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My project plan for my Canvas Asynchronous Training is complete. Goodwin University, the institution I work for, is migrating away from the Blackboard learning management software (LMS) to the Canvas LMS. The Goodwin faculty need to be trained on how to use Canvas, and I will be overseeing the training process. As developing a training of this scale is extremely intensive due to the level of content that needs to be developed and volume of trainees that need to take this training, I found that utilizing the project management process was of tremendous value.
While I may be pursuing a master's in education with a focus on instructional design, developing and building learning experiences can be a large project that will require planning beyond what ADDIE is intended to cover. Through this course, I learned how ADDIE can be easily plugged into the project management (PM) process. Through the creation of a work breakdown schedule (WBS), the entire ADDIE framework can be itemized, assigned, and budgeted.
First I would like to share a few resources that I found tremendously helpful with the blending of instructional design (ID) and project management. It is my hope that anyone that is reading this blog and is interested in learning more about ID and PM watch/read these resources as they are extremely useful.
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While I may be pursuing a master's in education with a focus on instructional design, developing and building learning experiences can be a large project that will require planning beyond what ADDIE is intended to cover. Through this course, I learned how ADDIE can be easily plugged into the project management (PM) process. Through the creation of a work breakdown schedule (WBS), the entire ADDIE framework can be itemized, assigned, and budgeted.
First I would like to share a few resources that I found tremendously helpful with the blending of instructional design (ID) and project management. It is my hope that anyone that is reading this blog and is interested in learning more about ID and PM watch/read these resources as they are extremely useful.
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Helpful Resources
Resource #1 (Video): Where does Instructional Design fall in the Project Management Process?
Dr. Pastore explains how ID and PM interlock and overlap in an easy to digest, short five-minute window.
Resource #2 (Article): How to Spot Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic-Learning Executives
This next resource was provided to me by one of my own classmates. When I shared my experience with my classmates. Knowing how a subject matter expert (SME) -- or anyone an ID and PM are working with, processes information -- allows for clearer communication when collaborating. Click to view the article.
Resource #3 (Book): Project Management for Trainers, 2nd Edition
The final resource was actually a "textbook" for this class. I would hardly call this a textbook in the traditional sense. The book is very easy to read and pick up. Every step of the way in the PM process is succinctly covered, complete with optional practice materials to help reinforce the content. The book is book is around 140 pages and I cannot praise this book enough!
ISBN: 978-1562869489
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Below you will find my final project input/formatted for this blog. If you wish to view the this project in document form, click for the essay, and click for the Excel documents.
Introduction
I currently work at Goodwin University in the Online Studies department where I do data analytics/assessment, trainings, and instructional design. Currently, my team is working on a migration plan away from the Blackboard learning management system (LMS) to the Canvas LMS, with a summer 2021 soft rollout and a complete rollout in fall 2021. To successfully roll out Canvas, the faculty will need to be trained. Online Studies will be offering both synchronous and asynchronous trainings. One of my job responsibilities at Goodwin University is to oversee the Blackboard LMS asynchronous training. With the migration to Canvas LMS, I will be developing and then overseeing the Canvas LMS asynchronous training. The aim of this project will be to develop a Canvas LMS asynchronous training for Goodwin University faculty, blending the ADDIE model of instructional design with the project management process framework.
Creating a Canvas LMS asynchronous training is a project, and projects are best equipped to succeed with proper project management. The project management framework consists of three processes: planning, organization, and managing (Russel, 2016). I will be functioning as the project manager for the Canvas LMS asynchronous training to ensure the project management process framework is followed. There are many roles that vary from project to project, but one constant is that all projects have stakeholders. According to Russel (2016), stakeholders include the project sponsor, project manager, developers, and other support personnel required to complete the project. The following stakeholders for my Canvas LMS asynchronous training project are:
- My direct supervisor (Director of Online Studies for Goodwin University)
- Myself
- Instructional designers within my team
- Faculty/staff for cognitive walkthroughs
There are many moving parts in the migration from Blackboard LMS to Canvas LMS. As project manager for the Canvas LMS asynchronous training, I need to ensure that I create a proper timeline of processes, and coordinate with various staff members when developing content for the training. By incorporating the ADDIE model of instructional design into the project management process framework, I will be able to ensure that the Canvas LMS asynchronous training is effectively delivered with a focus on the learner experience, and the desired return on investment (ROI) of the Goodwin University.
Project Proposal
Project Manager
The project manager is the person that oversees all of the project processes. The project manager owns the planning, organizing, and management of responsibilities (Russel, 2016). William Kenyon, Instructional Technology and Data Support Developer – will be the project manager.
