Week 6 Blog Assignment - Analyzing Scope Creep

“Project managers must expect change and be prepared to deal with it” (Portny, Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton, 2008, p. 346).

Personal Experience

Just this past weekend, I experienced scope creep. I was contracted to be the photographer of the day for a church members wedding. The fee had been set, as well as the number of shots that the fee included. During our initial meeting the couple was determined to start their wedding on time. Therefore, we agreed in writing, that the photo session would begin on time and any of the wedding party that missed their particular shots would be just that, “missing”. Since I have done several weddings before I pretty much knew the allotted time I would need to get the before wedding pictures that the couple and I had agreed upon. The wedding was to begin at 4:00 and I had made it perfectly clear that the photo sessions would begin at 1:30. It would take me close to an hour and a half to get all of the before shots. The first instance of scope creep crept in around 1:15p.m. The person in charge of letting us into the church called to say that he was stuck in traffic 30 minutes away. So, I was already doomed. Not only that, after he did arrive with the key at close to 2:00, the bride tells me that she is still waiting on three of her bridesmaids, one of which was her best, best friend. I reminded her of our agreement, but she was very reluctant to accept the fact that her best friend would not be in the main pictures. Knowing that this idea was not feasible, I revised my photo line up to include the pictures she would be needed in at the end of the photo session. Although this area of scope creep cost me some time in my planned schedule, it was manageable by simply revising the plan.

Around 3:00, I had taken all of the pictures I needed to take of the wedding party and the groom. During the wedding rehearsal the night before, it was verbally agreed upon that after all photos involving the groom were taken, we would send him in hiding and bring her out for her photo session with and without the wedding party. The decision to do this was based on not having to take an abundance of pictures after the ceremony. So, I go the bridal room prepared to take photos of the bride preparing for her special day. Wouldn’t you know that when I got into the bridal room, the bride decides to tell me that she had changed her mind because now, she didn’t want anyone to see her before she walked down the aisle. This was a major form of scope creep because now this meant that extra time would be needed for more pictures after the wedding, which would delay the time I had allocated out of my day to photograph the wedding and the reception. I was stuck. The contract we had negotiated and signed off on was missing a lot of information that would have helped me avoid these areas of scope creep. I was officially, “the photographer of the DAY”, literally.

Better Managing the Issues

Looking back on this day, there are many things that could have been done to better manage scope creep on this wedding day. For one, I should have planned to meet the man with the key to the building earlier than the time I expected the wedding party to arrive for pictures. This would have allowed some time for a little tardiness in getting into the building. Secondly, the contract should have included a planned scope that outlined a specific amount of time the fee included for me to be the “photographer of the day”, before additional fees would be added. Just during casual conversation, we made a ballpark estimate that my time as, “photographer of the day”, would start around 1:00 with prepare for and shooting the formal pictures, and end around 8:30, after the important reception memories had been captured. Also, the contract agreed upon for this day should have been more detailed and outlined before we agreed on it. I should have got in writing the bride’s plans for her photo session. It should have outlined how time would be managed depending on when she had her photo session and how this would affect the timeline of my schedule as the “photographer of the day”.

All in all, although these areas of scope creep were very frustrating, in the end, all was handled and I’ll chalk it up as a learning experience. I’m in the process of revising my wedding photographer contract to include ways to possibly manage the mentioned areas of scope creep. I’m sure other forms will rear its head further down the road, but I’ll somehow manage to manage it.

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.

Week 5 - Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

As I get further into this course of Project Management in Education and Training, the task currently presented is planning a project schedule and resource allocation plan. Below I describe two resources I found that may be readily used during the completion of these two tasks. I found both sites to be very informative and offered some very valuable pointers.

This article titled “Estimating and Project management for developing learning materials” was found at http://www.design4instruction.com/estimating/index.html. This site lists very valuable points that will help me estimate costs for my project. The article lists some important principles to keep in mind when estimating the design and development of learning materials. One principle that stood out is “an estimate is just that … an estimate”. It reminded me that when estimating cost s for a project, be sure to add a contingency amount before revealing my cost estimates. Another principle that struck my attention was “the best predictor of the future is the past”. Keep records of all projects, so that the costs and time it took to complete them may serve as a measure for the costs and time to complete the same or similar projects. A third principle was “administration time is not a waste of time”. A project manager is the only thing standing between a project and failure. A project manager makes sure the tasks are done, the products are completed, and keeps rework to a minimum. A percentage of the budget has to be allocated for the project manager.

