Presentation for e-learning guild conference 2012

1. Help, Our Funding Is Cut:
Development During Hard Times!
Session 907 Friday, March 23, 2012 9:45 – 10:45
LeAnn Krosnick
Manager Instructional Design & Development
AKCEL: The University of Akron
Akron, Ohio

2. LeAnn Krosnick
Instructional Design &
Development Manager
The University of Akron
leann1@uakron.edu
intro

3. AKCEL offers a set of learning
resources committed to
professional excellence for
teachers.

4. During this session, you will hear
about AKCEL’s adaptations to
major funding reductions to
continue their mission to
produce high quality teacher
professional development.

5. AKCEL adapted by:
 Developing Learning Objects
◦ Reuse
◦ Repurpose
◦ Render
 Leveraging local talent
 Creating a new development model
 Building a new pricing structure
case study

6. INTRODUCTION
FUNDING
SURVIVING
EVOLVING
topics

7. 2003
Reading First Ohio Center
formed as a consortium of three
Ohio Universities
2005
The University of Akron
e-Learning branch becomes
branded as e-Read Ohio
2010
Expansion outside of Ohio: naming
brand becomes AKCEL: Akron Center
for e-Learning
history

8. AKCEL services include:
 Instructional Design & Development
 Course Implementation
 Online Course Hosting
 End-user Support
 Course Evaluation
services

9. catalog

11. learning space

12. INTRODUCTION
FUNDING
SURVIVING
EVOLVING
topics

13. Thousands
$0 $500 $1,000 $1,500
2003
2004 Federal
State
2005
Other
2006
2007
2008
funding: 2003-2008 (design & development)

14. budget 2003-2008

15. 2003 - 2008:
AKCEL e-learning initiatives fully funded
and budget is stable …
funding

16. 2003 - 2008:
What we learned …
A large budget can give
you time to experiment…

17. 2003 - 2008:
What we learned …
To perfect processes and
develop models…

18. 2003 - 2008:
What we learned …
To build a replicable and
sustainable product…

19. 2009- 2011:
AKCEL experienced shrinking budgets
due to a funding reduction and the
completion of a federal grant…
more recently

20. Thousands
-$1,000 -$500 $0 $500 $1,000 $1,500
2003
2005 Federal
State
2007
Other
2009
2011 (partial)
funding: 2003-2011 (design & development)

21. budget 2009-2011

22. INTRODUCING
FUNDING
SURVIVING
EVOLVING
topics

23. AKCEL adapted by:
 Developing Learning Objects
◦ Reuse
◦ Repurpose
◦ Render
 Leveraging local talent
 Creating a new development model
 Building a new pricing structure
case study

24. Learning Objects
◦What are they?
◦Reuse (why)
◦Repurpose (what)
◦Render (how)

25. “This is the fundamental idea behind
learning objects: instructional designers
can build small (relative to the size of an
entire course) instructional components
that can be reused a number of times in
different learning contexts.”
(Wiley, 2000)
learning objects

26. comprehension LO

27. vocabulary LO

28. Learning Objects
◦What are they?
◦Reuse (why)
◦Repurpose (what)
◦Render (how)
Reuse – to use again

29.  Technology supports object-oriented
approach
 Cost savings
 Time savings (rapid development)
 Insured high quality product for less
 Savings passed on to clients who may pay
less and have a product in less time
 More clients, more business
why use LOs

30. Learning Objects
◦What are they?
◦Reuse (why)
◦Repurpose (what)
◦Render (how)
Repurpose – to use again for a different
purpose (from dictionary.com)

31. vocabulary LO

32. mathematics LO

33. ELL LO

34. Adolescent Literacy LO

35. Learning Objects
◦What are they?
◦Reuse (why)
◦Repurpose (what)
◦Render (how)
Render – to cause to be or become; make
something (from dictionary.com)

36.  Studied the research on LOs (meets
objective, can be evaluated)
 Instructional designers begin to think
about this as they design
 Takes time to make the shift
◦ to think at a more granular level
◦ to understand the back-end
◦ to storyboard differently
◦ to program objects
design & develop LOs

37. Redesigned the storyboard to document LO
structure
LO information and
media asset
components
Content
Graphic or
description

38. Developed a proprietary system to layout
LO framework for programmers
Course
Learning
Objects

39. Developed a proprietary Adobe FLEX
interface for dynamic rendering of each
learning object
Rendering
individual media
components
to form a
Learning
Object

40. How did it go?
After some initial growing pains, the shift
seems to be successful with the design &
development team on auto-pilot to “think”
in LO mode!
Just in time for mobile learning!

41. Another Cost Savings Measure…
Leveraging Local Talent
 Video
 Audio
 Programming

42. INTRODUCING
FUNDING
SURVIVING
EVOLVING
topics

43. AKCEL adapted by:
 Developing Learning Objects
◦ Reuse
◦ Repurpose
◦ Render
 Leveraging local talent
 Creating a new development model
 Building a new pricing structure

44. AKCEL developed various service
levels, variable pricing structure

45. In Conclusion
AKCEL adapted to continue beyond
assured funding.
AKCEL can now provide a range of high-
quality learning products to the
consumer at less cost, and in less time.

46. Reference
Wiley, D. A., (2000). Connecting learning
objects to instructional design theory: A
definition, a metaphor, and a taxonomy.
Learning Technology, 2830(435), 1-35.

47. THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING OUR
SESSION!
QUESTIONS?
LeAnn Krosnick leann1@uakron.edu