Amy Keyser

Volunteering in the Library

Final Report and Digital Prototype
EDCI 56900
June 21, 2015

Digital Prototype
The digital prototype can be accessed at http://www.smartbuilder.com/smartbuilder-2/elearning-software-tools/Volunteering+at+the+Library/loz000082000000000003l.
Formative Evaluation
I had three children in the proper age range and two classmates in our cohort evaluate
my digital prototype. One of the classmates evaluated it with her son, who was also in the age
range. She suggested that, for the pretest, I remove the Incorrect in the feedback since I told
them that the results didnt matter. This is good advice; kids are more sensitive to that. I would
need to figure out how to let them know the answer is wrong so they look at the feedback
without them feeling like I was punishing them for being wrong. Maybe I could use a stop icon.
She also had some comments about the terms for the pre and post assessments. I changed
them to quiz, but maybe I could use something that sounds even less threatening. I certainly
dont want kids to feel stressed at all by the module. The other adult really didnt have any
suggestions except to notice a few grammatical errors. The first child, my nine year old
daughter, did not like the use of the lion, but the mascot of the school is a lion, so I probably
would not change it. All of the children found it easy to navigate without any instruction. The
second child, my 7 year old son with ADHD, had difficulty focusing. He was most interested in
pushing buttons. I think the amount of text was a bit daunting for him and I read most of it to
him. This showed me a few errors that I missed when reading it to myself. From that
experience, I think I would add a voiceover option to read the content for newer readers. It may
be that only advanced third graders would be developmentally ready to help in the library. It is
not just an ability to read, but an ability to understand and pay attention to detail. This module
may weed out those who dont have the right temperament to carefully shelve books. My 11
year old nephew also took the module. He thought it was straightforward and easy. There was

a pick more than one answer question that he got wrong and didnt understand why. For the
next version, I might try to make the feedback more answer specific.
Lessons Learned
What was/were key decision(s) you made? How did those decisions help/hinder the
design process?
One of the first decisions I made was a topic and scope. These decisions helped me
because I knew the material well and the scope was appropriate for the length of the course and
my lack of experience using authoring software. I also chose to use SmartBuilder because it
was free for an unlimited time. I wanted to have access to my project after the course is over so
a thirty day trial was not really suitable. I looked into Versal, but SmartBuilder appeared to be
more robust.
A key decision I made before taking this course was choosing to take Motivation over
Hypermedia. Since I know that I am not tech savvy, I should have chosen the hypermedia
course, since I assume it would have given me more experience with the technology side.

What worked well and didnt work well? Why?

I began to develop the digital prototype almost immediately. This helped me to think
about what I was doing. However, after I completed the paper prototype and started working
from it, I realized how that front-end thinking would speed up the process somewhat for the
digital edition. I also realized that I prefer the front-end part of the process, which is a little ironic
since I prefer the implementation part of instructional design when it is face to face.

What would you do differently and what would you do the same way? Why?
I think I might finish most or all of the paper prototype first. I also would not schedule a
three week road trip, but the timing of our trip was determined by my husbands firm and I got
through it, so I guess it worked out. I was just a little more stressed at the end.
For the most part, I like the design of my prototype. I would like to develop more skills
so I could do more things with it. My vision was well above my ability at this point. I wrote the
assessments first. That helped to focus the absorb sections better than if I had written them
first.

What recommendations you would make to instructional designers tackling similar

projects?
They should really consider their scope and let their objectives guide their work. It is
really important to budget a lot of time unless you are an expert with the technology you are
using. If you are not an expert, embrace templates and sometimes you have to settle for less
than your vision. These types of projects can always be improved upon; it is important to find a
balance between making it great and working within time constraints.

