August 1, 2012
Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance Standards This document provides course design guidelines for the development of the self-led learning modules for the Last Mile Learning library. The self-led learning modules will be designed to meet the following standards: •
Content is contextualized: Modules are contextualized to the development/relief sector, including scenarios and design approaches that reflect the operational environment of NGOs.
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Content is accessible: Modules are designed to be accessible to learners with bandwidth constraints. There are two principal strategies that will be used to improve the accessibility of content: o
Multiple deployment formats – each topic will include three deployment formats that include:
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Self-led Learning Module
Face-to-face facilitation Curriculum
Blended Learning Facilitation Curriculum.
Web-enabled formats are designed for low-bandwidth user scenarios, limiting the use of assets and media that consume significant bandwidth (including but not limited to audio, video, large attachment files, etc.)
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Content is organized by learning tracks: All courses developed for the Last Mile Learning Library are categorized according to learning tracks. In 2012, the initiative will build content in four learning tracks: Self-Management, People Management, Team Management and Project Management. Additional learning tracks will be developed after the first four paths are complete.
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Content is customizable: Development, relief and conservation agencies interested in customizing Last Mile Learning content for organization-specific deployment have the option of accessing source files which can be updated with organization specific logos,
Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
colors, scenarios or new content. This access will be free of charge for LINGOs member agencies and a fee-based option for non-member organizations. •
Content is localization-friendly: Last Mile Learning content will be created exclusively in English. Once produced, however, Last Mile Learning modules will be localized to Spanish, Portuguese and French. With this in mind, course development teams should design text and graphics so that they meet the following criteria: o
All text should be accessible and editable (avoid including text in photo formats)
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Developers should recognize that text in Spanish, French and Portuguese generally requires 15-30% more space than the equivalent text in English.
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Language should be standard English and avoid the use of slang or jargon.
Self-Led Lea rning: Design and Development Guidance These guidelines are intended to help course development teams as they design/develop the self-led modules. Stakeholder Analysis – Audience – The audience of the Self-Led Modules is broad and covers a wide spectrum of learners, including: •
Headquarter and field-based staff of international NGOs
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NGO staff and government employees
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Staff of Community based organizations
While the skills and experience levels vary significantly between these audience groups, the general rule of thumb for the audience definition will be secondary school education (although many users will have higher) with a moderate level of computer literacy at minimum. The assumption is that users will have access to the internet (although with
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
bandwidth constraints.) Learners unable to access the internet will have the option to request that courses be shared via CD ROM. The Development Team – •
Team Leader – leads the content development team as they develop Last Mile Learning Modules. Responsibilities of the team leader include all elements of project management required to develop learning content (Learning Module Design, Planning, Implementation, and Closure.)
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Self-Led Content Volunteers – are responsible for the design and development of learning materials. It is anticipated that there will be one Self-Led Content Volunteer per course development team and whose work is managed by the team leader (who is ultimately responsible for learning content.)
Tools, Assets and Templates Authoring Tools – Course development teams are encouraged to use rapid development tools that are broadly accessible and whose source files are easy to update, maintain and localize. Development teams will have access to the following development tools through LINGOs: •
Articulate Rapid eLearning Suite www.articulate.com. (90 day complementary license)
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Articulate Story Line www.articulate.com (90 day complementary license)
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QuickLessons www.quicklessons.com
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Easy Generator www.easygnerator.com
Content can be developed using development tools (Captivate, Flash, etc.) not provided through the Last Mile Learning program. However, teams should consult with LINGOs prior to developing content with these tools. Developers who choose to use tools that
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
are not made available through LINGOS will need to acquire usage licenses independent of the Last Mile Learning initiative. Teams that choose to create content using development tools that have limited userbase communities (or which require a high-level of developer skills to employ) will be asked to commit to updating and maintaining the files over a period of three years. Recognizing that many learners will access the self-led content from locations that have limited bandwidth, resources should be developed with the intent of ensuring that they can be accessed despite constraints. With this in mind, it is expected that developers follow the following norms with regard to media assets: Audio Voiceovers – Recognizing the double constraints associated to limited bandwidth and localization of content, developers are encouraged to design self-led content without the use of audio voiceovers. Teams that would like to use audio voiceovers in their self-led content should consult with the LINGOs Project Manager before developing content. The choice to work without audio requires that the instructional design for the module be purposefully and carefully managed to promote an engaging, comprehensive and detailed narrative without having the advantage of voiceover talent. The absence of audio voiceovers does not mean that there are no audio assets in the course. The option exists to include audio assets that preclude voiceovers, including music, sound effects, etc. Visual Assets – Given the double constraints of bandwidth and localization, development teams should keep the following norms in mind when using visual assets •
Visual assets should be sized and saved in formats that minimize file size.
