Looking ahead to the end (of the year)..

I was taking a look at my 2010 list of things to think about. Towards the top of the list are:

+ get started on becoming a storyteller

+ figure out what the workflow for designing a 508 compatible elearning course is

+ research the role humanism plays in the (e)learning experience

There are other things on my list but these are the heavy hitters because, well, they've caused me some amount of pain over the last year or two. Take storytelling for example. You, me, and every one else on the planet have a lifetime's worth of experience we take with us everywhere we go; our life experience is a kind of story that, to one degree or another, we hide or share with others. I'm keenly interested in the latter: sharing stories. I think there are two significant ways that stories can be shared. The first way to share a story is over a campfire with friends or at bedtime with a loved one; hopefully you've had the chance to experience on or the other or both. The second way I think a life story can be shared is during a learning experience. If I can fashion a learning environment where information is presented in such a way that it touches on some experience in your story then, perhaps, the learning can come easier, last longer, and be applied to some problem or opportunity quicker.

Here's where I'm going with this: when I was a boy mama used to tell me the story at bedtime about the grasshopper and the ant. Maybe you've heard of it. The moral of the story, I think, is that a lifetime of hard-work and thrift offer significant rewards later in life. The problem, for me anyway, is that at the time I heard the story I hadn't lived much life yet: my story didn't include much within it that the bedtime story could touch. It wasn't until some years later that I figured it out. In my case, with this learning experience, the learning didn't come easy and I wasn't able to apply it to my life until quite a bit of time had passed.

Another thing I want to figure out is how to design an elearning course that meets the needs of my target population of learners. 508 is an amendment to the U.S. Rehabilitation Act of 1973. 508 mandates that digital information be accessible to people with disabilities. It has had some significance during my professional life: I produce courses that people take online to learn stuff. To be able to learn what a course contains a learner has to be able to access and experience the information within it. Lately though 508 has caused me some amount of consternation.

Here's what I mean: say I'm asked to produce a course to show someone how to become a harbor pilot. One of the things a harbor pilot has to be able to do well is guide ships into and out of a harbor. Could someone who is blind be a harbor pilot? I don't know the answer to that one but let's say that the answer was no. If the course had to be 508 compliant does the learning experience have to be dentical for persons who are blind and persons who can see? I don't have a good answer to this one either. What I've done to date is design courses that were mainly text-based that screen readers would have no problem with.

Is producing an elearning course in this manner best practice? I don't think so. This is why I'm trying to figure out what a workflow would be for determining when and how a course should and can be 508 compliant: effective and accessible. I'd like to be able to use simulations in more of the courses I produce, but I haven't quite figured out how to reach everyone yet.

The third thing I want to figure out before the end of the year is actually going to be the subject of my dissertation research project: how to make elearning courses more human. By this I mean how might an elearning course be designed so that a wider audience than exists now could learn from it. Most of the elearning courses I produce are taken by learners that never come into contact with other learners; more often than not there isn't even an instructor. Some learners don't perform well using this model. I want to learn if there is a way to make the online learning experience more accessible, in meaningful ways, to a wider audience. Part of this involves helping the learner feel less isolated during their learning experience.

I hope to report out what I learn about these topics in this blog between now and the end of the year.

u

If you design it will they be able to ..?

Someone I follow on twitter remarked this morning that Microsoft came out with a beta of the next version of Internet Explorer; her comment included a statement that I should care about it. My immediate reaction: why? After thinking about it for a while longer (another 30 seconds or so) my reaction remains the same: why should I care?

In my instructional designer role I serve two audiences: learners in-house and readers of the social media to which I post including twitter and facebook and, to a much lesser extent, linked-in.

In the case of my first audience the government agency for whom I worked locks the browser down very tightly: the standard here is IE 8. Though it supports a variety of rich media the agency allows only HTML rendered text, PDFs, JPGs, GIFs, and Flash to appear within it. Other types of media including MP3s, Quicktime, RealMedia, and so on aren't supported. I expect that whenever IE 9, currently in beta, goes live it's going to be much as it is now.

The second audience I hope to reach on the internet includes, well, people much like you. I have no clue what type of browser you might use now and in the future. With this in mind I keep things pretty standard: text and Flash. I'm learning/experimenting with HTML 5 (on my iPad) but to date, with work and my doctoral studies taking up much of my time, I haven't been able to get much beyond "Hello world".

Which brings me back to IE 9 beta and its capabilities. Within the firewall, sure, you have to go with what your infrastructure people tell you is the standard. I don't think it's a good design decision to tailor content to a specific browser on the public internet, however. The reason is simple: you'll lose the eyeballs belonging to the folks whose browsers don't support media in the same way as IE 9. Microsoft has a long history of spinning standards their own way to make people dependent on their technologies far into the future. Making a learning experience dependent on one specific browser is, well, oppressive.

A mindful instructional designer will consider what the (instructional) message is and how best to create an online environment in which the learners she supports can experience it. Designing a learning experience around a technology like IE 9 that all learners may not possess or be able to use (my iPad, Android, and other mobile devices can't use it) isn't a good idea. It makes more sense to format your message in the rich container (mp3, Flash, HTML 5, etc) that makes sense given your target audience.

