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.
•
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:
o

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.)
•
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.
•
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)
o
Developers should recognize that text in Spanish, French and Portuguese
generally requires 15-30% more space than the equivalent text in English.
o
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
•
NGO staff and government employees
•
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.)
•
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)
•
Articulate Story Line www.articulate.com (90 day complementary license)
•
QuickLessons www.quicklessons.com
•
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.
•
Visual assets should avoid incorporating text that is unable to be translated
during the localization of content.
•
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
•
United Nation Photos: http://www.unmultimedia.org/photo/
•
USAID Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/usaid_images/
•
UNHCR’s Flickr Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/unhcr/
•
UNDP’s Flckr Photostream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/unitednationsdevelopmentprogramme/
•
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
•
It is easier to set and maintain minimum levels of quality
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Self-Led Modules: Standards and Guidance
•
Design and development time is faster (especially when source files are shared
between development teams.)
•
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
mike@lingos.org 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
-
Resources made available through the Self-Led Learning Volunteer
-
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;
•
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?
o
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.
o
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.
•
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.
•
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,
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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
•
Companies that have contributed their resources to the development of content
In the example below, credits are included in the Conclusion section.
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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.)
July 17, 2012
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.
•
Operating Systems: Computers capable of running the browser software above
•
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.
•
Screen Resolution: 800 X 600 preferred; 1024 x 768 maximum
•
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
o
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;
o
Translators – Last Mile Learning intends to translate all content to
French, Spanish and Portuguese and will need source files to complete
these activities;
o
The Self-Led Volunteer Community – In order to support volunteers
and align the work of different course modules, Last Mile Learning
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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