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Portfolio Project

EDUC 765: Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

By Maria Veronica Solano

Submitted February 3 2017

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PROJECT PROPOSAL MODULE 2
Project Title
English Training for Software Developers.

Sponsoring Organization
Integradevs S.A. is a software development company with clients in North America. Its mission
is to foster its clients success through software.

Project Description
Software developers in Integradevs interact everyday with clients in English-speaking countries.
From the beginning of the project, developers meet with clients online and help them clarify their
needs. Throughout the project, there is constant communication between members of the
development team and the client team, to ensure complete customer satisfaction. Therefore, the
English speaking abilities of the developers are key for their success in these projects. However,
not all developers have the same skill level speaking English. Some developers, with a very basic
English level, cannot participate in meetings with clients at all and need to have information
relayed to them by a third member of the team. Other developers have a good level of technical
English, but struggle with small-talk and other informal interactions that are key for social
bonding with their US counterparts. And another group of developers are comfortable in one-on-
one conversations, but are intimidated by group conversations or presentations.
An English course will help developers improve their English level by:
Improving small talk skills
Improving presentation skills

Aim
Improve project success by better communication with clients.

Target Audience
The target audience comprises software developers in their mid-twenties whose mother tongue is
Spanish.

Delivery Options
The course will be blended, with face-to-face classes at the office twice a week and online
activities throughout the rest of the week. This delivery option was chosen because of time
limitations at work and because a blended option encourages more real-life learning, due to their
online interactions at work every day.

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FRONT-END ANALYSIS: INSTRUCTIONAL NEED MODULE 3
Instructional Need

Language in an outsourcing company is critical and performance problems are evident for team
leaders and the developers themselves, as they see themselves unable to fully participate and
comment in online meetings with clients. Each team has approximately five members, but from
those five usually only one can be fully autonomous in meetings with clients. The other four
need the fifth person to act as intermediary. There has been difficulties in projects because the
report was not worded correctly or the developer misunderstood the intentions of the client. All
due to an English language deficiency.
Several great developers cannot be allocated to work for US clients, because of their English
level is too low. That is a very clear and quantifiable profit loss for the company.

I will use Needs Assessment for identifying needs in the company, because the need for
instruction is evident. I would collect data using interviews (with project leaders) and surveys
(with developers in general). Both data collection methods will make use of open-ended
questions as well as multiple choice questions. These questions will refer to their perceived and
expressed needs, their previous steps in learning English and what they hope they can achieve
with better English in the future. I would ask everyone how often they think the company lost
business opportunities because of language limitations and how they think improving their
English would help them in their current job positions.

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FRONT-END ANALYSIS: LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS MODULE 3
Learner Analysis

Primary Audience
Software developers working with English-speaking clients
Team Leaders

Secondary Audience
Software developers working in local projects
Accounting staff

General Learner Characteristics


Age: 23-40
Gender: 18% female, 82% male
Education: 80% have already finished their college degree and 20% are still in
college.
English Education: Most learners took some English in college, as part of the CS
curriculum, so are partially fluent in technical vocabulary. A minority did not take
English in college or high school.
Work experience: 3 months to 15 years
Time availability: the company uses Flex Time, so peoples schedules vary.

Entry Characteristics
To be able to provide relevant training, learners must have already taken an online
English placement test: the ALTE Test. There are two groups by English level: Basic
(ALTE A1-B2), and Intermediate (ALTE B2-C2).

Contextual Analysis

Orienting Context
Learners expressed goals include: be able to have small talk conversations with clients,
be able to express themselves fully and with self-assurance.
Learners acknowledge that they need higher English levels to better communicate with
clients and achieve more understanding of the industry (specially the accounting staff)
I am not sure of the learners perception of accountability, how will the company reward
them for performing well in the course.
A potential misconception would be that learners may think that taking one course will
solve their language needs and will be enough, when in reality, English training will need
to be constant.

