Meeting your learners' needs

 I teach adults in four different graduate programs, and each adult  brings to each course a plethora of experience and knowledge. Best practices in teaching adult learners suggest the content must be meaningful, and they must be able to connect to their jobs (Knowles, 1984).

 After all, most graduate students are balancing jobs, families, relationships, school, and other commitments...and who has time to complete a task that they don't see as being useful?

That what Andragogy is all - about - making learning relevant to adult learners!

Unfortunately, most courses for adults are developed using pedagogy rather than andragogy.  The graphic below helps visually explain the difference:

Pedagogy (the method used when we were all in public school....and in most undergrad courses) is all about the "sage-on-the-stage" approach...one person providing knowledge to all...the SAME knowledge to all.  In Andragogy  the instructor serves more as a facilitator with all learning being much more student centered. and problem-centered, rather than content-centered.  All learning needs to be relevant immediately (not as in, yes, you will one day use algebra :-)  and should take into consideration what the learner already knows (The Principles of Adult Learning: How to Apply Them to E-Learning, N. D.)

My conundrum

One course I love to teach is EDU 604, a type of introduction to the community college where students learn about all facets of the community college, helping them move out of their tunnel vision of seeing the organization just from the lens of their job within the community college.

After working in a community college setting for 18 I have learned the value of knowing more about the CC than just my area....and wanted to pass that knowledge on to my students.  This issue, however, is that some students come to EDU 604 with at least 10 years of experience.  Others are in their first year.  Some have worked in multiple parts of a community college campus.  Others have been in their one location only.

How then, do I adjust a course to respect the needs of all learners while making sure everyone meets the same learning outcomes, whether they have working in a community college for 1 year or for 10? How do I make a course relevant to all learners enrolled?

How do I personalize a course  for all students on all topics?

I created a survey! 

Pappas (2014) suggests using a survey to analyze audience knowledge in a specific area..... I then used those results to guide content presented and activities.  In this particular case, I am using survey results to personalize a course to individual students.

The survey

 I call this XPs for Experience. All students MUST complete it as part of their Onboarding module, and I use the results to tailor readings and tasks.  To make it easier for students to complete, I embed the survey directly into Canvas so they do not have to leave the site to go to this google form.

Take a look:

 Notice that these are open-ended questions, not yes/no questions.  This encourages the students to provie as much information as they can demonstrate their experience and knowledge of each of 14 different topics.Responses are scored with either a 3,2, or 1, with the 3 for those who demonstrate a great deal of knowledge and experience in that area, a 2 for those who know something, and a 1 for those who report knowing nothing about the topic.

Course topics include the following...and every student is assessed on every topic:

 

Using the survey results

My thought process was to assess content and experience in each topic the class covers and adjust readings and activities accordingly.

Let's take closer look at one of the topics in  EDU 604: Community College Students. The following video explains my process:

 Keep in mind that I individualize EDU 604 for every student based on my knowledge of best practices inn online instruction for adult learners.

Does this take a lot of time?  Yes, but it is worth it for the students. I usually spend approximately 3o minutes reviewing and scoring the pre-assessment.  Then I have to go into Canvas and add specific students to specific pages.  I used to have everyone complete the same readings and other tasks, but now this individualized approach has been very effective. 

Will this work in all courses or trainings?   It depends.

If you are teaching skills, you can  pre-assess students to determine  their skills.  You can pre-assess to identify content knowledge as well.  If you are dealing with 40 learners in a training or course, you might have to break the pre-assessment down into chunks, or group learners another way.

Knowing your audience will allow you to create the best online learning experience possible!

References

Knowles, M. (1984). Andragogy in Action. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Pappas, C. (2014).  Six key questions to effectively analyze your e-learning course audiences. Retrieved from: https://elearningindustry.com/6-key-questions-to-effectively-analyze-your-elearning-course-audiences

The Principles of Adult Learning: How to Apply Them to E-Learning. (n.d.). Retrieved http://articulate-heroes-authoring.s3.amazonaws.com/Nicole/Demos/Rise/principles-adult-learning/principles-2/content/index.html#/list/uIlebJ49Ii6bXjORgrIJGiHFTWnBHkCR?_k=ww98vk

Why I close-caption my videos

I spend a lot of time making videos for my fully online graduate level courses....a LOT of time.... While I may spend 5 minutes in recording (assuming I only need one take of the video and not several), that five minutes turns into an additional hour for editing the video, more time for adding annotations and special effects to make the video for interactive and engaging...THEN I close caption...every...single...video.... A five-minute video, then, may really take me several hours to make it ready for viewing.

