Below is an iterative version of the case I have chosen to develop based on the two instances of new or renewed learning practices in my organization. It will be republished with more content as I develop it. Comments and questions are welcome during the development process.
- A title – used to introduce the reader to what this case is a case of.
- Keywords: online, e-learning, Storyline, Articulate, Rise, cloud-based, authoring tool, content, simplicity, cognitive load, technology training, business process training; digital learning environments (DLE)
- Working title: Using a cloud-based e-learning authoring tool to design online business process and technology training for office workers
- Working title: Using Rise as a DLE to integrate business process and software training for office workers
- A quote – positions your case within a broader human experience. Could be a quote taken from a range of sources (i.e., historical figure, common knowledge, participant in the case, etc.)
- I love Einstein – find a quote from him that might work
- Everything should be as simple as it can be, but not simpler (https://quoteinvestigator.com/2011/05/13/einstein-simple/)
- An introduction – several paragraphs that help the reader to understand why the case under study is important and has significance to the organization in which the case is situated. The introduction also explains the underlying issues inherent in the case and shares any required background information.
- Why the case is important
- moving from traditional classroom-based delivery to self-paced online delivery
- using a cloud-based authoring tool
- aligns with principles of adult learning
- may lead to more effective learning solutions
- removes barriers to e-learning development
- other organizations can learn from this organization
- Why it is significant to the organization
- conservative and traditional corporate culture
- has relied on the status quo for a long time and is now seeing a cultural shift
- this is a pilot project
- if successful, other areas of the company will want to follow suit
- potential to save the company money – ROI would need to be calculated
- if it fails, learners will make mistakes with large industrial customers that could have significant negative consequences; a highly regulated industry, so mistakes would be not only financial from customer impacts but potentially legal from fines/penalties
- Underlying issues
- time and resource constraints on project – must be delivered by mid-February and estimated hours is over 400 – not enough time available
- opportunity – budget is sufficient to do quality work
- Required background information
- Has the client used e-learning before? yes, but it has been clunky with more robust software than needed, and more expensive than it should have been
- Has the client used the proposed authoring tool before? no
- How has my client delivered previous technology and business process training? in-class, instructor-led training, typically PPT demos but no active scenario-based participation or practice; some e-learning has been used with practice scenarios, but the e-learning software was difficult for learners to use, which reduced the effectiveness of the training
- vendor-provided software training is available but is off the shelf, not customized to the company’s business processes; client thinks the training materials are of sufficient quality (basically annotated screen captures)
- a gap analysis has been conducted on what is changing; the expectation is to train to the gap – current vs new
- previous experience working with this client has been positive but there has been a change in management that could affect client relationship – future work is at stake
- Why the case is important
- Case Narrative – shares the story of the case and the evidence. This section is descriptive and forms the bulk of the case. It could include charts, pictures, graphics, statistics, etc.
- Who: learners are all office workers and already have some familiarity with computers; assumption that they are computer literate to level X (need to check Stats Canada levels again); the number of learners taking the training is approximately 25; learners are likely taking the training because they have to, not because they want to
- What: training is for customer relationship management software; there is a need to integrate the vendor-provided training with business-specific process in a way that is seamless
- When: training will have a limited shelf life of about 3-6 months before it is outdated and requires refreshing because IT/processes are continually changing
- Where: training will be delivered online at learners’ computers.
- Why: the company is moving from multiple IT platforms in multiple business units to one platform across all business units – ensures continuity across the company, reduces risk, and helps manage upgrades/infrastructure long-term
- How: Learners will use either desktops or laptops. Does not require mobile optimization. Client wants to own the file on its intranet but does not care about how it is created, as long as they own it and it works; proposed authoring tool is Articulate Rise
- Discussion – analyzes the case narrative and helps the reader to understand the learning environment innovation from either a new or renewed perspective
- the challenge will be to use an online delivery tool to deliver the training in a way that lets learners focus on the subject matter at hand and not on learning the online tool.
- The online tool needs to be intuitive, user-friendly, simple, easy to access, navigate, load, stop and return to
- All design decisions related to use of the tool need to reduce cognitive load
- Design decisions need to integrate content that I have no say over; it needs to repurpose vendor-supplied materials and client-supplied materials
- Questions – prompts for the readers to consider or questions for the readers to answer for the case writer to help move the case forward or further develop the situation described in the case
- How will using Articulate Rise enable or support e-learning?
- How can I reduce the cognitive load for learners?
- What can I do to engage uninterested learners?
- How can I layer content for all computer abilities? Or should I assume everyone is starting at the same baseline?
- What should I assume is already known? How can I determine that?
- Even though my client doesn’t care about sustainability now, how can I put measures in place to make updating the content easier and cost-effective later on?
- How will I measure success? How will end users measure success? How will my clients measure success?
- What will be different about e-learning that will make it better than classroom training? How can I make sure e-learning is more effective than classroom training?
- What kind of changes will I need to make to the process of developing content for e-learning vs the classroom?
- Resources and References – used to support the case and provide additional information
- Link to articulate rise website