Happy Thanksgiving

Ahhh.... I'm finally done with the Design Concept and am ready to sleep .... I have a few days until I have to start developing the prototype. Now my biggest decision is do I sleep or make a turkey sandwich. Hmmmm.....

Back away from the content ....

So no shocker here but I’ve think I’ve gone into way too much detail in the material that I want to cover in the design concept. I’ve split my content into four sections and think I will focus on the first two but I would really like to get into the third section. I’m concerned that I will be able to cover this in the ½ hour segment. Since this module is supposed to be an hour but the design is only for half of that I not sure what to change, drop or combine. Any thoughts you have would be appreciated.

Part 1: Want Ads

I want to introduce them to them to the importance of communicating their skills and how to address the needs of the employer (NOT THE NEEDS OF THE STUDENT!) I’m toying with the idea of having the learner choose from a variety of want ads based on their own interests (maybe 5-10 entry level job ads which would allow for a greater hook and transferability than forcing them to follow along with an example that they are not as interested in… thoughts?)

• Show a want ad and have an audio track narrate the ad
• The learner will then be shown long list of skills from which to select the ones they feel the employer is looking for (Maybe have them rank why the skills & traits in importance so the feedback can provide deep explanation of why they match or do not? I’m not sure about how to “rank” a subjective list so I may avoid this wrinkle)
• Provide feedback via video from an employer with responses based on the learner’s choices.
• End with a video of the employer briefly explaining how they look for other skills & traits like punctuality, attitude, enthusiasm, interpersonal skills (all of which don’t require job experience and tie nicely into the soft skills module)

Part 2: Identifying Skills & Traits

• Introduce a variety of skills & traits that a student may have even without having significant job experience (class projects, clubs, presentations, community service, etc)

• Watch a video of a student who wants to apply for the previous job (This student will not articulate well the skills they have)
• Have the learner “interview” the student via a series of “Choose your adventure style questions” (Have done any projects for community service?
• Once the learner is done asking questions they will choose (or type in … I’m not sure which way to go) what skills they think the student has that relate to the job (perhaps choose from a list, or compare from the skills selected in part one…
• These identified skills will be stored in the computer and used for the next section. This should allow for a variety of responses specifically tailored to the user

***I’m considering having them interview another student and repeat the process again but having this student loaded with totally different experiences (In consideration of time I may have this be an OPTIONAL link they can click on to further expose them to other transferable skill identification. ***

Part 3: Backing up the Skills

This portion will focus on expanding a simple skill statement of “Leadership skills” into a statement that is backed up with accomplishments

• Show list of skills identified from Part 2.
• Have the learner choose a skill they want to focus on and “interview” the student again to dig deeper into their skills (i.e. You mentioned working at a grocery store, can you remember a time in which you boss was really pleased with your work? Tell me more about this project you did in your environmental sciences class.)
• The learner collects more data and writes up expanded skill statements.
• The learner’s skill statements are submitted to an online forum and gives the learner an opportunity to explore other learner’s answers from their selected want ad
• Video example of expanded skill statements (From bad to better…)
• End with “ And now it’s your turn….”

Part 4: Dig Deep

I want the learners to begin identifying the skills and traits they possess.

A video pops up and reinforces the idea that one must dig deep to find their traits and skills. It is also necessary to look at the entire process from the employers’ position and continually ask themselves “Why should I be hired? Using a series of questions, this section will help guide the learner through the process of developing their own skills and traits list and statements. This could be a focus of a totally different module or part of the online forum.

Thoughts on Instructional Content

Now that I've decided on the theories to use to guide the design, now I need to focus on the actual content of the instruction. I've identified the sequence of the instruction and the basic methods of delivery (although I think I may be trying to cram way to much information into a 1 hour module from which I can split the module in half to fit the1/2 hour design) but do not have the minute details laid out. The two main outcomes involve having the learner understand the needs of an employer and identify and flesh out their own skill statements). The following items are a stream of though listing of specific knowledge these students will be accessing:

• Translating verbiage of the job ad (i.e. EOE, f/t, K, pd vac, wpm, exp nec etc.)
• What traits are the employers looking for? (positive attitude, initiative, enthusiasm, hard-working, friendly, punctual, teamwork, communication skills)
• Communicate those traits/skills in skill statements backed up with concrete examples of those accomplishments.
• No work experience...(Time to identify transferable skills!)
• Classwork? (i.e. class projects, presentations, group work, lab assignments, sports, coaching, tutoring, mentoring)'
• Leadership opportunities? Organized, managed, clubs, sports?
• Volunteering? Community service, tutoring, class cleanup, recycling club?

I have to keep focusing on the lack of experience of the learner and how to elicit more introspection from the students.

The key to developing good skill statements is knowing what to emphasize. The best way to do this is through research on the company and the position they are applying for.

Module Breakdown

So I'm brainstorming a new sequence of instruction for the Skill Statements portion of our Job Hunt training. Here are my thoughts:

Part1(Want Ads):Text based introduction of common job ad followed by practice identifying employer desired skills with followed by video feedback of employer expanding on skills desired.

Part2(Personal Skills):Video introduction of "average" student talking about their skills, learner will practice identifying skills possessed, video feedback.

Part3(Skill Statements): Show example simple skill statements on a resume (use skills from part 2). Expand on skills (ask for more information from video student) Show expanded skill statements and explain why they communication more information.

