Analyzing Scope Creep

I had a hard time thinking of a professional project that caused scope creep. I decided to ask my co-worker, Aaron, who is the Director of my Communication Department if any project that he and I worked on caused scope creep. One of Aaron’s many responsibilities is the design and maintenance of the Web site. When I asked if him if he can recall a project that we together, he jokingly said - “yes, can you remember that microsite that worked on together? That project got pretty creepy”. Always the word smith, Aaron recalled the time that his Communication’s team and my Education Department wanted to create a microsite for an upcoming live conference http://clinicalcongress.gastro.org/.

Clum (2014) describes that “microsites are separate from a company's full website and are dedicated to serving one purpose - thus eliminating the clutter and distractions that come with a full website” (para 1). A microsite is basically a pretty Web page and is simple in both design and content. When my Education team met with our Communication Department, we explained that we just needed a simple microsite that would link out to content to our Organizations main Web site.

The confusion came about when my Education Team met with the Communication Department without me. I was out on vacation and my Education Team started to use technical terms interchangeably. For example, they would tell the Communications’ Team to create a web page inside the microsite. Note that the existing content that was already on our main server. If I was present, I would have told our Communications team to just link out to existing content (on our main web site).

So, the scope was being expanded by my Education Team. They were requesting redundant work from our Communications Department. I came back from vacation and the atmosphere was sour and nobody understood what went wrong. The Communication’s Department was irritated because of the extra work. My Communications team were asking themselves: “Why are we creating a whole new web site?” The Education Department was irritated and they thought “why can’t the Communication’s Department do their job and create some links?”

I was able to work with the Communications Department and simplify the microsite so that the links would just link out. Also, all of the major content would exist on the body of main microsite page. Further, my Education Department would have access to the main page and they could create the content.

I was scratching my head and wondering how can a simple Web page (forget web site) get so out of hand – so quick? I have to think that there some people in my Organization wanted to make things more complicated than they needed to. Lynch (2007) mentions that one of the reasons for scope creep is that a “project team may drift away from their original duties, which may be viewed as boring since the team may be in the more mundane development of the project” (p. 96).

Looking back at the project, I would like to think that after taking this course that I would have a better handle on future projects. Portny et al, (2008) mention that the major source of scope creep is when a project manager tries to avoid bureaucracy and takes on more responsibility (p. 346). Since, I was away from the project and I was on vacation, I don’t know if this course would have helped. However, the course and our subject matter (i.e. scope creep) are helpful for me in my role in my Organization because it allows me to understand the project management process and terminology.

References:

Clum, L. (2014, March 19). 5 brilliant microsites and why they're so effective. Retrieved from http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/5-brilliant-microsites-8135477

Lynch, M. M., & Roecker, J. (2007). Project managing e-learning: A handbook for successful design, delivery, and management. London: Routledge. Copyright by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. Reprinted by permission of Taylor & Francis Group, LLC via the Copyright

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.

Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

My search came up with two blogs that I found useful in estimating the cost, effort, and / or activity durations associated with ID projects. 

Christy Tucker has her blog that specializes in Instructional Design, technology and K-12 Education.  Her URL is: https://christytucker.wordpress.com/.  She is a freelancer that specializes in online Instructional Design.  Notable resources / features of her WordPress blogging site: there is a search field, comment field, related articles and tags.  Those features allowed me to dig deep into her blog.  Using the search feature and typing the word “estimates”, I came up with 2 helpful posts: Time Estimates for E-Learning Development and Time Tracking Template for Instructional Design. I liked how she places keyword tags under the title of her blog.  I was able to follow the “timeestimate” tag and found additional resources.  I noticed that her blog references some of the key players in the online ID industry such as Karl Kapp work with ASTD and Cathy Moore blog regarding training.  Her blog allowed for comments and I was able to gain some practical information by reading some of the responses.

The other site that I found useful is Don Clark’s blog called Big Dog, Little Dog. He is an ID consultant based out of Edmonds, Washington. Specifically, his page dedicated to projecting training costs: http://nwlink.com/~donclark/hrd/costs.html . Useful features is that it is helpful in determining the budgeting, training cost, estimating hours and tools (an excel spreadsheet) to assist in figuring out the project cost.  The design of the blog is slightly dated but I found his sitemap useful. I used the search feature on his site and used the search term "costs" and "estimates" & came up with more resources.

