The REDESIGN of Business Etiquette TM Presented by Mary Wiseman Hello my name is Mary Wiseman and I am proposing a redesign of the Business Etiquette course to become a fully online course. I believe by implementing my design concepts learners will be able to use technology to practice positive business attitudes, behaviors and communication skills as they are learning them.
WHY Change? The demand for this course is significant enough to provide a fully online version of the course. I realize there has been a little bit of push-back in believing this course-fully online-can offer the same opportunities as is offered in a face-to-face classroom.
Because SOFT SKILLS are CHANGING Well, I believe a change in this course-to being fully online- is a positive move because the business world is being shaped by shifting demographic patterns, there have been changes in the pace of technology and there have been huge changes in the globalization of our economy. Because of all these changes, business soft skills are changing...sort of...
Keep POSITIVE Attitudes Behaviors Communications While positive business etiquette, manners and communications or soft skills used within the workplace remain the same...it IS the environment IN WHICH those business skills are applied that has and will continue to change...and there is one single reason for this.
The change influencer WWW The Internet. It has completely changed the business world and workplace. No matter what business, workplace or career the learner is in-the Internet has changed the way people interact when doing business.
Business Etiquette RESPONDS to CHANGE The Business Etiquette course needs to respond to this change by implementing imaginative and creative uses of technology- which will in turn allow the technology to engage the learners as they are learning the business etiquette skills. I know you might be thinking: WHAT ABOUT THE LESS TECH SAVVY LEARNERs or THE INSTRUCTORS? This is understandable and I will address this in just a moment.
Use TECHNOLOGY Learner Text to Absorb Practice Connect By using technology, in these new and creative ways, learners will be learning by: Absorbing- new concepts Practicing- individually, in small groups and in peer-to-peer settings Connecting- their learning with real-world-workplace scenarios... and they will be doing all of this -fully online.
Modify the PEDAGOGY This change can happen by modifying the pedagogy and approach to the delivery of the online learning.
PRACTICE Soft Skills The question then becomes; how will learners practice their soft skills fully online?
Embrace the WWW to of Modify methods of instruction By embracing the power of the Internet, along with some fairly simple tools-instructors can modify their methods of instruction. This way, they have opportunities to enrich and enhance what they are doing to teach business etiquette and the learners also have opportunities to prove their knowledge and understanding of their learning-all online.
Implement AUDIO&VIDEO Lectures Instructors Guest Speakers For example I propose instructors and learners alike use recorded audio and video lectures from the instructor, guest speakers- from the business world, even from each other and augment those lectures with others sourced from the Internet. All of these resources can be housed within the Moodle classroom-making them available [on demand] to the learners to listen/watch at their own pace and repeatedly, if desired. By implementing these types of activities the course provides options for perception, expression and communication. These activities also provide engagement for the learners by offering choice and authenticity. Reference UDL and examples from the syllabus
Incorporate VIDEO Web Conferencing Instructors and leaners can also implement the use of web, audio and video conferencing for virtual class collaboration in order to share information, enable collaboration within small groups, and provide instant online demonstrations. Learners may also use the video tool to record themselves practicing behaviors modeled by an instructor. Web conferencing tools also offer the ability to record these sessions for archiving within the Moodle classroom. By incorporating these types of activities the course provides learners with options for representation, multiple means of expression and engagement. Reference UDL and examples from the syllabus
Create REAL-WORLD Scenarios Mimicking business situations I propose instructors create problem-solving scenarios using case studies which mimic realworld business and workplace situations and have students video or audio record their encounters and upload them to the class [or the instructor] for critic. These types of activities allow leaners to become comfortable navigating all types of business interactions and they offer a safe environment in which learners can practice their skills. If recorded and shared these activities create built-in assessment tools and enable the learners to engage in critic sessions; by themselves, with their instructor and/or with their peers. Again, by recording these sessions, students can revisit their work as needed. Reference UDL and examples from the syllabus
Encourage SOCIAL Media Learners should also be encouraged-within real-world workplace scenarios- to analyze and comprehend the application and use of social media and learn how these types of communications apply in terms of business etiquette. In this way learners can become strategic and purposeful in their communication approaches and techniques. Reference UDL and examples from the syllabus
Motivate MOBILE Technology Additionally, learners should be urged to evaluate how mobile technology and collaborating with others- using cloud and/or remote technologies accessing documents or projects- impact the workplace and business etiquette. Reference UDL and examples from the syllabus
LOOK What does it look like? What is all this going to look like to the learner [and the instructor]?