As I was close captioning a video for an upcoming course, it occured to me that not everyone may be familiar with the process or understand why we NEED to close caption.
 

What is close captioning?

Closed captioning displays text on a television, video screen, or other visual display to provide additional  information for the viewer.

Close captioning is NOT the same as subtitling. Basically, subtitles assume an audience can hear the audio, but need the dialogue provided in text form as well. Meanwhile, closed captioning assumes an audience cannot hear the audio and needs a text description of what they would otherwise be hearing. 

Why should we close caption every video?

Erroneously, we often tend to think of close captioning as only for the hearing challenged...a way to make sure we are 508 compliant.

But...this is not the only reason to close caption our videos.

We learn in a variety of ways - by seeing, hearing, and touching....   And close captioning allows learners who hear without any difficulty to have another way to reinforce learning by reading and seeing while they are hearing.  

Another reason for close captioning includes viewing environment. Adults are not always in the privacy of their homes when they are are viewing a video, but may be in a public place.  Close captioning your video allows them to watch your video wherever they may be. They do not need to wait until they reach home and locate their headset. Instead, they can watch a video at their convenience because you have close-captioned it.

What about hose learners who may have an undiagnosed hearing loss? Some of us may not even realize we have a partial loss of hearing...or may not want to admit it. Using close-captioning can help those adults better follow the video.


Although we try to produce a video where we have clearly enunciated each word and without distracting background noises, unless we have a specially designed recording room with expensive microphones and sound proofing, we may well have some audio  issues that may not bother us, but could be problematic for others.  Close-captioning can negate those issues.

This is not only true for educational videos but for training videos or work-related videos. Viewers may be in a cubicle without a headset, there may be a lot of ambient noise that impacts hearing a video, or the employees may not be aware of hearing issues.Close-captioning training just makes sense in a workplace setting.

Personally, I have a difficult time finding a comfortable headset, one that doesn't hurt my ears.... and I have no hearing problems.  I often tend to use close captioning to save my ears when viewing someone else's video.

Transcription 

Providing a transcript can also be beneficial for your viewers, but should not take the place of the close-captioning which appears on the screen at the exact point of content in a slide.  A transcript does provide a great review.


Tools for thought


I use Camtasia to record videos and close caption during the editing process...but youtube also can assist with close captioning... as can most of the video recording software. Check with I.T. at your organization to see what tools they provide.  If they do not provide any tools, then familiarize yourself with what is available.



Think of close captioning as being respectful to our adult learners who learn in a variety of manners and in a variety of locations....NOT as only a matter of 508 compliance.

Why Partner?

Why should HIED and business /non-profit organizations partner to create micro-credentialing opportunities?

I suppose my response is Why not?

The previous blog post explored the use of micro-credentials along with the research supporting them and the benefits for employees, employers, and HIED organizations. Employees receive targeted training that provides them with a specific skill set to help them sucedd on the job.  Employers, in return, get better trained employees.

Sounds perfect!

The reality is, however, that few businesses and non profits possess the instructional design staff necessary to  design quality engaging micro-credentialing training for their employees.

Why not, then, consider partnering with a higher education institution to provide such training?

1, Universities understand adult learners.

This is what universities do. They work with a variety of student populations, and those with graduate-level programming  understand the unique needs of the adult learner who is trying to balance workplace commitments, family commitments, community commitments, and educational commitments.

Adult learners have different motivations behind their learning and different educational needs.  Universities have experience in meeting those needs and in designing learning experiences that cater to this group.

2, Instructional designers are trained in designing quality online learning experiences.

Face-to-face training has its place: so does online training.

The increase in online instruction in universities has necessitated their having faculty and staff who are trained as instructional designers able to provide quality online learning experiences.

Instructional Designers are education professionals whose job is to identify the performance, skills, knowledge, information, and attitude gaps of a targeted audience and create, select and/or suggest learning experiences to fill this gap.

This is not the same as dumping content into PowerPoint slides or pasting text to read: instructional designers do far more than that.   If this is all your organization needs, then you do not need an instructional designer or a university.

An instructional designer knows how people learn and how  to design engaging learning activities to connect the organization's training to the necessary real life skills..

Trained in best practices in online delivery, an instructional designer can help change employee behavior as a result of training, along with designing engaging ways of delivering content and assessing employee mastery of the content.

