One of the mandatory elements was keeping a blog and posting every week. Although coming from a self-directed environment makes me cringe at the thought of weekly assignments, I quite enjoyed reflecting every week on the readings. Okay, maybe it wasn’t every week but I did my best to reflect on each week’s readings either on the blog or in my head. I also appreciated learning the study material through other people’s eyes on their blogs – very enlightening experience. Using blogging as an instructional tool proved to be a great learning reinforcement strategy.

As someone who combines being a program planner, an instructional designer and an instructor in one person, I was able to stretch my mind during the course and see a bigger picture of the program planner’s job. My absolute favourite part of the course was making an instructional plan for my upcoming workshop. When it comes to new concepts that were new for me, they include involving various stakeholders and juggling the power dynamics of their involvement. Evaluating the program was also extremely useful as I had never thought there were so many potential opportunities for evaluations before, during and after the program planning and its delivery. Teachers talk about utilizing teachable moments (opportunities for learning that are not planned but arise as the lesson progresses); In program planning we can talk about moments when we re-evaluate what we are doing and adjust our program according to the needs of the participants.

To complete the CACE certificate I need to sign up for two more mandatory courses. I will miss the bloggers from this one! All the best to everyone! Huge thanks to our facilitator for her support and feedback all the way from Germany!

• Explain what the four P’s of marketing are

The four P’s are Product – Price – Place – Promotion.

Program Planners must know their “products” so they can provide their programs’ comprehensive descriptions and choose the right programs to fit the needs of their audience (Caffarella 2002).

One of the Program Planners’ tasks is to determine the cost of a program. The program I am involved in is fully subsidized so there is no cost to its participants.

The location of a program must be consistent with its audience and budget and content design. In the case of online programs, tools such as web conferencing and learning management systems replace the physical location of a program.

Promotion – some programs are mandatory; some are in high demand. Some programs fail because of insufficient promotion. Although a huge part of my program promotion is done by the centralized referral system, we still engage in sending out brochures to remote locations, making personal visits to schools and settlement organizations, creating eye-catching website design, sharing ideas on Twitter and Wiki that is free to view for all, sending out a monthly newsletter by email to subscribers, presenting at various professional development events locally and nationwide and last but not least spreading the word by a professionally-made video on YouTube.

• Describe each element in the marketing progression called AIDA

AIDA – Awareness Interest Desire Action

Awareness – how to let the target audience know that there is a program that might be good for them;

Interest – how to make the target audience interested in finding out more about the program.

Desire – the program outcomes fit the target audience needs so they start wanting it.

Action – the motivation level is high and the target audience is ready to “buy”.

• Give examples of a variety of traditional marketing tools

In the case of my two-day workshop, there seems to be no need for a promotion strategy. The workshop is an in-house professional development event based on the needs of our employees. However, to engage the participants and catch their full learning potential, I, the program planner, must ensure that the participants are fully aware of the value of the workshop and what they will take away from it. The more attractive, inviting and motivating the promotion, the more likely the program will succeed.

Some traditional marketing tools are:

-          Word of mouth

-          Face-to-face outreach

-          Business cards

-          Brochures and leaflets

-          Newsletters

-          Newspaper and magazine ads

-          Exhibits and booths

• Give examples of a few online social marketing tools

Listservs, Websites, Google Ads, Web 2.0 tools such as Delicious, Ning, WordPress, Twitter, YouTube and Facebook, just to name a few.

• Identify particularities of certain learner populations that require special attention in devising a marketing plan.

As I mentioned in my comment on Krista’s blog this week, an online program’s marketing strategy might depend on traditional referrals and printed promotional materials. This is due to the fact that the program is subsidized and the target audience, English as Second Language immigrants, must meet some funding eligibility criteria.

tbc.

It is good to finally arrive at an answer to my question that I posed at the beginning of the course
in relation to the difference between a program planner, an instructional designer and a teacher. It turns out, in many cases, if not most, all of the three roles are embraced by one person. The sequence of tasks between
the three roles is: from Program Planner to Instructional Designer to Instructor.