Merrills 5-star rating

Merrills Five Star Instructional Design Rating
Type of Instruction:
Stage
Criteria
Explanation
PROBLEM
Is the courseware presented in the context of real world problems?
Does the courseware show learners the task they will be able to do or the problem they will be
able to solve as a result of completing a module or course?
Yes. The module is clearly connected to a real world task.
Are students engaged at the problem or task level not just the operation or action levels?
Yes. I think so. Everything is applied directly to the library setting.

Does the courseware involve a progression of problems rather than a single problem?
Yes. There are problems that assess the subskills then problems that put it all together.
RATING FOR PROBLEM STAGE: 1 star
ACTIVATION
Does the courseware attempt to activate relevant prior knowledge or experience?
Does the courseware direct learners to recall, relate, describe, or apply knowledge from relevant
past experience that can be used as a foundation for new knowledge?
To some extent. The pretest gets them to start thinking about what they know. The sorting
activities reminds them of what they know about sorting.
Does the courseware provide relevant experience that can be used as a foundation for the new
knowledge?
Yes. There are pictures of books and library shelves.

If learners already know some of the content are they given an opportunity to demonstrate their
previously acquired knowledge or skill.
They have a pretest. The pretest directs them to the sections they should study.
RATING FOR ACTIVATION STAGE: star
DEMONSTRATION
Are the demonstrations (examples) consistent with the content being taught?
Are the demonstrations (examples) consistent with the content being taught?
Examples and non-examples for concepts?
Demonstrations for procedures?
Visualizations for processes?
Modeling for behavior?
The demonstrations are consistent. There arent many non examples (except in the
assessments). It might be confusing to students.
In terms of visualization, it might have been nice to make a video of someone sorting books and
putting them on the cart, but the platform didnt support that much memory.

Are at least some of the following learner guidance techniques employed?

Learners are directed to relevant information?
Multiple representations are used for the demonstrations?
Multiple demonstrations are explicitly compared?
There are really only single examples of things. The reason for that is because I didnt want the
students to be overwhelmed with the number of pages to read. Also, the assessment feedbacks
do provide explanations.

Is media relevant to the content and used to enhance learning?

The media used are pictures of books and the school mascot so they are very relevant.
RATING FOR DEMONSTRATION STAGE: start
APPLICATION
Are the application (practice) and the posttest consistent with the stated or implied objectives?
Are the application (practice) and the posttest consistent with the stated or implied objectives?
Information-about practice requires learners to recall or recognize information.
Parts-of practice requires the learners to locate, name, and/or describe each part.
Kinds-of practice requires learners to identify new examples of each kind.
How-to practice requires learners to do the procedure.

 What-happens practice requires learners to predict a consequence of a process given

conditions, or to find faulted conditions given an unexpected consequence.
The practice problems are directly related to the objectives. They are mostly how to practice
and they do have the students practice the procedure.
Does the courseware require learners to use new knowledge or skill to solve a varied sequence
of problems and do learners receive corrective feedback on their performance?
They definitely receive corrective feedback for most wrong answers. Im not sure about how
much variation there is. However, when shelving books, there is not much variation in practice.
In most application or practice activities, are learners able to access context sensitive help or
guidance when having difficulty with the instructional materials? Is this coaching gradually
diminished as the instruction progresses?
They cant really get help while practicing. However, the practice is immediately after each
explanation. The coaching occurs when the wrong answer is selected.
RATING FOR APPLICATION STAGE: 1 start
INTEGRATION
Does the courseware provide techniques that encourage learners to integrate (transfer) the new
knowledge or skill into their everyday life?
Does the courseware provide an opportunity for learners to publicly demonstrate their new
knowledge or skill?
There is no public demonstration except that they can print out their results to show the media
specialist.
Does the courseware provide an opportunity for learners to reflect-on, discuss, and defend their
new knowledge or skill?
Not really. They are young children.
Does the courseware provide an opportunity for learners to create, invent, or explore new and
personal ways to use their new knowledge or skill?
Not really. However, if they print out the results, they should be able to immediately apply what
they learned in the library.
RATING FOR INTEGRATION STAGE: star