This article also noted methods for estimating the development of learning materials. The methods included seeking an expert to help estimate the project costs, prototype the product, research budget data for similar projects, and use a methodology to roll up the estimate.

This article titled “Understanding Project Cost Management, is written by Jessie L. Warner. It was found at http://goarticles.com/article/Understanding-Project-Cost-Management/3752356.

References in this article were made to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). It lists estimate costs, determine budget, and control costs as three processes for effective cost management. I found some very helpful information relating to each of the three processes. Techniques for getting a good guess at the costs were listed. Analogous estimating (estimating based on past projects), parametric modeling (estimating based on mathematical formulas), and bottom-up estimating (estimating based on individual work item cost and duration costs) were the techniques listed for making good cost guesses. The article also listed several techniques for determining the project budget, as suggested in the PMBOK. The suggested techniques were to use cost aggregation (combining costs from an activity level to a work package level), reserve analysis (creating a reserve to protect against cost overruns), historical data (consider estimates from previous projects), and funding limit reconciliation (adhering to imposed constraints of the funding limit). Finally, the article listed the PMBOK’s suggested tools and techniques for effectively controlling project costs. The suggested tools and techniques were earned value management (using formulas to measure progress against the plan), forecasting (project future costs by comparing to the current financial situation), variance analysis (analyzing the difference between budgeted costs and the actual costs), and performance reviews (analyzing project costs, schedule, scope, quality, and team morale).

Week 3 Blog - Communicating Effectively

There are many ways to communicate. This week's blog assignment is to interpret a message that has been delivered in three different modalities. My thoughts on the three are below. Email: The email message begin in a very understanding manner. The sender, Jane, express concern and understanding as to why she was having to make a formal request to him, Mark. After showing a level of understanding, she firmly stated what it is that she needs from him and why it is pertinent that receives it. She closed the email by giving him options to consider in providing her with the report she is requesting. I think this method of communication best conveys the true meaning and intent of the message. Not only is the email firm and concise, but it is also a means of documenting her communication with him. Hopefully, the email was sent with a request for a delivery receipt. Audio: The audio message was less appealing to me for a couple of reasons. First, although it was an audio message, it seemed as if she was reading it. Her tone in the beginning of the message didn't appear as if she really was understanding of how busy he may have been. Likewise, her "I really appreciate your help" at the end of the meeting didn't seem sincere. As mentioned in this week's resources, communication is not just words. Tonality speaks volumes. Furthermore, she neglected to leave her name in the message. Chances are Mark might be involved in other things and may miss her deadline because he's not sure who left the message. Video: The video message was the least effective in getting the message across. The speaker did a poor job of conveying a firm message. Her body language was in no way businesslike, or such that should be taken seriously. She appeared to be too relaxed in asking for something that she really needed to meet her own deadlines. Her tone and body language appeared as if she was speaking to a dear friend and not a business partner. There are many different ways to communicate with members of a project team. After viewing different means in this week's resource, I think emails are one of the most effective ways to communicate messages that are minimal in nature. It's not wise to send a lot of critical information in an email, but anything that can be put or said in an memo, can be effectively communicated in an email. Emails allow senders to quickly get their messages across without the distractions audio and video messages may present. Additionally, emails are a great source of documentation. When working with a group or team, all levels of communication should be documented, if feasible.

Learning from a Project “Post-mortem”

Context and Background

As I reflect, I’m reminded of a project I took on in my school system. After receiving a large amount of technology grant money, our school made the wise decision to put interactive whiteboards in every classroom throughout the system. When the whiteboards were initially installed, teachers and staff attended off campus training sessions to learn to use the board. A few years later, the system encountered a large turnover. Many first year teachers, as well as a few retired teachers were welcomed aboard. That’s when the project I’m about to explain began. With the funds expended to send the new hires to off campus training sessions, finding someone to train them became an issue. There they were in a classroom with high tech interactive whiteboards and no clue on how to use them. Being considered one of the most tech savvy teachers in the school system, my principal approached me and asked if I would do the training.

I brainstormed the many ways the whiteboards could be used to enhance instruction. I considered the basics that needed to be taught, as well as some extra tricks I had learned outside of the initial training sessions I had attended. So the brainstorming was completed, tutorial handouts were ready, and I had my tutorial presentations locked in. I was ready and excited to introduce them to the wonderful world of interactive whiteboards.

