bob was able to provide his research and content, which helped to strengthen the presentation. Additionally, I was able to reuse the content I developed for the earlier presentation. When I reevaluated the content for the DMELD presentation I felt the information was useful, and updated links that were no longer working to make the site more useable for the DMELD learners.
As a result of the research for the UCD presentation I was able to collaborate with other professionals interested in the same topics, share knowledge and expertise, while developing the presentations. The first presentation connected me to other professionals like Bob, who were helpful in providing a forum to discuss the topic, and develop an additional opportunity to present the knowledge to our user's group.
The UCD presentation provided basic information on the topic. This topic is very broad and the addition of a web tutorial with resources was a helpful way to allow the learning and exploration to continue after the initial training.
The UCD learners asked good questions and participated in an engaging discussion on the topic presented. This presentation presentation was a good opportunity to provide information that connected well to the other topics of SCORM, databases and management of learning. One of the learners reused the content for a course she was teaching in Instructional Learning Technologies and was able to reuse the content for a similar learning audience. The learning Website continues to be a useful resource, as I will continue to keep this site updated and available as a resource for future research and knowledge sharing.
The DMELD learners indicated a strong interest in the topic, asked a lot of questions about the integration of the technologies and programming. The opportunity to provide a high-level overview of the content and examples of how LMS/LCMS works in an e-learning environment provided a rich learning opportunity for the attendees and the presenters. Several of the developers provided additional information and background to the attendees, which enhanced the learning opportunities beyond what the presentation provided. The interaction and learning was dynamic and kept the attendees interest for the entire time allotted. The learners indicated appreciation for the content, delivery and knowledge sharing at the end of the presentation. In some cases the learners indicated they had a stronger understanding of how these systems and standards are related and how they might be able to begin to explore the content for developing their own e-learning courseware and delivery systems.
The slide presentation from the DMELD meeting has been posted on the group Website and is available to the DMUIG members to refer to as a professional development artifact.
This project provided a few interesting opportunities for growth and development. Initially, I learned more about an area of interest: LMS/LCMS/learning portals. This topic was just percolating in my brain as I was extending into learning technologies. The initial presentation provided an opportunity to learn about the topic and provide this training to other learning technologists. Likewise, developing the job aids and learning resources/learner supports was an important development for providing long-term resources beyond the initial presentation.
Likewise, the initial presentation opened the opportunity to take the original content and redevelop it for my professional group of e-learning developers. I was able to take the initial information and redevelop the content, the delivery and share this content with a group of professional peers. I feel the opportunity to co-present with one of the professionals in this group provided a deeper exploration of the topic and a way to extend this knowledge back into my community of learning.
I recognize the topics of LMS/LCMS/learning portals are too broad to do justice in short presentations. By providing resources, links and a learning Website, the learners have the opportunity to extend their knowledge beyond what is possible to present in such short chunks of time. In both of these presentations I feel that overcoming the constraint of time is largely completed through strong learner supports that encourage additional research and learning on the topics.
In both presentations I examined the topic, researched the content, determined the best way to provide training and knowledge sharing with my colleagues, and presented information to professionals requiring development in the field of instructional technologies and e-learning development. The project targeted expanding the knowledge of my colleagues and expanding my own understanding of the topics in order to provide leadership and expert knowledge on the topics for presenting the training to the attendees.
In reviewing the analysis of the learners the product needed to meet the learning objectives and the needs of the learners. In the initial presentation the training needed to extend beyond the initial training and provide additional resources and learning. In considering the audience I decided to develop a training module that could provide additional learning and training beyond the initial presentation. This training was designed with full consideration of the constraints of the time and a need to provide additional training and resources for the learners to extend their learning beyond the initial presentation. The web learning Website provides this instruction for the learners in both audiences to continue their learning experience beyond the initial training sessions. The presentations for both audiences considered the learners, needs, environment, long-term learning requirements for professional development and the types of interaction with knowledge and content. The instruction was designed to convey the content in the manner that was specific to the learners and the delivery system for sharing the knowledge.
#3: Uses a variety
of media to deliver instruction to students.
The type of instruction and design for the learners was an important design consideration. The use of technology in the presentation to project the images and discuss the content as a part of the delivery. The use of interactive discussion as a component of the multimedia presentation was important for helping to communicate and explore the content. In the presentations a combination of resources were utilized, depending on the presentation. In the UCD presentation the learning Website used images, links, demos, and web based learning tutorials.
In the DMELD presentation the presentation was created using PowerPoint, with presenter facilitation of the content and discussion. The slide presentation utilized charts, and graphics to help learners formulate an understanding of the content. The learners were provided with the learning Website resources prepared for the UCD learners, as well as a list of links and resources for additional reading.
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