Research Summary / Story Board

After the teleconference, I had quite a few items on my "to do" list. First, I essentially wrapped up my research, which included about a dozen references from articles, journals, observations, and books. I knew my client would not likely have the time to read all of the details of my research, so I summarized what felt were the more important and relevant take aways that could be applied to the project.

Reseach Summary:

Below is essentially a summary of the potential methods for delivering a web-based educational program:

Synchronous vs. Asynchronous:

Synchronous programs require that the class meet the instructor at a certain time to engage in live audio or video conferencing. Asynchronous programs allow the student and instructor to work through the course at their convenience.

The basic assumption for the STREAM Tools delivery method is that education will be delivered on an individual, asynchronous basis.

Alternatives to delivering the material include the following:
1. Guided study through the book material
2. Interactive case studies
3. Simulations
4. Practice exercises
5. Quizzes/exams that test for understanding
6. Audio streaming (with podcasts)
7. Video streaming (pre-recorded)
8. Whiteboards
9. Discussion boards
10. Blogging
11. Instructor-facilitated chat sessions
12. Instructor availability outside the virtual classroom (virtual office hours)
13. Flashcards
14. Question banks
15. Self-assessments
16. Reflection questions
17. Study calendar
18. Portfolio review
19. Collaborative assignments

Options for “building” the certification program:
1. Self: hypertext/hypermedia
2. Component programs: XPCOM (Mozilla)
3. Authoring Programs: Adobe Director
4. Third Party Vendors: Aveta


Audience: working professionals in the technical writing profession. Presumably, clients/students will be working full-time and looking to enhance their skill sets and obtain a professional designation that will set them apart from their peers.

The perspective on the necessity of a professional designation has varied. STC has explored professional designations, and sees a place for them within the industry, but has not been able to execute and bring forward a program. The idea is that a designation can legitimize the profession and establish core competencies for technical communicators.

Process: in order to efficiently and effectively to create a certification and properly design the course structure, it will be critical to answer the following strategic
1. Objectives (why): why utilize a web-based education program versus a traditional classroom educational program?
2. Objects (what): what will be taught? Define the scope of the course and create a list of educational goals.
3. Methodology (how): what will the instructional model look like?
4. Management (who): what types of responsibilities need to be established and who will manage those responsibilities?

I had never created a type of story board before, so I was unsure of where to start. After some pondering, I decided that since I was most familiar with Microsoft Power Point, that I'd start there. I decided to create a "slideshow" depicting (from the potential client's perspective), what our certification program would look like. The initial draft of the story board went like this:

1: Who is our audience? working professional in technical communication, employers and firms with professional writing needs, businesses that have needs for proposal writing, government contracting producing proposals, etc. The motives for becoming certified would include to enhance their expertise, validate their work in professional writing, to gain promotions, enhance their abilities to collaborate with other authors in a virtual setting.
2: Challenges for authors: geographically diverse colleagues, uses of a variety of word processing software, lack of expertise in using work processing software, project management, leadership, team building.
3: Potential titles: Certified STREAM Tools Collaborative Author
4: Certification Levels:
Level 1: Certified STREAM Tools Specialist (includes document design and quality writing modules)
Level 2: Certified STREAM Tools Pro (includes Specialist along with bibliographic databases and planning, drafting and editing.
Level 3: Certified STREAM Tools Master (includes Pro along with building teams, leadership and mentoring)
5: Certification design: asynchronous, with core competencies in document design, templates, planning, drafting, editing, team building, virtual teams, databases, etc.
6: Delivery Methods: self study with text, audio/podcasts, pre-recorded video demonstrations, case studies, self-assessments, collaborative assignments, quizzes, exams.
7: Teaching Methods:
Learn: reading, listen, watch
Practice: case studies, assignments, practice projects
Reflect: evaluate with quizzes, exams

So, that was the first "blueprint," or basic outline for the certification program itself.