Reflections upon a Conference: ENGAGEMENT

Having recently attended the October 2-4, 2015, Teaching Professor Technology Conference in New Orleans, I  decided to spend some time  reflecting upon the sessions attended, ideas presented, and friendships formed. At some points I almost felt overwhelmed while others were more of a validation of what I already do.....time to make sense of this knowledge by reflecting upon the various sessions and ways to integrate my learning into my course design.

How to Be an Online Student

 All right, this was not the name of a session - but it should have been!  I was listening to the plenary session when it struck me - we need to train students how to be good online learners. Perhaps this has already occurred to you, but for me, it was an awe-inspiring experience!   I offer an orientation module with the standard syllabus, interactive syllabus, meet-and-greet, videos, perhaps an activity about the course website or the syllabus, course overview.....but I have never really explained what it means to be an online student.  I tell students to check their University email 2-3 times each week, to review forums 3-4 times a week, to keep a calendar...but I have never taken it to the next step....to explain WHY these are so very important in a fully online course! I mean, I talk with them individually in video-conferences about these items - and more -  but maybe a different, more interactive approach is needed.

Collegedegrees360

We were primarily trained in how to be good face-to-face students, and in some cases, the same skills apply....but with some additions... We know to attend class with a book, with some sort of writing implement/laptop and to read the assignment before class... But online courses demand so much more from the students! Being a good online student requires a different level of responsibility from those students who attend a face-to-face class.

What do I try to provide in my Welcome or Orientation Module?
          (1) A printable syllabus to satisfy university accreditation requirements.
          (2) An interactive syllabus with links to short (3 minute-or so) videos and other course items.
          (3) Some type of Meet-and-Greet activity requiring the students to introduce themselves in some "different" way and interact with one another and with me.
          (4) A content page providing a brief overview of the course and the major assignments.
          (5) A screencast video demonstrating how to schedule a mandatory individual video-conference session with me during the first week of class.
          (6) A requirement to video-conference with me during the first week of the course where I have students click through Canvas and I discuss major assignments and a calendar with them...and the importance of planning.
          (7) Other videos not necessarily on the interactive syllabus.

Being mindful of students' time, I try to avoid busy work - or an assignment that could be be misconstrued as busy work, so...isn't this enough to introduce them to online learning and the course?

Even with the above, I can tell that often the videos on the interactive syllabus and for the course assignments go unwatched (I can tell the number of times a video has been viewed although I cannot determine who watched what). Screencaptures of something specific - such as how to schedule a meeting with me - are watched - perhaps because they have a more specific  and immediate purpose?  Perhaps the videos on the interactive syllabus are viewed as not necessary to completion of a task? Not necessary to watch at this time?   Do I really need to tie an activity to reviewing and watching an interactive syllabus?  Perhaps I do.... hmmm..... should I create a scavenger hunt activity regarding the interactive syllabus? Perhaps a padlet activity where students add an item they learned while completing this module?   More pondering definitely needed.

Somehow students need to know why they are completing these activities and tasks....

Perhaps all I need is something as simple as generating content entitled Six Steps to Success in this Course or  6-Step Strategy for Online Success....

Helping them to be better online students is definitely important.

Creating Interactive Video Lectures to Increase Student Engagement

This session actually demonstrated the topic! I took copious notes :-) I use videos quite a bit in my courses, so I had high hopes on this session.

Presenters briefly reviewed the 4 video formats: (1) Slides / Screencast, (2) Talking Head, (3) Khan-style, and (4) Interactive.  I was familiar with all but Khan, so this was a great start! Pros and cons of each format were presented, and the speakers polled us using  Poll Everywhere. 

Takeaways?

The presenters reinforced the "keep-it-short" mantra of videos, suggesting videos be no onger than 5-7 minutes with shorter being better. They also  demonstrated a free program I had used before and had almost forgotten: Zaption. Here is a quick video overview of how to create a Zaption tour:

Zaption allows users to add quizzes to videos, and, if users buy the paid version ($89/year), they can stop action videos, not allowing  watchers to advance a video until they have participated in the quiz.
I have used the free version, and while I liked Zaption (very user-friendly), I quickly realized students were not taking the quizzes, but just moving through the video....perhaps...maybe they were viewing the entire video.