Project Sponsor
The project sponsor is the person that acts on the interests of the organization, factoring in business goals, return on investment (ROI), and that the project is completed on time. The project sponsor is typically a person that can approve, deny, or cancel a project (Russel, 2016). The project sponsor for the proposed project, is Lisa Manley, Program Director, Online Studies and Center for Teaching Excellence.
Project Goal
The proposed project is for an asynchronous training for the Canvas learning management (LMS) software. The goal of the Canvas asynchronous training project is to develop a self-paced, in-depth asynchronous training for all things Canvas. The aim of the training is to onboard and empower faculty to effectively utilize the Canvas LMS in accordance with Goodwin University policies.
Problem/Opportunity Definition
The Online Studies team at Goodwin University is working on a migration away from the Blackboard LMS to the Canvas LMS, with a summer 2021 soft rollout and a complete rollout in fall 2021. To successfully roll out Canvas, the faculty will need to be trained. Online Studies will be offering both synchronous and asynchronous trainings. With the migration to Canvas LMS, the Goodwin Blackboard asynchronous training needs to be replaced by a Canvas LMS asynchronous training. In addition to training faculty to utilize Canvas once the migration is completed, the training will be mandatory for all new faculty at Goodwin University.
Cost/Benefit Analysis
Tangible Benefits:
- Cost savings for faculty and student contacts for support will be heavily diminished by faculty empowered by the training. Cost of contacts by faculty who have not completed the training can be measured against costs of contacts from faculty who have completed the training to determine cost savings.
Intangible Benefits:
- Faculty will be empowered to utilize Goodwin’s Canvas LMS effectively. Student learning experience will be improved based on faculty knowledge of Canvas.
Costs:
- Internal labor hours: 181 hours
- Labor: $4,005.00
- I do not have access to employee salary costs. The labor cost is a rough estimate based on the number of employees working on the project in the given timeframe.
- There are no additional costs beyond the cost of labor and time.
Scope
Major Project Activities:
- Learning Objectives
- Assessment Planning
- Lesson Planning
- Storyboarding
- Cognitive Walkthroughs
- Outcome Assessment Evaluation
Major Obstacles:
- N/A. There are no major obstacles that will impede the development of the training.
Schedule Overview and Project Work Breakdown Structure:
According to Russel (2016) there are three things that drive a project schedule: Tasks, people, and time and dates. With the aforementioned in mind, a development schedule and project work breakdown structure has been developed. The project is broken down into five milestone goals, with a total of 11 level two tasks, and 26 level three tasks. The milestone breakdown and estimated date of completion for each milestone are as follows:
- Analysis: Date of completion: 2-9-21
- Design: Date of completion: 2-19-21
- Develop: Date of completion: 2-22-21
- Implement: Date of completion: 3-5-21
- Evaluate: Date of completion: 3-5-21
See figure 1 below for a complete breakdown of the project work breakdown structure.
Figure 1. Canvas LMS Asynchronous Training work breakdown structure (click image to view full size).
Project Documents
Included in the appendix are the three most critical documents to this project. I have chosen documents that I consider to be the most critical to the project overall as not all documents in a project plan are pertinent to the Canvas Asynchronous Training I am developing. While a risk assessment plan may be critical to many projects for example, a risk assessment plan would be an unnecessary plan due to the project scope of the Canvas Asynchronous Training. The only true risk facing the Canvas Asynchronous Training would be not developing the training at all.
Project Schedule
The project schedule is a very useful document, as project schedules allow for the program manager, or anyone with access to the schedule, to get a quick snapshot of information regarding the project status. The project schedule includes items such as milestone goals, milestone owners, and overall progress of each goal. The project schedule is included in the appendix.
Project Budget
In order for leadership to make data-driven decisions, creating a work breakdown schedule, and then formulating a budget based off of the work breakdown schedule is a great way to itemize the cost of the entire project. The work breakdown schedule was created and served as the baseline template for formulating the budget, which is also included in the appendix.
Communication Schedule
Given the magnitude of occurrences that can spiral out of control, a communication plan can be critical depending on the size and scope of a project. Having a communication plan allows for a project manager (PM) to ensure that all stakeholders are informed of any and all details that are necessary, and how, and when, said stakeholders will be informed (Bowen, 2002). The communication schedule is included in the appendix.
References
Bowen, A. (2002). Sample Communication Plan Examples for the Project Manager. Retrieved https://www.brighthubpm.com/templates-forms/16931-an-example-communication-plan-for-the-project-manager/#key-elements
Russell, L. (2016). Project Management for Trainers, Second Edition. VA: Association for Talent Development.
Appendix
Appendix A: Project Schedule (click image to view full size)
Appendix B: Budget (click image to view full size)
Appendix C: Communication Schedule (click image to view full size)
