Proposal for CanPlan* Learning Consultant Training LMS
ETEC 565
Suzanne Tompkins
07/06/2009
*The organization name has been changed to CanPlan for professional purposes.
Overview
CanPlan, a BC based distributed learning independent school program, has grown rapidly since it’s inception in 2003. The projected growth for CanPlan enrolled learners for the next five years exceeds 2000 learners, based on current growth trends. To meet the needs of the learners and families CanPlan will need to increase their Learning Consultant (LC) staff in proportion. Currently, LC’s are trained with a mix of online course work, mentoring practice, submitted assignments, and a two day training seminar before the start of the school year. Additionally, new LC’s are expected to participate in a variety of LC forums to ask questions and to share ideas. With an increasing staff base the possibility for a new LC to fall through the cracks during the training process increases. Mentoring with senior LC’s addresses this challenge sufficiently for now, however, looking into the long term future of CanPlan’s successful growth, this training model is labour intensive, time consuming, and difficult to track. Discussion of an efficient, focused central training area has surfaced and the time has come to implement an online course approach. Preparing the LC training course for use by the 2010/2011 new LC staff provides opportunities to develop the course slowly, integrating new features and ideas as time and use deem necessary. The choice of LMS to host this course must meet current and future objectives.
Current Use
CanPlan is using FirstClass groupware to host training materials which are located in asynchronous, threaded, password protected chat areas with links to video recordings and screen shots available on the CanPlan website. Staff training requires understanding of the FirstClass hosted “planners” which store data about the learner family, attendance records, submitted reports, LC reports, recommended resources, and additional notes. New LC’s must also become familiar navigating a very large number of asynchronous threaded chat areas used by staff, learners, and parents, and resource areas. To meet pedagogical expectations new LC’s complete a series of training modules composed of reading materials and follow-up activities to complete and send in. Completed follow up materials are sent by internal email to the assigned senior LC mentors who monitor and reply to the assignments and respond as well by internal email. New LC’s are thus required to gather information from a several chat areas, the CanPlan website, and mail messages to complete their training. In this model new LC’s are assessed only by mentoring LC’s in response to completed assignments.
Objectives
CanPlan aspires to provide new LC training which:
-encourages thoughtful immersion in CanPlan philosophy and pedagogical practice
-ensures familiarity with online information storage, referred to as “planners”
-fosters advanced skills navigating social network chat and resource areas
-is flexible and able to respond to changes as a result of growth
Requirements
To meet their current training needs CanPlan requires:
-a training resource which could be easily accessed by new and experienced LC’s
-streamlined information storage
-a user friendly and intuitive interface
-an LMS which meets budget limitations
To meet their long term goals CanPlan would benefit from:
-statistical information about course usage
-a flexible LMS option to incorporate future development
Evaluation Criteria
To evaluate the current and future needs of CanPlan’s training course, based on CanPlan’s stated objectives and requirements, the following criteria were identified as essential elements for assessment:
-cost
-functionality
-security and privacy
-administration tools
-course design tools
-usability
-reliability
-support
-accessibility
Summary
The optimal LMS platform choice to support the LC training course currently and in anticipation of future needs is Moodle (2009). Moodle meets criteria identified through executive and support team discussions, satisfies Bates and Poole (2003) “SECTIONS” components, and Chickering and Ehrmann’s (1996) focus on teaching and learning practices. Using Edutools (2009) CMS Decision Tool Moodle was found to be on par with other LMS systems, however it excels in these critical areas:
Cost: Moodle is an open source product therefor there is no initial cost to deliver this course
Usability: The intuitive nature of Moodle provides for an ease of use for both instructors and students (Perkins and Pfaffman, 2006)
In summary, for training staff and new LC’s in the art of balancing philosophy and task management and supporting future CanPlan growth Moodle satisfies all criteria, and excels in cost and usability features.
References
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers.
Chickering, A.W. & Ehrmann, S.C. (1996). Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever. American Association for Higher Education Bulletin, 49(2), 3-6.
http://www.aahea.org/bulletins/articles/sevenprinciples.htm
EduTools. (2009). CMS: Decision Tool. Retrieved June 08, 2009 from http://www.edutools.info/summative/select_features.jsp?pj=4&i=605,616
Perkins, M., Pfaffman, J. (2006). Using a Course Management System to Improve Classroom Communication. Science Teacher, 73(7), 33-37.