NOW, I am rethinking using Zaption due to this workshop session! Instead of re-recording videos I have already created, I can now use Zaption to add interaction to my own videos  I can can actually re-purpose what I already have - a big bonus and time saver!

I wonder if making the videos in the Welcome Module more interactive might enhance the meaning for my students.....

hmmm...

Using Short Screencasts to Promote Student Engagement 

This  presenter demonstrated using Jing to craft quick screencasts (5 minute) about the course, assignments, a rubric...whatever a student needs and questions. The following video provides a quick overview of Jing and how to use it:

 Are several students asking   similar questions? Produce a quick video in response. Want to make sure students use a rubric when crafting an assignment? Produce a quick screencast showing and explaining the rubric.

Want to add a little humor into a course announcement?   Try a Voki. The free version allows for a 60-second avatar using either your voice or one of theirs, so instructors can quickly create a Voki  - or a series of Vokis - to deliver an announcement. a Voki can be emailed, posted on a blog, embedded in a learning management system - but the key here is short.

Tying it together

"colorwarp2-060207" by Ruth Temple 

In briefly reviewing these sessions, I see a several threads emerging - that of student engagement..... and brevity in recordings....

For me, it appears to be time to weave together these threads of social presence with teaching presence to increase student engagement.

So, my tasks.....or items to consider, include using the above to

•  Assist students in taking responsibility for learning through self-regulation skills. I will make the orientation module more interactive and address online student course responsibilities in a more clear manner.  I mention the importance of deadlines and planning, but, perhaps, need to find another way to get the message across. Time management may be a topic to address individually during the mandatory meetings during the fist week.
•  Increase the quality of student responses and assignments. Holding students accountable for quality work is a given, but adding short explanatory videos  may assist students in providing higher quality responses.
• Engage students with academic content. Crafting short screencapture videos and and interactive videos are vital.  "Chunking: content into smaller bites will help students to target what they need to be successful and engage....but interactivity is necessary.

But wait..... I also attended several sessions on gamification, and some of those mechanics can be integrated to increase engagement as well.

Next post:  Gamification

Gaming and me: Putting my experiences to use in game design

I love to play games...always have...now that I can play them on the computer...wow!

Then I discovered the possibility of designing my own gaming experience for my students, and was enthralled with the idea.

So, I read...and read....and read.....and read.....and read some more.....  and that reading led to the previous 3 blog postings. Then I started reflecting upon my own gaming experience to see what I could apply.

While I know that I have not tried every game available, I feel as though I have tried quite a few of the various types. I have tried enough different games to now know what I like and want and, more importantly, what I do not want in a game. My hope is to put my own personal research to good use when I design game-based learning for my own students.

Text-based games (1970s-80s)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Mansion_%28video_game%29

Hopefully, I am not the only one who remembers text-based adventure games from the 1970s and 1980s.  No graphics. No Java. DOS. Pure DOS. These single player text-based adventure games took me into a pyramid, an island,  or into mansion where I had to read the screen, imagine what I was reading, then type in commands, keeping track of where I had been so I would know where I was now going. No pause, the game started over every time I turned on the computer.  Being an avid reader, I was used to "seeing" what I read, but soon realized what I "saw" was not necessarily what the designer wanted me to "see." After passing through one room, I was hopelessly turned around, unable to differentiate north from south or up from down.

Lesson Learned: Text-based games are fine in small doses and probably increase memory skills, but they require every player to speak and see alike, share the same language per se, and players can easily become frustrated when their memory is overloaded. Yes, I even tried drawing and diagramming the game as I played to keep track - while I thought this was a brilliant idea, it did not help. 

Arcade Games (1980s)

http://www.webpacman.com/

Ah...PacMan.....

These were a little more fun, but challenging in a different way.  Whereas text-based adventure games required strong memory and spacial skills, now I had to have speed...and keep an eye out on the ghosties ... early multitasking!

Very frustrating for me.  I couldn't figure out how to make the Pacman move, and by the time I did, he was eaten, often by two ghosts at once.

Eventually I won my first round, but soon lost interest after that and have only sporadically revisited sense.

Lesson Learned: Speed and agility do not come easily to all players.  While games should not be easy, the challenge in them should be balanced with success.  

