15/5 #12: Project Wrap-UP

This past week,  I put together the results from my Alpha test in my evaluation report.  I sent out the Beta test to 4 field foresters last Tuesday.  I should have all of those results in by Wednesday.  This weekend I plan to make any final changes, finish up the evaluation report and am looking forward to our Studio Showcase next Tuesday!

15/5 #11: Again, Not Much to Report

Sent a reminder to my clients on Friday to review the learning module and fill out the Alpha test survey by COB this Friday.

15/5 #10: Module out for Alpha Test

Again, not much to report.  The finished module is out for its Alpha test.  I created the survey in SurveyMonkey and have given the reviewers until COB on the 13th to have comments back.

15/5 #9: Got the Spreadsheet!

Very excited this week.  My client stopped in for a visit on his way back from Charleston, and he had with him, this spreadsheet that I’ve been so desperate for!!  I spent Friday and this morning finishing up and publishing the course.  I also secured a few reviewers while my client was in town.  I plan to get the module up online this week and draft some directions for reviewing the course.  I plan to send the reviewers a link to the course and a link to the surveymonkey survey.

15/5 #8: Getting A Lot Done But Still Feeling Like There is A Lot to Do

This week, I got the first part of the evaluation summary written up and the questions for the Alpha test drafted.  I also have the draft put together in SurveyMonkey.  Now just to find some folks willing to test out my module!  I’m not worried too much about this…just need to actually ask.  The other thing I was able to get done this week was most of the narration to project.  The only remaining narration is that that is associated with the interactive parts of the module.  I was also able to coerce my client into making a visit to Athens on the 23rd!  Very excited about that because I think we are so close to having the interactive portion put together…just have a few final questions, given that I’m not an economist.

15/5 #7: Getting Started on the Alpha and Beta Testing

I am still waiting on the spreadsheet!  The Longleaf Alliance did review what I had so far and they seemed excited to get me their piece, but as of yet, no such luck.  Over the next few weeks, I plan on finishing up the audio to the first two chapters and perhaps even rearranging the chapters a bit….maybe making Chapter 2 pre-training (learned about this in one of Clark and Mayer’s later chapters) for the other chapters. 

I’ve reviewed some of the examples of Alpha and Beta testing, so I plan to get those surveys put together this weekend using SurveyMonkey.  I also need to work with the Longleaf Alliance to find 4 or 5 respondents.  Other than that, all is well.  Looking forward to describing my project tomorrow night at the first project night.

15/5 #6 Not Much to Report

So, this week I don’t have too much to report.  Other than I think sending the Longleaf a draft without narration has given them some motivation to get the interactive spreadsheet finished up!  Of course, this was Tuesday and they said I would have it Wednesday and it’s now the following Monday   Will bring a copy of the draft course to tomorrow’s class!

15/5 #5: Affirmation that Some Things are Being Done Right

I enjoyed reading Clark and Mayer this week because Chapter 10 is all about ways you can segment or pretrain in an effort to reduce overloading the learners’ cognitive processing.  Strangely enough and without having read this chapter yet, I had already decided to break the Economics module up into 3 short chapters, mostly for just that reason, to reduce cognitive load.  Chapter 1 is a basic introduction or “making the economic case for longleaf”.   Chapter 2 introduces learners to basic economic concepts, concepts that to some degree, they will need to understand in order to really understand and learn Chapter 3, which is applying those concepts to different management scenarios.

Other than that, met with Dr. Orey last week and feel that things are, for the most part, on track.  I’m still feeling a little uneasy about my client’s ability to get me the spreadsheet I need, but we have a meeting Tuesday, and in preparation, I’ve overnighted them a draft of the module (sans narration and the spreadsheet).  I’m really hoping that by looking at what I’ve done so far, they will be inspired to get their part of the bargain done!  I need to start thinking about narration and some ways to test knowledge transfer, but other than that, things are progressing nicely!

15/5 #4: Meeting with Client and Draft

This past week, I was able to not only meet with my client over the phone, but I was also given a bunch of content.  I think we are definitely on the same page, except for the interactive exercise, which based on comments provided by Brian (thanks Brian!) I now know will be an example of case-based learning, not problem based learning.  I worry a little about the interactive exercise because I’m relying on the Longleaf Alliance to build a pretty detailed, formula based spreadsheet that the learner can then use and more specifically use for the interactive portion of the learning module.  I will just have to keep on them about getting it done.

Other than that, I’ve started storyboarding the module using PPT.  I’m doing this because that is where it will be built (with the help of Articulate).  Will try to bring what I have so far to class tomorrow.  The only other problem I’m running into is the fact that Articulate only works with Windows and so all my work is being done on a desk top.  Things are fine now, but I worry down the road, in terms of getting feedback and not having the ability to carry my work with me easily.

15/5 #3: Seeing Things More Clearly

So again, I’ve been traveling like crazy.  Got in from a conference in San Diego last night at 8, and to top it all off, I’m working on 3 weeks of an on and off again cold.  I feel really disconnected from work and class, but I’m glad to be home and ready to feel better.  Again, my hands have been pretty tied with travel over the last 11 days, but I have had more time to brainstorm ideas and start to see how my project might look.  I’ve been reading Clark and Mayer and now wish I had been required to purchase this book last semester.  It’s a good book, easy to read, with a lot of practical advice.  It’s definitely helping me visualize my project more clearly.

In reviewing the content and learning objectives (these were teased out in a series of emails with the client), I’ve decided on a narrated chapter introducing learners to the potential costs and benefits of managing for Longleaf Pine, a narrated chapter on basic rates and formulas needed to perform a basic forest investment analysis, and finally a narrated chapter that takes the learner through applying different management scenarios (in the economics world, called sensitivity testing) and reviewing their outcomes.

In addition to the upfront work on my project, I transcribed three jing videos for the 6210 team that I am doing contract work for.