Online Learning!Prototypes

Tadpull was founded to help our friends and partners to build remarkable digital experiences using the principles of design thinking. !!We’re particularly excited to work with a great organization like Transom.org. Having the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded people who believe the web can change education is what makes our jobs feel like play everyday. !!We hope you find our research around how students and instructors interact online to be interesting and valuable.!!Team Tadpull!Bozeman, Montana!

greetings

"First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick, Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks. You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view - until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."!! Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird

beliefs

executive !summary

These findings !support Transom.org’s desire to learn how students and mentors perceive and engage with the Transom Online Workshop.

4 primary elements: !• the technology!• the content!• peer interaction!• mentor interaction

Within this brief, !you’ll find a blend of formative research findings from interviews conducted by a team of digital researchers at Tadpull.

Methodology!!The Tadpull team conducted three iterations of user interviews, one round occurring after the alpha version of the course, and one both at the beginning and end of the beta version. Transom.org also surveyed students throughout their coursework to supplement the interviews conducted.!!Ten total qualitative interviews were conducted between September and January, including nine students and one instructor of the Transom Online Workshop:!!• After the first six-week Alpha program which took place with approximately 20 members in a closed Facebook group, two participants were interviewed regarding their experiences.!!• During the Beta test Workshop, three participants were interviewed between the second and third weeks to identify any challenges they faced early on the workshop. Two of those participants were interviewed a second time at the conclusion of the workshop and two additional interviews were conducted including a third participant and the primary instructor. !!!!!

The Interviewees!!The interviewees were selected by the program administrators and represented a broad sample of demographics and skill-levels, including:!!• Professional backgrounds, which ranged from documentary filmmaking and writing to architecture.!!• Technical ability levels, from radio professional to individuals who had only recorded audio on their iPhones. !!• Diverse geographic regions, from Russia and Mexico to Minnesota.!!!!!!!

Goals!!The goals were to better understand both the delivery of the course and the breakdown of coursework. Specifically, we looked at the value behind:!!• Facebook as an online learning platform!• Content modules and resources!• Peer-to-peer and mentor interactions!!In addition, we tried to capture relevant quotes that summarized a key insight from the interview subjects.!!!!!

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How might we!improve !the prototype experience?

ideas

Make !resources and assignments accessible hosting them on a dedicated web page.

Protect!participant safety educating on media ethics and posting interviews online.

Encourage !an open learning environment by making the TOW a closed Facebook group.

HOW MIGHT WE improve

course content?

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How might we!clarify!course content?

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Alleviate !student pain points with editing software providing basic guidelines and tutorials.

Improve!communication dividing the workshop into clear focus areas.

Clear Up !participant confusion!with coursework by !defining and outlining learning objectives.

ideas

How might we!enrich!course interactions?

Guide !student expectations!of structure by clarifying roles and responsibilities of mentors.

Personalize!the online group experience by encouraging “ice breakers” and personal info.

Better!student interactions!with one another by defining clear ground rules for giving feedback.

ideas

LessonsLearned

1. Organization: Address the confusion associated with how Facebook reorganizes posts. !

2. Privacy: Create a more comfortable learning environment by making the Facebook group a closed group.!

4. Content: Clarify the learning objectives of assignments so participants know what they should learn in terms of content, technical knowledge and skills. !

5. Resources: Continue to sync up assignments and resources. Perhaps explore creating proprietary resources that are specific to Transom.org assignments, abiding by the same parameters.!

6. Additional Resources: Lack of experience with editing software seems to be one of the biggest challenges faced by “beginner” participants.

8. Mentor Interactions: At the beginning of the workshop, clarify roles of the mentor(s) and facilitator(s) of the workshop; but mostly continue to offer meaningful feedback.

7. Peer Interactions: Provide guidelines at the beginning of the course so participants feel comfortable critiquing each other’s work. Continue to encourage peer-to-peer discussion that will facilitate individual learning and acquisition of new skills.

3. Overall goal: Deliver on the participants’ desire to learn how to produce a story from beginning to end.

“People who come to this workshop, it’s like they want to be writers, but it’s not really about writing, that’s the thing that comes last.”

“...I am always looking for the silver bullet revelation, for whatever you do, but it’s always incremental...the beginning, middle, and end - no one communicated what that really means.”... “What makes a good story?”

“...A lot of these people have experience and have clearly done this before. For those of us who haven’t, I would like more of a template.”

“The earlier exercises were really good because I was doing things that I would not normally do. Getting us out of our comfort zone and doing something new.”

Content Opportunities

“It was still confusing with the way things posted. That was always a challenge. I would like it a little more clear-cut, like here’s Assignment One and then here’s everyone’s assignments... rather than the fluidity that is Facebook.”

“Yeah, that was pretty frustrating, especially over Christmas when you would be off and you’d come back on and it was hard to figure out what was going on. It is a bit of a jumble..”

“The organization was still a problem because you spent so much time scrolling, scrolling, and scrolling all the time.”

“The other thing that’s tough structurally on Facebook is the whole draft thing.”...“you set it aside - when there’s more than one version of flying around...”

The Facebook Experience

“Beginners and amateurs are less comfortable giving each other really hard, constructive feedback and as a result I think we trusted each other’s feedback a little less.”

“Personally it bothers me that some people think they have the authority to make a comment about whether they think someone’s work is good or bad.”

“It’s difficult to say something to someone you don’t know online. It’s hard to make a negative criticism like ‘this isn’t working at all.’”

“I really enjoyed the fact that <instructor name> e-mailed me about my assignments. That was such a cool experience - that he took an interest in my assignments and wanted to put them on the page.”

Student and Mentor!Interactions

Thank You!#UsersFirst

Tadpull.com