I hope that the 2 blogs are helpful to my classmates in their week 5 project!

Communicating Effectively

Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education, n.d.) asserted that project managers need to be excellent diplomats. Portny et al (2008) goes on to describe that the “key to successful project management is effective communication –sharing the right messages with the right people in a timely manner” (p. 357). Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education, n.d.) also stated that communication should be clear, concise and focused. Moreover, he described that communication is more than words but spirit and attitude is more important than the words that you use. So tonality of the message and body language are factor that influence communication (Laureate Education, n.d.).

The email and the voice message had pretty much the same effect on me. I felt that all modalities (i.e. email, voicemail and face to face), were clear, concise and focused. The voicemail came across a little more pleasant. When the project manager left the voice message, I felt that I heard an emphasis on the word “help”. As Dr. Stolovitch described in the video, tonality is a factor in communication. So, the voice message sounded a bit more pleasant. Again, both email and voice message had the same effect on me and I felt that the person who delivered the message was diplomatic. Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education, n.d.) stated that communication is more than words but spirit and attitude is more important than the words that you use.

The face-to-face video had a negative effect on me. Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education, n.d.) described that timing influences communication. I had to question why the project manager did not write a short email or pick up the phone and call me / leave a voice message. Moreover, the face-to-face visit was too intrusive – it seemed to rattle my cage. If I received an email or voice mail, I would most likely be next my personal computer and I could seamlessly respond to the message. With the face-to-face encounter, I felt that I would need to drop everything (because I felt the PM was intrusive). Also, Dr. Stolovitch (Laureate Education, n.d.) stated that body language is a factor that influence communication. I felt that the project manager was in my personal space (i.e. hanging over my cubicle). I would be interested in finding out my classmates’ opinions about the three different modalities and if they had the same experience as me.

References:

Laureate Education (Producer). (n.d). Communicating with stakeholders [Video file]. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

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.

Learning from a Project "Post-mortem"

About 6 years ago I was hired as a webmaster for the hospital / research wing of a major University. The website needed to be redesigned inside a new Content Management System (CMS). A content management system (CMS) is a system used to manage the content of a Web site (e.g. web pages and images). I wanted to clarify that it is not a Course Management System (e.g. BlackBoard) that we discussed in our previous Distance Learning course. The project was 2 fold, I first needed to work with our design vendor to create the new web site design. The next step was to role the new design into the CMS. The design phase of the project was rather smooth with some minor delays. (Portney et al, 2010) describes in our text that Project Managers should deal with unknowns by anticipating delays and creating contingency plans.

The second phase of the project was to take the new design that our vendor created for us (e.g. HTML templates and style sheets) and role that into the software (i.e. the CMS). One of the main reasons that I was hired for this position was that they needed someone who could meet their strict deadline (around 9 months from the time I started – the website needed to launch with the new redesign). The website redesign launch had to be created before a major audit conducted by one of our funding agencies (the research wing of our hospital relied heavily on Federal grants). The University’s IT Department was handling the launch of the CMS. The University had an existing CMS but they would not allow anyone to use if for new websites or newly redesigned web sites. So, we had to use this new CMS which not even in the beta testing stage. I should also mention that the University had many other Departments who needed to use the new CMS. Our hospital / research wing had first priority. The CMS kept on getting delayed for one reason or another. Three months before our absolute deadline, I knew that I had to make alternated plans. I simply could not rely on the IT Staff to stay with their promised deadlines.

The writing was on the wall that the IT Department could not deliver and I knew that I had to act fast and create alternative plans.

Using an alternative approach, I was successful in launching a static website using Adobe’s DreamWeaver HTML editor. So, I abandoned using the CMS and just used static web pages for the redesign. I won’t try to talk over my classmates’ heads but I used a lot of Javascript and I used of DreamWeaver’s template system (DWT) to massively rollout the roughly 1000 web pages. I got it done and on time. So, I considered the project a success.

To answer the question what contributed to the success? (Portney et al, 2010) describes that project managers need to respond to reality and sometimes, things change (p. 106). Moreover, another technology can emerge and a PM should use it. In my case, that technology was DreamWeaver’s static template system. Although the solution was not ideal, it worked. I was able to justify my solution because I had a deadline to meet.

