Portfolio Project

EDUC 765: Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

By: Joni Grove

Submitted 10/15/2015

PROJECT PROPOSAL MODULE 2

Project Title
Webinar Redesign

Sponsoring Organization
Company X
Company X is an immense enterprise crowdsourcing, global content management and
application testing company. The division in question, search relevance testing, improves
clients search functionality. Seek3 is one specific unit in this division whose job is to use a
complex set of criteria to analyze how well ad landing pages satisfy a users search query.
Seek3 judges complete extensive training and are expected to maintain a specific quality level.
Quality is monitored using a set of metrics, such as speed and accuracy, which judges are
expected to meet each week. Judges who do not meet these metrics are flagged and may be
removed from the program. These targets are set by the client and meeting them is critical to
client satisfaction.

Project Description
Poorly trained judges commit labeling errors and bring down the teams average, perhaps even
preventing the team from meeting the clients accuracy goal. In an effort to improve accuracy
and offer support on areas of confusion, a weekly webinar is conducted by the team lead.
During this webinar, the most missed cases throughout the previous week are reviewed. All
Seek3 judges are invited to attend. Unfortunately, this webinar is poorly run, has little
interaction, sets no clear objective, and provides little insight into how to be a better judge.
Recently, the company distributed an email to Seek3 judges inquiring why attendance is so low
for this important webinar. Clearly, training is needed to improve the webinar experience. The
training could include:
How to conduct an effective webinar
How to providing an engaging webinar experience

Aim
Improve the weekly webinar experience by providing an effective, interactive webinar.

Target Audience

Seek3 team lead

Other search functionality team leads

Delivery Options
This instruction will be delivered online due to the global nature of the company.

FRONT-END ANALYSIS: LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS MODULE 3

Instructional Need
In this situation, I would be addressing the second opportunity referenced by Rossett
(1999), in that there is already a performance issue at Company X. Each week, the Seek3
team struggles to meet its performance goal, despite the clarification webinar held each
week. Even though the webinar is supposed to be a tool to offer support and improve
accuracy, it is a poor user experience and provides little actual insight.
I have first-hand experience with the webinars since I am a Seek3 judge. I attend each
week in hopes of having questions answered or issues clarified. However, each week I
leave with just as many questions as I had when the webinar started. The team lead is very
hard to understand and conducts the webinar in her home where there apparently are a
large number of talking parrots. No agenda is provided other than review the most missed
questions. The team lead has a spreadsheet that she uses to go through the most missed
questions each week, yet judges are not allowed to see the spreadsheet for more than a
passing glance. Therefore, we cannot see the feedback that is written on there and must
rely on the lead to relay the information to us. The webinars are supposed to last one hour,
however they usually last close to two due to poor planning, frequent technical issues and
long winding, confusing explanations. Although they are billed as interactive, there is little
actually engagement that occurs as questions are only accepted at the end of the webinar.
Even though an evaluation survey is emailed after each webinar, it appears that none of the
feedback is taken into consideration as nothing changes.
A goal analysis seems like a logical choice for FEA because the problem already exists. In
this situation, a needs assessment would be impractical due to the time and effort needed
to identify something that already exists. A goal analysis would be more practical than a
needs assessment due to the geographic constraints the project faces since Seek3 judges
and other team members live around the world, in a number of different time zones.

Learner Analysis
Primary Audience- Training participation would be mandatory
Seek3 Team Lead
Other search functionality team leads
Secondary Audience- Training participation will be volunjtary
Any personnel at Company X who deliver webinars
General Learner Characteristics- limited without further information
Managerial position at Company X
o Most are former judges who have moved up the company ranks
Well-versed in search functionality guidelines
Based in primarily English speaking countries
Entry Characteristics
Ability to operate a computer, including navigating to specific webpages, logging
into secure areas and using the microphone in the computer
Ability to use Powerpoint or other presentation software to create presentations
Fluent, both written and verbally, in English
Proficient in Seek3 training procedures
Ability to evaluate current metric readings with a view towards corresponding
guidelines
Who is your target audience and what are the learner characteristics and environmental
characteristics that you need to consider?
My target audience is the Seek3 team lead, who conducts the webinar, and other search
functionality team leads. From personal experience, I know some general information about the
Seek3 team lead in that she is a middle-age female from South Africa who has an advanced
degree in Marketing and has worked at Company X for over 10 years. I also know that several
of the other team leads are females with advanced degrees who have been at Company X for
several years. Most of the team leads were once judges who have moved up through the
Company to the management position.
In addition to the unknown personal characteristics, I would also need to determine more about
learner attitudes and motivation before proceeding in the analysis. Since the initial need was
derived from a poor webinar experience, I need to examine the team leads attitude towards both
her current position and the specific task of conducting the weekly webinar. Perhaps her
performance is poor because she resents the time the webinar takes to prepare or she feels
undervalued. These factors could impact her motivation towards creating a quality webinar.
Maybe she is unaware that the webinar is awful. This information could be obtained from the
interview with the team lead that was conducted as part of the performance analysis.