Part 4 (Further Practice): New student, want ad, skills, personal skills, expand statements, feedback.

Part 5 (Customize statements) either have students fill out simple questionnaire which looks up statements in database or connect them to the online forum to share sample statements. Another possibility could be having the learner write a (skill desired, skills list, expanded statements) for several additional want ads. Perhaps having the student find a job description/want ad related to a position they want and have them repeat the process.

Cognitive Flexibility Theory

Continuing my review of learning theories for my design concept development, I found a theory similar to the constructivist model however it seems to be a bit more specfic. I've copied the principles directly from the Theory into Practice article on Cognitive Flexibility Theory with my comments/thoughts in italics:

Principles:

1. Learning activities must provide multiple representations of content. (video, audio, employer perspective, learner perspective, simple to expanded skill statements)

2. Instructional materials should avoid oversimplifying the content domain and support context-dependent knowledge. Continual reinforcement on how the material (skills listed/desired) must change based on employer, student skills, and job experience.

3. Instruction should be case-based and emphasize knowledge construction, not transmission of information. Through a series of examples, learners will be exposed to a variety of case studies, practice identifing skills possessed or needed and

4. Knowledge sources should be highly interconnected rather than compartmentalized. Tie the employer want ad/desired skills with sample student skills. Move on to simple skill statements to expanded statements. Drill and practice. Emphasize transferability of iterative process.

General Instructional Theory

After reviewing over 30 learning theories from the Theory into Practice website and the EET I've decided to focus on one general theory and one specific theory. The general theory is the Constructivist theory put forth by J. Bruner. I've copied the principles directly from the Theory into Practice article on Constructivist Theory with my comments/thoughts in italics:

Principles:

1. Instruction must be concerned with the experiences and contexts that make the student willing and able to learn (readiness). This directly ties in with the Site model analysis I did for my initial proposal. By addressing the motivation of the students (getting a job) the "hook" is built into the instrcution. I need to make sure to reiterate the importance of the material and how it will help the learners reach their goal. Tie in direct rationale for the content and emphasize the transferability of the knowledge gained.

2. Instruction must be structured so that it can be easily grasped by the student (spiral organization). I will introduce the material, give examples, provide practice, give feedback, and repeat with more examples and opportunities for practice and feedback.

3. Instruction should be designed to facilitate extrapolation and or fill in the gaps (going beyond the information given). After the "articfical" examples, the knowledge gained is not a simple memorization of facts nor is it a procedure. The identification of skills that a high school student possess and how to write them in such a way for geared towards a potential employer will not be the same for each learner. This module is going to "teach" the thought process through examples that one needs to go through on their own in order to develop their own customized skill statements for use in their job hunt.

Teaching Mental Processes

Reviewing the Clark Manual, I scribbled some notes about how the theories/techniques discussed could be incorporated into my design.

Brief Instructional Methods Ramblings

I briefly outlined the two major methods I think I need for my design concept. The concepts portion will be much easier to address from the demonstration, definition and evaluation standpoint but the principles portion is still harder to develop. Without instructors or access to customized replies I can't think of a way to give learner specfic feedback to the user. I have to talk to Minjuan about including an e-mailable instructor or expert... maybe as part of our "online forum".

Lesson Organization and Eval Thoughts

More Clark review helped me think about the design concept. This helped me get a bigger picture of the overall elements to include in the design concept and some possible evaluation methods popped into my head but I'm still struggling with how to truly evaluate learner job skill statements since there is no universal "correct" answer.

I'll still need to chew on this a bit more.

Zoom Principle

I ran across an interesting termin the Clark book called the Zoom principle. This got me thinking about how I can intro the lesson with an overview of the job search process, "zoom in" on a detail (transferable skills) and end with a look at the big picture/next step.

This also made me think about some of the key elements to address for my design concept.

Mostly scattered but that is often how my brain works :)

Design Concept Brainstorming

So I'm thinking about how to develop a cognitive approach to teaching resume skills. I'm leaning towards something related to learners' brainstorming ideas and content for their resumes. Identifing transferable skills is difficult for these learners. Perhaps with examples, a decision tree based question and answer system and access to an online forum to interact with other students with similar experience (or lack) to bounce ideas off of. Hmmm I only have 1/2 hour to do this... it will be tight.

The following images are my chicken scratched handwritten notes as they relate to my stream of conscience thoughts on the needs of the learner in regards to transferable skills.

Business Justifications for Product

How can QED make money off of this product geared towards students and schools?

• Modularity of the design allows for explandability of product allowing for rapid adjustments to changes in technology, media, information and marketplace.
• These modules also allow the product to be stripped down for easier sales in lower budget distribution channels.
• Links to online acces will aid in updating material without having to redistribute through more expensive media options such as print.
• If packaged correctly, this instructional product could be adapted and sold at the district and state level thereby multipling potential sale substaintially

This is where my business degree and background come into play. :)

Learner Reasons to Justify Product

Its going to be hard to limit my enthusiasm and almost evangelical fervor over the need for this type of product (computer based instruction for educating young adults on the skills and knowledge need to aquire a job).

Some of the reasons for this product include:

• Extreme lack of student confidence and knowledge
• High relevance for students
• Transferability of knowledge beyond class setting
• Teachers lack expertise or time to develop cirriculumn