To explore the question, what parts of the PM process would have made the process more successful? (Portney et al, 2010) describes that a process is a “series of steps by which a particular job function is routinely performed” (p. 3). Moreover, a process is defines how a job is done every time (Portney et al, 2010, p. 3). I would add that the University’s IT Department did not get their job done. Our text describes potential pitfalls to lookout for and one of them is weak team leadership. The leadership / management for IT Department was feckless (in my observation of their entire team). The IT Department was a steeped in a culture that missed deadlines were the norm.

Reference:

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.

Perceptions of Distance Learning

Perceptions of Distance Leaning

This application will reflect on the current and future perceptions of distance learning in our society.  This essay will explore how I can be a proponent for improving societal perceptions of distance learning and how I can be a positive force in the improvement of distance education.  Lastly, I will examine perceptions of distance learning in the future (i.e. 5 to 10 years and in 10 to 20 years) as it relates to lifelong learning for the adult learner.

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012), stated that we should examine “learner attributes and perceptions as well as interaction patterns and how they contribute to the overall learning environment (p. 64).   Simonson et al, (2012) goes on to describe that Instructional Designers (ID) should not focus on which medium is best (i.e. technology) but we should focus on “what attributes of the medium can contribute to a positive, equivalent learning experience” (p.64).   When I explore how to improve societal perceptions of distance learning, I will look at the attributes of the medium (i.e. the technology proposed) and examine if the technology proposed is the best means to deliver that learning material. 

To be a positive force in the improvement of distance education I feel that it is important to continue my education past Walden University and by keeping abreast of the latest literature or joining trade Associations.  To be a positive force in the improvement of distance education is to take the skills and formal education that I learned at Walden University to my current employer and beyond.  Many trade associations such as The Association for Talent Development (ATD, formerly ASTD) have professional guidelines in ethics that can strengthen my professional development and field.

My thoughts on what the perceptions of distance learning will be in the short term and long term are closely related to what I think what will be the future of distance learning.  Jeff Cobb in book his titled Leading the Learning Revolution describes the importance of informal learning.  Cobb (2013) coined the term “the other 80 percent” in which he describes that in “some estimates, as much as 80 percent of our learning happens in an informal manner” (p. 117).  Leh (2015) in his article for Talented Learning describes the latest technologies that he predicts in the near future are the expanded use of gamification, social learning and mobile learning. To examine the short term perception of distance learning (i.e. 5 to 10 years), ID’s need to explore how to deliver learning material that is assessable (e.g. mobile technology) and informally (e.g. gamification or through social interaction).  In the short term, ID’s and software companies who will deliver learning material conveniently and informally to the adult learner will gain the acceptance of the distance learner.

I predict the perceptions of distance learning for the long term will be linked on how closely the learning technology is perceived by the public (in this case the adult learner).  To explore my vision of the future of DL is to look at trends in web development.  As ID’s at Walden University, we have been exposed to the term Web 2.0 and how it allows users to receive information, as well as, “contribute to the conversation and make it a richer experience” (Strickland, 2008, para. 6).  The next wave in web development has been labeled as Web 3.0 and it can be loosely thought of “a personal assistant who knows practically everything about you and can access all the information on the Internet to answer anything” (Strickland, 2008, para. 8).  Moreover, Kalakota (2012) in his blog about predictive analytics describes predictive search as predictive learning.  He gives an example of how the latest version of Google Now:

Google uses your private data — people you know, documents, images, hangouts,  accessing your location, e-mail, daily calendar, and other info — in order to keep tabs on things like search preferences, appointments, flight reservations, payments and hotel bookings.  Or auto-suggesting restaurants from the Zagat’s guide to have dinner at. (Kalakota, 2012, para. 28).

  My prediction of learning in the next 10 to 20 years is that large enterprise systems that adults use at their work will seamlessly deliver personalized content to educate the adult learner much in the same way Google Now uses your private data.  In other words, companies and or governments will use data harvested from your email or documents and seamlessly deliver personalized education to you – as the learner. To answer the question, what will be society’s perception of distance learning?  Society will need to ask themselves if they are willing to accept corporations or the government to harvest large amounts of data from them.  Skeptics of the future of predictive learning will feel that his technology be too intrusive or reach too far into their personal lives. Proponents will suggest that it will deliver personalized education seamlessly to learners.  Moreover, it will deliver training / education via a personalized assistant before the learner realizes they need it.  As with two extremes, the truth probable lies somewhere in the middle.