Inside MOODLE the course Inside Moodle I recommend within a single week listing activities such as: pre and post assessments, Reading & Media, discussions, perhaps have an ongoing journal for learners, assignments, quizzes and a place for noting offline activities [which might be critics of video work or attendance of web conferences] if desired. The assignments will allow the learners to upload their assignments or projects including video and audio files directly into Moodle OR to provide a link to an off-site repository [i.e. YouTube, Vimeo etc]. I would also suggest instructors include some Surveys to have a quick gauge or formative assessment which can be included inside the course-so instructors can get a sense of how learners are proceeding with their assignments and/or whatever feedback the instructor desires to glean from the learners. I would also recommend a Chat for real-time collaboration. This option is great for group work, instructor s office hours and enables another opportunity for learners to practice workplace business etiquette with each other while they are learning. Another bonus of the Chat feature is the ability to archive of these conversations.
HOW-TO Assess & Evaluate? I propose this course has rubrics that assess and evaluate what the learner can do.
Real-world ASSESSMENT which is APPLICABLE Obviously, instruction is always focused on progressing the learner through the material presented. In addition to weekly post assessments I suggest projects based upon a product the learner can take with them into the workplace. In other words, the instruction is always driving back to business etiquette which is applicable for the learner, in real-world situations. Mary: Be sure to include summative and formative evaluations
Assess with an eportfolio I strongly urge learners create their own electronic portfolios in which they will house the digital examples of their learning. This can be done within Moodle inside a Wiki, then post-course, learners can copy their material over to an off-site Wiki, website or other repository of their choice.
An eportfolio contains Samples & examples The eportfolio becomes a storehouse the learner can look back upon when they are out in the workplace and need to access their learning from the Business Etiquette course. eportfolios can also contain other pertinent examples of their work and samples from discussion forums, lectures, critics and any other activities from the course.
CHALLENGES in the redesign of Business Etiquette Change is always occurring, let s look at some of the challenges in the redesign of the Business Etiquette course.
Once the course is live with the learners, there needs to be built-in scaffolding for teaching the learners the concepts of the new proposed technology tools and support offered via the instructor, peers and HCC s CAPs [Center for Academic Program Support]. The obvious goal is to get both instructors and learners comfortable with using new technology. Ongoing professional development, for instructors, will also need to be factored in. DO I NEED TO INCLUDE A BASIC SCHEDULE/AGENDA OF TRAINING?? ISTE White Paper As for costs, in addition to professional development there is the cost of web conferencing tools which need to be considered. I have included a comparison chart to give an idea-at a high level- of web conferencing costs for several different providers of these tools. DO I NEED TO INCLUDE SOME BASIC NUMBERS HERE? Look at CHANGE Access to tech Comfort with tech Training, Time & Costs As we look at change there are several areas to examine-for both instructors and learners: access to technology, comfort levels with using technology, training, time and cost. Just as the instructors may need training with new technology, going through the process of learning these new tools will help instill empathy for their students who might experience the very same issues-when they begin using those same technologies and tools. I suggest scheduling training time for instructors and combine that with coaching, modeling and refinement of skills for those instructors in learning and applying the suggested technology tools to the proposed curriculum. This will include: using web conferencing tools, learning to create audio and video files and learning how-to present via a live and recorded webinars. Because the business instructors are the subject matter experts, it is inevitable that as they begin using these new tools they will come up with new ideas for incorporating these tools into their methods of instruction. This way evaluation of the new course can occur and allow for minor adjustments to the course before going live with students.
Within the CLASSROOM Age Variation Cultural Diversity The Business Etiquette Course is the perfect arena in which to discuss professional behavior and attitudes in reference to: cultural diversity, age in the workplace, teamwork, conflict resolution, employer expectations, laws and the impact of these have within the workplace. The case scenarios and real-world projects should all include reference to these points and thus reach the objectives of the course.
REVIEW the redesign of Business Etiquette
The Redesign Learn with technology Context matters Diversity & cultural respect Personalized approach Enrich experiences In review of my redesign proposal I suggest this course be taught in such a way that: learners will be able to use technology to practice positive business attitudes, behaviors and communication skills as they are learning them and learning to use the technology found in the business workplace where business etiquette is changing. I recommend using as many real-world scenarios and examples as possible. Bringing concepts into context is key to successful learning. I endorse the implementation of audio/video and web conferencing tools to use to record learners work and create an archive of work examples within the course. I also recommend as much as possible instructors include cultural reference and diversity into their scenarios, which will strive to mimic real-world business situations and enrich the learners experience. Business Etiquette is like a grammar of doing business, it is a series of processes which includes how to do business along with the why one is doing business. While we wouldn t expect anyone to become literate just by hoping it would happen. By seeing connections and experiencing relationships-using these new technologies [the very same technologies business are now using] we are giving learners the opportunities to look into a variety of workplaces/careers/disciplines and seeing how business etiquette works and seeing the connections for implementing proper business etiquette. By applying my redesign concepts to this course, we can personalize the experience for each learner [or allow them to personalize it for themselves] and assist each learner in promoting and improving their own business etiquette skills-relevant to them.
The REDESIGN of Business Etiquette TM Presented by Mary Wiseman September 14, 2011 So, this has been my proposed redesign of the Business Etiquette course. I would be happy to answer any of your questions.