Learning styles will not be assessed for this training as the available methods for delivering
instruction, due to the global target audience, are limited.

Contextual Analysis
Orienting Context
[What goals do the learners have for taking or attending this course or instruction?]
o The primary goal will be to attain skills necessary to deliver an effective
webinar which hopefully will improve their teams quality metrics.
[What is the learners perceived utility of the instruction?]
o Team leads may feel that they are already giving a quality webinar and this
instruction is pointless. However, it is possible that the team leads view the
instruction as helpful if they dont feel particularly well-prepared to lead
webinars in the first place.
[What is the learners perception of accountability?]
o Team leads will be evaluated by judges after each subsequent webinar. They
will be expected to use this feedback to modify their subsequent webinars
accordingly.
[What are the learners potential misconceptions towards the subject of the
instruction?]
o Team leads may also feel somewhat threatened by the training in that
Company X rarely provides trainings unless something is wrong or not
working correctly; ergo, the webinars must not be going great since a
training is deemed necessary.
Instructional Context
Given that all training is delivered online, issues such as temperature, lighting,
seating and transportation are not an issue as participants can access the training
when and where they prefer. Also, since judges and team leads are required to
have specific technical equipment to perform their jobs, no equipment analysis is
necessary.
However, in an effort to simulate an interactive webinar, it is imperative that as
many team leads, especially the team lead for Seek3, attends the training live.
Therefore, scheduling may be difficult. For those that cannot attend live, an
asynchronous version will be available. In addition, to ensure optimal listening and
participation, attention must be paid to ensure that the space where the training is
being recorded is appropriate for sound recordings (i.e. No live animals disturbing
the webinar).
Accommodations- Training will have to have transcripts available and special
attention to the text and graphics will have to be paid to ensure they are compatible
for people with disabilities.

Transfer Context
[Transferability and Opportunities for Using Learned Information]
o Team leads will have weekly opportunities to use the learned information in
their weekly webinars. Ideally, an improved webinar experience, which is
the aim of the training, will have a positive result on the overall teams
quality metrics.
[Support]
o Team leads should have support for management to continue to improve
their performances as this may be tied directly to the teams quality metrics.
However, it is important that the team leads feel they are given adequate
time to prepare for the webinars and to administer the accountability
measures in place for judges as part of the webinars.

INSTRUCTIONAL IMPACT BASED UPON LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS

Application of Learning Theories
One of the biggest problems with the current webinar is that it is unorganized, the instructor is
always unprepared and time is horribly managed. These issues all connect to either Knowles
andragogical assumptions and/or generalizations (Knowles, 1980 and Knowles, Holton, &
Swanson, 2005). Adults are ready to learn and dislike having their time wasted on unnecessary
trainings. They want to know how the training is relevant to their jobs (Knowles, 1980). A
preset, clear agenda with objectives for the webinar will detail how the training applies to their
positions and detail the relevance to their jobs. In addition, the webinar training will, hopefully,
directly impact their job performance. Also, since the training will be asynchronous, it will
relate to an adults desire to be independent and in control of their learning (Knowles, 1980).
I would also like to use Gagne conditions of learning as a basis for the instruction. I think his
method of scaffolding the instruction is very effective in designing an informative yet engaging
training. Since one of the objectives is to create an interactive component to the webinar, I
would like to focus on creating practice data sets based on the material covered in that weeks
webinar. This would make the webinar more relevant and also address steps 6-9 on Gagne
conditions (Gagne, Briggs & Wager, 1992).
Since this is a reoccurring webinar, I would also like to use the Experiential Learning
Theory which suggests that learning is a cyclical process that occurs when individuals
interact with their environments. Throughout the cycle, learners construct knowledge
using observation, forming hypothesizes and testing these theories and revising
accordingly. (Kolb, 1984). After the instruction on how to conduct an effective webinar,
the team leads will reflect on what is currently working in their webinars and what might
need to change based on the training. They can then construct their own theories on how
to fix the issues and test these in the next webinar. The survey data from the webinar
participants can serve as data for the next set of observations for the team leads and thus
the cycle begins again.

