Mentorship is a powerful teachingtool. As an instructional designer (ID), I’ve recognized that ideas frommentors and peers have been a catalyst for my professional growth. With this inmind, I created a session for DevLearn 2011 that would give session participantsinsights into the thought processes of skilled instructional designers.
The session title was “One LearningChallenge: Three Designers Put Their Skills to the Test.” Informally, I calledit the Great ID Challenge.
Three of my colleagues agreedenthusiastically to participate in the session with me. The IDs were: CarolAnn Amico, Senior Manager, Instructional Systems Design, AICPA; Judy Unrein,Instructional Designer, Artisan E-Learning; and Amanda Warner, FreelanceInstructional Designer. Each of these panelists brought unique theoreticalapproaches, inspirations, mentors, and experiences.
The challenge
Six weeks prior to DevLearn, I presentedthese instructional designers with a single learning challenge: tocreate an instructional design approach as if they would be pitching it to theclient, and then to present that pitch in the DevLearn session. I had alreadydesigned and developed a course from this challenge for one of our clients, so sessionattendees were later able to see the completed course at DemoFest. I included myapproach in this article.
Client
Theclient, the Door Security & Safety Foundation, provides programs thatenhance the safety and security of existing buildings. The Foundation had recentlyconcluded that many fire door inspectors aren’t thoroughly inspectingfire-rated openings in commercial buildings due to limited understanding ofcomplex fire door assemblies and the detailed inspection report form. Togetherwith the Foundation, I determined the performance objectives, analyzed thetarget audience, and defined the design parameters. I presented thisinformation to the panel.
Performance objectives
By theend of this course, learners must be able to:
- Describethe high-level functionality of fire door assembly components
- Readand understand an inspection report
- Performvisual inspections and functional testing of basic-level fire door assemblies
Audience and assessment
Theaudience for this online course is largely male and has a good understanding ofcode requirements. Their age range is late 20s to 60s and they may have littleor no prior eLearning experience. Job roles such as fire marshals, codeenforcement officers, and insurance executives are the target groups. Theclient’s goal is to encourage the audience to willingly take the course, as itis not a requirement. As such, the client does not want the learners scored.
Parameters
Tenweeks of development time is allowed, with a budget of $20,000. The clientwould like the course to be 45-60 minutes in duration, and highly interactiveand engaging.
Approach 1: Carol Ann Amico
CarolAnn’s approach was first to brainstorm instructional strategies, and then to alignthose strategies to each of the performance objectives and develop a courseoutline. The course would begin with an introduction and pre-test. The learnerwould receive detailed feedback on incorrect pre-test responses. After this,the course would introduce the following scenario. (Figure 1)
Scenario:You enter a large office building. You approach the fire door and perform aninspection. As part of the inspection, you complete a form on the screen andclick “Let Me Check” to see if you’ve identified all of the items in violation.
Figure 1. In the scenario, thefire door inspector identifies items in violation.
Foreach correct response, the learner receives a closed door, indicating thatthey’ve prevented the spread of fire. For each incorrect response, the learnerreceives an open door and a flame.
Navigationwill be exploratory rather than linear. She’ll use 3-D images with zoom-infunctionality to enhance realism, voice narration to support auditory learners,and various included “Help” options. On course completion, the learner canprint a certificate and receive access to a PDF file of the top-10deficiencies, tips, inspection steps, manuals, and images.
Approach 2: Judy Unrein
Judy beganby researching the target audience. Because the course isn’t required,motivation is particularly important. One motivational strategy is to show photosof both sides of a compliant opening that had survived a ravaging fire. (Figure2) This clearly illustrates the importance of a thoroughly inspected door inpreventing the spread of fire throughout a building.
Figure 2. In thisversion of the course, photos of the benefits of compliant openings providemotivation for the learner.
Anothermotivational strategy is a promotional campaign with the theme “The Fire StopsHere.” An advertisement video would introduce the theme and the campaign’srelatable cast of characters. (Figure 3)
Figure3. A Flash-based advertisement is part of the promotional campaign.
Withinthe course, the learner would follow the characters through real-worldinspection activities. (Figure 4) Included resources serve as aids throughout.(Figure 5)
Figure 4. The learner followscharacters through real-world inspection activities.
Figure 5. Included resources serve as aids throughout thecourse.
Approach 3: Amanda Warner
Amandaproposed a performance-focused online course paired with a mobile-accessibleperformance aid. She suggested opening the course by having a fire captain –acting as mentor – introduce the user’s role and situational details. (Figure6)
Figure 6. A mentor introduces the learner’s role and thedetails of the situation.
As partof the introduction, the mentor would introduce the challenge of inspectingthree buildings. (Figure 7)
Figure 7. The mentor introduces thechallenge: inspect three buildings.
Users wouldclick each floor of each building for a closer view. They would identify andinspect all fire doors, and, mimicking on-the-job activities and thoughtprocesses, complete an inspection form for each. (Figure 8) Users can zoom inand out, open and close doors, and view both the front and back of each door.
Figure 8. Learners identify and inspect all fire doors,completing an inspection form for each.
Theamount of mentor support would decrease as the learner progresses through thecourse. In the first level, the mentor offers frequent feedback to help guidethe learner. The second two levels would provide feedback only after the learnercompletes the inspection activities.
Thedesigner would develop an HTML performance aid. (Figure 9) In addition tochecklists, it would contain diagrams and photos of common inspection troubleareas.
Figure 9. Mobile performance aid
ID inspirations
The three IDs included in their presentations listsof resources they use for design and inspiration. Their lists are in the GreatID Challenge presentation slide deck.
My approach
My approach was to make the course aspractice-based as possible to ensure transfer of proper inspection behaviors. Icreated an acronym to help the learner remember which components of the openingto inspect (F.I.E.L.D.: Frame, Inspect hardware, Edges, Label, Door).
When the scenario opens, the learner assumes therole of a fire inspector who has learned of a massive fire in town. (Figure 10)He has one opportunity to go back in time and prevent casualties by properlyinspecting fire-rated openings in three buildings.
Figure 10. The scenario opens with the story of ahuge fire disaster.
Therest of the course provides practice activities. The learner selects a building,and then inspects an opening by zooming in on different areas. (Figures 11, 12,and 13)
Figure 11. Within the scenario, the learner inspects areaswithin the buildings.
Figure 12. The inspection proceeds within the selected building.
Figure 13. The learner uses an on-screen inspection form toidentify areas in violation.
The learner selects items on an inspection form thatare in violation. The course provides guided feedback once the learner submitsthe form. The course includes five inspection activities, and the modulardesign allows for addition of other activities. The course also includes mobile-accessibleresources.
Conclusion
All four designs have commonalities such as compellingstory lines, practice-based activities, resources, and performance support solutions.What I find most inspiring is the individuality brought to each solution. The uniqueideas shared in this challenge – a pre-test, a motivating campaign, varyinglevels of scaffolding, and an acronym for easy recall – demonstrate that otherviewpoints can enhance instructional designs. The session was well received,and many conference participants came to see the completed course at DemoFest.An online community of practice, the Great ID Challenge, isin development to allow IDs to present their own challenges, receive input andideas, and share resources.
Collectively, instructional designers have a broadknowledge base and a wide range of experiences. When we share our perspectives,and genuinely consider other ideas, the learner ultimately benefits.
[Editor’sNote: Tracy showed her course, “Fire Door Inspections: Understanding theFire-Rated Opening,” at DemoFest during DevLearn 2011 in Las Vegas, andattendees voted it Best of Show: Non-Vendor.]
