Developing a design plan

Below is a design plan for the development of a digital learning resource.

Description

The purpose of the resource is to help learners create an LMS account correctly the first time in order to prevent duplicate LMS accounts (and associated manual data cleanup) from being created in the future.

Learning Goals

The desired learning outcome is for a learner to create an LMS account correctly. After using the proposed resource, learners will be able to:

• Identify what issues can occur during the account creation process (cognitive goal)
• Recognize how those issues might impact them later on (constructivist goal)
• Mitigate issues during the account creation process (behavioural goal)

Intended Audience

The intended audience for the digital learning resource is first-time participants in a tax academy course for a large tax software company.

One participant demographic is new immigrants to Canada who know English as a second language; they are seeking educational credentials or short-term employment opportunities to help them get established in the country.

Another participant demographic is retired individuals, many who have with limited computer skills (compared to full-time professional workers who use computers on a regular basis); this demographic is looking for short-term employment opportunities to supplement their retirement income.

Rationale

Instructions for instructors and learners are currently available as written descriptions with limited use of annotated screenshots and no opportunity for interaction. Instructions currently explain what instructors and learners need to do, with limited details on how to do it and no explanation as to why it is important to follow these instructions carefully.

The proposed digital resource will build on existing content using a combination of text, audio, and video to provide a more interactive and engaging experience for learners. It will also focus heavily on why content to provide more context for learners.

See the section on Learning Theories (below) for details as to why this approach is anticipated to be effective.

Tools

The following options were evaluated against the Bates (2015) SECTIONS model (students, ease of use, cost, teaching, interactivity, organizational issues, security & privacy):

• Writing tools (improvement app, grammar checker, word processing)
• Language tools (online translator, language learning app)
• Video tools (creation, editing, effects)
• Graphic design tools (typography, infographics, screen captures, image collections, editing)
• Presentation tools (presentation/document creator/converter/ viewer/editor, PDF/PPT)
• Content sharing platforms (microlearning, presentations, videos)
• Audio tools (recording, editing)
• Animation tools (screencasting, explainer videos)
• Internet tools (HTML5, web browser)
• Learner response tools (form, survey, quizzing, discussion boards)

Whatever tool I use must not require the students to navigate any technology, with the rationale being that students need to be focused on learning how to use the LMS, not on how to use other learning technologies. It also aligns with the student demographics described above. The students, ease of use and networking considerations eliminated the learner response tools category.

I also eliminated content sharing platforms and internet tools due to organizational issues. The organization already has its own mechanisms for storing learning content, so a content sharing platform and would likely create security and privacy issues the organization is not prepared to deal with. Use of any internet-based tools would also fall under the organization’s existing platform, such as its intranet, network, shared drives, etc.

After considering the time pressures many instructors are under and the many environmental factors they need to manage in the classroom, I also eliminated language tools like Google Translate as a category based on the teaching assessment criteria. Introducing an additional tool and multiple languages for instructors adds an additional level of complexity to their instruction.

The remaining categories were all primarily content development tools used by instructional designers to create content. The remaining considerations in the SECTIONS model are cost and interaction.

Cost criteria for my final selection include the need for rapid development due to a short timeline, no cost for resource hosting and delivery, and no overhead other than access to licensing and subscriptions I have already purchased for paying clients. I am less concerned about ongoing maintenance costs because the content will focus on why. In my professional experience, why content is typically stable and unchanging over time, so content updates should be minimal. Based on the cost criteria, below is a list of tools I have free access to:

• Writing tools (Microsoft Word, Apple Pages, Grammarly)
• Video and audio tools (Adobe Premiere, iMovie)
• Graphic design tools (Adobe Photoshop, Canva, Piktochart, Pixabay, Pexels)
• Presentation tools (Apple Keynote, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Sway)
• Animation tools (PowToon, Articulate 360 Rise)

The need for minimal student interaction with the technology was outlined above, which means the resource must have designed interaction, not inherent or learner-generated interaction. Because interaction with the resource will be limited, the resource should encourage interaction among students and with the course instructor.

Based on these considerations, I decided to use a combination of writing, graphic design, and animation tools. The final proposed resource will be an animated infographic created in PowToon. The inputs to the video will be a decision tree with supporting text written in Microsoft Word and checked in Grammarly, then sketched out visually on paper for rapid development, and finally designed as an infographic in Canva. The animated infographic will illustrate the different outcomes account creation errors can generate, as well as the correct path to follow to create an LMS account successfully.

Assessment Plan

Effectiveness can be measured in several ways, according to Kirkpatrick’s evaluation model (citation needed – suggestions?). Being able to measure a year-over-year decrease in duplicate LMS accounts being created is the ultimate result being sought from a business perspective.

From a learner perspective, the goal is less pain and suffering (stakeholder’s exact words) as a result of the LMS creation process. Measures could include the extent to which instructors use the resource to support their teaching and anecdotal feedback from learners and instructors on how easy it was to follow the account setup process. Supporting measures could include an observable decrease in the manual effort needed to reconcile and manage accounts, as this would indicate fewer issues are being encountered during the initial account setup.

Learning Theories & Instructional Design Principles Used

After evaluating existing learning materials, it appears a behaviourist approach is being used to support instructors and learners. Using a combination of learning theories can provide a more robust and effective solution (citation needed – any suggestions?). The heart of the instructional design approach to be used is succinctly summarized in the following quote:

“The three schools of thought can, in fact, be used as a taxonomy for learning. Behaviorists’ strategies can be used to teach the what (facts); cognitive strategies can be used to teach the how (processes and principles); and constructivist strategies can be used to teach the why (higher-level thinking that promotes personal meaning, and situated and contextual learning).” (Ally, 2008)

Because the resource will use a combination of multimedia, it will be important to follow Mayer’s instructional design principles as part of the cognitive load theory of multimedia learning (citation needed). Applying these principles can help ensure learners have the mental capacity needed to focus on what is being asked of them rather than on extraneous details.

Instructions for Use:

The following instructions will be provided to instructors:

1. Set up the classroom with required technology (laptop, internet access, TV/projector)
2. At the appropriate time in the class curriculum, hand out hard copies of the account creation instructions
3. Verbally walk through the instructions with learners on how to create their account.
4. Open the animated video in a web browser and play from start to finish.
5. Ask students if they have any questions, and answer any that come up.
6. Display a static version of the infographic on the classroom TV/projector.
7. Direct students to begin creating their own account.
8. Encourage learners to use the infographic as a quality assurance tool throughout the account creation process.

Plan for Use:

The resource is intended for internal company use. It will be used by instructors on the first day of an in-person introductory tax academy course.

The resource will not be shared publicly as an open resource, for two reasons:

1. The resource is intended for a specific instructional context and will provide little value to external third-parties, other than to serve as an example that can be adapted for other instructional purposes.
2. Openly sharing instructions on how to create an LMS account could create a security risk for the tax academy if non-registered members of the general public attempt to hack the LMS in an attempt to by-pass formal registration.