Application of Motivational Theories

It is critical for team leads to be motivated to improve their performance in the webinars.
In order to ensure they are motivated and keep them motivated throughout the training, I
would use Kellers ARCS model- Attention, Relevance, Confidence and Success (Keller,
1983). I would gain their attention by modeling an interactive webinar and ensuring they
understand why delivering an effective webinar is important. Then, I would highlight all
the things that are currently going great in the webinar programs, making sure to connect
with their previous experience. I would continue modeling what an effective webinar looks
like. Confidence would be built by providing clear objectives and frequent opportunities
for questions and reflection. Finally, by incorporating polls and practice sets into the
training, I would give learners an opportunity for success and immediate application.

Impact of a Diverse Audience on Instruction

The Seek3 team is compiled of employees in major English speaking markets: US, Europe, Asia
and Australia/New Zealand. Given the global nature of the team, a synchronous training is
difficult to schedule. Given the number of languages spoken on the Seek3 team, it would not be
feasible to offer the training in each persons native language, especially since they must speak
English as a job requirement. However, since so many different cultures are present on the team,
special attention will need to be paid to the language used in the training to avoid figurative
language and other cultural slang or colloquialisms. Also, since one of the objectives is to create
an interactive webinar, training must account for the fact that some cultures are more reticent
about speaking to authority figures and may be uncomfortable speaking up during the webinar.
One possible solution would be judges would be required to email one question throughout the
week to the team lead to ensure their voice is heard. This would be especially useful for judges
unable to attend the webinar due to time differences. Another useful tool would be for the team
lead to distribute the agenda for the webinar, including objectives and topics to be discussed,
prior to the webinar so that participants could brainstorm questions or comments they may have
relating to the agenda ahead of time.

TASK/GOAL/PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS MODULE 5

Goal Analysis- Conducted in the style outlined in Magers Goal Analysis book
Step One: Write down the goal.
Team leads are able to conduct informative, interactive, and relevant webinars.
Step Two: Jot down, in words and phrases, the performances that, if achieved, would cause you
to agree the goal is achieved.
I used the evaluation survey that is provided after the webinars as a starting point for my goal
analysis. Then I thought of additional items that would be necessary to meet the aim.
After taking this course, I feel better prepared to do my job.
The course objectives, as stated at the start of the module, were met
The content covered was appropriate for the webinar.
The content covered was relevant to me.
The length of the course was just right.
The course materials will be useful on the job.
I was made aware of the purpose of this course before I participated
The delivery method was an effective way for me to learn the material
The course materials were relevant to my job.
I felt engaged during the webinar.
My questions or wonderings were addressed.
The instructor was easy to understand.
The instructor was knowledgeable on the material.
The course materials were clear.
I know how to get any additional questions that arise answered.
I feel my feedback matters.
I feel I have input regarding the webinars.

Step Three: Sort out the jottings. Delete duplications and unwanted items. Repeat Steps One and
Two for any remaining abstractions (fuzzies) considered important.
ContentThe content covered was appropriate in scope for the webinar.
The course objectives, as stated at the start of the module, were met.
The course materials were easy to understand.
I was clear about what the course was going to cover.
I have a better understanding of the Seek3 guidelines after attending the webinar.
The length of the course was just right.