Instructional designers often consult with subject matter experts (SMEs), either on-campus or off, depending on the content they are trying to deliver.

3. Businesses and non-profits can work with universities to serve as subject-matter experts.

SMEs play a critical role in the instructional design process. The SME is an expert in a particular content area, often with either an advanced degree in this subject or work experience in the field. 

The first step in designing a new training  starts with the instructional designer who performs a training needs analysis to identify skills, behaviors, and knowledge gaps in the organization. This helps them identify which training courses  - or micro-credentials - need to be developed, and what the learning objectives will be.

The very next step, though, involves the SME. The SME (or a group of them) is responsible for mapping a path backward from the training goal to the training content. They’ll work with the instructional designer and decide on the best ways to achieve the required learning, such as which activities are best suited to each objective,.

In the case of micro-credentialing, this would be the time to identify clusters of skills and content needed, along with a hierarchy. Allowing the instructional designer to work with SMEs from the university as well as organization could help to provide a better quality online training. .

What should an organization look for in choosing a higher education partner?

Organizations might want to consider higher education institutions who have already designed micro credentials, whether for their own use or for other galvanization.  This insures they already understand the actual practice of micro-credential designs so their instructional designer can better assist your SMEs in content determination.

Because micro credentials are small chunks of content designed as performance based assessment, the instructional designer will need to already know how to take the SME material and break it down according to micro-credentialing best practices.

There also needs to be some sort of hosting system for the training, perhaps using the institution's Learning Management System or LMS. This will insure any proprietary content will not not be available to the entire internet while affording employees some manner of confidentiality as they progress through their training. An LMS is also likely to be more user-friendly for the employee to navigate simply due to design.

Finding someone local is not a necessity with the increased availability of video conferences for meetings with the SMEs, but accessibility to the instructional designers and to the LMS will be vital.

Including SMEs who work in education can greatly enhance the design process as they likely understand both content and instructional design..  For example, if an organization wanted to create a series of micro-credentials in conflict management training, then having access to a university  employee with conflict management training to assist the organization's SME could streamline the process.

Next steps

Investing in one's employees can provide organizations with a better workforce, one that is engaged and wants to produce.  Consider providing micro-credentialing training by partnering with an institution in higher education.

This can be a win-win for all!

Thinking about micro-credentialing

Yes, I am still gamifying courses (more on that in a later post), but now I am intrigued by the idea of micro-credentialing...and how we might utilize them in a higher education setting.

What are micro-credentials?

Micro-credentials are a competency-based digital form of certification that can be issued for formal and informal professional learning experiences. They prove competence in one specific skill at a time, via a portfolio of evidence, created through worksite and, in this case, online training practice. This evidence - these digital badges - can be shared with supervisors and prospective employers, serving to document specific skills central to their jobs. 

Think of micro-credentials as mini-qualifications that demonstrate skills, knowledge, and/or experience in a given subject area or capability. Sometimes known as nano-degrees, micro-credentials tend to be narrower in range than traditional qualifications such as diplomas or degrees. However, they can also be broad in focus rather than specific. For example, institutions can offer a micro-credential for something as broad as Fundraising  while offering a another micro-credential focusing specifically on how to empower others in the workplace.

The increasing interest in micro-credentialing is, in part, due the need for workplaces to remain competitive by ensuring employees continue to develop new capabilities. Micro-credentialing provides a way to map employee career paths and quantify any types of skill.


Earning a micro-credential can involve completing activities, assessments, and projects, with the employee earning a digital certificate or badge as evidence of attaining this new credential. The micro-credential could be a "one-off" qualification, or it could be part of an employer-mandated training pathway leading to a final overall qualification for the employee.

Think "professional development." 

Think "chunking" of information. 

Think developing "skill sets." 

Think "degree alternative."

Think self-paced.

Think student-centered.

Think flexibility.

Think cost-effective.

.....all of those items that appeal to adult learners who want training and education in areas to help them advance in their job, but not necessarily a degree.

So what? Why should we consider offering them? 

I have long been a fan of online instruction- good online instruction, that is.  I can be a fan of micro- credentialing, if it can be structured following best practices of online instruction and if it can truly be performance-based.... and if it can be supported by the research.

Research suggests that micro-credentialing can be a viable option for adult learners.

