Implementation  Plan              

                   Jeff  Toorongian  EDTECH512,  Fall  2011  Prof.  K.  Diane  Hall          

Implementation Team  

The eLearning team at the university forms the core unit for implementation efforts. As a self-paced training course for instructors, there is no formal instructor role for this WBI. It is expected that all members of the existing eLearning team will be assigned course facilitation responsibilities. These duties will include supporting and monitoring the activities of course participants, monitoring and responding to discussion and help forum posts, troubleshooting technical problems related to the WBI, and reviewing and posting comments to course participant module assignments. The team will also support summative evaluation efforts that will guide future modifications to the WBI. The director of the Center for Teaching and Learning will oversee the implementation of the WBI at a high level, providing resources, planning and training support, and campus-wide communication to academic deans and chairs to establish awareness for the training resources. Technical support for the WBI instruction will reside primarily within the eLearning team. This support includes development of all course materials, and serving as the primary point of contact for all course participants. External technical support for the Canvas LMS is provided from Instructure personnel, the makers of the cloud-hosted Canvas LMS solution deployed at Michigan Tech. Time estimates are indicated in hours per week and are intended for planning purposes only, with actual time commitments varying depending on when they occur (early in course implementation, or once course is fully established).  Time and Budget Allocations  

Personnel and Duties Estimated Time Requirement

Costs

Instructor (Course Facilitators): eLearning team members

● Monitor course participants

● Respond to email ● Respond to

discussion and help forum posts

● Review and provide feedback to participant assignments

3-6 hours 2-3 hours 2-3 hours 2-3 hours Total: 9-15 hours/week

Included in salary * *(Duties are considered part of eLearning team member job responsibilities. No additional compensation is expected at this time. Assignment of these additional course responsibilities may necessitate additional staff being hired to support the increased workload on the eLearning team.)

Personnel and Duties Estimated Time Requirement

Costs

Director- Center for Teaching and Learning

● Resources (personnel and facilities)

● Campus-wide communication

Part of regular duties Part of regular duties

Included in salary Included in salary

Technical Support: eLearning team members ● Development of all

course materials, modifications, additions

● Primary contact for

course participants

Variable- up to 15 hours Up to 10 hours

Included in salary* Included in salary*

Technical Support: external (Instructure Canvas tech support)

● Technical support for high level LMS issues

As needed

Included in support contract with Instructure Canvas

   

Final Tasks for Implementation  

Initial Learner Contact

Responses

How is WBI advertised?

During the LMS transition (from Blackboard CE8 to Canvas) the WBI will be promoted on the eLearning web site and blog, in the university online news blog, through meetings with academic departments, and by word of mouth.

When does the course begin/end?

The WBI is primarily intended to provide online training support to instructors during the LMS transition. It is expected, however, that the WBI will also function in a useful training role beyond the transition phase as a just-in-time support for new instructors, or others wishing to improve their skill with the Canvas LMS.

How are learners initially contacted?

Course participants will be enrolled in the WBI upon completion of an online registration form, or via an email or phone contact requesting enrollment to the eLearning team. Once enrolled, an auto-generated email will represent the formal welcome to the course.

How do learners know their roles

The course description outlines the intent of the WBI. As a self-paced training course with no requirements course submissions or assigned grades, the course functions as a learning assistant for instructors will be clear.

How do learners obtain technical support?

WBI participants will be provided clear options to get assistance from eLearning staff, or other online resources throughout their time in the WBI. Each module contains a help forum to post questions or problems. Contact information to the eLearning team is also clearly identified in the WBI.

Final Technical Requirements

Responses

How will learner access the WBI?

Upon enrollment in the WBI, the learner will access the course the same way any student accesses a course in the LMS- they will enter their university-assigned user-id and password.

What browser and plug-ins are

Canvas uses modern HTML5 markup language. A modern browser (Safari, Firefox, Chrome, Internet

required? Explorer) that supports this language is required. The Flash plug-in is required to fully experience the content and features of the WBI in Canvas.

How will feedback on assignments be provided?

Completion of assignments is voluntary. Completed assignments will be reviewed by eLearning team members with the goal of providing timely feedback to learners as they progress through the WBI.

How are WBI documents shared with learners?

Course materials are delivered as custom web pages, or pdf documents available for download.

Communication among WBI participants

Responses

How will course participants and facilitators communicate?

Email and phone contacts with the eLearning staff will be clearly communicated. Each WBI module also features a help discussion forum where learners will be able to post questions and problems, and support other learners who may be having problems.

How will WBI requirements be delivered?

The course description will be available in the welcome module of the WBI. WBI will be further described in some of the related promotional materials.

Online skills training

Responses

How will course facilitators be trained?

All members of the eLearning team who provide course facilitation services will possess thorough training in the Canvas LMS and have extensive knowledge and experience with WBI course content and learner outcomes. Many team members will have played a direct role in the development of the WBI.

How will the course participants be trained?

Most instructors who participate in the WBI will have an LMS background. These skills will be useful during their participation in the WBI. Further training resources will be available in support documents from the Instructure Canvas web site. The WBI itself will provide the most direct training for participants. As they progress through the WBI modules their skills will build upon previous knowledge as they learn more advanced features and functions of the Canvas LMS.

 Management of WBI  Activity Strategies

Course facilitator (eLearning team) Canvas course support

-Open WBI access to learners in Canvas -Confirm course access for learners -Communicate course deadlines -Monitor learner progress -Review course assignments -Monitor course function in LMS -Monitor and respond to learner forum posts

Learners (Campus instructors) Course participation

-Review course learning objectives -Participate in course activities -Complete course assignments

Technical support (eLearning and IT staff) Technology support

-Monitor LMS function -Support all course materials -Assist learners and facilitators with technical problems related to course content access, etc.

                         ©  2011  Jeff  Toorongian