Course Management Systems part 01
What is a Course Management System?
A course management system, or CMS, is any software solution that allows trainers/teachers/instructors to teach via the Internet, intranet, or any other type of network that can be put together. While this definition might appear vague and fuzzy, the fact is that depending on the reference the reader will get different explanations of what a CMS is. Heck, the reader might even encounter different terms altogether. For example, similar terms could also be used: Learning Management Systems (LMS), Learning Content Management Systems (LCMSs.), Virtual Learning Environments, etc…. In some circles, CMS doesn’t even stand for course management, but instead stands for content management (e.g. Joomla!, Drupal, WordPress) While all of these terms are close enough to each other, heated debates on these descriptions occur in forums, journals and the basements of academic institutions across the world.
Voluntary Turnover of Federal Employees and a Predictable Labor Crisis
In a recent USA Today article, it was reported that more federal employees are likely to die of natural causes than to get laid off or fired (Cauchon, 2011). According to the article, only about 0.55% of the federal workforce—11,668—were dismissed during the last budget year (Cauchon, 2011). This strikingly low percentage is in contrast to the approximately 3% rate of turnover in the private workforce (Cauchon, 2011). With outstanding job security and typically stellar benefits, it is surprising to learn that during the 06 fiscal year, 97,538 federal employees quit, i.e. a voluntary turnover. With such a small involuntary turnover, why should anyone care about the number of employees who leave voluntarily? When compared to the private sector, federal employees enjoy what appears to be solid career stability. On the surface, such an argument would appear to be the opening and closing statement; however, there is a crisis hidden below the surface of these statistics that could pose trouble in the years to come. This paper will examine: 1) the general makeup of the current federal workforce; 2) factors that contribute to the voluntary turnover rate; 3) the impending labor crises with the retirement of the “Baby Boomer” generations; and 4) a case study that illustrates how some of these critical factors affect real world business.
What Is Instructional Design?
Objectives:
- Define the term Instructional Design
- Give a brief explanation of the ADDIE Model
- Describe the major components of the Instructional Design Model
- Explain how using Instructional Design helps produce successful training
What is Instructional Design?
Welcome to the first article in a series of articles about Instructional Design. Instructional Design in its most basic form is the systematic process of developing instruction. This instruction can be face-to-face classes (course in a classroom), trainings (corporate trainings), online (web-based trainings, Blackboard, Moodle), and/or static text (books, and job aids). Instructional Design or ID is the process of developing these trainings so that they are as effective and efficient as possible. You may also see the Instructional System Design (ISD) used as well.
Analogy: You go to the store to buy a bike. A bike is made of several parts: seat, handlebars, breaks, etc… When all the parts are assembled it is known as a bike.
Instructional Design is the name we give to a collection of smaller components. In this case the components are steps in the development of a course.
Introduction to the Steps in Instructional Design
If you were to take an introductory Instructional Design course or if you have taken a course you are probably familiar with ADDIE. ADDIE is not a person’s name, well maybe it is, but for our purposes ADDIE is the acronym for the theoretical steps found in the ID model. ADDIE stands for: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. ADDIE is the general guideline of what should be done and the order it which it should be conducted.
The ADDIE Model
The Real World
Experience Instructional Designers (people whose job it is to developed courses) know the ADDIE model, and pay the proper respect to her, but we use something known as Rapid Instructional Design. Without going into too much detail at this time, the traditional method of ID is to go from one category then to the next. With rapid we hop around as needed. In the end we have hit all the steps but just not always in order. We will cover Rapid Instructional Design in another article.
