Finding an LCMS
I’m starting a new project for a client. It entails helping the client choose a new Learning Content Management System (LCMS). You may be saying something like “this doesn’t sound like your area of expertise,” and you’d be right. I specialize in instructional design, mostly eLearning content development using rapid eLearning tools. “So why did they choose you to help with their selection?” might be your next question. Another great one! Let’s start with some background…
Background
My client has hired me on an open-ended project. There are a few parameters but generally speaking they needed someone to be dedicated (part-time) to their eLearning initiatives. My work is a hodge-podge of course integration, development, testing, and research. Often such contracts can be helpful if you want to explore different areas without having to be a self-professed “expert” in any one area. I have general knowledge about a variety of topics and happen to be very good at research.
The Task
The client approached me one day and asked “how much do you know about LCMS’s?” Me being the honest, straight-forward but confident type said “nothing but I can learn!” Sold! They didn’t want an expert in this case. By not having any concrete knowledge I’m able to approach the situation with fresh eyes. Their audience for an LCMS is an experienced team of technical writers, instructional designers, competency experts, managers, and others. In other words, a mixed bag. The team has different levels of technical experience but do share one thing – lack of time to fiddle with a content management system.
Until now the team has been using several different methods of content storage from hard drives and USB sticks, to paper manuals and “in-the-head” knowledge. As a result they need a place to gather everything together especially since knowledge transfer has become a hot topic within the organization. Everyone needs to be able to access all files related to projects and all learning content needs to be stored together – and easily accessible.
The Solution
In short a Learning Content Management System is a tool that is used to store and manage the content related to learning initiatives. In perhaps it’s most simple form an LCMS could be a set of folders on a shared hard drive or server. In a more complex form it’s a tool that organizes, indexes, allows access to, and archives all materials related to training for both online and off-line delivery.
I’m in the very early stages of research and haven’t identified a solution yet. I have decided that with the myriad of options out there I’m going to need to narrow down the search parameters. To do this I’m going to start by learning more about the needs of my end users. Hey – this is starting to sound an awful lot like the Analysis phase of the ADDIE model. That’s exactly what this is. I’m starting with some analysis of the needs of my audience. I’m going to start this process with some interviews and perhaps a survey to identify current state as well as desired state.
As I wait for the results of the analysis I’ll continue research by learning more about the different features and functions of the tools available so that when I have results I can start to pair them with the desired features.
Call To Action
If you haven’t realized yet, I’m not new to the instructional design world but I am new to the world of LCMS’s. If there’s anyone out there who can recommend tools and/or testimonials I’d be very interested in hearing about your experiences. I’d love to see your comments in the comments section!
The Pain and Peril of Live Group Instruction | eQuixotic
A great post by fellow Mac user Chris on the benefits of blended learning techniques and the downfalls of conference call training. Check it out!
The Pain and Peril of Live Group Instruction | eQuixotic.
Puppies, Puppies & More Puppies
After the initial meeting with the PADS Trainers we started to refine the plan of action. During the initial meeting and subsequent phone conversations it became apparent that we needed buy in from others within the PADS organization. That leads me to lesson 2…
Lesson 2: Identify Your Key Stakeholders
Sometimes you will be approached to design training by someone within the organization. In your initial meetings with that person it may feel as if they are the key stakeholder. Afterall, they’re the ones asking for the training right? Wrong! More often than not an organization will have multiple stakeholders. Each one will have ownership of a key component of the work you’re about to undertake. What happens if you don’t have buy in from all stakeholders before getting too far? The project doesn’t go very far!
By asking questions in the first client meetings about different aspects of the initiative you’ll be able to identify who else you’ll need to work with and get sign off from before the project can officially move forward. What are some of the questions? Here’s a sample list:
- I understand your role to be ____ in this project. Who else will be involved in decision making?
- I would like a full understanding of the scope of this project. Who else will we be working with?
- Are you the only sponsor of this project?
- Who will be providing feedback on deliverables?
I would love to hear your ideas on questions. Of course, often the questions will be project specific. For example, when we first met with the PADS trainers I asked about the website host they were currently using. I needed an understanding of whether the current host would be able to support our initiative. The trainers weren’t the right people to speak to about this. They said that up front and gave us the name of the person who managed the website (and most other communications). We then set up a second meeting with this person to explore this avenue. It turns out that if we hadn’t met with this person we may have missed that they too needed to provide approvals on all materials being posted.