Due to the teachers receiving professional learning credits for every ten hours of training, it was decided that the training would consist of ten one hour sessions. The date and length of the sessions was planned during the first training session by all involved. I considered what I thought to be the top uses of the whiteboard, as well as tips and tricks, and then, planned accordingly. Each session included me modeling the basic skills on the whiteboard in the room and having the learner’s practice them on individual laptops that had the whiteboard software installed. Activities for practicing the skills were incorporated into each training session. As the teachers practiced, I monitored and provided help when needed. As a ticket out the door, the teachers had to create a flipchart page using the skills of the day, save the flipcharts, and email them to me. Then, their flipcharts were opened and displayed on the whiteboard and shared with the entire class.

What contributed to the success of the project?

The goal of the project (training) was to equip the teachers to use the interactive whiteboards. In my opinion, the project was a success overall. As the project manager, I provided tutorials, tutorial handouts, modeling, and practice activities that led to the successful outcomes. To show that they were successful in attaining the daily goal(s), the teachers were required to produce an artifact (flipchart page) to show that they were capable of performing the operations of the day. Additionally, the teachers were required to make notes on their handouts, if necessary, throughout the ten week training sessions, and use them to produce an end of training project artifact. All of the teachers completed the project assignment, but a couple indicated they had a harder time remembering all the skills they had learned because they hadn’t been required to model them after the sessions were completed. I must note that one thing that made this project a success was the willingness of the “quick learners” to help the “slower” learners. I could equate the “quick learners” to the role of my project team. They worked hard to ensure that each phase of the project (training) was successfully completed.

What should have been included to make the project more successful?

Since we are in the 21^st century, I never considered the idea that some of the people I would be training didn’t possess basic computer skills or had no interest in incorporating the interactive whiteboards into their classroom practices. To my surprise, I was in for a bigger challenge than I initially thought it would be. The first year teachers had basic computer knowledge and were excited about the whiteboards, but the retirees for the most part, knew very little about basic computer skills and/or had no interest in using the interactive whiteboards in their classrooms. They just preferred sticking to the basic lecture, textbook, pencil, and paper routines. That was really challenging and hindered the learning outcomes to a certain degree. If I had conducted a survey of the teachers as project manager, I would have been able to better meet their needs. For those that were just there out of formality, I would have taught the basics in a shorter time span and been through with it. For the others that were interested and desired the credit, I would have stuck to the ten week training sessions, but the depth of the training sessions would have been more advanced. Additionally, to account for the couple of teachers that struggled to complete the major project assignment, I should have included refresher activities at the beginning of each training session to enforce the skills previously taught.

Finally, based on this project, I think conducting a learner analysis would really enhance this project design should I be called upon to provide the training in the future. Through the survey and the analysis, I will be better able to plan the training sessions. The ideal scenario will be to split the teachers into separate groups, if the level of basic technology skills is as wide as the levels between the previous teachers. I could then teach the basics to the ones attending the sessions out of formalities, and likewise, dig further into the capabilities of the interactive whiteboards with the more interested and technologically advanced teachers.

Resources

Greer, M. (2010). The project management minimalist: Just enough PM to rock your projects! (Laureate custom ed.). Baltimore: Laureate Education, Inc.

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.

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I look forward to sharing with you another learning experience as I (we) venture into EDUC-6145.

The Future of Distance Learning

My Reflection on the Future of Distance Learning

As a final blog post for EDUC 6135, I will reflect on the future of distance learning. What my perceptions are, how I may be a proponent of improving societal perceptions, and how I will be a positive force for continuous improvement in the field will be reflected upon.

My Perceptions of Distance Learning in the Future

As technology consumes our society presently, I see a major shift in the number of students acquiring online degrees vs. degrees from traditional schools. Right now there are many degrees offered through online institutions. As more and more technological tools are developed, the abilities of distance learning institutions to provide equivalent learning experiences for many more degrees will be a thing of the past. I perceive many degrees that are almost impossible to receive strictly online will be achievable in the future due to technological tools being developed that provide interactive and simulated experiences. Likewise, employers that may be hesitant to hire employees that hold online degrees today, will become more aware of the rigor and prestige of distance learning programs because of the extended experiences provided in these programs due to technology.