Let's start with "digital form of certification," aka badges,

Badges and motivation

A badge from our MSOTID practicum course

Digital badges have been connected with instructional design as a form of motivation and engagement. As a component of game mechanics (Kim, 2015; Robson, et al., 2015), badges serve several purposes.

Possibly the most obvious function of badges is as a  aa goal-setting device: goals keep us focused on what we need to achieve, and badges challenge us - i.e., give us the extra motivation  - to complete the action.  Goal-setting is most effective when learners can see their progress toward the goal.

Research suggests setting goals helps motivate us to achieve them, and, in fact, it is often thought that the fun and interest of goal-seeking is the reward, rather than the earned badge.

I would think, then, that earning a badge - in this instance a digital certificate - a competency-based digital form of certification  that proves learners have specific skill would serve as a motivating factor.

From badges to micro-credentials

Badges, while more often associated with gaming, have also been used in micro-credentialing.

Initially micro-credentials were merely digital badges that were first established in online forums and other social media platforms as a way to differentiate average users from advanced users (Wu, Whiteley, & Sass, 2015). However, their purpose has moved beyond demonstrating differences among users into a method of demonstrating skills and abilities thus becoming micro-credentials. This evolution of micro-credentialing now provides learners with the ability to engage in a performance-based assessment that is a less expensive and faster method than acquiring a traditional degree (Fong, Janzow, & Peck, 2016; Wu, Whiteley, & Sass, 2015). 

Example of a Law & Ethics in Instructional Design Badge

Today micro-credentials are represented by icons or graphics that serve as badges to indicate a learner has successfully completed the learning experience in an accredited institution (Kerver & Riksen, 2016). The badges are created through metadata (Gamrat, et al., 2014). Metadata is data connecting to other data; it is “descriptive markers placed in a stream of data, which informs a machine about contents” (Gibson et al., 2015, p. 407). The metadata is embedded with relationships between the issuer, standards, activities, artifacts created, experiences, and quality of evidence (Gamart et al., 2014; Gibson et al., 2015). As micro-credentials are successfully completed, based on the metadata, learners can earn a digital badge and move to the next chosen badge.

What's in this for employees and their employers?

Micro-credentials offer numerous benefits for both employees and employers.

 
When well-designed, micro-credentials can be flexible, portable, and cost-effective for the employee, Often available for much less of a financial investment than a full degree, micro-credentials can allow employees to pick and choose  among possible skill sets, and, when done so in conjunction with their supervisor, micro-credential attainment could be directly connected to an employee performance plan.

Micro-credentials offer employees the chance to focus on one single area, personalizing their professional development training.  Clusters of micro-credentials  could assist employees in meeting  their career goals and responsibilities.

Allowing employees to "show what they know" is a strong alternative to reviewing transcripts and generic coursework that may not be as current as is necessary in the business world.

Micro-credentials could help to boost employee engagement and support an employer in accurately tracking employee  development. The digital certification aspect of these credentials would allow employers to truly ascertain what skills their employees have gained.

 What's in this for HIED?

Higher education institutions have started to view micro-credentials as not only an effective learning tool but also as a way to increase revenue by providing an array of cost-effective learning experiences to adult learners who are seeking additional skills.


Perdue University and Carnegie Mellon University recognize the benefits of offering micro-credentials and have created opportunities for adult learners to earn micro-credentials (Hurst, 2015). HIED that offer micro-credentials reported that micro-credentials are responsible for 81% of their unit or enrolled user revenue (Fong, Janzow, & Peck, 2016). Also, 97% of a baccalaureate college’s unit revenue comes from micro-credential course offerings which are “significantly higher than doctorate-granting universities (75%), master’s colleges or universities (77%), and community colleges (86%)” (Fong, Janzow, & Peck, 2016, p. 7).

HIED and Employers? As Partners?

While some organizations are large enough to house employees in-house with the necessary skills to  design such trainings, not all businesses and non-profits may be able to do so. They might want to consider  looking outside of their organization for such expertise.


What if....businesses and non-profits could partner with an HIED to develop personalized training?

Up next..... Why Organizations should partner with HIED in micro-credential design

References

Fong, J., Janzow, P., & Peck, K. (2016). Demographic shifts in educational demand and the rise of
alternative credentials [PDF Pearson Education and UPCEA]. Retrieved from http://upcea.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Demographic-Shifts-in-Educational-Demand-and-the-Rise-of-Alternative-Credentials.pdf

Gamrat, C., Zimmerman, H. T., Dudek, J., & Peck, K. (2014). Personalized workplace learning: An exploratory study on digital badging within a teacher professional development program. British journal of Educational Technology, 45(6), 1136-1148.

