Audiobook Volunteer Online Training
Project Introduction:
Audiobook Volunteer Online Training is a group project for EDIT 6400E in Fall 2017. The project context was provided by our teammate Eleanor Cotton, a staff member of Learning Ally, which is a non-profit in America producing quality audiobooks for people with learning disabilities to help them learn better.
The production of these audiobooks is all done by volunteers and a few staff members who recruit and train the volunteers. The main roles of the volunteers are narrators and audio issue checkers. Before they become qualified volunteers, they need to finish three asynchronous online modules of volunteer training, i.e. conventions of audiobooks, audio issue checking, and audiobook recording.
Most of the volunteers passed module 1 successfully, but only a few (about 1.3% of total) could pass the assessment of module 2 and proceed to module 3. The assessment of module 2 seemed to be difficult, but it provided a hands-on experience of what they would actually be doing once they finish all three modules of training. Therefore, the assessment was considered appropriate and necessary. The major reason why they lost the majority of volunteers during the training of module 2 was that the learners have inadequate practice and preparation in that process.
In order to tackle volunteer attrition, we redesigned Lesson 2 with Articulate Storyline, using the Cognitive Apprenticeship model to guide our design and introducing some features of gamification to engage the learners. The new module was launched in Moodle in January 2018. We received great results. During the first month of implementation, 11 volunteers finished Module 2 training, 9 of whom passed the assessment at first attempt.
My Contribution:
There were 4 group members in our team, Eleanor, Alicia, Rebecca and me. The task was distributed quite evenly among us. During the analysis and design stage, I contributed the most important instructional ideas: First, create mini-modules that include modeling, interactive practice, and immediate application; second, incorporate gamification elements using a detective storyline to make module coherent and interesting. I wrote the defense for these instructional decisions for the final design document as well. During the development stage, I was majorly responsible for Chapter 3 (there are 5 chapters). I was also very detail-oriented and good at checking errors for the newly-designed Storyline lessons.
Read more:
2. Storyboards
3. Screenshots