A program planner does the needs assessment and creates a profile of the learner group. Next, he/she makes a list of objectives for the course based on the needs of all stakeholders. An instructional designer takes over and creates an instructional plan of the training, a series of lessons and activities for the potential learners. This would likely be a general outline (not a minute-by-minute lesson plan) and would include information about handouts, equipment and general teaching approach. Finally, an instructor creates specific lesson
plans outlining the exact timelines and activities for the day, makes handouts and supplementary teaching resources, finds suitable readings and multi-media, invites guest speakers, and possibly scripts the lesson. The instructor would have a much more precise idea of who the actual learners were going to be, and would adapt and adjust the more general activities of the instructional plan accordingly.

• List eight components of an instructional plan

1. General information – time and date, title, location
2. Objectives – course aim and objectives
3. Assessment
4. Content/topics
5. Activities
6. Resources for the instructor and participants, including room arrangement
7. Transfer-of-learning
8. Budgetary
   and other considerations

• Describe a process for creating instructional plans

First, I need an instructional plan template, which will help me organize my work. It is absolutely vital to have a good template in hand because it allows for analysis and documentation of what happened. Being a reflective practitioner, I always go back to my instructional plans to evaluate what took place and determine what might need to be changed. Next, I write down 3-5 learning objectives, depending on the length of a program, using Bloom’s taxonomy, which is indispensible in creating specific, relevant and measurable goals. Once the objectives are ready, I start thinking about how I will assess that the participants have achieved the objectives. After I have nailed down the assessment part of my plan, I start working on activities that will help the participants to achieve the objectives. I keep the objectives in mind at all times. The final step of creating instructional plans is always going back to the beginning and analyzing every single item on it and linking it to the objectives and the program aim.

• List and apply two criteria to an instructional plan to determine its likely effectiveness

a)   Participants’ reflection on the workshop outcomes.

b)  Transfer of learning

• Create an instructional plan for a two-day workshop

Done and submitted by email.

As to the video of how not to teach, it was hysterical…anyone, anyone?

1. Give examples of qualitative and quantitative methods used to select and prioritize program
ideas

• Qualitative methods: opinions, beliefs, observations
• Quantitative methods: numbers, evidence, research

2. List aspects of importance and feasibility when considering which program ideas to implement

• Importance: urgency, influence, people affected, contributions to individuals’ knowledge and skills, contributions to organizational objectives and productivity, contributions to the wider community/society
• Feasibility: potential results, quality and availability of resources, difficulty level, risk assessment, commitment to change, political, economic and environmental factors

3. Define “alternative interventions”

• Alternative solutions are ways of dealing with a knowledge gap that exclude educational programs.

4. Explain the difference between program goals, program objectives and learning objectives

• Program objectives – broad aims stating the overall purpose of a course
• Program objectives – specific goals, either learning or organizational
• Learning objectives – what a learner will take away from a course
• Organizational objectives – what an organization is hoping to achieve by running a course

5. Give examples of measurable and non-measurable objectives

• Non-measurable objectives: improve writing, learn French
• Measurable objectives: learn how to write an email, learn how to use linking words in writing, learn how to introduce yourself in French

6. Write “SMART” objectives for a training program

• By the end of this course, you should be able to list 5 benefits of learning online.
• By the end of this course, you should be able to post a new topic and answer to an existing topic on the discussion board.
• By the end of this course, you should be able to make your own Personal Learning Environment mind map.

Brief, but done. It’s time to start writing an instructional plan for the next assignment. Let the fun begin!

In an ideal world, the program planning process would be smooth and all stakeholders would have one goal in mind: how to meet the learners’ needs. However, a truly learner-centred approach is hard to achieve and only possible, I feel, if the program planner is the trainer himself, and there is no one else involved in the process. Although this is not entirely true either: a program planner may bring his own beliefs to the table – those
influenced by bigger context such as culture and religion, which may thwart the learner-centred planning.

