Diocese of Algoma Lay Reader On-Line Training Supplement
DISCLAIMER:
This mock proposal is an educational exercise in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the course ETEC 565 at the University of British Columbia, and in no way reflects the opinions or decisions made at the Diocese of Algoma or Thorneloe University as a whole.
Institution/Context:
Diocese of Algoma, Anglican Church of Canada
Key decision makers:
The Rev. Dr. Stephen Andrews, Bishop-Elect; The Rev. Harry Huskins, Executive Archdeacon; Dr. David Gould, Warden of Lay Readers; The Rev. Heather Manuel, Program and Youth Consultant
Project description, rationale:
The Anglican Diocese of Algoma encompasses nearly 60 parishes in northern Ontario, stretching from west of Thunder Bay to Temiskaming and south to the Muskoka Highlands (Algoma, 2009): nearly 20 hours from end to end by road. Most parishes have at least one lay reader, even in smaller communities. Because the diocesan territory is so large, it is nearly impossible for new lay readers to pursue their suggested studies in anything but a vacuum. Participation in regular church liturgy is an essential component of the training process, but lay readers often find themselves acting in relative isolation, learning only how to work within a specific parish (therefore highly individualized and dependent upon the parish priest’s liturgical practice), and without the broader support of a community of lay readers. The addition of an online component, using Moodle hosted by Remote-Learning Canada, to lay reader training can help to establish a diocesan standard (and eventually a national standard) of core lay reader competencies and build community . This would allow lay readers who move from one community to another within their own diocese to be able to function in a new parish without retraining. Similarly, clergy who are welcoming and licensing trained lay readers into their parishes will have the confidence that they have been trained to a diocesan standard.
Method of evaluating different options:
In terms of pedagogy and features, it really doesn’t make a significant difference which Learning Management System (LMS) one chooses to deliver one’s educational content (Feldstein, 2009). The core differences between the features of different platforms are relatively minimal. Thus, in order to determine which LMS best ‘fits the bill’, we need to consider such aspects as: who the Students are; Ease of use; Cost; Teaching and learning; Interaction and interactivity; Organizational issues; Novelty; and Speed (Bates and Poole, 2003). Bates (2005) argues, though, that “[f]or distance and especially open learning, … access remains the most important decision-making variable…”
The students who will be using this curriculum are adult learners from a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds across northern Ontario. Many have access to the internet either from home or from a public access point such as a library, municipal hall, school or church. Some students will have only dial-up access and a very small number will have no internet access (print materials need to be provided for these students). All students are members of an Anglican parish and are Lay Readers-in-Training with the recommendation and support of their clergy and parish communities. Most students, if not all, have at least some secondary education, yet only a few will have had any experience with distance or online learning. It is anticipated that some training will be necessary to bridge gaps in experience with on-line learning. There are many resources available through the moodle community to assist in this bridging.
Moodle is an ideal choice for these “digital immigrants” (Tapscott, 1999), as the platform design “[p]romotes a social constructionist pedagogy (collaboration, activities, critical reflection, etc)” (moodle.org, 2009). Moodle has been used in various dial-up situations and anecdotal reports are that it works fairly smoothly, even for “heavily interactive” courses (Hanson, 2008). Through the use of discussion fora, wikis to collaborate on homiletics or to share newly found resources, and online delivery of a training curriculum including photos, videos and self-testing options, Moodle is well-positioned to foster the strengthening of a wider community of lay readers in addition to facilitating the development of lay readers’ core competencies (still to be determined).
Moodle addresses ease-of-use issues by providing WYSIWYG editors for all text entry windows, operating similarly to standard word processing software. The use of icons and text makes navigation in Moodle relatively straightforward. The web-based nature of this platform also makes it easy to update in order to adapt to changing (albeit slowly in the Anglican church) needs of lay readers.
[Additionally, Moodle is the LMS of choice as it is the one platform, of two from which to choose in ETEC 565, with which I have had no prior experience. Otherwise, I might have considered a number of other open source solutions, including Drupal, Joomla, OLAT and Claroline, or a dynamic blog platform such as WordPress.]