Instructional Context

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Scheduling: Due to the Flex Time policy in the company, people may have different
schedules. An agreement will have to be reached among participants when forming
course groups.
Lighting and noise: The company training room is well-lighted, and has low noise level.
Temperature: The training room has a great AC.
Seating: The room has 20 comfortable chairs.
Equipment: The room has a white wall to use as a screen and a projector with speakers.
There are several desks that could be used if participants need to bring their laptops.
Transportation: The training room is in the companys office building, so there will be no
need for transportation.

Technology Inventory
Most participants are very comfortable with new technologies and several already use
English-learning apps in their cell phones. All learners have smart phones and computers
at home. Two participants (the accounting staff) are less familiar with technologies, apps
and course platforms.
A small portion have already taken online classes in English (with different levels of
success) so they are familiar with online course platforms.
The instructor has already found several useful mobile phone apps that can be of use to
this type of course and are free.
The company can provide an online platform for the instructor to develop the course.
There is Wi-Fi in the training room.

Transfer Context
Most learners will be using the learned information straight away, improving their on-
going communication with clients.
Some developers would be able to start participating in client meetings.
The accounting staff will be able to right away start learning US tax regulations and read
reports written in English.
The trainer is part of the companys staff and will be available to provide post-course
support to learners in their challenges.

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INSTRUCTIONAL IMPACT BASED UPON LEARNER CHARACTERISTICS
Application of Learning Theories

The main learning theory well apply is social constructivism applied with adult learning theory
concepts. However, certain aspects of language acquisition are better learned using Behaviorism.

Behaviorism is a learning theory that emphasizes the need to give constant reinforcement to
induce learning. It emphasizes the importance of drills, repetition, reward and punishment to
drive learning. We will apply the concepts of Behaviorism to practice pronunciation. There are
several apps that evaluate pronunciation immediately, and provide a score to the learner. Another
way we will apply this theory is the way quizzes as designed. They will show grades
immediately and will allow the learner to take them again till they master the material.

The main learning theory that this course will use is Social Constructivism. This theory states
that students learn better when they work as a group and share their knowledge with each other.
We will apply constructivism to help participants share their vocabulary knowledge, build deep
conversations, use language to know about each others jobs and intellectual interests, provide
feedback to each other, suggestions and reflection as a group. They will assess their own
progress formatively.

Adult learning theory states several assumptions on the ways adults learn. These will be taken
into consideration when planning the course. For example:
Adults prefer to have control over their own education: learners will be able to choose what
videos based on the language they feel more comfortable with.
Adults prefer to share their life experiences: there will be many opportunities for learners to have
deep conversations about their work experiences and reflection on their learnings.
Adults prefer immediate application of learning: all topic and practice will be oriented towards
using English (formally and informally) in the job setting. At the same time, readings will focus
on topics that will also help them improve their overall job performance.

Application of Motivational Theories

Because learners already have a full schedule of work, family life and other studies (several are
finishing their college education), the course should motivate learners to participate. Class
environment should be stress-free and safe. Activities should be stimulating as well as useful.
Activities should also provide a degree or personal freedom, role playing activities will be
limited and cooperative learning will be stimulated. Activities will be designed so learners have
the opportunity to develop their own learning goals. Instruction should help them learn to
identify ways to continue learning. Activities should fall into learners level of competency and
be a bit challenging.

Assessment of the courses will be Competency-based, to highlight what the participant has
learned and not what she hasnt. Self-evaluation will be a key aspect of the course. Because the

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company expects its developers to take more than one English course per year, it is important
that learners feel a sense of accomplishment so they are willing to come back for the next course.
Learners who are able to finish the course should have some kind of recognition from the
company. In the software development field, silly toys and T-shirts are appreciated, so the
company could consider something of the kind, on top of a certificate of completion.