In conclusion, this essay reflected the societal forces in the world that can either advocate or skeptically embrace the future of distance learning and how we as ID’s can use our influence in field of distance learning.

 

References

Cobb, J. (2013). Leading the learning revolution the expert's guide to capitalizing on the exploding lifelong education market. New York: American Management Association.

Kalakota, R. (2012, February 11). Predictive Analytics 101. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from https://practicalanalytics.wordpress.com/predictive-analytics-101/

Leh, J. (2015, January 1). Top 10 LMS Predictions for 2015. Retrieved February 25, 20145, from http://talentedlearning.com/top-10-lms-predictions-2015/

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Strickland, J. (2008, March 3). How Web 3.0 Will Work. Retrieved February 28, 2015, from http://computer.howstuffworks.com/web-30.htm

Converting to a Distant Learning Format

This application will examine the best practices for a training manager to improve the quality of communication among trainees in his face-to-face training sessions. The training manager will create a new approach and convert all of his modules into a blended learning format.  This essay will explore tips and ideas when converting face-to-face training sessions to a blending learning format.

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012), describes distributing learning is “most often associated with face-to-face (f2f) instruction that incorporates some form of technology based instruction (p. 197).  Simonson et al. (2012) mentions that distributed learning is often called blended learning because learning materials can be located on a server and accessed any time.  A more specific distributed learning model that I would suggest for our instructor is the “flipped” classroom approach.

Provini (2014) states that flipped classrooms use web-enabled technologies (e.g. screencasts or lecture capture) that allow instructors to spend class time assisting students rather than lecturing them.  This strategy “most often involves assigning students an instructional video to watch online as homework, while problem-solving or other hands-on work occurs class time” (Provini, 2014, para. 1).  There are many benefits for a blended classroom.  Some benefits to the flipped approach is that it allows for more collaboration between student and teacher.  Since, the class time is not spent on the lecture, students can work on activities (e.g. problem based learning) and use the class time to communicate with the teacher and fellow students (Provini, 2014).  Instructors can often benefit by spending less time on grading since students “are doing what used to be homework in class, and getting instant feedback on it” (Provini, 2014, para. 5).  Moreover, Miller (2012) describes in his article with Educatopia that one of the benefits of the flipped classroom is that it moves a “classroom towards student construction of knowledge rather than the teacher having to tell the knowledge to students” (para 2).

Provini (2014) describes in her article that instructors should start off slow.  As stated earlier, our training manager wants to place all of his modules online.  I would suggest that our training manager approach this program slowly.  He can partner with a fellow instructor who can assist with the lecture capture. If a course meets three times a week (e.g. Monday, Wednesday and Friday), he should consider having one class (e.g. the Wednesday class) flipped and the other classes (i.e. Monday and Friday) use the traditional face-to-face lecture sessions.  Once the instructor becomes more confident with the tools and flipped classroom, he or she can expand the offering to more or all of the class times.  Provini (2012) suggests that experience “flippers” should keep their video lectures short (between 10 to 15 minutes long).  I would suggest that beginners start off with one software program to create their instructional videos and just work on the basic lecture capture techniques.  Software companies such as Techsmith create powerful lecture capture software such as Camtasia and screencast.com for video hosting services.  Using one platform will help ease the learning curve and allow educators to focus on creating good instruction.  Another good way for the instructor to learn about a flipped classroom is for him to enroll into another flipped classroom as a student.   For example, I enrolled into Walden’s online University to learn Instructional Design through the lens of a distance learner.  I am an eLearning Manager by trade but I have learned a lot by taking courses as a student. 

Instructors should consider if the subject matter is the best approach for the flipped classroom. Provini (2012) mentions that the most common flipped classrooms are math, science and technology.  However, more “theory-based courses, there’s still a place for [in-class] lectures” (Provini, 2012, para 9).

Simonson et al. (2012) describe problem based learning is most successful when “they provide opportunities for students to work collaboratively with peers toward resolution” (p. 277). Once the instructor create the videos for students to watch at home, the next step is to create the tools for communication in the classroom.  Problem based learning is a fantastic approach to consider.  Especially if the goal of the instructor is to facilitate communication.  Further, down the road, an instructor should consider Learning Management System (LMS) or Course Management System (CMS) to track student activity. These software systems provide powerful analytics / data usage that could justify a teachers approach for blending learning to their supervisor.  For example, an instructor can have statistics on how many students watched a video or took part in a discussion forum.