Gibson, D., Ostashewski, N., Flintoff, K., Grant, S., & Knight, E. (2015). Digital badges in  educatiion, Education and Information Technologies, 20(2), 403-410.

Hurst, E. J. (2015). Digital badges: Beyond learning incentives. Journal of Electronic Resources in Medical Libraries, 12(3), 182-189.

Kerver, B. & Riksen, D. (2016). Whitepaper on open badges and micro-credentials [PDF document]. Retrieved from https://www.surf.nl/binaries/content/assets/surf/en/ knowledgebase/2016/whitepaper-on-open-badges-en-micro-credentials.pdf 

Kim, B. (2015). Designing gamification in the right way. Library Technology Reports 51(2), 29-35. 

Robson, K., Plangger, K., Kietzmann, J. H., McCarthy, I., & Pitt, P. (2015). Is it all a game? Understanding the principles of gamification. Business Horizons, 58, 411-420.

Wu, M., Whiteley, D., & Sass, M. (2015). From girl scout to grown up: Emerging applications of
digital badges in higher education. The Online Journal of Distance Education and E-learning, 3(2), 48-52.

Gamifying a course, phase 11: Game Over

Tasks are submitted and graded, badges collected, job interviews completed, and life at Mountain View Community College is on hold now until January 2019.

Time to reflect and regroup.

Technology, Gaming, and You

Students completed an in-course assessment exploring their experience with games, technology, and their attitudes toward learning.

Student age ranged from 36 to 57, with a mean age of 47. All were employed full time, and they reported having regular access to a computer both at home and in their office. They accessed Canvas through both their computers and their smartphones. They did not report a history of game play, either on their cell phones or through their computers, with the exception of "a little Candy Crush."Although one student was familiar with virtual worlds such as Second Life or Mindcraft, the others were not.

They were familiar with more traditional games such as crossword puzzles, word searches, Jeopardy,

Tetris, board games, chess, checkers, Scrabble, jigsaw puzzles, and video games

They reported feeling strongly connected to one another and felt supported in this course, appreciating timely feedback.

Other Tidbits

All students earned all badges, spending anywhere between 55 and  60  hours in Canvas. (NOTE: I logged 326 hours to create, tweak, grade, and problem-solve in this course, so we all spent  a lot of time in Canvas. Interesting to note, students in other courses sent far more time in Canvas that same semester, ranging from 29 hours to 133, with  mean of  75.3 hours.)

All submissions were on time (all 57 of them!) as compared to a more traditional online course with 18 submissions, where 75% of students had at least one late submission.

The final project at Mountain View Community College  was a one-hour interview for their dream job....with their interview responses integrating what they had learned throughout their time as  visiting staff member. Students seemed to enjoy this type of final project (I know that I did) as a change from a written submission...but they did have to think fast on their feet in their interview responses.

Students also participated in a final forum where they identified three pieces of new information and why they this information was important to them....one last chance for them to reflect together and to explore course learning.

 For Further Reflection... and MVCC 2.1

Mobile access.  MVCC 1.0 was not designed for mobile use, but for PC access. I was not deliberately omitting that group, I simply did not design the course to be mobile friendly. The next iteration, then, will need to become mobile friendly...which means I need to become Canvas mobile app savvy.

Motivation.  These students were highly motivated and well matched spending equal mounts of time within Canvas, then branching out on their own to work on MVCC tasks. I am unable to determine however, whether this is connected to the gamified design, a strong sense of classroom community,  or to personal attitudes and behaviors. They all "strongly agreed"  with statements such as, "It  is important to me to be a good student," "I expect to work at studying in college," "I am committed to being an active participant in my college studies," "I find learning to be fulfilling, " "I allow sufficient time for studying," and "I feel really motivated to be successful in my college career." The connection between gamifying a course and motivation needs further exploration, so I plan to increase class size the next time this course is offered.

Pacing. This course required a lot of work on the students' parts, so I tried to be mindful of their time and build in some breathing spaces where they could work on their Experiences Paper and Video...but I evidently did not do a good job of explaining that to students as several remarked about uneven  pacing.  I will definitely look into this to see what I can do to improve pacing in MVCC 2.1.