Impact of a Diverse Audience on Instruction

The city has a very diverse population, including communities whose ancestors immigrated
before and after WWII. There are citizens that have Polish, Japanese, Ukrainian, Russian, Italian
and German ancestry. The group of learners in the company includes a great variety of
languages: Guarani, Portuguese, Ukrainian and German. The instructor must be ready to provide
equivalences with languages other than Spanish, so course materials should have options of
different videos or tutorials comparing English with these other languages learners are fluent in.
Developers in the company have had different amounts of exposure to clients and North
American culture in general, therefore colloquial expressions may need to be explained with
more detail.
A couple of very good developers in the company have severe shyness and have trouble
speaking up in meetings even in Spanish. They dont have a diagnosed social disability, but their
limitations are well understood in the company. It will require a private conversation with these
learners to accommodate to their needs and help them improve their English nevertheless.
Materials will take into account Universal Access principles, regarding font sizes, colors, close-
caption, etc.

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GOAL ANALYSIS MODULE 5

Goal Analysis
Step 1 - Write down the goals.
Original goals:
Communicate effectively with clients

Step 2 - Write down everything a learner would have to say or do for you to agree that the
learner has achieved the goal.

- be able to conduct a Skype call effectively (sound and light quality, background, share
screen, send files/images, take pictures)
- speak clearly and to the point (without lengthening sentences or extra words, like in
Spanish)
- use American English and expressions
- converse daily with customers with no misunderstandings
- write emails and chat messages without grammar or spelling mistakes
- project the voice, keeping good volume during the conversation
- sound assertive as well as respectful verbally and on writing.
- should be able to have small talk conversations with US peers
- pronounce words correctly
- understand specification documents
- is able to plan what needs to be done based on a spec document
- can write spec documents and reports in English, American style, based on conversation
with the client

Step 3 - Sort the items listed in step 2.


Verbal
- be able to conduct a Skype call effectively (sound and light quality, background, share
screen, send files/images, take pictures)
- speak clearly and to the point (without lengthening sentences or using extra words, like in
Spanish)
- converse with customers with no misunderstandings
- project the voice, keeping good volume during the conversation
- pronounce words correctly

Written
- write emails and chat messages without grammar or spelling mistakes
- understand specification documents
- is able to plan what needs to be done based on a spec document
- can write spec documents and reports in English, American style, based on conversation
with the client

Both

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- should be able to have small talk conversations with US peers
- sound assertive as well as respectful verbally and on writing.
- use American English and expressions

Step 4 - Write a complete sentence to describe each of the items on your final list.
- Learner is be able to conduct a Skype call effectively, applying the advice provided
regarding
o sound quality
o light quality
o background
o shared screen
o send files/images
o take pictures
- Learner is able to understand and be understood in online conversations with the client
- In online conversations with the client, learner speaks to the point, without lengthening
sentences or using extra words.
- In online conversations with the client, learner projects his/her voice, keeping good
volume during the whole conversation
- In online conversations with the client, learner pronounces words correctly
- Learner is able to have informal conversations (small talk) with US peers
- Learner sounds assertive as well as respectful verbally and on writing
- Learner uses American English and expressions
- Learner writes emails and chat messages without grammar or spelling mistakes
- Learner understands specification documents
- Learner can write spec documents in English, American style, based on conversation with
the client

INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES MODULE 5


Project Goal
Developers can communicate effectively with clients projecting a professional image, applying
best practices to skype calls, spec development. Developers are able to apply appropriate
American English, speaking and in writing, in informal conversations with clients as well as
chats and emails.

Terminal Objectives and Enabling Objectives

1. In conversations with the client, learner applies best practices in Skype calls as outlined in
course manual (Cognitive)

Enabling Objectives:

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- Using his/her computer and office, learner creates a set up to ensure good sound and light
quality in skype conversations, as outlined in course manual (Cognitive).

- Using his/her computer and office, learner sets up an appropriate background for skype
conversations, as outlined in course manual (Cognitive).

