Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay
Delivery Cycle #1
Module 7: Progress Check-in and Reflection
This week, I worked through the Kemp instructional design model to create the foundations for the web accessibility training module. I started with the learner characteristics of the staff at Carmel High School which helped inform the learning theory, the format, and the examples that will be used in the training module. This also helped me think about specific entry characteristics like the ability to import and edit a Canvas page. I will need to add in additional scaffolds for teachers who do not have the knowledge and skills to complete this part of the training, because they are new to Canvas. The contextual analysis underlined the importance of framing the training as problem-based and to use tools that teachers are familiar with and will use in the future to help transfer the skills to their own Canvas pages. The task analysis was the most time consuming, but it helped me pare down what needs and doesn’t need to be included in the training. I refined the learning objectives presented in the project proposal to include cognitive, psychomotor, and affective domains. I decided to use concept-related sequencing which helped me chunk the information from the task analysis into five sections. Reviewing different instructional strategies challenged me to include more active learning methods such as interactive Slides, a discussion forum, and a formative quiz before the summative assessment.
For the next week, I need to work on storyboarding the different parts of the training module. I will sketch these out on paper, because writing and drawing lends itself to easier changes and less development of materials before they have been approved. My goal is to have sketches of each page of the training complete and sent to the client by the end of delivery cycle #1 (June 27, 2021). This is the next milestone on the project plan.
I did not include the Kemp instructional design model in my project plan, so I am slightly behind on my original forecasted project timeline; however, the information that I collected and compiled by going through the process will make designing and developing the module more efficient and will make for a more effective module. By completing the storyboards this week, I will still meet the first milestone deadline.
Module 8: Progress Check-in and Reflection
This week, I completed the storyboards for the web accessibility module. I decided to draw these out by hand, so I could quickly sketch out different design and content elements. This also allowed me to quickly make changes as I worked through the progression of the module. I saved the resources I found in a Google Drive folder, so I can quickly find them again during the development phase of the project. For the storyboard, I sketched out the “getting started” page which will include three different scenarios where not having accessible web content impedes someone’s ability to effectively use the site. This is also the page that will list the training objectives. The second page is “what is web accessibility” and will include the definition from the WCAG website. The main content of this page will be an interactive Google Slide deck that will include images of the four different areas of disabilities that most benefit from accessible web content: physical, auditory, visual, and cognitive learning, and neurological. The WCAG web site has short 3-minute videos that cover some of the most useful web accessibility guidelines, so each button will link to a short description of the types of disabilities and situations that benefit from that area and four embedded videos covering relevant guidelines. I also storyboarded the description for the discussion, the page on the W3C and the WCAG, and the comprehension check quiz. These will need the most time to develop. Lastly, I sketched out the page about the accessibility checker and the final assignment demonstrating understanding. Both of these may need some video created to help scaffold the information for new users.
For the next week, I will start developing the materials in Canvas. I will start with the first few pages, so I can complete them quickly and send them to the client for initial feedback on the look and usability of the pages. Then I will develop some of the more difficult pieces like the hotspot infographic and the accessibility checker tutorial. I only have three weeks to develop the entire module, so I will need to work quickly and efficiently. My goal is to have the first three pages including the interactive Slides completed by the end of this module.
I have not had to modify the project plan this week. My client was on vacation and so it took a little longer to get back to me, but she liked the content and design of the sketched storyboards and gave me the go ahead to start developing materials.
Delivery Cycle #2
Module 9: Progress Check-in and Reflection
This week, I started developing the materials that I storyboarded in module 8. I heard back from my client on Tuesday. She thought the storyboards looked good and gave me the go ahead to develop them in our staff Canvas course. I have completed the first drafts of the first six elements of the training module. As I developed the page over the W3C and the WCAG, there was too much information and ambiguity to what needed to be completed. I separated these two concepts into a page and an assignment. The page introduces the W3C and the WAI. The assignment introduces the WCAG and instructs learners to read an infographic and to read through the Quick Reference for the WCAG 2.1. Once completed, learners will mark the assignment as done to continue their training. Because I found the WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference, I am not going to create a separate interactive Drawing. The Quick Reference is easy to use and includes helpful tutorials, filters, and scaffolds for learners that need more support. The included link will automatically include filters for just the level A success criteria and only the techniques for HTML, CSS, and PDF which are the most commonly used at Carmel High School. Lastly, I developed the comprehension check quiz that will be auto-scored by Canvas. Learners must score at least an 8/10 to continue in their training and they will have unlimited attempts. Each question includes immediate and meaningful feedback, so learners can learn from their errors and try again.
For this next week, I will continue to develop the pages for the accessibility checker, including a video tutorial, the final assignment to demonstrate learning, and the congratulations page at the end. It is my goal to complete the entire first draft of the training module this week and to send it to the client by July 11 for initial feedback and before starting editing and revisions.
I am still on track with the project plan milestones set out in the project charter and as revised because of the shortened timetable during the summer semester. It has taken about the projected amount of time of labor to complete work packages. In looking at the work breakdown structure, I could have broken some of the packages down further, especially because I am working through the module linearly by topic and not by type of work (e.g. videos, slides, quizzes).