 

 Spacebar Invaders (1990s)

http://www.freetypinggame.net/play9.asp

While I have only played this game enough to teach myself how to type, I have used this game  primarily in the office to train volunteers to improve their typing skills  When AFDC turned into TAN-F, I was working in a community college. Part of my duties included serving as the liaison to the local Department of Social Services. Several social service clients were assigned to me, and I provided counseling along with entry level job training skills (how to use a time card, filing, telephone etiquette, stapling...and typing).

One client had never been exposed to a computer before, so I used this game to teach her how to click, drag.....and type.  She loved it! Having dropped out of school in 7th grade, her educational background was sparse, and this game opened up a new world to her! It was self-paced, complete with quizzes and speed tests, and she could review the previous work whenever she liked. 

A game could actually teach!  Who knew?

Lesson learned: Games need to be fun and engaging, and can teach a variety of skills, if well-designed. They can also increase the player's self-esteem.

My gaming took a break at this point due to doctoral studies. But then, I found...

Games on CDs (1990s)

Somehow I discovered games on CDs. I purchased Mahjongg, crossword puzzles, adventure games....a variety of CDs to entertain. I even purchased Sims games for my daughters who had inherited my love of playing.

Then I found Flight Simulator.

So did my husband.

http://www.myabandonware.com/game/microsoft-flight-simulator-v5-0-1zs

We were hooked.

We bought a joystick to plug into our desktop, and off we went!  We flew  a variety of planes, from a Sopwith Camel to a jet liner, learning how to take off and land.  Well, taking off at least. Landing was a skill I did not quite master, but my husband was great with it. Complete with photorealistic instrument panels and sound, these were great fun!

Then we discovered a combat flight simulator where I learned I could actually take out the enemy with a variety of different weapons and still land the plane, unharmed! 

Eventually we upgraded the computer and these games were no longer compatible. Sometimes I miss those games....

Lesson learned: Traditional games such as Mahjong and Solitaire were easy to use as I had already mastered those before they became computer-based. The simulator programs were different: The more realistic the game the better! Sounds, graphics, movement all had a place, and I finally felt as though I possessed eye-hand coordination!

 So far, though, all of these were single player games...

Second Life (2005ish)

http://secondlife.com/

This experience did not go well, no matter how hard I tried.

I created my avatar, Autumn, and was not pleased with the plethora of scantily clad options for apparel.  I learned how to make her fly, but sitting down where I wanted her to sit was difficult.

One problem was my laptop - it just could not handle the graphics, the speed, anything about this game. I saw that several well-known universities (Academic Organizations in Second Life) held classes meeting in Second Life, and others were opening virtual libraries and career development centers in SL.  I just knew this was the next step to take in combining education and gaming.... but learning my way around SL was cumbersome, and buying an island at that time to house my classes was out of my price range. I also quickly grew tired of other members trying to "hook up" with me - not the professional platform I was seeking.  I continued to read articles about using SL in the classroom, hoping that some day....

Lesson learned: A game/virtual world needs to be easy to navigate using the technology that players currently possess.  They work best when intuitive and have guides to help newcomers adjust to the experience. Ease of use is extremely important when thinking about using a game or virtual world in a class, as you want people to spend time learning and interacting with one another, not be lost trying to find a location or figuring out how to participate. Professionalism is also important when designing an educational/serious game.

 

VirtualU (2005)

http://www.izzygames.com/virtual-u-t2648.htmltion

I was asked to teach a capstone course for a masters program in higher education that was crosslisted with a doctoral level capstone and was strongly encouraged to use a simulation called Virtual U. I downloaded it, played it, and was fascinated with how the game worked and how it could be used as a teaching tool.


In this single player simulation, a player creates an American university, becoming a senior leader. As a senior leader, each player is tasked with taking care of all daily operations on campus, including hiring faculty and staff, and dealing with student issues, maintenance, board members, and other constituents. I required students to create a 7 year plan with yearly and overall measurable objectives to help guide their decisions regarding students and teachers while setting budgets and dealing with daily crises. This plan had to be completed prior to the first playing session.

Students were to "play" weekly and could save their game allowing them to begin each week where they left off the previous week. They were to stop after completing their 7th year as a member of the senior leadership. At the end  of the semester they prepared a report and an oral presentation detailing their university plan, their ability to meet their objectives and still have a budget in the black, along with their experiences and the different decisions they made along with their rationale, and the result.