Nevertheless, the continuum of felt and ascribed needs is an interesting concept and puts a different light on the learner-centred approach. Must we always have learners’ needs in mind when planning a course? It would be fair to say that the delivery of the already planned program should be 100% learner-centred. However, learners are just one of the stakeholders and the needs of the other groups involved, e.g. licensing bodies and funders must be met to the same degree as those of the learners. “In other words, program planners must be able to analyze the context of programs they are working with to determine where along the continuum the program they are designing falls” (The Week 4 Lesson Outline).

For instance, a learner says they need to learn more grammar. Do we jump on the grammar bandwagon right away? If the learner works one-on-one with a tutor, their needs might be addressed and focused on fully.
However, if they go to school, the task-based approach will be “imposed” on them because that is the teaching methodology of the bigger stakeholder.

When there are more groups involved in program planning, “everyone wants a piece
of the pie,” as Krista says. Negative influences such as personal and political agendas, egos,
pressuring, suppressing differences, and not listening to everyone’s input may hinder the program planning process. It’s not an easy job to do to plan an adult education program. Jer’s analogy to a juggling act is right on the money, and while juggling, the program planner’s actions must be founded on ethical practices, reminds Jo-Anne.

Week 4 readings were interesting and insightful. They gave me an understanding of how power dynamics can influence a planning process and what an ideal planner should do; a good one will be able to balance his
beliefs/needs and those of other stakeholders to develop a great program. This, however, would take
exceptional negotiating and people skills.

The context of each of those three types of programs is
comprised of the stakeholders, who are involved in or
affected by the program course of action. There are primary and
secondary stakeholders; the latter being observers rather than active and
direct links to a particular program. I really liked that Jo-Anne’s Week 3 Reflections
included course participants’ families amongst the secondary stakeholders, as
they are too affected by an educational program workload. In fact, as I am
working on these reflections, my husband is dying to play his favourite
computer game and keeps reminding me I’ve been glued to the monitor far too
long today:)

The program that I am hoping to develop during this Program
Planning course will hopefully combine individual and social changes.

1. How would you characterize
   the early development of program planning theory?

In 1949 program planning theory was defined as four guided questions looking at the purpose, content, method and evaluation of a program. In 1950 the theory was complemented by adding learner needs. In 1966 social and political aspects of program planning were added – the more elements that were added, the more flexible the process became. Starting off as a technical and very linear procedure based on behaviouristic principles, the planning process became detailed and elastic and as soon as humanistic learning principles came into
play acknowledged the importance of various stakeholder contributions to the process.

2. How does the feminist
   critique affect program planning processes?

According to Sork, the feminist critique confronts the lack of gender considerations in conventional program planning. Although literature on women as learners and the role of gender in education exists, it has minimal
influence on program planning.

In her blog, Jer mentioned some challenges female learners face as they enter formal educational
programs. Her example of pregnancy as a major obstacle to the continuation of a female’s learning path is very common even in the 21^st century. I am hoping that that the increase in online learning will alleviate the problem. At the same time, I agree that measures need to be taken to make formal face-to-face education more ‘access-for-all’.

3. What is the core principle
   of postmodernism, and how does it show up in program planning?

The core principle of postmodernism is to question everything that has been defined because there is no objective truth. A postmodernistic approach to program planning involves an understanding of who the stakeholders are and what their interests include.

4. What is “critical theory”,
   and why is it important to program planning?

Critical theory is concerned with social change which is important because any educational activity should bring about emancipation and empowerment.  Critical theory also helps us understand the role of power, which in the case of program planning lies in the hands of the program planner, who invites stakeholders and decides on the content of negotiations.

5. What is required in order
   to work as an “ethically-responsible” program planner?

To work as an “ethically-responsible” program planner, I must understand why and how certain decisions are made so they can be justified in a particular context.

