From Classroom to Computer: A Case Study of Drastic Change Part 2

In the first part of this two-part series, I gave you the background, scope, and objectives of one company’s transition from instructor-led training to a blended approach to delivery. In this concluding article, you will learn how the subject matter experts in the company and I used templates to facilitate the move and to create a professional-looking product. This week, I will also give you the actual template, an example of it in use, and a look at the process and development flow that worked best for us.

Down to work

So how did one person juggle the roles of instructional designer, course designer, multimedia designer, script writer, and LMS administrator? I met myself coming and going, as my grandfather would say. However, it forced me to figure out how to work smarter, not harder. As I read articles by others who found themselves in similar situations, I saw two common themes: templates, and saving everything into common repositories.

By early summer, 2004, about nine months after we acquired our LMS, we purchased an interoperable HTML-based template from the LMS vendor. We could now produce professional-looking, all-inclusive courses. Everything for a given course could be in one place: no more PowerPoint, PDF, and test combinations. Once we converted all our courses to this template, we had an unexpected surprise. The list of courses shrank by two-thirds. This made the course list more manageable for our users.

This new template supported a development process that enhanced both content gathering and course design. I created a document template to collect design elements and to serve as tracking document. With this template I was also able to standardize lesson introductions and conclusions and the language for instructions. See Sidebar 1 for the template, and Sidebar 2 for an example of a completed course document. These are at the end of this article.

The development process

Earlier, I explained how we assessed stakeholder needs and the available content. Now I’ll describe in detail how we converted classroom content to electronic training courses. In my role as designer, I had the classroom content for each course. At this point, I had a number of questions: Could electronic delivery be effective for this content? What technologies would it take for delivery? How will we know if the agent has mastered the content? For that matter, how would I define mastery for this content?

Once I answered these questions, I had a few decisions to make. Who was the primary audience? Could any other audiences use this content? In our case, did we want to make it available to the agents’ assistants, to life-only agents, and to company employees?

Then I established the objectives for each course. Since SMEs would find it frustrating if I revised the objectives several times, I knew I had to be patient at this point. The objectives are the foundation of the course.

Finally, I had to distinguish “need to know” content from “nice to know” information. The SME sometimes felt that everything was in the “need to know” category. I found that by consistently asking what the agent needed to know in order to do the job, or to meet compliance, or whatever the overall goal was, I could help the SME pare the content down to just the “need to know” elements. I also reassured the SMEs that the “nice to know” information would also be included, through additional resources such as a frequently-asked-questions page.

I required the SME to provide, at the minimum, a PowerPoint file including speaker notes or a complete Word document. The speaker notes were usually sparse, but they provided me with a place to start my work.

Now I could go to work imagining an agent in an office. The agent had only a computer with an Internet connection, and the materials we’d provided. The agent didn’t have a phone or e-mail (this would never happen, of course – this was a totally fictitious situation), and no means of asking questions. This helped me see the content through the new agent’s eyes and to consider many perspectives that I might otherwise have never considered. My overall goal was to answer all the questions an agent could pose and to not create more questions.

While reviewing the content, I would:

• Record clarification questions to discuss with the SME
• Ask myself,
• “What would a new person ask?”
• How would a new person perceive the content?
• Revise content to eliminate passive voice
• Add review or comprehension questions, with feedback
• Identify and move “nice to know” information into supporting documents
• Review the objectives and assess the content to be sure it was entirely “need to know” and that it applied to the objectives.

Once I had the content in good shape, I wrote questions to assess mastery of the objectives. The mastery questions would be the basis for a final test, if the course lent itself to this type of assessment. The SME would review the mastery questions and answers, offering revisions and additional questions as necessary

Next, I began to transfer content to the design template. I chunked the content into three to five page segments, with review or comprehension questions. Each lesson was 10 to 12 pages long, including an introduction and a conclusion. I also wrote feedback for incorrect question responses, to provide information that would help the learner answer correctly.

If applicable, I developed a course activity (a.k.a. worksheet) to capture pertinent information. I wanted to be sure the agent had the opportunity to record information in a way that would serve as a resource long after the course was completed. I also created a manager’s version to provide suggested answers for further discussion. We added any printed item to the binder that Multiline Training provided to new agents.

Course testing and release

After I had the course draft in the design template, we could begin developing the HTML for the content and graphics. We used Dreamweaver and made the HTML course available in the WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) view. In this way, the developer and the SME could watch the course come to life. There were several steps to creating and publishing the course. We developed a checklist to coordinate the work, and Sidebar 3 gives you an idea of what this looked like.

To begin the quality assurance phase, a colleague and I would internally test the course to identify technical, layout, or flow issues. We would make revisions and then the SME would review the course. We would incorporate any suggestions the SME made, as long as they went with the objectives.

We conducted final acceptance testing after this and released the course. We tracked the course for review, as prescribed by the content or SME early in the process.

Tools

We employed several software programs during course development. These included PowerPoint for the storyboards; Microsoft Word for templates; an HTML template (InterLearn3) for content organization and delivery; Dreamweaver to manipulate the HTML template; Captivate movies saved as Flash for simulations; Adobe Writer to save Word documents as PDF documents; and Adobe Photoshop to manipulate and create graphics.

To make the course available, we used WS_FTP to upload files to the server where the files were stored for the LMS that provided content and test delivery.

We learned a few things as we developed our process. You might like to know about these discoveries, and about the way the story ended.

Lessons learned

A year into the initiative, we found our partners wanted to know more about the design and development process we employed. One way we shared this information was through an illustration we developed entitled Content Delivery Decision Process. (Figure 1). This illustrated the process to move content into an alternative delivery method.