One more thought: the iPad doesn't support Flash. So yes, Apple is limiting my media options. I don't think this is a bad idea, however, given the iPad's form factor and touch-interface. How does one implement a roll-over when there's no mouse to roll? Anyway, my head is beginning to hurt. Perhaps I have to do some more research and reflection on the issue.

u

Learning plan approved..

My learning plan was approved a couple of days ago. I'm going to be working on one KA (Knowledge Area) during my first trimester with Fielding. The course I'm going with first i ELC-571: Action-Oriented Research. My topic for research is how fun (engagement) is measured in an online course. Towards that end I will first study the topic of action-research itself: its foundational theories, modes of inquiry, and best practices.

From there I'll develop an action-research plan that looks into measuring efficacy. Three things I think that influence the online learning experience include socialization, engagement, and media; for the purposes of this study media includes the instructional content and how it is presented as well as video, audio, animation and interactivity.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Learning plan notes

I just submitted the third draft of my doctoral learning plan to my mentor. It's odd for me to say "third draft" because it's the first one that I've sent to him. The way I think it usually works is I produce something then send it to my mentor who in turn reviews it and provides feedback; each iteration of create/edit and review/feedback produces another draft version. In this case I held it pretty close to my heart; the more I thought about it the deeper I think I understand Fielding's doctoral learning model and my place within it. At least I hope so. The idea came to me just now that I can keep going round-and-round about it but until I get my mentor's perspective I'm not being as effective as I can be.

My learning plan includes several sections; three of the sections are very meaningful to me. They include:

1. Self-assessent relative to the Fielding doctoral competencies
2. Stating my personal/professional goals
3. Determining the Knowledge Areas (KAs) that make up my course of study

At my last institution my advisor did most of the work preparing my learning plan; I let her know what I was interested in and she, working within the constraints of course scheduling, identified when I would be able to take a course. In the Fielding model I not only identify what KAs interest me but I also specify what I will do with it and how my efficacy will be assessed. I'm doing the heavy-lifting this time: cool.

My main research interest is studying the role of socialization, fun and media (story as well as technology) in positively influencing learner efficacy and outcomes. With this in mind here are the KAs I want to study (note that the first four KAs are required by Fielding):

ELC - 751
Action-Oriented Research

ELC - 752
Leadership and Change

ELC - 769
Structural Inequality and Diversity

ELC - 753
Systems Thinking and Intervention

ELC - 781
Media Studies

ELC - 778
Technology, Learning and Teaching

ELC - 774
Redefining Curriculum

ELC - 770
Creativity and Problem Solving

You can learn more about Fielding's KAs at http://www.fielding.edu/programs/elc/elc/curriculum.aspx.

There's a part in the 2000 movie Space Cowboys where one of the astronauts, Tank Sullivan (James Garner, 2000), invokes [Alan] Shepard's prayer: "Oh Lord, please don't let us screw up. Amen." This is kind of how I feel about the program I'm just starting. I've given a lot of thought about the studies I'm undertaking. The only thing I have to do now is get my mentors' buy-in to my plan and then work/study/research like mad for the next four years.

References
Garner, J. (2000). Space cowboys. Retrieved from the IMDB website at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0186566/quotes on April 13, 2010.

The roller-coaster ride is about to begin..

Last month was interesting: I moved to Washington D.C. from Arizona to take a new job with the federal government. I got here just in time to experience several snow storms of the century; imagine that: 3 blizzards of the century in one week.

I start my doctoral studies again next week. I'm attending Fielding Graduate University's NSO (New Student Orientation) in San Diego, CA. I'm excited to begin my studies again.

My new job is okay: I'm concerned about a couple of things though. My role involves a great deal of project management; I have the experience, so it's not an issue. I'm wondering how creative I can be and how I can integrate what I am learning/researching in school (the integration of socialization into the online learning experience) in an organization that is pretty conservative and not much into socialization online. I expect to get some perspective at next week's NSO.

One thing more: the 'e' key on my notebook [mac book pro] has a bad sticking problem. Apple wants me to replace the motherboard ($1200) to fix a $.69 problem. I think I'll meet them half-way and get a 3G iPad when they ship late next month. Why do I want to do this? A. the iPad is a lot lighter than my notebook. B. the battery in an iPad is supposed to last 4X as long as the one in my notebook. C. mainly I want to get an iPad because it's cool and (apparently) easy to use. This is significant to me because I have a lot of complexity going on right now. I expect to do some cool things with it. Another strong selling point of the iPad: with a virtual keyboard the chances of a sticky 'e' key are next to nil (I hope).

Motivation

Hi. I'll be writing on what I learn while on my doctoral journey. I'm working towards an Ed.D. in education.

In my own studies, particularly online, and work I have been been discomfited by the reliance on the printed word in learning distribution and assessment. Surely there must be a better way. I think part of the answer lies in the mindful use of media, socialization, and technology in learning.

Good luck to us all.