Improving Societal Perceptions of Distance Learning

As an instructional designer, I will work very hard to improve societal perceptions of distance learning. The biggest misconception about distance learning is that without actually sitting in a classroom with an instructor, effective learning will not take place. As a recipient of an online degree, I may improve society’s perceptions by proving that the skills I learned in a distance learning program are just as equivalent and valuable as those offered in traditional learning environments. When others see that I have acquired just as much knowledge through distance learning as I would have in a face-to-face learning environment their perceptions will change. My ability to apply theory in designing effective instructional solutions will prove that although the method of delivering and receiving content are different in an online learning environment, the specific knowledge and skills needed are effectively obtained.

Continuous Improvement in Distance Education

As an instructional designer, it will be important to stay abreast with the latest news and information about tools that may be used to enhance distance education. It will be pertinent to know what they are, how they work, and how they may be used in distance education. To see continuous improvement, it will also be critical to assess what knowledge concepts and skills are being taught in traditional learning environments. Knowing what is being taught is critical in order to provide equivalent learning experiences in distance learning environments. Likewise, to be a positive force in the improvement of distance education, I will have to design and push others to design distance education courses that not only teach the valuable content that is taught in traditional learning environments, but courses that are also interactive and engaging.

Final Thoughts

Distance learning is here to stay. As more people become comfortable with using technology, and desire to acquire higher educational degrees while maintaining jobs, family, and other obligations, distance learning institutions will take front stage, as more traditional learning institutions become obsolete. As an instructional designer, and former distance learner, I am excited about the possibilities of distance education.

A7 UsryR

A7 UsryR

View more presentations from Sheet32.

This presentation is a best practices guide written for a training manager that is in the process of converting face-to-face training sessions into a distance learning format. Questions and considerations pertaining to the Dick and Carey Instructional Design Model are addressed.

The Impact of Open Source

This blog is my review of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Open Course. I explored an MIT OpenCourseWare entitled “6.002 Circuits and Electronics. This course was offered in the spring of 2007. This site may be found at http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/electrical-engineering-and-computer-science/6-002-circuits-and-electronics-spring-2007/index.htm. Although this course was originally planned and designed as a first course for undergraduate electrical engineering (EE) and electrical engineering and computer science (EECS) majors, its design and layout makes it easily adaptable to be offered in a distance learning environment.

When planning and designing for distance learning environments, structuring the course to be meaningful and goal oriented is very important. The course shell of this open course is very well laid out. The course home is very user friendly. Linked modules are included on the homepage that takes the learner to specific places which makes the site very intuitive to navigate. A thorough course description is noted on the course home page. The linked syllabus provides all of the pertinent information for a face-to-face classroom environment. For learners that partake in open courses, in my opinion, course objectives and learner outcomes are the most important pieces in the syllabus when making the decision to take the course. Also, course expectations are broken down into weekly readings, labs, exams, and assignments.

This open course also follows many of the recommendations for online learning listed in our textbook. One recommendation is that students have access to resources. This course provides the learners access to many resources used in this course to assist learning. The need for special software is very minimal in viewing links for this course. An e-book link is provided to allow student’s access to the course’s reading assignments referred to in the required textbook. PDF files are linked into the assignments, exams, and labs modules. Another recommendation for online learning is the use of different media. This course uses media such as e-books and video lectures. A third recommendation for online learning is a clear indication of equipment requirements. In this course, learners are made aware of the required textbook in the syllabus, and technical requirements are indicated on the course homepage.

The designer of this course implemented engaging, learning activities, whether in a face-to-face learning environment or in a distance learning environment. To explore circuits and electronics, the designer includes a link to a web-based laboratory. The laboratory, WebSim, is a very critical piece for an open course of this caliber. It allows the learners to experiment with circuits as explored in the course. These simulated lab experiences provide opportunities for learners to get as close to hands-on experiences, as possible, in a distance learning environment, while building intuition and having fun. Likewise, a link is provided for learners to join a study group to collaborate with other students around the world that are studying the course. Collaboration is a key component in distance learning because it provides extending learning experiences.

MIT OpenCourseWare, although not originally designed for distance learning environments, is planned and designed in a way that makes it easily adaptable for a distance learner. Its course layout is very user friendly. Navigation is very intuitive. Course objectives and learner outcomes are very clear. Expectations (readings, labs, assignments, exams) are broken down into sections, and each section is broken down into weekly expectations. Resources are linked into the assignments, which saves the learner’s time in locating specific resources. Finally, the designer has implemented some very engaging, learning activities in the labs, the web-based laboratory, and the link to a study group.