- Using his/her computer, learner can share screen, send files/pictures and take picture of
skype conversations with 100% accuracy (Cognitive).

2. Terminal Objective:

Based on conversations with the client, learner writes clear spec documents that reflect the
needs expressed by the client with 100% accuracy (Cognitive)

Enabling Objectives:
- In conversations with the client, learner takes clear notes, demonstrating level ALTE C1
(Psychomotor).

- In conversations with the client, learner uses the appropriate vocabulary, demonstrating
level ALTE C1 (Cognitive).

- Using a specification document as template, learner can write a specification document


based on conversations with the client with 100% accuracy (Cognitive)

3. Terminal Objective:

Using skype, chat or email, learner can have informal conversations with clients,
demonstrating a level ALTE C1 (Cognitive)

Enabling Objectives:
- In conversations with the client, learner can engage in small talk (both verbally and in
writing) applying the appropriate vocabulary on weather, life history, Paraguay
information, demonstrating level ALTE C1 (Cognitive).

- In conversation with the client, learner is able to understand and use American English
idioms appropriately, verbally and in writing, demonstrating level ALTE C1 (Cognitive).

- Without looking at references, learner can compare some aspects of American culture:
holidays, working styles, diversity, with Paraguayan culture demonstrating level ALTE
C1 (Cognitive).

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4. Terminal Objective:

In conversations with the client, learner sounds assertive but respectful (Affective).

Enabling Objectives:
- Learner does not lower his/her voice when conversing with the client (Psychomotor).

- Learner speaks concisely when conversing with the client, demonstrating Level ALTE
C1 (Cognitive).

- Without looking at references, learner can compare some aspects of American culture
regarding the value of assertiveness in business culture, with Paraguayan culture
demonstrating Level ALTE C1 (Cognitive).

ENABLING OBJECTIVES MATRIX & SUPPORTING CONTENT


MODULE 6

Title of the unit/module: Informal Conversations

Brief description of target audience:

The target audience comprises software developers in their mid-twenties whose mother tongue is Spanish.

List Terminal Objective Here:

Using skype, chat or email, learner can have informal conversations with clients, reaching a
level ALTE C1 (Cognitive)

List Pre-instructional Strategy:

Showing a video that highlights the importance of a fluid business conversation, where people talk about
work and a bit about themselves too, learners will see how this bonding happens and is important to
create strong teams.

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Learners will share the challenges they have faced when the conversation turns social with clients. They
will list a series of topics that have come up in the past. This list will be used to provide vocabulary words
and role playing examples.

Learners will be presented with four common small talk topics and will try to express themselves. Then,
they will reflect on the challenges presented. This reflection will also provide a vocabulary list and
practice opportunities.

Enabling Objective Level on Learner Activity (What Delivery Method


Blooms would learners do to master (Group presentation/lecture,
Taxonomy this objective?) self-paced, or small group)

In conversations with the Comprehension/ Review of the most Lecture


client, learner is able to Understanding common American
understand and use idioms
American English idioms Worksheet practice Small group
appropriately, verbally
and in writing, Role play: Conversation Paired activity
demonstrating level ALTE practice
C1 (Cognitive). Role play: Chat practice

In conversations with the Application Read two articles on the Self-paced, online
client, learner can engage (apply) subject
in small talk, applying the
appropriate vocabulary on Create a vocabulary list Small group
weather, life history,
Paraguay information, Practice chatting with Paired online activity
verbally and in writing, colleagues on the topics
demonstrating level ALTE
C1 (Cognitive).

Without looking at Evaluation Watch videos on the Self-paced


references, learner can (compare) different topics
compare some aspects of
American culture:
holidays, working styles, Create a vocabulary list Small group
diversity, with Paraguayan Discuss in group
culture reaching level
ALTE C1 (Cognitive).

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REFERENCES
ALTE News. (n.d.). Retrieved February 05, 2017, from http://www.alte.org/

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