e-LEARNING WORK SAMPLES
submitted 2/23/2017 to University of Alabama in Huntsville by Tess Beebe Olten
UPDATE 2/24/2017:
I have found additional samples of performance supports combined with training in learning guides that I can share with you and that might be more relevant to the tasks I would be doing at UAH. The Maestro database was a tool to be used by TN Board of Regents constituents statewide. Our only opportunity to train them was through electronic remote means, and I had only 24 hours to get this information out to them (also made available as a live learning guide that could be bookmarked). It's important to go full screen if viewing these videos to see screen details. I was asked not to crop the screen to allow for contextual view of the screen actions. Again, the production quality is not the highlight as I worked there with no studio, and only basic screen capture and video editing tools. However, we didn't need the overkill weighing this project down, and these guides were very well reviewed and are still heavily used. These learning guides combine written word, step-by-step with screenshots, and video instruction for the variety of learners we served. The guides were in Google Drive and could be printed or saved to devices for mobile or off-line access. Note that the guides themselves are less narrative and more informational, with well organized links to detail, discussion, samples, and tutorials. Folks can't afford to wade through a lot of narrative or long video to get tiny chunks of information they need to keep moving on the job. These guides help coalesce and organize resources that are up-to-date and available with the click of a mouse or stroke of a finger on a mobile device.
Video is a great augmentation to online learning, but for purposes of Universal Design as well as the speed with which information needs to be accessed while on the jobs, there are critical aids like printed guides that must accompany video. I also developed and maintained assets such as this Course Developer Manual, which was designed to be accessible to all faculty in course development with updates distributed in real-time since it resided on the cloud (Google Drive). Faculty course developers knew that everything they needed could be find somewhere in that manual and were able to access it from their computers and mobile devices. We were cognizant of FERPA compliance and only shared training materials online; we were careful to never share student information outside of university protocols. I am also an advocate of infographics and mini-infographics to convey processes and steps visually. It's important to note that type should not be embedded on the graphic due to accessibility issues.
Learning Guides and Performance Support
Current best practice is expanding beyond traditional initiatives based solely on training to include and nurture an ongoing relationship with learners based on performance support. Performance support changes the development model to one that implements—indeed, models—formative assessment strategies that "stay in touch" with learners throughout the learning process and beyond, into and through the application of knowledge and skills. The motto "two clicks and ten seconds" refers to the mission of performance support initiatives to provide solutions and forward movement to learners in the minimal amount of time with the least distraction possible. This model can be attained using a variety of media and methods and one I have found especially useful is the integration of Learning Guides into the communication and workflow. At Motlow State, I didn't have access to the CMS (Content Management System) used to publish the college website. I couldn't pester the webmaster several times a day to make changes on my behalf, but the communication flow with faculty was intense and dynamic and required that level of support. So we linked this Learning Guide Directory to our departmental Web page—and it's still in use by the faculty member who assumed the role of Dean of Digital First Learning. The page is a "one stop shop" for faculty to receive and refresh their training on a variety of topics. The Quarter Term Report Learning Guide, for instance, provided both instructions and a calendar of deadlines relevant to various faculty. As deadlines shifted, faculty were able to access any piece of information relevant to the task on one Web page and from any device.
Training and Performance Support
While at Alabama A&M University as the interim director of the Center for Distance Education & e-Learning, I developed a very popular live training series that was titled "Power Through Series" and available to faculty on an a la carte basis or as a whole series for developer certification status. The Power Through Series Learning Guide provided tip-of-the-fingers access to the agenda and series content at all times. The benefits of using Google Drive as a primary tool include 1) cost (free!), 2) highly collaborative and interactive; learners could ask questions and make comments/additions directly on the document that we all shared, which benefited all learners; 3) ease of sharing a centralized document updated in real time to all users (no versions), 4) modeling use of an important academic technology and professional technology of value to students after graduation and in the workplace.
Social Media
I am well-versed in the use of mainstream social media such as Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. However, using disparate and competing sites to maintain continuity of conversations and information exchange can be troublesome for professional peer groups who need to stay in touch on busy schedules. Just as I was departing Tennessee Board of Regents central office for Motlow State Community College last summer, the online Learn Lab Community that I developed for faculty and staff of the statewide TBR system was opened to the public. Unfortunately the Learn Lab Community (click through any certificate warnings, please) has suffered understaffing since Tennessee's staffing strategies have been delayed due to looming funding issues related to the recent FOCUS Act. But the Learn Lab Community provided an excellent online environment for stakeholders from every corner of the state to meet and discuss All Things e-Learning and supported a much more cohesive team of stakeholders in a variety of contexts. I am told that focused private working groups continue to the use the community despite its lack of public discussion and visible activity. One benefit of the community was that groups could render themselves invisible and add members by invitation only so that private discussions could be held and archived in a centralized location.