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Visual assets should avoid incorporating text that is unable to be translated during the localization of content.
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Video – Self-led content should not employ video.
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
The Last Mile Learning course development teams have the option to access complementary photo assets from the library of eLearning Art (www.elearningart.com.) In order to retain consistency and alignment between courses that employ the eLearning Art assets, it is recommended that characters retain the names that are used in the naming protocol of the eLearning Art Library. Development teams that choose to incorporate images from other sources, should confirm they have the rights to use any content you add to the material provided by LINGOs and/or its partners. The following photo asset repositories are recommended as reliable sources for appropriate, contextualized, royalty-free photo assets: •
World Bank Photo Repository: http://secure.worldbank.org/photolibrary/servlet/main?pagePK=149932
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United Nation Photos: http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
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USAID Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usaid_images/
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UNHCR’s Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unhcr/
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UNDP’s Flckr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unitednationsdevelopmentprogramme/
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USAID Photo Library: http://africaphotos.usaid.gov/http://africaphotos.usaid.gov/
Course Templates – The Last Mile Learning Initiative does not require that Self-Led modules follow a single, consistent template. Yes, there are advantages when courses employ a single template, including: •
Learners recognize the navigation and brand when they open a new course
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It is easier to set and maintain minimum levels of quality
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
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Design and development time is faster (especially when source files are shared between development teams.)
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There is a consistency of brand and look/feel between the courses in the LML library
However, while these benefits are an asset, Last Mile Learning also recognizes that there are advantages to allowing course developers to identify their own templates and navigation schemes. Especially when considering that: • Different course topics will employ different instructional design approaches; • Teams will be using different course development applications that work better with unique templates and navigation. • Developers might have existing templates from their previous work that can be employed efficiently to the Last Mile Learning courses. Consequently, it is up to the discretion of the course development team to decide whether the general course template used for the coaching and project management pilot courses (see Examples section of this document) will be used. Contact
[email protected] if you would like to access the source files for any of the sample courses. Instructional Design Source Materials – Subject matter content for the self-led learning modules is made available through the CEGOS Corporation and LINGOs. These source resources will be provided to the team leader responsible for the management of course development. It is extremely important to recognize that the CEGOS source materials will most likely NOT be sufficient to comprehensively inform the design of the self-led learning content. Initial feedback from course development teams is that the CEGOS course content provides a foundation from which the learning objectives and the instructional design
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
can emerge. It will likely be necessary for the Self-Led Learning volunteer to complement the CEGOS course content additional materials. These additional materials can be accessed from three resources: -
Resources made available through the Team Leader
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Resources made available through the Self-Led Learning Volunteer
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Internet based resources (white papers, etc.)
Self-led module teams should confirm they have the rights to use any content that is used to supplement the material provided by LINGOs/CEGOS. Learning Objectives – The self-led content development team will begin their work by clarifying the scope of the content to be covered and will create testable learning objectives that will be the basis from which the course module assessment is created. Assessments – The self-led content should conclude with a SCORM 1.2 compliant assessment. This assessment is intended to demonstrate the learners’ command of the module’s learning objectives. The assessment should include at least 15 questions with a passing score of 80%. Successful completion of the module assessment will trigger two events: •
A score of 80% or higher triggers the SCORM course completion status;
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A score of 80% or higher triggers the creation of a Certificate of Completion that can be printed by the learner.