6. Make notes of the kinds of
   actions that a program planner operating in each of the three domains
   might take.

Three domains of program planning

Neither the craft, nor the
artistry should be neglected in program planning. I would place equal
importance on each of the domains.

Cafarella’s
Interactive Model

1. Compare the diagram on page 10 of
   the Sork article and page 21 of the Cafarella textbook.

• Both models are non-prescriptive, i.e. they serve as flexible guides rather than blueprints
• Both contain the key elements of program planning
• Both are interactive and represented in a circular framework of equal elements
• Caffarella’s model is task-based, whereas Sork’s model is question-based
• Caffarella’s model has 12 elements, whereas Sork’s model has 6

2. Near the top of page 22, Cafarella
   talks about program planning as a “people activity”. How does this
   influence her model?

The word ‘interactive’ in Caffarella’s model suggests that all sorts of interactions are going on at the planning
table between the program planners and the stakeholders. It is the people who sit at the table and their world views and experiences that influence the nature and shape of the program being discussed.

3. Notice the checklist on pages 23
   and 24. These can serve as an invaluable reference if you are developing
   new programs. Compare the sequence of this list to your file cards. How
   were the positions of different planning elements similar or different?

The sequence of my planning elements is similar to that of Caffarella. I also start with content planning and then move onto more administrative tasks. Building a support base comes later on my list
considering the context of my planning position.

4. Read through the assumptions on
   pages 26 to 28 of Cafarella. Are there any that you question or outright
   disagree with? Why or why not?

I agree with all of Caffarella’s assumptions. They take into consideration the dynamics of the program planning
process and especially the human factor, which brings a variety of perspectives to the table and needs to be heeded and represented in the final result.

*These would be online tools and synchronous events in my context.

I divided the elements into two groups: content-related and admin-related ones. In my current role, I would start building a new program from the content side; however, I can see how a program planner in a different context than mine, a business one for instance, would start their planning with budgeting.

The difference between formal and informal learning lies in the direction of who controls the learning objectives and goals. In formal learning it is the institution that determines the whats and hows, whereas in informal learning, it is the learner himself who decides what to learn, when and at what pace.

Ruby has presented a great metaphor when speaking of the difference between formal and informal learning. In her blog, formal learning is compared to driving a bus; the bus driver is the ultimate oracle of knowledge who decides upon the best route and the speed of the driving experience. His bus is filled with people who simply follow the rules and leave the vehicle at pre-determined stops. On the other end of the learning spectrum, informal learning is compared to riding a bike, which gives the rider the ownership of the route, speed and stops.

According to Tough, only about 20% of adult learning takes place in formal settings. That means that 80% of it depends on our intentional or unintentional self-directed learning through daily interactions with colleagues and friends, through books and online research, etc. If newcomers want to learn English fast to successfully settle in Canada, they cannot solely depend on their classes to improve their language skills; they must take advantage of daily opportunities and free online resources to achieve their goals. A PLE/PLN (Personal Learning Environment/Personal Learning Network) map can nicely show the 80-20 ratio – see an example here.

To learn to install bamboo flooring when I needed to redecorate my house, I did research on the Internet, and with books and cassettes I started learning English when I was 13. Both are examples of informal learning. When I decided to become a teacher of English as a Second Language, I enrolled in formal training that ended with a degree which allowed me to work in professional settings.

Question 2: Describe the role of program planners

What I learnt this past week is that a program planner is a project manager involved in all stages of devising learning programs except for writing learning materials and creating activities. What I am confused about is the fact that Caffarella does mention preparing instructional plans as one of the steps of program planning. I am hoping to find clarification as the course progresses.

Question 3: List some of the key elements (activities, stages) of program planning

Determining the needs of all stakeholders

Identifying aims

Recruiting trainers/teachers

Preparing budget and marketing plans

Overseeing logistics of the course delivery

Preparing and analyzing evaluation plans

Preparing a schedule with target dates for completion