In the end it’s better to ask questions than receive surprises part way through the project. Those who know me know that I love to ask questions. It generally means that I know what I’m getting myself into and avoids nasty surprises.
Oh – one more thing – once you feel you’ve identified your key stakeholders it’s a good idea to present a project proposal with all deliverables outlined. Get sign off on the proposal from all stakeholders. This way you’re covered if someone decides down the line to change something.
10.3.09Puppies, here we come!
The first step in my journey with PADS was to have a first meeting. I went with my friend to the PADS campus to meet with the training leads. We went prepared with a variety of questions to help us discover the needs of the organization. We knew they were interested in having videos of various commands used with the dogs. We also knew that these videos needed to be accessible to an audience spread across two provinces who only met face to face once a week through several weekly puppy training classes.
Lesson 1: Approach client meetings with an open mind
If we had walked into that first meeting with a full plan of how to design and implement this project we would have been very disappointed. We would have skipped one of the most important steps of any instructional design project – Analysis. By asking the right questions we uncovered several additional needs which were more important to PADS than just the videos.
Their primary goal is to provide support for their end clients. After a long discussion with the PADS advanced puppy trainer we discovered that it was more important to provide videos and support for these end clients during the waiting period between learning they are receiving a dog and when they come to the PADS campus for two weeks of intensive training. Videos can provide a learning mechanism to help clients prepare for the two week training. If clients were already familiar with some of the most common commands then the training team could focus less on teaching the command and more on refining techniques and helping dog and client become partners.
The next thing we learned was that the videos would need to change if training techniques change. I was puzzled by this because the commands we had just been introduced to we the basics (sit, heel, come, etc) as well as some specialized ones depending on the client’s needs. Would these change that much? The trainers said “yes”. The overall root of the command rarely changed but the minor details could change. This was a very important consideration. Now the videos needed to be easily changeable. We started talking about shorter, segmented videos. We also switched our conversation from DVD delivery to potential for online delivery.
We also uncovered a need to make documents and forms available to clients and puppy raisers & sitters. It was at this point where we introduced the idea of Moodle. With the versatility of the Moodle platform we could present several different course structures depending on the audience. We discussed a course for clients, puppy raisers, puppy sitters and potential for several others.
By the end of the meeting we all had a clear vision of what PADS was looking for and we were well on our way to tailoring an approach as unique as their business. We had also mapped out a timeline that was acceptable to both PADS and to us as volunteers. I will be taking care of video editing and the online Moodle course building. PADS will start sending me their existing training documents and forms as well as demonstrate all commands during filming. My friend will be arranging for the video filming for both the client courses and the puppy raiser / sitter courses.
We’ll continue to meet with PADS in the coming weeks and months to continue refining the vision and pull everything together. This initial meeting and brainstorming was crucial to understanding our new client’s needs. Had we not asked questions and paused to listen carefully we could have missed very important messages about what their greatest needs were.
09.27.09Embarking on a new adventure
I am very excited to announce that I am starting a new project soon. The project is for a non-profit organization called Pacific Assistance Dogs, or PADS for short. You can find their website here. This organization raises and trains dogs for three very special purposes:
- Hearing
- Assistance
- Therapy
I’ll let you read more about what PADS does and how they do it on their website. They can explain it better than I can. Needless to say, it is a very worthy cause and one after my own heart.
So, where do I come in? Well, I was introduced to PADS through a friend at work. She identified a need for a support framework for the network of PADS puppy raisers. Currently a paper based training manual is provided to each puppy raiser as they help train the dog(s) in their care. Once or twice a week the puppy raisers go for group training classes but in between they are left on their own for day-to-day training. My friend found it challenging to follow diagrams on paper for hand signals and proper correction techniques. She proposed that videos could be used to demonstrate the most important commands and the puppy raisers could be given access to the videos via DVD or the web. This way, in between weekly classes they would have a visual reminder of proper training techniques.
My friend approached me (knowing I was in the “people training” field) and asked if I would help. “Of course!” I said. I love animals and animals helping people is just amazing. Not to mention working with PUPPIES!
I plan to detail our journey with PADS as we create the videos and make them available. Stay tuned over the next several months. I’ll post weekly or every two weeks with our progress.