Facilitating the Understand Step - Lessons Learned

Briefly describe/review how you decided to apply and use the Understand step in the project you selected. Include how you used diagnostic model and what challenges you experienced.

I completed the Understand guide based on the content in the eLearning Facilitation Certification Workshop. I also created the diagnostic model based on this content. I did not experience any challenges in this process.

Next, explain the "lessons learned" you have gained from conducting the Understanding step. This might include insights about your project or the facilitation process of working with others. Be sure to describe the role you played as the architect and facilitator during the Understand step.

I learned that the Understand guide is very helpful when conducting interviews with others. The questions are very directed and it really lends itself well to the creation of the diagnostic model. When I conducted my interview, I noticed that my "client" would go into further detail about what they viewed on the model. This led me to realize that the modules needed a checklist to further explain what the learners are required to do.

Creating Diagnostic Models with the Understand Guide

For this assignment, I shared my guide and diagnostic model with a former student of the workshop. They agreed that this guide and model represents the learning environment well.

Design Pattern Swap

I designed patterns from a Presentation Techniques course that I am currently assisting with. The instructor is designing the course to focus on writing, speaking, and delivery skills for a variety of situations. For the online portion, the instructor wants the students to primarily focus on written assignments with some online presentations while the face to face course will focus on live presentations, critique, and group work.

The instructor uses the same layout for each module and class meetings. Each module contains the sub-modules Lesson and Assignments. The live course focuses on presentation skills and feedback. Each pattern is below:

Lesson Sub-Module:

Assignments Sub-Module:

Face to Face Meeting:

Interviewing for Understanding

I met up with a former colleague over lunch and I interviewed her about a memorable learning experience she had. We discussed her experience in a Quality Matters training session. During our interview I filled out the Understand Guide and created a diagnostic model which she confirmed matched her experience.

Creating Diagnostic Models

I completed the Understand Guide and created a diagnostic model of the eLearning Facilitation Certification Workshop. My model covers entirety of the course excluding the Orientation module. Looking at the course from this perspective, I see improvement that can be made but I think we did a good job of incorporating theory and hands on application.

Understand Interview Reflections

I observed an online learning environment in edx titled "Healthy Ageing in 6 Steps: Let your environment do the work".

The course is centered around empowering the learners to consistently make healthier decisions in their daily lives. The content covers a wide range of health topics from environmental influences to ageing in the past.

I shared my story with a colleague. I basically described the course and my experience so far. There is one aspect of the course that I really enjoy in particular. The video lectures were created in a sort of documentary style/60 Minutes segment. To me, this is much more engaging than standard recorded lectures.

There is little to no instructor presence in the course. However, the content delivery is engaging so I really didn't notice the lack of a facilitator. Also, the quizzes are auto graded and built into the lecture.

Discover Datasheet Results Report

My project is the redesign of the elearning facilitation workshop. The plan is to set new objectives for the course and revamp the content to meet those objectives.

Using the Discover Datasheet and conducting the empathy research led me to discover a possible reason behind one of the major issues in the course - the lack of interaction between learners.

Below is my original datasheet and the report that was given to my client.