Delivery:
The delivery method was an effective way for me to learn the material
The instructor was easy to understand.
The instructor was knowledgeable on the material.
Job Relevancy:
After taking this course, I feel better prepared to do my job.
The course materials will be useful on the job
The course materials were relevant to my job.
The content covered was relevant to me.
I was made aware of the purpose of this course before I participated.
Interactivity- \
I felt engaged during the webinar.
My questions or wonderings were addressed during the webinar.
I had opportunities to participate during the webinar.
TechnologyI knew how to attend the GoToMeeting webinar.
My instructor knew how to operate GoToMeeting.
ReflectionI feel my feedback matters.
I feel I have input regarding the webinars.
Step Four: Write a complete statement for each performance, describing the nature, quality, or
amount you will consider acceptable.
Content- Team leads will communicate the objectives of the webinars to participants and
construct webinars that clarify search functionality guidelines.
The content covered was appropriate in scope for the webinar.
The course objectives, as stated at the start of the module, were met.
I was clear about what the course was going to cover.
I have a better understanding of the search functionality guidelines after attending the webinar.
Delivery: Team leads, who are experts on search functionality guidelines, will deliver content
clearly and concisely.
The instructor was knowledgeable on the material.
The instructor was easy to understand.
The course materials were easy to understand.
The length of the course was just about right.
Job Relevancy: Team leads will communicate the purpose of the training and design content
so it useful and relevant in day to day operations of participants jobs.
After taking this course, I feel better prepared to do my job.
The course materials will be useful on the job

The content covered was relevant to me.

I was made aware of the purpose of this course before I participated.
Interactivity- Team leads will engage participants by providing opportunities to participate
and ask questions throughout the webinar.
I felt engaged during the webinar.
My questions or wonderings were addressed during the webinar.
I had opportunities to participate during the webinar.
Technology- Team leads will communicate instructions on how to attend the webinar and
know how to use the necessary features in GoToMeeting software.
I knew how to attend the GoToMeeting webinar.
My instructor knew how to operate GoToMeeting.
Reflection- Team leads will reflect upon judges evaluation feedback and modify webinars
accordingly.
Step Five: Test the statements with the question, If someone achieved or demonstrated each of
these performances, would I be willing to say he or she has achieved the goal? When you can
answer yes, the analysis is finished (Mager, 1984, pp. 73-74).

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES MODULE 5

[Goals, Terminal Objectives, and Enabling Objectives Check Rubric & Dont forget to map
the domains and level of Blooms Taxonomy with the objectives]

Project (Instructional) Goal

[What is the overall statement you want learners to accomplish at the end of your project
no more than 2 sentences.]
The goal of the course is for team leads to construct informative yet engaging webinars that
clarify the search functionality guidelines and assist participants in improving their job
performance and obtaining an overall improvement in the teams performance metrics.

Terminal Objectives and Enabling Objectives

By the end of the training, team leads will

Construct relevant webinars using search functionality guidelines and current metric data
to help participants improve their metrics every week so at least an average of 4/5 on
student evaluations is received and an overall improvement in metrics for the team is
recorded. (cognitive)
o Before each webinar, prepare a presentation that can be covered in the
allotted time, with an introductory slide, agenda, learning objectives, slides
for each guideline to be discussed, and a summary to be viewed by attendees
during the webinar. (creating- cognitive)
o Before each webinar, and based on the prepared presentation, construct a
script outlining all of the intended topics. (creating- cognitive)
o Given the metric data from the previous week, correctly dissect the teams
most missed questions. (analyzing- cognitive)
o Given the metric data from the previous week, highlight and clarify the
correct guidelines that correspond to missed questions. (applying- cognitive)
o Given the metric data from the previous week and complied feedback from
attendees on guidelines needing clarification, create appropriate practice
questions regarding that weeks selected guidelines for participants to
complete during webinar and provide correct answers. (creating- cognitive)
o Given the current set of data in the tool, correctly predict potential problem
areas and/or potential questions and provide effective guidance of how to
avoid the potential pitfalls. (evaluating- cognitive)

Communicate and engage with participants during their weekly webinars so at least an
average of 4/5 on student evaluations is received. (cognitive)

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Present content appropriately during their weekly webinars so at least an average of 4/5
on student evaluations is received. (cognitive)

Employ necessary technology skills to conduct a webinar in GotoMeeting every

week so an average of 5/5 on student evaluations is received. (psychomotor)

Modify webinars each week according to evaluation feedback from judges.

