Technology Proposal

Latanya Blakley EdTech 501 - 4172

Introduction

This proposal is for the Instruction Department and Corporate University of Workplace, Inc. to invest in simulation software to use in the new online curriculum of leadership and business training. It is our mission to be an authority in Instruction and to provide the most effective training and development program for franchisees and associates. Our vision is to have a catalog of trainings that are accessible by everyone regardless of location. If we want to succeed, we must consider technology that would make independent online learning a viable alternative to the classroom environment. In the classroom environment, students are engaged in hands-on practice of the concepts presented. It is important, especially for prospective franchisees, to demonstrate a certain level of knowledge and proficiency before we can evaluate their readiness to open their business. Some of the benefits of scenario simulation software include:

An engaging online learning experience that taps into higher order thinking

Ability to determine what learners already know and allow them to discover information

Practical interaction in a safe, risk-free environment

Tools to assess decision making skills and other desired competencies

Opportunities to reveal business impacts and vulnerabilities based on user input

Scenario simulation software can be incorporated into current online courses created with Rapid Elearning Software to enhance the interactivity level of the courses.

Goals and Technology Vision

The goals of the department include redesigning franchisee Start Up Training, Launching our Corporate University and creating an Assistant Certification Program for Centers. Within the construct of those goals, there is a major push to convert several instructor led modules of training to online courses. We will also be creating new courses to add to the corporate university

catalog. This includes Leadership Training Modules, Business Courses and at least 20 - 25 other courses for the Certification of franchisees and assistants. There are four key issues we need to solve:

Start Up Training is too lengthy. The franchisee certification process needs to happen within a shorter time frame. We are trying to reduce in person training from 11 days to 7 days. Additionally, too much information is being covered in the ILT and franchisees don't have an opportunity to apply it until months later. A large area of concern is also ongoing development of franchisees in the first three years of business. Because statistics show that slightly more than a third close their doors within the first three years, it is essential that we provide support during this critical time. We have tended to front load the training they receive with over 75% of it being delivered prior to their opening and much of it is forgotten during the time they are marketing the new franchise. Leadership training is poorly structured and currently comprised of only two available courses, one online and the other instructor-led. Professional development courses are inconsistent and offer little variety to employees. We have a limited course catalog and many of the trainings are primarily lecture-based with limited interaction and unclear learning outcomes.

While not every issue will be fixed by adding technology, there are clearly some advantages to continuing to pursue ways of enhancing online learning. Addressing the aforementioned issues will allow us to get franchisees to certification in a shorter time frame and create better options for their development in the critical first three years. As we move to online learning with reduced face-time, the challenge will be to reproduce both the interactive learning element and assessment opportunity provided by instructor-led training. Current Technology and Resources

Currently we have use Adobe Connect for synchronous online learning and Adobe Captivate for a small amount of computer-based training. All asynchronous online courses are currently outsourced and produced using Articulate. They are then hosted in our online learning center (OLC) which is based in Moodle. On the overhead projector, Microsoft PowerPoint and Windows Media Player are used in Instructor led with an occasional use of videoconferencing when using a remote guest speaker. We also use the proprietary software to facilitate case studies and small group discussions. For guest franchisee presentations, we have high quality video production CDs provided to instructors at each branch office.

The CBT courses and video presentations on CD have been effective, but when deployed to almost 2000 franchisees and staff, can be cost prohibitive and not easily upgradable. The most well received and highly evaluated technology has been the online learning center within Moodle. In fact, after the release of our last online course series, franchisees requested additional courses be created in the same fashion.

Because we are in the process of selecting an LMS, we are presently using a Moodle based site to house our online offerings. Every associate and franchisee has a computer to access the simulations, but not every user has high speed Internet access.

Your Technology Needs for this Proposal (20 points)

We need students to be better prepared in a dynamic business environment. We have received many requests for a comprehensive online curriculum that addresses business acumen, growth, leadership and franchise best practices. It is valuable for both new and experienced franchisees to be able to synthesize information and then practice real-world scenarios in a self-paced online learning environment. Offering this type of training will help us further our mission to provide the most effective training and development program for franchisees and associates.

Ideally, we want to focus on creating online leadership and business training courses that are characterized as Level 3 or 4. The U.S. Department of Defense has developed definitions for four levels of elearning interactivity that correspond to the following levels of learning: fact, rule, procedure, discrimination, and problem solving.

Additionally, we must increase our ability to make training scalable through the Internet.

Currently, we own an elearning interface in Moodle, which allows us to load online courses for viewing by associates and franchisees. However, the server is hosted by an outside vendor. At present, we can use our Online Learning Center to house the training simulations. Once the LMS is implemented we will be able to host our own learning site, manage registrations and load the simulations ourselves.

Solutions

The following programs were comprehensively evaluated for this proposal:

http://www.simulearn.net/leadership_training/vLeader_look.html

http://www.enspire.com/simulations/simulations http://www.talentsim.com/why-it-works.html http://www.discoverylearning.com/products/Simulations.aspx http://www.simul8.com/products/what_is_simulation.htm http://www.bts.com/business_simulations.aspx#scenario_simulations

The criteria used to determine the best solution were:

How applicable is the simulation leadership training? How applicable is the simulation to business acumen training? At what level is the ease of use? How much self-customization can be done? Can we build our own simulations? Can the simulations be deployed online? Can the software support over 300 users at once? Is this a cost-effective solution?

They offered many good simulation options which ranged from off-the-shelf to completely custom. Some included talent assessment in addition to leadership scenarios built into simulations. A couple of them even used avatars and virtual world technology. These present alternatives that could be investigated for future proposals if our need expands.

After an appraisal of various simulation software programs, there was one technology that met our needs best. This was the Forio Business Simulation software. This software, called Forio Simulate, allows our departments to create custom web simulations or use those offered by Forio online. They also offer custom simulation development and simulation hosting. More importantly, they offer types of training to learn how to create simulations with the software. We can choose from instructor-led workshops at their locations, onsite training at a location we choose or online training. They also have an online support forum where questions can posted. Below are screen shots of a packaged simulation in Forio's online catalog. It puts the user in charge of service personnel and they need to make certain business decisions. Several of these packaged simulations were built in partnership with Harvard Business School Publishing. Each one has a demo version for us to test. The simulation below also has a video to explain how it works.

Timeline

The following is a tentative timeline that could be used to implement this technology solution.

December 2009 - Download demos and test available online simulations to determine which meet our current needs. Create an updated budget for purchasing selected packaged simulations.

January 2010 - Modify proposal for presentation to the Executive Management Team and department team leaders. Deliver presentation to the aforementioned audience.

February 2010 - Pending approval, purchase software and schedule onsite training for Instruction and Corporate University department designers.

March 2010 - Attend Furio training to learn how to use Furio Simulate to create custom simulations. Meet with designers to discuss LMS status and potential implementation plans. Using new Start Up Training curriculum, decide on first courses to design with integrated Forio simulation.

Budget

Onsite Training - $8,000 Includes two workshops: Creating Interfaces with Forio Simulate and Developing Simulation Models with Forio Simulate, potential travel for trainers.

Software - $1200 Includes one year of premium Forio Simulate web development.

The remaining budget elements have already been approved as part of the LMS search process.