Module 10: Progress Check-in and Reflection
This week, I completed the first draft of the web accessibility training module. I found some useful and applicable resources for the Accessibility Checker, so I did not create a new instructional video. I also curated a list of additional resources, so learners can choose which type of resource and content will be the most applicable to them. Those learners who are newer to web accessibility may need to spend more time in these resources than those with extensive background knowledge, but the resources will be made available to all learners. The final assignment took quite a bit more time and planning than I was expecting. I also had to create the Practice Page with specific errors that learners will need to identify and correct. Finally, I created a final landing page to congratulate learners on completing the training, offering further resources, and linking a feedback form I created. At the end of the week, I sent the first draft to my client for review and to receive feedback. At this point, there are a few changes that we may need to make to the scope of the project. We initially agreed on a 30-minute training, but the materials as created will probably be closer to an hour depending on how familiar the learner is with the level A WCAG. There is a lot of information presented on the WCAG page, and some of it is much more useful than others. It may be in the best interest of the training to create some of our own materials to highlight the success criteria that is most important and applicable to teachers and Canvas. The other aspect is the final assignment submission which right now is a reflection on learning; there is no concrete assessment of the objective, “Learners will update a web page to meet level A WCAG.” We may need to rethink and revamp the final assignment.
While I wait to hear back from my client, my goal this week is to read through the final presentation requirements and start working on the final client and advisor presentation to complete this project. Once I hear back from the client, I will begin revising and editing the training module before the final revisions are due on July 25. I would like to try to complete the module early, so I can beta test it with several colleagues before handing it over to the client. I am still on track with my project plan.
Delivery Cycle #3
Module 11: Progress Check-in and Reflection
This week, I checked in with my client after she reviewed my first draft and we discussed several changes to the scope of the module. My initial project charter agreed on a 30-minute training; however, in looking over the materials I created and the resources I curated, the training was going to be much longer than 30 minutes. The client expressed the importance of the module being a reasonable length of time, so that teachers did not feel overburdened with information and tasks. We agreed to modify the scope and objectives of the training module. I removed the W3C and WCAG pages and quiz in order to shorten the training. While these guidelines are the more official standard for web accessibility, the language of the success criteria may be overwhelming and incomprehensible for teachers with little to no background knowledge of web accessibility features and web page development including HTML. Instead, I reference the guidelines in more general terms; however, the success criteria that teachers have the most control over are still included in video tutorials and resources provided on the What is Web Accessibility and the Accessibility Checker pages. Teachers should still have access to enough resources to complete the final activity of updating a web page to meet web accessibility standards. With this change, I also removed the objective, “Learners will be able to identify all level A WCAG.” The client and I agreed that we may include information about the W3C and the WCAG in a future more advanced web accessibility training module. The training will also be broken into two 30-minute segments. While this is longer than the goal time of the training, the client and I agreed that because it is a self-paced module that can be completed in multiple sittings with an obvious break in the middle, it is not an unreasonable expectation for teachers to complete it. I will have more feedback once I can beta test this with a small set of target learners.
This week, I will alpha test the training module and reach out to potential beta testers to test the training module by the end of the week. I will also continue working on my final client presentation and my presentation to my advisor and second reader. Lastly, I will schedule dates and times for these presentations for next week. Currently, my presentation to my client is scheduled for Tuesday, July 27 at 1:00PM. This presentation will be to my client, Valerie Piehl, as well as to the associate principal and two other assistant principals at the school.
While I am still on schedule with my project plan, I did have to drastically change the scope of the training; however, because these resources may be used in the future, they were worth creating. More research and planning at the beginning of the project may have brought this into the light earlier and saved some time during the development process.
Module 12: Final Revisions and Reflection
This week, I had several beta testers start the training module and two who finished it by Sunday evening. The feedback has so far been very positive, and one suggestion resulted in a slight change in the interactive learning object so that videos would only play manually instead of automatically after clicking anywhere on the page. I also worked on the Slides for both the client presentation and the final MLT presentation. I have been on schedule or slightly early for this entire project which has been helpful as major changes occurred in the scope so late in the project.
Some of the changes that we made to the training module included extending the timing of the training. Instead of just being 30 minutes, the module was broken into two 30-minute training sessions. Because this module is self-paced, teachers can take a break and come back to it at a later time. It does not need to be completed all at once. However, to get the training down to 60 minutes, we removed the pages about the W3C, the WCAG, and the comprehension check over the guidelines and success criteria. After looking at how technical some of the verbiage was and how several of the success criteria did not apply to teachers, we decided to address web accessibility in more general terms and focus on using the built-in Accessibility Checker in Canvas, as many teachers are new to the idea of web accessibility. The final assignment is the same: teachers will need to update a web page to meet these guidelines, even if they do not recognize the official jargon used in those standards.
Because we removed the information about the W3C and the WCAG, we updated the learning outcomes to remove that language and to add in the general concept of “web accessibility.” Instead of having teachers identify specific success criteria, we want them to be able to summarize the benefits and importance of web accessibility. This affective domain objective concerns the attitudes and values of teachers toward web accessibility and those with disabilities, which will help set the foundation for why teachers create accessible web content in the future.
This week, I will complete and practice for both the client presentation and the final advisors’ presentation. I will also submit my final reflection by Friday, July 30.