(cognitive)

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ENABLING OBJECTIVES MATRIX & SUPPORTING CONTENT MODULE 6

Joni Grove EO Matrix
How to Prepare an Effective Webinar
List Terminal Objective Here:
Construct relevant webinars using search functionality guidelines and current metric data to help participants improve their metrics
every week so at least an average of 4/5 on student evaluations is received and an overall improvement in metrics for the team is
recorded.
List Pre-instructional Strategy:
OverviewImagine you are a search functionality judge who just received a notice that your metrics are dangerously close to failing for
the week. The email advises you to attend the weekly webinar to help you understand the weeks most missed questions and
to give you an opportunity to ask any questions you may have about the data set. However, when you attend the webinar, it
does not help you at all! You are disheartened to see that it doesnt describe the reasoning behind any of the commonly
missed questions nor are you able to practice any of the information it provides. It goes way too fast and, worst of all, you are
not able to ask any questions! You decide to forge ahead on your own and not attend any more webinars, regardless if you
really understand the data.
In this course, you will learn how to design webinars that help the judges on your team understand the content and improve
their metrics. Using an interactive format, you will practice strategies that make the webinars both engaging and relevant.
You will also learn time management strategies that allow you to facilitate a webinar that stays on schedule and does not take
all day to prepare. Best of all, your team judges will want to attend when they experience how helpful it is for them. Your
course evaluation forms will speak for themselves!

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Enabling Objective

Before each webinar, prepare a

presentation that can be covered in
the allotted time, with an
introductory slide, agenda, learning
objectives, slides for each guideline
to be discussed, and a summary to
be viewed by attendees during the
webinar.
Before each webinar, and based on
the prepared presentation,
construct a script outlining all of the
intended topics. (creatingcognitive)
Given the metric data from the
previous week, correctly dissect the
teams most missed questions.

Given the metric data from the

previous week, highlight and clarify
the correct guidelines that
correspond to missed questions.

Level on
Fact, concept,
Blooms
principle,
Taxonomy* rule,
procedure,
interpersonal,
or attitude?
CreatingProcedure
cognitive

Learner Activity (What would learners do

Delivery Method

to master this objective?)

(Group presentation/lecture, self-paced, or

small group)

During the training, the learner will

participate in an interactive webinar
which models how to prepare for the
presentation.

Group presentation

Creatingcognitive

Procedure

During the training, the learner will

participate in an interactive webinar
which models how to construct a
script.

Group presentation

Analyzingcognitive

Concept

During the training, the learner will

participate in an interactive webinar
which models how to dissect the
questions. They will have a practice
question to prepare a response of how
they would do it in their webinar.

Group presentation

Applyingcognitive

Principle

The learner will get a practice missed

question and have to find the correct
corresponding guideline.

Group presentation

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Given the metric data from the

previous week and complied
feedback from attendees on
guidelines needing clarification,
create appropriate practice
questions regarding that weeks
selected guidelines for participants
to complete during webinar and
provide correct answers.

Creatingcognitive

Procedure

Given the current set of data in the

tool, correctly predict potential
problem areas and/or potential
questions and provide effective
guidance of how to avoid the
potential pitfalls. (evaluatingcognitive)

Evaluating- Procedure
cognitive

During the training, the learner will

participate in an interactive webinar
which models how to create
appropriate practice questions. They
will then be given a missed question
area and have to create a
corresponding practice problem.

Group presentation

During the training, the learner will

participate in an interactive webinar
which models how to preview the data
set and predict which areas may be
problematic.

Group presentation

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REFERENCES
Gagne, R., Briggs, L. & Wager, W. (1992). Principles of Instructional Design (4th Ed.). Fort
Worth, TX: HBJ College Publishers.
Knowles, M. S. (1980). The modern practice of adult education: From pedagogy to
andragogy. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice Hall/Cambridge.
Kolb, D. A. (1984). Experiential Learning: Experience as the Source of Learning and
Development. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall. Retrieved September 15, 2015.

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FINAL PROJECT RUBRIC

Please see the final project rubric at: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/Portfolio-Rubric.pdf and the
reflection paper rubric at: http://www2.uwstout.edu/content/profdev/idtrends/Portfolio-RubricReflection.doc

Keller, J. M. (1983). Motivational design of instruction. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.),Instructional-design theories

and models: An overview of their current status. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

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