Student interaction and sharing. The quality of the work I was reading was so good that I wanted them to share it with one another to increase opportunities for learning.  To do that, however, means requiring an additional assignment where they post and  share.  While useful in theory as a learning task, do I really want to increase the number of required tasks?  After all, they had 57 submissions in  the 15-week course. Perhaps I could add one final forum where they share an item they created during the semester, an item that makes them the most proud.

Experiences paper/video.  In this assignment students interviewed a faculty member teaching in  a transfer course,  a vocational-technical faculty member, and a staff member, shadowing all three and comparing and contrasting their experiences in working with students. Each student said they learned  a lot from this assignment and to be sure to include it....but next time I want to do  better job of integrating it within the specific modules.  I thought I did so this time, but I am sure this could always be done better. While the video quality was good, it was not as creative as I had hoped, so I want to delve into that area a little more.

Module design.  Module design is still little clunky to me and clutters up Canvas for the student.  Lacking the ability to create a module-within -a module  is somewhat problematic when trying to give students assignment choices and connect them to the gradebook and/or provide badges based on specific tasks, but I believe I have figured out a work around (playing with it this summer).  If it works as planned, I will log about this later.
 
I have truly enjoyed this journey into gamifying a class...and have already started gamifying another course for the upcoming fall and will begin tweaking MVCC 2.1 later this summer.

Game on!

Gamifying a course, phase 10: Student voices

Mid-semester and assessment time...

What do students think of this gamified course?

Just because I spent hours in planning, creating content, and designing does not mean it is a worthwhile learning experience for the students. In some instances I can even make a few mid-course corrections.

I needed input...and input now while students are immersed in the gamified content, not after the course is over (although I have a post assessment already designed, but more on that later).

What is working?  What isn't?  What do THEY think about this experience?

I created a google form to find out.

Here it is:



Fortunately, this is a small class which allows me to move quickly in responding to issues and making adjustments.  Unfortunately, this is a small class which means I do not have the luxury of a lot of feedback and voices...but I did learn quite a bit from this mid-point assessment.

Badges are good.

Students seem to like the badges.  One student responded,

I have to admit, when the little 'earned' thing pops up, I have a moment of happy! While I am not a "gamer" (I may be the ONLY person alive who has never played a computer game!), it adds a bit of fun to the completion of a module! I can't say that earning these badges motivates me, but it does serve to give me a feeling of confidence that I have completed all of the assignments in a given module. That sense of closure is reassuring, as I maneuver through the course!

 I like happy.  I can deal with that in a fully online class.

Another student offered the following:

I think that badges are really important in courses using gamification. For me, badges help me measure my progress and success in the course. They also keep me motivated to progress toward completion of a task or activity.

Badges may not motivate everyone. One student reported badges are "(k)ind of fun but not really a motivator for me. I am 100% intrinsically motivated!"

This group of students likes choices.

Overall, students enjoyed the opportunity to select an assignment that appealed to them. Most of them prefer 3 or 4 choices while one student opted for more choices.

During some "stops,"  students had, as one option, the opportunity to create their own task.  At this point no one had chosen that option so I asked for input as to whether or not to leave that in as an option. Their responses were interesting:

I haven't chosen this option just because I didn't feel I had the time to decide and then get the OK to go ahead. 

I love the opportunity to have four choices; the fact that I have not chosen to create one is only because the other choices were appealing and gave me a parameter to start from. I like the idea that if I have something that fits the overall goal but is not a stated choice that I could say to you, "Hey! How about THIS for my project?"

While I have not "created-my-own" activity, I think it could be structured as the only task in that category. Within the task of "Create-Your-Own", there could be some suggestions that students can pick from. While it is essentially the same as what is there now, instead of having 4 grade book blanks there could only be one... but still have a choice. 

Great food for thought!

Students appreciated having a pre-assessment determine their reading assignments.

 I am already considering one tweak based on these responses: 

I like the idea. I would just like to see my pre assessment again at this point for reference but it vanished. 

I enjoyed doing the pre-assessment (there were questions in there that had me completely flummoxed...such as the tribal college). Additionally, it gave me a sense of accomplishment when I would see that my experiences or knowledge "allowed" me to skip over readings. I generally looked at them, but there was an emotional "whew" at times that I appreciated!

I really like the pre-assessment. I felt like you were able to gauge some of what I already knew and I was able to focus on others where I could improve or learn more about. 

Students have mixed views regarding possible changes to organizing modules.