The module assessment needs to be published in two formats. The first format should be designed as an embedded asset inside the self-led content module. The second format should be designed as a stand alone SCORM-tracked assessment (80% pass rate) that can be used to test the knowledge of learners who complete the facilitated versions of the course. Care should be taken in the development of the assessment questions to ensure that they are valid and reliable. July 17, 2012
Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
Duration – Estimating duration of the self-led content is an inexact science. We anticipate a range of 40-60 minutes to complete the self-led learning module (although there might be exceptions.) At present, the Project Management self-led learning modules are complete. Content Contextualization – One of the roles of the Team Leader will be to serve as a resource to provide support in contextualizing the topics to the development and relief sector. Contextualization can take place on three levels: o
Light-Contextualization – Are choices related to image selection and look/feel appropriate to the development/relief sector? Do image choices reflect diversity in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, etc? Furthermore, do buildings, offices, and street scenes reflect the look and feel of the operating context of development organizations?
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Medium-Contextualization – Do learning narratives reflect scenarios, contexts and stories that resonate in the development/relief sector? The learner audience has indicated that scenarios that employ “business speak” or convey a context of institutional private sector contexts are not acceptable. Efforts should be made to contextualize source content that is overly “private sector” and make it resonate with the not-forprofit culture of the end-users.
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Deep-Contextualization – Are there areas where the specific topic being developed is done differently in the development/relief sector? o
For the most part, the contextualization of content takes place at the Light-Contextualization and Medium-Contextualization levels. While deep contextualization is needed when developing the project management modules (where the development sector uses tools like problem trees, logical frameworks and stakeholder analysis tools that
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
are often not used in other sectors); generally there will be no need for deep contextualization when designing modules on other topics. Links and Support Documentation – Any job-aids, performance support documents, printable exercises that are included in the instructional design of the self-led learning course can be made available as linked URLs or as downloadable files. When designing access to these resources, however, the following guidance should be followed: •
URLs: Confirm that URLs are unlikely to change, rendering linked pages obsolete. External web resources should open in new windows.
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Downloadable files: Can be in Microsoft Office or PDF formats. Courses should be designed so that all downloadable files are included as items within the SCORM 1.2 manifest.
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Any embedded or linkable content should provide the documents in an editable format (Word document or other source document) so that they can be translated, updated and customized.
Languages and Translations – Self-Led volunteers will create content in English. Once developed, however, Last Mile Learning intends to translate all content to Spanish, Portuguese and French. With this in mind, course development teams should endeavor to make the materials easily translatable. For example, please avoid using image files with non-editable text and be careful to leave space for translated text on your screen stages (Spanish, French and Portuguese tend to require 30% more text to convey the equivalent message as English text.) Course Completion Certificates – Self-Led Course Learning Assessment should be designed so that when test-takers correctly answer 80% of the questions, they are given the option to print a Last Mile Learning course completion certificate for the module. The Certificates should be printable, browser compatible to the four major internet browsers (Internet Explorer, July 17, 2012
Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox.) Course completion certificates should include fields that identify the name of the course and the name of the learner. The image below provides an example of a dynamically generated certificate that has been branded to Last Mile Learning. Last Mile Learning course completion certificates should be printable and produced in a landscape format.
Acknowledgements/Credits – The self-led course should plan to include acknowledgements/credits in the Conclusion of the course that provide recognition for the stakeholders that were invaluable to the development of the content. This could include: •
Volunteer Developers
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Companies that have contributed their resources to the development of content
In the example below, credits are included in the Conclusion section. July 17, 2012
Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
Bandwidth Guidelines – Last Mile Learning is not prescribing a concrete file size, but the general rule of thumb is to be conservative with regard to the use of high bandwidth resources. Modules should be designed for low-bandwidth user scenarios (see http://www.inasp.info/file/e02bffde7fe5319fe06ff05dabd0f152/bmo-guidelines-forlow-bandwidth-websites.html), limiting the use of assets and media that consume significant bandwidth (including but not limited to audio, video, large attachment files, etc.) Self-Led Learning Volunteers can consult with Team Leaders to gain a better idea of the bandwidth constraints end users typically experience. o
Web-enabled formats are designed for low-bandwidth user scenarios, limiting the use of assets and media that consume significant bandwidth (including but not limited to audio, video, large attachment files, etc.)