Writing
My original blog titled eLearnista debuted in 2011, but eventually became eLearnscapes as I transitioned to wider audiences and broader topics. I was asked to take a hiatus from my blog during my employment at Tennessee Board of Regents as organizational branding issues were being considered. I am willing to reintroduce eLearnscapes or to maintain a University-branded site as desired.
Digital Photography
I am an accomplished digital photographer using a variety of hardware and software including mobile technologies (phone and tablets), point and click cameras, and digital SLR cameras when appropriate. I have functional videography skills, and am comfortable editing video and still graphics in a variety of software environments. I have taught digital photography basics to faculty, staff, and students using free and inexpensive tools .
Digital Art and Graphic Design
My digital art continues to evolve as quickly as the technology that makes it possible. Whether I am adapting photography or creating new images freehand in virtual mixed media, there is truly no limit to the possibilities of what can be achieved visually. Studies show that visual graphics enhance learner engagement with content. I am adding samples of my graphic design capabilities to my online portfolio as well.
Course Quality / Certification Tool
While at Alabama A&M University I developed a unique course certification system designed to ensure high quality curriculum development by faculty in a formative assessment model which engaged the faculty in self and peer assessment of the courses in development prior to final assessment by the Center for Distance Education & e-Learning. The Certification Tool would become a model about which I spoke at e-learning conferences before local, state, regional, national, and global audiences. The involvement of faculty in the process of course evaluation in the formative style of feedback loop-based communication and performance support tools in place with which they could interact easily ensured a high quality product on a very short production schedule. We used this tool to facilitate the development of five entire degree programs in less than three years for complete online delivery, including general education requirements and student services. Ultimately, the tool was adopted by the Tennessee Board of Regents and we collaboratively developed a more robust set of criteria that now includes ADA accessibility requirements.
Video Production
In 2008, I produced my very first video for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, and it has remained the one of which I am most proud. Although the production quality of In Our Own Words is admittedly perfunctory, there are other aspects of this sample that bear highlighting.
This video was produced while I was working in an administrative role at East TN State. I was given $300 and approximately two days to design and deliver a "multimedia project for 18 yr old kids with problems"—wards of the state struggling to find their own way through and beyond foster care. This video was to be used to promote fostering older children with the foster care system for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
With prior clearance by our principal investigator, I quickly ran to Walgreen's and bought disposable cameras, while striking a deal with the store manager to get free photo development as a donation to the cause. I went to a discount store and bought art supplies: markers, colored paper, and scissors. By the next afternoon, I was ready to present my idea to the young adults involved in this Youth for Youth Leadership Academy hosted at ETSU. I had only minutes to explain the project, its goal, and the methods we would use to produce it—and to get them excited about the project!
After explaining the concept, I assured them that all they had to do was open their hearts, take photos, and trust me to compile the video in a way that was respectful and highlighted their message: that older children in foster care need to be loved as children yet treated as young adults in order to foster their long-term success.
The aspects of this video sample of which I am most proud are not the spectacular production skills (those came later in my ever-developing skill set and with the addition of tools like Camtasia to my toolbox) and techniques that I could accomplish given an unlimited budget for hardware and software, however.
I am very proud that I was able to produce something of meaningful value and mission that met the requirements of my deadline, stayed within budget (which so often is scarce or nonexistent), and yet conveyed a powerful message, achieving its ultimate goal despite time and resource limitations.
I am most proud, however, that I was able to engage a cohort of highly challenged youth in a project such that without adult/staff oversight or guidance, they propelled themselves and each other in a highly collaborative model that gave them a meaningful takeaway from the leadership conference. After giving them unfettered freedom with the art supplies and cameras for the duration of their conference, I had only to airbrush out two cigarettes and one middle finger! The digital enhancement of their signs was necessary for readability and returned the visual focus to the heartfelt messages and the honest, vulnerable faces of these incredible young leaders in development.
Public Speaking
In addition to presenting at numerous e-learning conferences to live audiences, I am comfortable on camera, including ad hoc discussion and interviewing. This five-segment series on the topic of faculty development was recorded at East Tennessee State University in 2011.
ADA Accessibility
All online content meant for mass distribution or public access, whether academic or administrative in nature, must now meet ADA Accessibility Standards in order to remain compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991/2010. I stay tuned to issues around interpretation of the law, as well as emergent technologies and best practice with regards to accessibility in both physical and online work environments. I am a member of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).
