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Attitude toward Training Organization

The learner will be given direct instruction on a subject they enrolled in of their own free choice and the self-efficacy of the learner should be high. This subject matter is or should be personal to the individual. Due to this fact and the nature of this course the expectation of the learners entering this course should be highly positive.

Group Characteristics

The learners are embarking on what is a highly individual and solitary endeavor. The majority of genealogy research and tasks require work to be performed by one person on one single family lineage. Knowing the requirements in this field of research, students should understand that they most likely will be working alone. There are forums where beginner, intermediate and more avid genealogists converse or share information and the learner will be directed to those at a later time.

The work for this class will be done primarily on an individual basis. There will be some discussions assignments available for group collaboration throughout the sections but most of the work will be assigned for the student to do for and by him or herself. Students will be assigned projects which will require individual submissions.

Prerequisite Material and Activities

Required Text

None – All printed material is provided via a link or upload to the designated section in the Blackboard CourseSites section “Content”, sub-section “Forms and Charts.” These will be necessary to complete some assignments.

Estimate Statement

Given all the gathered information of intended learners, I foresee some difficulty in the design and development of the proposed instructional solution. The fact that the course is designed as a service will create the added challenge of determining overall satisfaction. Further evaluation of the number of users who actual complete the course and follow up to inquiry based forum posts and/or emails needs to be tied to the solution. The objectives of this course will require the students individual focus and commitment. The material this course has in store for the learner requires an initial commitment of approximately twelve to twenty hours. The course will require the learner to commit effort and time for his or her own self-enrichment and knowledge. The estimated time required from the learner can be self-paced. The calculated cost can vary depending on the individuals’ needs and requirements. Cost could be increased if the learner needs to purchase a personal computer or would need to travel to access a computer with internet service. The learner (ideally) needs the ability to print and scan documents and photos. The learner should have or have access to a camera, (or camera phone) that can digitally record audio and video files for interviews.

Learning Context Analysis

Compatibility of Site with Instructional Requirements

This course is housed within Blackboard CourseSites website. A Learning Management System (LMS) such as Blackboard CourseSites is a (free) tool many educators and students are familiar with. The instructor has the ability to upload, access and assess material within this learning management system and the students have the benefit of reviewing material online via their computers at home, on a tablet, smart phone or other compatible device. Blackboard provides a number of resources to the instructor to utilize and is an available and proven system. Student have access to a number of helpful resources as well as the ability to review past material and files as needed.

Adaptability of Site to Simulate Workspace

The vast majority of family history files, scrapbooks, and family trees have made the move to digital or to online family tree sites. Although this course will be online the material and content the learner will perform will follow the traditional format and requirements that genealogists require in the field, and set up long ago. The assignments and tasks from the course have been customized and tailored to instruct the learner on the unique language, techniques and formats utilized by genealogists in the field.

The basic understanding of these formats, definitions and terms and what they encompass is the backbone of this entire course. The ability of the learner to transform and utilize this knowledge will determine his or her success in this endeavor.

 Adaptability for Delivery Approaches

The structure of this course is intended to be used as in an asynchronous fashion. The delivery and format used in presenting the content from this course is such that a traditional and hybrid class could also benefit from the resources and tools provided within the framework and content collection. The projects and material covered in this course follows many of the same concepts as a traditional face-to-face (F2F) class. The method of delivery from this course could be used to enhance a traditional F2F class.

Learning-site Constraints Affecting Design and Delivery

As an online class the requirements necessitate the learner to have basic details (or access to this information) about their immediate family history: parents’ and grandparents’ names, their date of birth, internet access, a computer, printer, word processing software, free Adobe Reader for reading documents, (can be downloaded from Adobe) a binder with tabs, and a pen or pencil. Ideally the learner should have a digital camera, (camera phone or access to one) that can record audio and video.

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