In conclusion, an instructor who wants to add more communication to his or her classroom can approach the flipped classroom approach slowly. There are many benefits to the flipped classroom and instructors should consider if the subject matter worthy of the flipped classroom approach.

References:

Miller, A. (2012, February 24). Five Best Practices for the Flipped Classroom. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/flipped-classroom-best-practices-andrew-miller

Provini, C. (2014, January 1). Best Practices for Flipped Classrooms. Retrieved February 20, 2015, from http://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/best-practices-flipped-classroom.shtml

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

The Impact of Open Source

Course lecture title: International System in the 20th Century by Sanford University
iTunes U link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/international-system-in-20th/id495054312

The Impact of Open Source

This application will examine Stanford on iTunes U open course titled: International System in the 20th Century by Professor James Sheehan.  This essay will describe the difference between OCW and MOOCs, learning theories used in this lecture series, and the context in which the iTunes U was delivered to students.

This iTunes U podcast was a 102 level undergraduate course and was produced in the year 2008.  It consisted of 29 individual lectures that were roughly 50 minutes long and the podcast series was clearly broken into 10 sections.  I listened to the first podcast which was the course introduction.  It started with the course outline, syllabus, and the book needed to complete the series. 

Simonson, Smaldino, Albright, & Zvacek (2012) mentions that Open CourseWare (OCW) concept is “the publication on the Web of course materials developed by higher education institutions and share with others” (p. 141). As these technologies evolve, we should expect more to follow (Simonson et al. 2012). As a baseline, it is important to understand the difference between Open CourseWare (OCW) and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC).  Wiley (2013) describes that MOOC and OCW have a lot in common.  The key difference between two concepts is that MOOC’s are student-centered instruction.  Whereas, the OCW concept is considered to be teacher-centered instruction.  Wiley (2013) states that OCW main mission is “intended to support faculty at other institutions in teaching similar classes or engaging in professional development. When independent learners manage to benefit from MIT OCW, this is a happy coincidence – a secondary benefit of the primary mission of supporting faculty around the world” (para. 4).  Moreover, Wiley (2013) asserts that only the very bright and self-motivating students tend to benefit from the OCWs.  Using this definition, Sanford iTunes open course lecture series is based on the OCW concept and is teacher-centered instruction.

Listening through the first lecture, I found it very pedagogical in its delivery.  Smith (2012) describes that one of the characteristics of pedagogy instruction is that it is very didactic.  This delivery is polar opposite of the andragogy approach.  The andragogy approach of teaching methods include discussion and problem-solving amongst students. The OCW concept strongly resembles the Fordist behavioral theory in which knowledge is delivered to learner.   (McGee & Green) 2008 describe Fordism as the TV dinner of distant learning.  iTunes U applies this Fordist approach by delivering lectures to the masses.  I have a B.A. in International Studies.  Giving my background, I found Professor Sheehan’s lecture series on International System in the 20th Century hard to follow and I found his teaching style rather dry. It took him 20 minutes to describe the main definition of the course - which is the definition of International Systems. I felt that this lecture series was aimed at other teachers or higher level learners.  iTunes U has the ability for enhanced materials such as instructor notes and assignments.  This lecture series did not provide that material.  Thus, giving more credence to the fact that the intended audience was for a higher level learner. Or, a teacher / instructor would benefit from this lecture series.

In conclusion, the lecture capture used in iTunes U could be viewed cynically as shovelware.  Simonson, et al. (2012) advised against dumping face-to-face courses on delivery systems (p. 134).  However, if we look at the concept of OCW and that its mission is teacher-centered instruction and that its secondary benefit is for student development, then I would suggest that Sanford’s podcast series on iTunes was a success and met its mission.

References
McGee, P., & Green, M. (2008). Lifelong Learning and Systems: A post-Fordist Analysis. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4(2). Retrieved from http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no2/mcgee0608.htm

Smith, M. K. (2010) ‘Andragogy’, the encyclopaedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/andragogy-what-is-it-and-does-it-help-thinking-about-adult-learning/. Retrieved: February 7, 2015

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2012). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (5th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson

Wiley, D. (2013, August 20). What’s the Difference Between OCWs and MOOCs? Managing Expectations. Retrieved February 7, 2015, from http://opencontent.org/blog/archives/2909