Students loved this simulation, stating they now had a better idea of how a decision made in one section of a university impacted the entire campus. I found out later that they wanted to play together, so several met together outside of class to run their own universities while chatting about them.

Now, this is learning! And...according to research using VirtualU,  using serious games in the classroom can lead to serious learning.

(NOTE: VirtualU is downloaded, not played in a browser, and students saved their game on a USB that they then could use with any computer. To download VirtualU  and give it a try, click HERE and scroll to the bottom of the page.)

Lessons Learned:   Single-player serious games hold great promise for learning, allowing players to experience a new situation in a safe environment, permitting players to see the interconnections within the virtual world. Providing specific guidelines is necessary, helping to set up the play as a serious assignment and providing a framework of expectations. Although networking with one another during play was only possible in a face-to-face manner, some students found that networking to be beneficial.

 

Facebook-based Games

I tried counting the number of games offered through Facebook and gave up counting at 2000. Many of these have morphed into apps for the smart phone or iPhone. More important than the number of games, however, is the number of daily players, shown in the graphic below:

AppStats; Metricsmonk

People play games. Period.

I have actually played a few of the above mentioned games (Candy Crush, Candy Crush Soda, Farm Heroes Saga, and Pet Rescue Saga) but have long since abandoned them due to boredom and, in some instances, frustration at being stuck at the same level for weeks at a time. I have continued to play Criminal Case, however, as it is somewhat thought-provoking as one solves crimes, it provides opportunities for leveling up faster, and it has a loose community...a very loose but responsive community. It also provides puzzles to solve as part of clues, and I find those to be stimulating.

A Facebook game not mentioned above is Castle Age, one I have stopped playing due to time, but I met some wonderful people through that game as we formed alliances and guilds, and I keep in touch with these people almost every day. We formed some strong friendships during this game, supporting each other through real life  (RL) events, including divorces, remarriages, job loss, breakups, even the death of various members.  Perfect strangers formed a very strong bond during that game, stronger in some instances than bonds we had with some face-to-face friends. One of the reasons several of us stopped playing was the difficulty in scheduling synchronous events - battles - in which all of us could participate, thereby increasing our individual ranks as well as the rank of our guild. Members were spread across time zones and countries, making scheduling difficult. Despite this I still remain close friends with several of the players today, even those from other countries.

Lesson learned:  People play games, and looking closely at the game design for Facebook's top 5 games provides important insight. Interestingly enough, many of these games do not require a community alliance, other than to send power boosts, etc., to all of one's friends who play the game. Players are encouraged, however, to add game friends to their Facebook friends, forming alliances of a sort. Facebook's limit on the number of friends (5000), however, might limit folks in playing some games.  Strategy is important, and each game has a specific strategy(ies) to improve gameplay. Networking within the community allows players to share such strategies.

MMORPGs

I have not played many MMORPGs.

When I first began thinking about designing my own educational games, I tried to get interested in World of Warcraft, but after downloading it onto my laptop, the laptop's speed slowed so much that I eventually had to delete it before ever playing. I have friends who love it and play it daily, but they have what they refer to as a dedicated "gaming" computer as opposed to my laptop. I have looked at other MMORPGs, but none of them really caught my attention, even after spending several hours reviewing a variety of lists (Best MMORPGs, Top Free MMO Games, The 10 Best MMORPGs on PC).

Somehow I found Elvenar within the first month of its launch in April 2015.

Elvenar is mythical fantasy world in which players build cities, choosing to play as either elves or humans. The goal is to rule the town in such a way as to help your people prosper. Elves command powerful magic while humans connect strongly to medieval weaponry. Within the last two weeks fellowships have been added, putting an interesting spin on play as folks join a fellowship, then the fellowship sets up rules, and players decide whether to abide by the rules or leave to find a new fellowship.

Lessons learned: The first choice is whether to join a game that requires a download or can be played online.  While I found a few games that sounded intriguing (Firefly, for one), the fact that it was not yet available as Windows-based and required a download of another platform called Steam, made me pause.  Community building is another factor.  Facebook's most popular game, Candy Crush, has no real community, yet many MMORPGs encourage community building by offering fellowships, guilds, or other opportunities to form alliances.