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
Technical Specifica tion s – Minimum Requirements Self-led modules developed for Last Mile Learning should be compatible with the following Minimum Requirements: •
Internet Explorer 6.x or higher, Firefox 3.x or higher, Safari, and Google Chrome. It is expected that the learner’s browser needs to support JavaScript and allow site-specific pop-up windows and cookies. Courses should be developed to permit users to access content when subsequent versions of the internet browser are installed.
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Operating Systems: Computers capable of running the browser software above
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Plug-ins: It is expected that the learners have Java v7 or higher; Adobe Acrobat Reader 10 or higher; and Flash Player 11 or higher.
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Screen Resolution: 800 X 600 preferred; 1024 x 768 maximum
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Connectivity: 56 kbps minimum. However, recognizing that many African users will have a connection of 20 kbps, courses should be designed so that pages load within 10 seconds over a 20 kbps connection.
SCORM Compatibility The great majority of learners will access self-led via a SCORM-compatible Learning Management System (LMS). Learners will, however, have the option to request that courses be distributed via CD ROMs in a non-SCORM compatible format. As a result, self-led courses should be published into two file packages: o
SCORM Manifest via a SCORM 1.2 compatible zip file
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Web Compatible Package that can be launched on a CD-ROM
Output Formats –
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
The great majority of learners access Last Mile Learning self-led content via computer monitors (laptop and desk top.) Therefore, the preferred output formats for self-led content will be HTML, HTML5, and Flash. Developers who choose to publish courses in an HTML5 format, should ensure that all course assets are HTML5 compatible so that the output files have the option to run on iPad devices. File Management – Document Management Platform The preferred document management platform for Last Mile Learning is DropBox www.dropbox.com. While other programs (e-mail, YouSendIt, SharePoint, etc.) can be used for communication and coordination between the project development team, when the finished product deliverables are complete, all final source files and published files should be shared via DropBox folders. Regardless of the document management platform used by the course development team, it will be important to establish file naming protocols that allow the source files to be easily and intuitively navigated. Self-Led Module Source Files are Shareable – Last Mile Learning asks that all source files related to the module are delivered to Last Mile Learning following the completion of the course. Last Mile Learning anticipates that the source files will be shared with the following audiences: o
Last Mile Learning Staff – If the course needs to be updated, Last Mile Learning will use the source files from which to make changes;
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Translators – Last Mile Learning intends to translate all content to French, Spanish and Portuguese and will need source files to complete these activities;
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The Self-Led Volunteer Community – In order to support volunteers and align the work of different course modules, Last Mile Learning July 17, 2012
Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
would like to extend the option of sharing course development files between module development teams. o
Development Agencies – In situations where individual development agencies would like to customize course modules (either via the addition of custom content or by adding their own branding), LINGOs would like to share the source files for the module. These source files would be shared free of charge to any of LINGOs 75+ member agencies. Non-member organizations would pay a fee to access the source files.
Examples: The following links provide access to Last Mile Learning self-led courses that are already in advanced stages of development. Please note that each of these courses was built using the Articulate Rapid eLearning Studio application (not a requisite for Last Mile Learning.) The developers that created these courses chose to share their source files with each other. This explains why there is consistency (and repetition) between the modules. Coaching for Results: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4006118/content/coaching/Learn/player.html Introduction to Project Management http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4006118/LML/PMD%20Pro/1_EN/player.html Project Identification and Design http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4006118/LML/PMD%20Pro/2_EN/player.html
July 17, 2012