I toyed with the idea of making modules worth a specific set number of points and requiring everyone to do the reading and forum, then choose a combination of tasks to equal, say, 300 points. Those 300 points could be earned through one task or several in combination. I really liked this idea but could not figure out a way to do this in Canvas without it being cumbersome, but I thought I would ask the students for their thoughts...with some interesting results:

One student responded with a resounding, "That would just confuse me!"

Other responses were as follows:

Because you build these modules in such a way that they are clear and I am always able to understand what is required, I would say that creating a module that allows us to earn points in multiple ways would work...but only because you build them well. I like choices, and I feel that you give us a variety of options already!  

I like the idea of modules being worth a specific set of points and the student have options and choices to get to those points. That way a student can skip certain assignments that they feel comfortable with and work on assignments they feel they could learn more about a specific topic within a module. I think if this were an option, there would need to be lots of different opportunities within the modules so that they could complete assignments that will benefit them in their careers and where they need improvement.

 Hmmmmm... for right now, I will leave these modules pretty much as they are designed...at least I will table the idea of points per module coming from a variety of tasks...

The use VOKIs evoked (LOL) mixed responses.

Students either liked the VOKI and were considering using them in their own training... or they found them confusing at first.

When I asked for more open-ended input regarding the use of VOKI in general, the responses were more informative:

I don't mind them but I am not a huge learn by video person in general so they just seem like extra to me.  

I can't honestly say that they add or detract; I think that the concept of the tour guides through the campus was clever, but I can't imagine the work that went into creating all of these.

I like the different characters going through the different aspects of the community college. This is because in a community college, there are a lot of different faculty and staff members that we would meet as we start a job and it is more like what would happen when going to a new place to work. 

Interestingly enough, I provided transcripts for the VOKI that delivered content, thinking that some students may prefer to just read rather than listen and watch a VOKI. The transcripts seemed to not matter...perhaps I need to ask specifically as to whether or not they reviewed the transcripts and their preference. I create transcripts to create the VOKIs, so providing one is not any more time consuming as it is merely a link.

Again... much for me to ponder  . . . I need more information and to do more research regarding the use of VOKI...and gather more student input.

Students have great suggestions.

 I love suggestions!  I asked students  

What changes should I consider?  What should stay the same? Are there other topics that should be included? Omitted?

 And they responded as follows:

The only thing that I would like to have done at the beginning was to give a brief "bio" in the first post...although I feel I'm coming to know [the other students] a little better with each discussion module, I think it would be great if we were asked to give a short synopsis of ourselves so that we have a better understanding of who we are.

I think this is a great course and it is designed really well. The only thing that seems disconnected from the overall gamified course is the paper. Even though I know it is connected, I feel like it is almost a separate aspect of the course. Otherwise, I love the course and really feel like I have gained a lot out of it so far. 

I feel like two forums and an assignment are a lot of work for a week! 

I had already redesigned the course to address the last comment before they completed the assessment. I had one stop with two forums and an assignment, decided that was too much, and quickly reworked upcoming modules to avoid that pitfall.

 As to the bio.... I returned to their first forum which was part of attending their Staff Social where they were to meet one another (which seemed like years ago):

I like this task because it forces student to reflect and begin to integrate technology.  What I could d is make this a video post s they can see each other, they can identify their music and do that portion while presenting a brief bio... I need to think through this more and decide how married I am to the music post, but this is certainly worth considering. I love new ideas!

As to the Experiences Paper - I am unsure about that assignment as well. Earlier tasks allowed them to perform the various interviews to complete other tasks as we, reinforcing the idea of planning ahead and "working smart," but no one selected those tasks.Usually this course has a balance of community college staff and faculty, and they tend to be very "siloed" to the point of not really knowing the college from another group's viewpoint. This time I only had faculty members.  This paper is not due for another month so I will re-assess after they have completed that work and submitted it.... but a removal or tweaking of the assignment is certainly a possibility for Mountain View Community College, version 2.1.


Great feedback which I will definitely consider!

On to...Game Over. . . .

Gamifying a course, phase 9: Level up!

Level up!

Words to warm every gamer's heart.

What does the phrase mean, though?

Games have different types of levels. 

One type of level is mission-based where players progress from one level to the next as they move toward the end of the game.

Another type of level relates to the degree of difficulty  a player chooses when entering a game.

A third type is the level of experience and skills the player receives while playing the game.

Normally all three types of levels occur simultaneously as a player moves through a game. Players  complete a task and earn points.  Points lead to badges and placement on a leaderboard. Badges can represent levels of knowledge and skills gained, and leaderboards allow players to compare their standings in the game to others. A specific number of of points are usually accrued to change levels. 