Selecting Distance Technologies

Scenario: A high school history teacher, located on the west coast of the United States, wants to showcase to her students new exhibits being held at two prominent New York City museums. The teacher wants her students to take a "tour" of the museums and be able to interact with the museum curators, as well as see the art work on display. Afterward, the teacher would like to choose two pieces of artwork from each exhibit and have the students participate in a group critique of the individual work of art. As a novice of distance learning and distance learning technologies, the teacher turned to the school district’s instructional designer for assistance. In the role of the instructional designer, what distance learning technologies would you suggest the teacher use to provide the best learning experience for her students?

“Teaching with technology to learners who are not physically located in the same site where instruction is taking place requires a different set of skills and competencies than traditional classrooms” (Simonson, Smaldino, Albright & Zvacek, 2009, p. 119). In this scenario, the instruction will take place in two prominent museums. The students in attendance are housed in a high school on the west coast.

The first thing to address in this scenario is how to get the students “in to” the museum. One distance learning technology I feel would be beneficial for this is two-way audio, one-way video. This piece of technology is just as the name implies. Two-way audio means audio communication is transmitted two ways – instructor to learner and learner to instructor. On the other hand, one-way video means video signals are sent one way only – instructor to learner. In this scenario, the importance of the instructor being able to see the learner is nonexistent. This technology offers synchronous (live) instruction in which the students will be able to see and listen to the museum curators as they “tour” the museum and display art work. In addition, this technology will allow the students to interact with the museum curators by dialing in to ask questions and offer comments. An external resource that showcases how the use of two-way audio, one-way video is used in distance learning may be found at http://www.educationnews.org/political/political_releases/93750.html. This, being only one resource, discusses how this technology is used to bring distance learning to Indian Nations schools.

Also, in the scenario, the teacher has plans to choose two pieces of art work from each exhibit for group critique. Hopefully, a picture of the art pieces to be shared will be sent to the learners before the group critiquing begins. A distance learning technology I feel would aid in this group discussion is two way audio. Two-way audio is a form of technology in which audio transmissions are sent through telephone hookups, radio broadcasts with telephone call-in, or short wave radio. The use of this technology will allow the teacher to introduce the piece of art work up for critiquing and the students may begin their group discussion through audio.

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: P

Web Representation of Distance Learning

http://mywebspiration.com/view/534981ab07a

The Evolution of Distance Learning

As technology takes over and more people are striving to attain higher degrees, distance learning is becoming more and more popular. This is especially true among working individuals. Distance learning affords learners the opportunities to receive degrees without sitting in traditional classrooms. One of the main positives about distance learning is that learners are able to learn at their own pace in convenient locations.

My personal definition of distance learning before viewing this week’s resources was very basic. To me distance learning was studying and receiving a degree from a traditional educational institution by receiving instruction from an instructor or institution from a distance, collaborating with peers through discussion, receiving assignments, completing them, and waiting for feedback.

My revised definition after viewing our class textbook is a little more in depth than my definition before starting this course. Not only is distance learning an outlet for receiving higher degrees, it is also an outlet for professionals to receive training at more advanced levels. According to Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009), “Businesses, companies, and corporations are offering instruction at a distance” (Simonson et al. 2009, p. 32). This statement provided light to my personal definition. Distance learning is not limited to instruction through traditional educational institutions, but it encompasses nontraditional institutions as well.

Although the concept of distance learning is not new, the concept changes as the world changes. As more institutions offer more distance learning classes and programs of study, the competition increases. Since the age of distant learners range from young to old, every learner does not approach distance learning with the same amount of technology skills. This fact alone is forcing many institutions to constantly research ways to make the use of distance learning interactivity for their program less trivial. Less trivial distance learning interactivity means that the learners may be successful with less knowledge about technology.

This week’s multimedia program, Distance Learning Timeline Continuum, chronicles the evolution of distance learning from 1833 – 2009. Distance learning has evolved from mail correspondence, radio broadcasts, television broadcasts, telephone distribution, video broadcasts through video tapes, course delivery through computer and Internet technology, satellite television, etc., all the way to the course management system that expands distance learning options through the creation of new and emerging Web 2.0 technologies. The future of distance learning is incomprehensible as it continues on its path of evolution and change.

References:

Simonson, M., Smaldino, S., Albright, M., & Zvacek, S. (2009). Teaching and learning at a distance: Foundations of distance education (4th ed.) Boston, MA: Pearson.