Respectfully submitted by Tess Beebe Olten
submitted 2/23/2017 to University of Alabama in Huntsville by Tess Beebe Olten
UPDATE 2/24/2017:
I have found additional samples of performance supports combined with training in learning guides that I can share with you and that might be more relevant to the tasks I would be doing at UAH. The Maestro database was a tool to be used by TN Board of Regents constituents statewide. Our only opportunity to train them was through electronic remote means, and I had only 24 hours to get this information out to them (also made available as a live learning guide that could be bookmarked). It's important to go full screen if viewing these videos to see screen details. I was asked not to crop the screen to allow for contextual view of the screen actions. Again, the production quality is not the highlight as I worked there with no studio, and only basic screen capture and video editing tools. However, we didn't need the overkill weighing this project down, and these guides were very well reviewed and are still heavily used. These learning guides combine written word, step-by-step with screenshots, and video instruction for the variety of learners we served. The guides were in Google Drive and could be printed or saved to devices for mobile or off-line access. Note that the guides themselves are less narrative and more informational, with well organized links to detail, discussion, samples, and tutorials. Folks can't afford to wade through a lot of narrative or long video to get tiny chunks of information they need to keep moving on the job. These guides help coalesce and organize resources that are up-to-date and available with the click of a mouse or stroke of a finger on a mobile device.
Video is a great augmentation to online learning, but for purposes of Universal Design as well as the speed with which information needs to be accessed while on the jobs, there are critical aids like printed guides that must accompany video. I also developed and maintained assets such as this Course Developer Manual, which was designed to be accessible to all faculty in course development with updates distributed in real-time since it resided on the cloud (Google Drive). Faculty course developers knew that everything they needed could be find somewhere in that manual and were able to access it from their computers and mobile devices. We were cognizant of FERPA compliance and only shared training materials online; we were careful to never share student information outside of university protocols. I am also an advocate of infographics and mini-infographics to convey processes and steps visually. It's important to note that type should not be embedded on the graphic due to accessibility issues.
Learning Guides and Performance Support
Current best practice is expanding beyond traditional initiatives based solely on training to include and nurture an ongoing relationship with learners based on performance support. Performance support changes the development model to one that implements—indeed, models—formative assessment strategies that "stay in touch" with learners throughout the learning process and beyond, into and through the application of knowledge and skills. The motto "two clicks and ten seconds" refers to the mission of performance support initiatives to provide solutions and forward movement to learners in the minimal amount of time with the least distraction possible. This model can be attained using a variety of media and methods and one I have found especially useful is the integration of Learning Guides into the communication and workflow. At Motlow State, I didn't have access to the CMS (Content Management System) used to publish the college website. I couldn't pester the webmaster several times a day to make changes on my behalf, but the communication flow with faculty was intense and dynamic and required that level of support. So we linked this Learning Guide Directory to our departmental Web page—and it's still in use by the faculty member who assumed the role of Dean of Digital First Learning. The page is a "one stop shop" for faculty to receive and refresh their training on a variety of topics. The Quarter Term Report Learning Guide, for instance, provided both instructions and a calendar of deadlines relevant to various faculty. As deadlines shifted, faculty were able to access any piece of information relevant to the task on one Web page and from any device.
Training and Performance Support
While at Alabama A&M University as the interim director of the Center for Distance Education & e-Learning, I developed a very popular live training series that was titled "Power Through Series" and available to faculty on an a la carte basis or as a whole series for developer certification status. The Power Through Series Learning Guide provided tip-of-the-fingers access to the agenda and series content at all times. The benefits of using Google Drive as a primary tool include 1) cost (free!), 2) highly collaborative and interactive; learners could ask questions and make comments/additions directly on the document that we all shared, which benefited all learners; 3) ease of sharing a centralized document updated in real time to all users (no versions), 4) modeling use of an important academic technology and professional technology of value to students after graduation and in the workplace.
Social Media
I am well-versed in the use of mainstream social media such as Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter. However, using disparate and competing sites to maintain continuity of conversations and information exchange can be troublesome for professional peer groups who need to stay in touch on busy schedules. Just as I was departing Tennessee Board of Regents central office for Motlow State Community College last summer, the online Learn Lab Community that I developed for faculty and staff of the statewide TBR system was opened to the public. Unfortunately the Learn Lab Community (click through any certificate warnings, please) has suffered understaffing since Tennessee's staffing strategies have been delayed due to looming funding issues related to the recent FOCUS Act. But the Learn Lab Community provided an excellent online environment for stakeholders from every corner of the state to meet and discuss All Things e-Learning and supported a much more cohesive team of stakeholders in a variety of contexts. I am told that focused private working groups continue to the use the community despite its lack of public discussion and visible activity. One benefit of the community was that groups could render themselves invisible and add members by invitation only so that private discussions could be held and archived in a centralized location.