 

Now what.....

As I now reflect upon my own experiences, what rings true for me in educational game design?  The following questions surfaced for me:

Just how important is the narrative?  This depends on the game and its goal.  Candy Crush has no narrative, just strategy. VirtualU is primarily narrative, driven by strategy. MMORPGs tend to use narrative to guide players through various tasks or adventures. Educational or serious games probably rely on narrative more than other games, so the narrative must guide the player while presenting the necessary content and/or instructions, setting the stage for the events. A balance between narrative and good graphics will be important as well, chunking text into small enough amounts that players will not find it distracting and will actually read the text.

How do games encourage engagement and return visits? Part of this is the balance of challenge with success. If a game is difficult to start, players will not return. Games should have few rules and not need much instruction to begin. When players feel they are progressing, they will want to continue to play. If they are bored or having trouble with a game, they will stop playing. Incentives are also a good way to encourage engagement and return visits. But...players have different motivators, so several types of incentives should be included. Points, leveling up, badges, and competition can motivate players, as well as community - feeling a part of a group. Instructors using serious games for education can, of course, motivate students by crafting assignments requiring game engagement, but well-designed games will draw the players back in due to interest, strategy,  narrative, or one of the motivators. My students playing VirtualU had to be required to play at first, but once they got into the game several of them "led" their universities beyond the mandatory 7 years just to see how well they did. Perhaps, finding a way to nudge students to play at the beginning is all we as educators need to do.


How does community building fit in with educational/serious games? I believe this depends upon the player - some players enjoy interacting with others during game play while others prefer a more solitary approach.  I stopped playing some games where the only way to progress was through specific gifts provided only by one's game friends, and I tend to enjoy a community. A game used for a class, however, already has a built in community - the students in the course - so capitalizing on that built-in community could perpetuate the development of the online network. Providing varying levels of community might better meet player needs. Some play could be solitary, and other could be community-based, but forming specific alliances or using IM chat or game wikis are all possibilities. Community could be a built-in requirement, strongly suggested and rewarded, or optional.

How important is a game's platform? My students are not gamers, so they need a game that does not require extensive downloads, memory, band width, or another computer.  Educational/serious games need to be housed on an easily accessible platform such as Windows or Mac OS.

How important are synchronous game events? Designing an educational/serious game where the game schedules synchronous meetings or events may not work well for various courses, particularly where students work odd schedules or are in different time zones. If the game absolutely must have synchronous events, then allow the players to work out that schedule among themselves, with the understanding of no penalty for those who cannot attend.

Those of you who game: what experiences do you see as necessary when designing an educational/serious game?

Instructional design of gamification: Plan before you play - PART 3

My journey through instructional design and gamification with the goal of improving a course continues....

After pondering over the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics of MDA Model (Elverdam & Aarseth, 2007; Kim, 2015; Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy, & Pitt, 2015), my search next located several other models, including the Game Object Model II (Amory, 2007).....taking me deeper into the role of aesthetics in educational gaming.

While reading about aesthetics and enhancing narration, I somehow began reading about situated learning....the next step in my quest (this has now become my quest) to design a solid gamified experience. Lave and Wenger (1991) purport that learning, thinking, and knowing emerge from a world that is socially constructed. Meaning, then, is what happens when learners become increasingly involved as participants in social communities.

Hmmmm....in addition to aesthetics, dynamics, and mechanics, gamified learning also needs narration AND opportunities for socialization...

Engagement is connected to motivation....and involvement....all of which are very important in game design, not to mention in learning.

Maslow (1943, 1954, 1970) suggests people are motivated to meet certain needs. When one fulfills a need, the person moves on to fulfill the next need.

These first four needs are identified as deficit needs.  If these deficit needs are not met, these needs make us uncomfortable, motivating us to sufficiently fulfill these needs before we can even consider the other needs. Referred to as growth needs, the last four needs constantly motivate us as they relate to our growth and development.

Maslow also arranges these needs in a hierarchy, indicating that we are primarily motivated by a need only if lower level needs have been met. This means that before cognitive or self actualization needs can motivate us, we must address the basic deficit needs like physiological, security, belonging, and esteem.