Figure 1 Content delivery decision process and development flow

As the number of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) grew, we continually reviewed our expectations of their involvement and addressed their concerns. One way we introduced new SMEs to the electronic training was to have them visit our department for an hour. Using our review area, the SME would complete a short electronic course. They experienced the end-product before we started discussing their needs. This gave them a mental picture of what was possible.

We also found it best to allow SMEs to work within their comfort zone. That is, allow the SMEs to use the tools they are used to, such as PowerPoint, Word, etc. I adjusted to them, not demanding they adjust to me. Using the template allowed copying and pasting of content and design elements. This kept the SMEs comfortable and minimized the amount of time we kept them away from their regular work.

Finally, we continually reassured the SMEs that the courses would enhance any face-to-face efforts they had planned.

Three issues surfaced as we worked with SMEs. Who had the final say about content? Who provided updates? Would periodic reviews be required? Through discussions with SMEs, we brainstormed solutions quickly. The SMEs or their departments had the final say about content. Multiline Training was only helping them deliver their product. It was the SME’s job to provide updates. The SME and the designer made the decision about periodic reviews after the course launch. Reviews were contingent upon the content’s life time.

In the previous article, I mentioned how managers used the reports from our LMS to gather actionable information. I should add a couple of details about this, for your benefit.

First, when we listed the requirements for our learning management system, reporting was at the top of the list. If we couldn’t glean information from the system, the system wasn’t doing us much good. I recommend this as a good practice.

Additionally, to be actionable the report content had to be easily understood by the managers. The managers then could make decisions and take action based on the information.

For example, two years into the program, we relocated the annual compliance training to electronic delivery. The compliance department was small and had to visit and train in every region once a year. We provided an electronic training that all agents and sales managers completed. Managers could obtain completion reports to keep their agents on track to complete the required training. Company management held the manager accountable. Now the managers could hold their agents accountable. Upon the completion due date, we provided a report of compliance. The result was one hundred percent completion at a fraction of the cost.

Personal learning

Through the entire process, I personally learned several things. The most valuable thing I learned was to be open to ideas and try many things, knowing that the first time might not be the best. Here are some of the other important lessons I took away from the experience:

1. As a developer and designer, I must have my ducks in a row – know how the end product will look and feel, documentation layout, what I need for the SME, how to begin working with a new SME.
2. When beginning to work with an SME, start in their comfort zone.
3. Development and design get faster with experience, tools, etc.
4. Set ground rules and roles early with SMEs and groups you support.
5. Market, market, market…constantly sell the e-Learning product you design.

Key ingredients for success

I have to credit much of our success to the dedication and creativity of several individuals. My support staff was invaluable. The art department, namely the graphic artist, was essential in utilizing new technologies effectively. I was also blessed with other educational professionals who taught me how to format documents to make them more user-friendly.

Surround yourself with talented, knowledgeable people and know that your gut can be a great indicator of what is right and wrong. Every time my gut didn’t like a decision, I ended up revising and redoing. Be open to ideas. Creatively use technology, ask lots of questions, and help people understand what you are trying to accomplish.

The rest of the story

The new agent trainer, who was my first SME, said a year after the program officially rolled out that agents were better prepared, understood products better, and asked more pertinent questions during follow-up schools. This was a huge homerun in my opinion. The process had come full circle!

Everyone knows that making money is the real test. The question was, how were new agents performing compared to previous years? We measured this performance by a new agent contest, for agents in their first ninety days with the company.

Before we launched the new training program, one-fourth to one-third of new agents completed the sales contest successfully. After the new program was in place for two years, two-thirds to three-quarters of the agents successfully achieved the contest requirements. Not only that, we twice had to increase the total number of contest points due to sales records being consistently established.

New agent retention increased. This was a first in company history. An unexpected benefit was that overall agent retention increased partly due to the use of alternative delivery of content, and partly because the program made it possible to make conscious decisions about when agents should make the trip to the home or regional offices, rather than constantly calling meetings requiring travel. Finally, increased compensation more engaged and rewarded district sales managers for their efforts . When I departed the company, the third version of the curriculum was available and there were plans to expand offerings further to include other insurance products and audiences.

Sidebar 3 Steps to Creating an Online Course Using InterLearn3 and Dreamweaver

Using InterLearn3 and DreamWeaver

Versions Needed	Date	Framework Code
Agent
Instructor

1. Pre-Computer Preparation
Agent Inst.
All written materials prepared
Saved as PDF – things that will be printed by the user
Course blueprint completed
2. Framework updated on Distance Learning Academy. IntranetU – Framework items designated for course and quiz if necessary. If no framework item is available, add and link new framework items.

3. Create a new folder on Desktop/copy to our server
Copy all Course Template files into the new folder
Copy PDF files into supportcenter/pdf file
4. Edit Graphics – in Photoshop – images/button templatesFor each lesson
PPT Slide Graphics
top_banner
Capture PDF Graphics

5. Open DreamWeaver
Edit sites – tell DreamWeaver where to get the files lookup.js – the master file – tells program how many pages are in each lesson & where to get those pages (files to use)
top_nav – edit lesson names
Edit bottompanel_5
Edit pages & files in DreamWeaver
Update % to pass in dataform.htm file
6. Spellcheck each page
Final course check
a. After a day, return to the course
b. Launch course
c. Check for functionality
d. Revise as needed
Upload it to hosted server
Create a resource in the Academy.
Link resource to framework item
7. Quiz
Enter/Copy
Updated Link/Link
8. SME
Viewed
Accepted

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