Writing
My original blog titled eLearnista debuted in 2011, but eventually became eLearnscapes as I transitioned to wider audiences and broader topics. I was asked to take a hiatus from my blog during my employment at Tennessee Board of Regents as organizational branding issues were being considered. I am willing to reintroduce eLearnscapes or to maintain a University-branded site as desired.
Digital Photography
I am an accomplished digital photographer using a variety of hardware and software including mobile technologies (phone and tablets), point and click cameras, and digital SLR cameras when appropriate. I have functional videography skills, and am comfortable editing video and still graphics in a variety of software environments. I have taught digital photography basics to faculty, staff, and students using free and inexpensive tools .
Digital Art and Graphic Design
My digital art continues to evolve as quickly as the technology that makes it possible. Whether I am adapting photography or creating new images freehand in virtual mixed media, there is truly no limit to the possibilities of what can be achieved visually. Studies show that visual graphics enhance learner engagement with content. I am adding samples of my graphic design capabilities to my online portfolio as well.
Course Quality / Certification Tool
While at Alabama A&M University I developed a unique course certification system designed to ensure high quality curriculum development by faculty in a formative assessment model which engaged the faculty in self and peer assessment of the courses in development prior to final assessment by the Center for Distance Education & e-Learning. The Certification Tool would become a model about which I spoke at e-learning conferences before local, state, regional, national, and global audiences. The involvement of faculty in the process of course evaluation in the formative style of feedback loop-based communication and performance support tools in place with which they could interact easily ensured a high quality product on a very short production schedule. We used this tool to facilitate the development of five entire degree programs in less than three years for complete online delivery, including general education requirements and student services. Ultimately, the tool was adopted by the Tennessee Board of Regents and we collaboratively developed a more robust set of criteria that now includes ADA accessibility requirements.
Video Production
In 2008, I produced my very first video for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services, and it has remained the one of which I am most proud. Although the production quality of In Our Own Words is admittedly perfunctory, there are other aspects of this sample that bear highlighting.
This video was produced while I was working in an administrative role at East TN State. I was given $300 and approximately two days to design and deliver a "multimedia project for 18 yr old kids with problems"—wards of the state struggling to find their own way through and beyond foster care. This video was to be used to promote fostering older children with the foster care system for the Tennessee Department of Children's Services.
With prior clearance by our principal investigator, I quickly ran to Walgreen's and bought disposable cameras, while striking a deal with the store manager to get free photo development as a donation to the cause. I went to a discount store and bought art supplies: markers, colored paper, and scissors. By the next afternoon, I was ready to present my idea to the young adults involved in this Youth for Youth Leadership Academy hosted at ETSU. I had only minutes to explain the project, its goal, and the methods we would use to produce it—and to get them excited about the project!
After explaining the concept, I assured them that all they had to do was open their hearts, take photos, and trust me to compile the video in a way that was respectful and highlighted their message: that older children in foster care need to be loved as children yet treated as young adults in order to foster their long-term success.
The aspects of this video sample of which I am most proud are not the spectacular production skills (those came later in my ever-developing skill set and with the addition of tools like Camtasia to my toolbox) and techniques that I could accomplish given an unlimited budget for hardware and software, however.
I am very proud that I was able to produce something of meaningful value and mission that met the requirements of my deadline, stayed within budget (which so often is scarce or nonexistent), and yet conveyed a powerful message, achieving its ultimate goal despite time and resource limitations.
I am most proud, however, that I was able to engage a cohort of highly challenged youth in a project such that without adult/staff oversight or guidance, they propelled themselves and each other in a highly collaborative model that gave them a meaningful takeaway from the leadership conference. After giving them unfettered freedom with the art supplies and cameras for the duration of their conference, I had only to airbrush out two cigarettes and one middle finger! The digital enhancement of their signs was necessary for readability and returned the visual focus to the heartfelt messages and the honest, vulnerable faces of these incredible young leaders in development.
Public Speaking
In addition to presenting at numerous e-learning conferences to live audiences, I am comfortable on camera, including ad hoc discussion and interviewing. This five-segment series on the topic of faculty development was recorded at East Tennessee State University in 2011.
ADA Accessibility
All online content meant for mass distribution or public access, whether academic or administrative in nature, must now meet ADA Accessibility Standards in order to remain compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991/2010. I stay tuned to issues around interpretation of the law, as well as emergent technologies and best practice with regards to accessibility in both physical and online work environments. I am a member of the Association on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD).
Respectfully submitted by Tess Beebe Olten