OK, but why use levels?

In game design, levels help designers direct a player through the game, assisting the player in learning how to play the game and acquire the necessary skills to be successful in the game. In each level, the player accomplishes a small set of goals and when completed, moves to the next level. A well-designed progression of levels serves three purposes:

1. Each level helps the game's narrative - or story line - progress. As the player moves to a new level, new information unfolds, and that information is necessary for the player to move to the next level. Unfolding the information a little at a time leads to player buy-in, player engagement, as the narrative - or story line - unfolds at each level.
2. Players build and reinforce skills at each level. At the beginning of a game, players are taught how to navigate the game and what is important.  Although they typically learn one skill at  time,  players may progress through  practice levels where no new skills are added.
3. As players progress through levels, and the levels become more difficult, players are required to remember and use more of the skills they had learned earlier....just to advance. They may have to perform these skills more quickly or under greater pressure...and by the end of the game players are applying multiple skills learned from previous levels  in combination to win the game.

 Levels are not new to education.

Come on - as you read the previous section, if you have ever taught before, you were probably checking each item off in your head..yep...I do that....

Educators currently call this scaffolding....but it is similar to the use of levels:  We give students the basic skills they need to succeed in a course and provide them the opportunity to practice them until students demonstrate achievement. In some instances we have to break down a skill or topics into a series of smaller skills or topics, but these are all similar to students "leveling up."

Isn't that what graduation is?

Using levels in a gamified course is really very easy if the narrative is strong. 

Remember, the level relates to the narrative and needs to assist in the unfolding of the story to help motivate the players to continue to progress. The type of narrative depends on the audience, i.e, the learners. Designing a narrative of interest to the entire class is sometimes tricky as the designer considers previous backgrounds, age, motivation, and, well, the learner's needs! With adults, I tend to lean toward a work-based narrative, thinking they might feel a more practical approach is useful or more engaging than participating in wizarding challenges where different wizards use a different style of leadership in their battles. Hmmmm...some days THAT seems pretty realistic...

I digress....

So... the narrative needs to intertwine with the levels, and the levels need to help learners engage with the narrative...and the course.

What does integrating all three purposes of levels look like in a gamified course?

In this course, students had to complete some modules in a specific order to learn a skill set or knowledge set necessary to progress to the next level or piece of content. This means some modules had to be completed to unlock other modules.  Unlike in many games with a prescribed order of progression, I had specific pieces of information that needed to completed before specific modules, but as long as the skill set/knowledge set existed, the order of completion of the next few modules (or "stops" in this course) was not crucial. After all, I work with adult students, and adults need a little freedom to choose. Canvas made this easy to accomplish by allowing me to set module prerequisites and requirements of completion. Students could see an upcoming  module, but it was grayed out with the notice that it had a prerequisite. 

 Earlier tasks required more basic skill sets for completion and were worth fewer points.

Also key to developing the basic skills to navigate the course was the Virtual Coffees with me as I required to students to navigate the course with a me "peeking over their shoulder" through screensharing during a video conference. This way I could see what was giving them trouble and direct them in their navigating the course. the Virtual Coffee also allowed me to be understand how students viewed the course, giving me their valuable input.  For example, when a student logged in and I realized a VOKI played automatically and she had it turn it off before proceeding, I immediately made that fix as soon as our coffee was over.

Every "stop" along their tour (module) afforded students the opportunity to earn a badge (a level of sorts), and for FERPA reasons, I removed the leaderboard option.

The very act of accruing points and earning grades provides levels, and I created this grading scheme  (see left) in Canvas. As in games where levels come with names or titles, I wanted to emulate that in this gamified course, so I used such titles as Rising Star, Networking Specialist,  Adventurer, Explorer, and Apprentice to represents grade percentages of  B- through A.

In the actual course, students earned XP, however, with the total possible points available of 7,660 XP. When students select their view in grades they see the screen to the right.  Notice that this student is just less than halfway through the course as shown in points (actually in week 6 of a 15-week course). Notice that students have to toggle off the Calculate based only on graded assignments section to see their points earned and their current level...in this case the You can do this! level.

So far, all is well, and students are progressing and appear to be enjoying the course design, but they will have several opportunities to provide input on both their view of gamification in general and this course specifically.

Stay tuned! Next stop is to hear from the students themselves....