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Case Study 1
CSUMB MIST Cohort 14 Team 4
Cong Li
Shay Herr
Michael Johnson

Preliminary Analysis Questions

1. What criteria (technical specifications, design requirements) should the design team use to
determine the appropriateness and merit of each design brief it has been given to review?

In “Case Study 1: Steve Allen,” the design team needed to consider multiple criteria for the design briefs
that it reviewed. Obviously the client’s needs must be considered. SchoolsOnline requested development
of online resources for primary and secondary schools in Australia. The learning objects should be small,
focusing on only one or a few objectives, and flexible enough for use by teachers in a classroom setting or
for use by students working independently. The design team will need to be aware of the project’s time
constraints and develop engaging activities with context developed specifically for Australian K-12
students within three months.

The technical specifications requested by the client include learning objects developed exclusively in
Adobe Flash for consistency, with small file sizes that avoid use of full-color graphics and video. The
team will need to collaborate with writers and developers to confirm that the specifications for the design
will not exceed the technical limitations involved with developing learning objects and so that they
understand the principle components for the design.

Specific design requirements also need to be considered. The learning objects should be realistic and
relatable with activities set in authentic contexts. The learning objects need to be adaptable for multiple
age groups with content that increases in complexity and is relevant for older learners. A constructivist
learning model will be used to create learning objects that provide experiential learning opportunities.

2. Given the constraints under which the design team is working, suggest specific ways that it can
move a draft brief from the form in which it is received to that which is required by the project
brief.

The design team will discuss the draft brief and see if it meets the criteria of the project brief. Then they
will deliver their discussion results and suggestions to the writing team. The writing team will modify the
draft brief accordingly and send back to the design team. The design team will design specifications and
send them to project manager. After the project manager signs off the design specifications after
communicating with the project steering committee, the design team’s job is done and they can deliver
the final design specifications to the development team.

3. Apply the criteria, developed in response to question 1, to critique the two design ideas presented
in this case: Mission to Mars and Let’s Go Camping.
Mission to Mars:
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a. Students don’t have much prior knowledge about living on Mars. Therefore, the learning content
doesn’t apply to the constructivist pedagogy that requires prior knowledge and being authentic tasks in
real life.
b. It uses full color graphics, which is exactly what should be avoided.
c. The content should provide real-life contexts and scenarios and as of 2018, a real-life mission to Mars
is not feasible.
d. The content should “support the study of history, geography, indigenous studies, environmental
studies, values and cultural studies, and study of civic life of particular regional and rural people.” A
mission to Mars does not adequately address these topics.

Let’s Go Camping:
a. The feedback is right or wrong, which is not a constructivist approach.
b. By providing too many choices, it will be too complicated and make the learning object too large.

4. Outline the work flow among the three project teams by adding arrows to Figure 1-1. Discuss the
potential challenges that arise because of this configuration.

a. The design team needs to select 15 out of the 32 draft briefs that the writing team prepared. Then the
writing team will further develop the selected draft briefs. Therefore, there will be interaction between the
writing team and design team in the selection process. The design team, without directly communicating
with the steering committee, will rely solely on the writing team to capture the steering committee’s input.
This may pose a challenge and increase time spent during the initial selection process.
b. Everything goes through project manager, which complicates the whole process and its efficiency.
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Implications for ID Practice

1. Discuss the skills needed by project managers in order to facilitate effective interac-tion among
different teams (e.g., design, graphics, programming) working on an instructional design project.

Multiple interpersonal skills are needed by project managers for successful project implementation with
different teams on an instructional design project. Competent communication skills are necessary to
understand client expectations and to convey the client’s vision to team members. Project managers also
need creative problem solving skills to deal with the inevitable challenges encountered when working
with multiple parties in different fields. A flexible management style is also important because
professionals in different fields have disparate working methods and techniques. Technical expertise is
crucial for providing credibility with the teams and with the client and for allowing the project manager to
capably communicate with technicians. Administrative skills, like planning, time management, and
organization are essential as well. Project managers need to utilize effective planning and time
management strategies to keep teams in line and on time. Organizational skills are important for
overseeing complex projects and coordinating work amongst teams.

2. Describe the core characteristics that define learning objects. What impact does each of these
characteristics have on the reusability of a learning object?

The core characteristics of a learning object include realistic and authentic content, interactive activities,
and assessment items. All these characteristics can make the learning object reusable if developed in
specific context. Authentic and realistic content is relatable and interesting to learners over wide age
ranges, allowing a single learning object to be used in multiple contexts for multiple purposes. Interactive
activities are engaging and provide opportunities for students to build upon their prior knowledge while
motivating learners to make new discoveries. Assessment items can provide constructive feedback and
motivate students to take chances while minimizing concerns about making mistakes. The environment,
or context, of the learning object may positively impact and stimulate the learner, even if the learning
object is not particularly stimulating. Learning objects should also be tagged with metadata allowing them
to be easily found, and thus easily reusable.

3. Discuss the challenges involved in applying constructivist pedagogical strategies (e.g., authentic
tasks, social interaction, and negotiation) within computer-based learning object environments.

In computer-based learning object environments, the tasks may not be realistic, or in an authentic setting.
If constructivism draws on a learner’s meaningful experiences, then those meaningful experiences most
likely will take place outside of a computer-based learning environment. Scaffolding activities may be
difficult to implement because it could be challenging to determine the learner’s prior knowledge. Social
interactions and negotiation may be limited by time-constraints in a computer-based team environment.
Assessment of scientific or technical topics may be difficult based on limited outcomes. The
constructivist model of learning depends on the learner motivation and experience with research, posing
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questions, and investigating. Computer-based environments provide limited supervision or guidance from
instructors and less motivated or experienced learners might struggle without sufficient support. The
financial costs associated with technology support and adaptation to new technology in computer-based
learning object environments could restrict learner access to content and inhibit the learner’s ability to
construct their own knowledge.