Systems
Understand that we live and work within systems of cause and effect in which actions may have multiple origins and consequences.
“So you want to be a Web Designer and Developer?" Six Hour Seminar (Word Document)
REFLECTION
This standard was the most difficult for me to find a matching artifact that I had not already used for another standard.
The midterm paper I wrote for EDTEC 572 seems to fit the bill since it deals with questions about the real reasons for a course to be developed. It mentions that “there’s certain things about how this seminar came into being that need to be revealed.” I came up with a series of questions designed to tease out the real reasons for developing this training based on my reading of Charting Your Course: How to Teach More Effectively by Richard Pregent. The general categories of questions included:
- Who approved this new course?
- What are the publicly announced needs the course is to fulfill?
- What are the special reasons for this course?
- What is the course’s hidden agenda?
Before starting the extensive prep
work involved in creating a course on Web Design and Development I’d
have to ask a series of questions listed in the midterm answer.
I’d also need to find out such things as the number of people taking
the class, whether it’s a one-shot deal or will it be given for a long
period of time, if it’s required and where the course will be delivered.
Is this a course that will be given on a regular basis for months or years to come or is it to be given only once?
Personal note: I encountered where the announced reasons for the course I was being asked to develop were different from the actual reasons. At public forums I attended with local industry reps and department heads where we exchanged views and came up with some ambitious proposals to create a new department. Later, in a private conference with the dean, she revealed to me that they did not want to create a new department, simply one course that would combine with other existing classes for a certificate. I was given reasons for this that could not be discussed in public. Until the Dean and I had our private talk my concept was much more grandiose.
Through my answer to this midterm I learned that there are many reasons to create a course that might not be initially obvious. I also learned that desired outcomes might also be different from what I would initially imagine. If you don’t know the right questions to ask you could waste your time developing something that is inappropriate for the situation, or get entangled in a project that you don’t have the time or resources to successfully complete.
Essentially what is outlined above is the input component of the system’s approach to training. The instructional material that result from was the output.
The Systems Approach in a Nutshell
Ultimately a systems approach to course development should always have three important components: inputs, outputs, and a feedback mechanism.
Inputs can include, past course evaluations, syllabi and information from Subject Matter Experts.
Outputs may be a interactive web-based learning, formal instruction, or a simply a three ring binder of print-outs.
The method used to get feedback is called the feedback mechanism. Getting good feedback while creating a course can save time and money. It can be something as simple as colleagues and potential students informally commenting on materials, an online survey using something like Web Monkey, or, if time and budget permits, a formal focus group.
The two main kinds of feedback are formative and summative. Formative happens while a course is being developed. Summative takes place afterwards. Both are valuable, but if formative is used, it could help the instructional designer make improvements before a course is implemented instead of after.