Resources needed to deliver project
Licensing/Hosting Fees:
Cost is a significant factor in considering which LMS to choose. In a recent report published by Brandon Hall Research (2009), Richard Nantel notes that a one-year license for a locally installed, behind-the firewall commercial LMS implemented for 500 learners ranges from a low of $US 499 to $111,630. When considering a three-year license for a hosted LMS, the cost ranges from $9000 to $387,000. In contrast, Remote-Learner Canada, an official Moodle Partner, offers a shared hosting Moodle service for approximately 100 users for a one-year licensing fee of $970 (2009). Also notable is the 24/7 support Remote-Learner Canada offers for students and instructors with all hosting levels.
Human Resources:
This project will require a Diocesan oversight committee, consisting of the Bishop, the Warden of Lay Readers, the Executive Archdeacon, and the Program and Youth Consultant. The implementation of the project will require a Lay Reader Training Development Team, including two or more curriculum authors, one technical/instructional designer and course reviewers. The course reviewers shall be selected on an ad hoc basis from the Diocese of Algoma’s clergy and Lay Readers. The author and designer fees will likely total $15,000-$20,000 for part-time work over a three-year development period (counting on the charitable attitudes of church members). Training materials developed by the Dioceses of Edmonton, Fredericton and Montreal could be available for adaptation to the online format.
Additionally, experienced Parochial Lay Readers, Diocesan Lay Readers and some clergy will act as online moderators, helping to guide new Lay Readers through the course materials, activities and discussions. Remuneration through honoraria may need to be established for the work of moderators.
Cost Summary:
| |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Years 4+ |
| Hosting |
$1000 |
$1000 |
$1000 |
$1000 |
| Development |
$5000-7000 |
$5000-7000 |
$5000-7000 |
|
| Content Maintenance |
|
|
|
$500 |
| Course Moderation |
|
$300 |
$300 |
$300 |
| Total |
$6000-8000 |
$6300-$8300 |
$6300- $8300 |
$1800 |
Hardware:
As this project is planned for delivery via hosted Moodle, the Diocese of Algoma will not need to purchase any significant new hardware. There may be a need to purchase sundry hardware items such as digital video cameras, audio recording equipment and document scanners. However, it can be expected that such equipment may be available to borrow from parishioners across the diocese, and from Thorneloe University in Sudbury.
Software:
Moodle is available at no cost to download from moodle.org. However, with the contracting of a hosted Moodle solution, there is no need to download or install Moodle or any plug-ins. This can all be managed through Remote-Learner Canada. Anyone accessing the Moodle courses will require a standard browser such as Firefox, Safari or Internet Explorer. All content can be authored within Moodle using standard WYSIWYG editing tools.
Resources
Bates, A.W. (2005). Technology, E-Learning and Distance Education, 2nd ed. New York: Routledge.
Bates, A.W. and Poole, G. (2003). Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education. San Francisco: Jossey Bass.
Diocese of Algoma (2009, March 13). Parishes in the Diocese of Algoma. Retrieved 29 May 2009, from http://dioceseofalgoma.com/dioparishes/parishes.htm
Feldstein, M. (2009, March 5). Why All LMSs Are ‘Pretty Good/Bad’. Message posted to http://mfeldstein.com
Hanson, G. (2008, October 7). Re: UVic Moodle (BC Canada) to students in Etheopia – problems/issues? Message posted to http://moodle.org/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=107501 (requires “Guest” login).
moodle.org (2009, February 10). Features – Moodle Docs. Retrieved 5 June 2009, from http://docs.moodle.org/en/Features
Nantel, R.(2009, June 1). Price Ranges for Learning Management Systems in 2009. Message posted to http://brandon-hall.com/richardnantel/
Remote-Learner Canada. (2009). Moodle FAQ Canadian Prices 200209. Retrieved 2 June 2009, from http://www.oktech.ca/RL_Moodle_FAQ_Canadian%20Prices%200209.pdf
Tapscott, D. (1999) Growing up Digital: the rise of the net generation. New York: McGraw-Hill.