So...how does this connect to situated learning, engagement, motivation, and involvement with building a game experience?

Situated learning in the game experience supports Maslow's level 3 needs of belonging and love. This third layer of human needs is social, involving emotionally-based relationships in general, such as friendship. This is the beginning of developing a social community.  Upon meeting the needs of this social community, this sense of belonging, humans next need to meet their level 4 esteem needs (engage themselves to gain recognition and have an activity or activities that give the person a sense of contribution, to feel accepted and self-valued) and the level 5 need for knowledge and understanding  - the cognitive needs. Then on to level 6's aesthetics needs.

This is where educational gaming enters the picture. This game experience must allow the learner to make meaning while participating in the social community...meeting Maslow's levels of 3 through 6.

The narrative, then, must help make the game experience meaningful while fostering a social community. Jakobsson and Taylor (2003) offer that social networks are vital to the appeal of virtual environments, and social interaction is a crucial component of situated learning. The absence of social networks can be a barrier for new players. The game world social network takes many forms: game world blog and/or wiki, no social interaction with other players, limited interaction in the form of gifts or boost, a fellowship where players choose to work together communally to help each other, and a fellowship where players must work together to advance through the game. Social communities develop or write their own narrative though, often through some form of player or group chat. The narrative, then, shifts from a game world-base to a more personal, locally-written narrative.

Where do I go from here?

Time to re-visit my three questions posed previously...and even propose some responses:

• How do I motivate players and keep them motivated to play?
• How do I meet the goal of player enjoyment?
• In my dream game, the journey is the learning, not the final score or the badge. So how do I create a game experience that allows players to learn about the community college, to interact with community college "employees" and "students" and then complete the experience?

First, the topic and concept of the game experience has to interest the players - in this instance, my students. I also want to keep myself focused on the philosophy behind the game experience: to simulate a community college, with the various units/departments, faculty/staff/students/community partners, and the daily task of managing a community college.

If I explore the MDA model backwards, I can begin my planning. Obviously I have learning outcomes that need to be incorporated into the game experience, but the plan seems to begin with development of the narration.

Thinking upon that.....Actually, the game design plan needs to begin with choosing the genre of game  - adventure game, role-playing game, action game, simulation and strategy game, or virtual world. I suppose part of this step is to choose the platform - definitely keyboard and mouse.

What unique features do I want to include? If I go with my ideal game experience, I want students to build their own community college, learning about the various departments and units and the constituencies (students, faculty, staff, community partners) while interacting with day-to-day issues impacting the balancing act of college administrators. Perhaps the various community colleges would then have to interact with one another in dealing with student transfers, program offerings, even sports. That interaction, then, could provide opportunities for the social network to develop. Or...those opportunities could be provided prior to the colleges' full development through a forum.



Aesthetics
Once I select the genre that best meets my needs, I can then plan out my narrative, crafting the backstory, cutscenes, plot hooks, and compelling characters necessary to engage learners. What will I include?  What won't I include?

Planning the narrative also requires I ponder the various emotional goals of the game. Make-believe really does not apply here  (no elves or dragons, other than the symbolic ones),  but narrative drama is certainly a goal of my dream game. While students build/design their community colleges, they will need to deal with the same challenges administrators meet every day: budget, staffing, community, marketing, human resources, facilities, students....Just a typical day. While an obstacle course is not really a goal for this game, fellowship with the game serving as a social network outside of class could be a goal.  Hmm...I wonder how many goals I should have? How many are too many?

Environmental design also needs to be addressed. Every story needs a setting, so I need to create a game world. That, however, will need more research on my part, more pondering  and more skills. I will keep this in mind as I move on to identify my game experience needs. Environmental design and how to actually build the game experience need an entire blog post or two of their own...Can I build what I want within Second Life?   If not, what software should I use?  How much programming do I really want to learn?

Dynamics
The aesthetics drive the game dynamics, those in-game behaviors and strategic actions and interactions that emerge during play. Will the game provide actual text feedback or will  feedback be implied during the responding event? If a responding event is the feedback, then that response should be based on current research.

Player progress is part of game dynamics, so I need to consider pathways to player progress - multiple or linear...along with the impact of time. Avatars are often important, but in this game experience, I do not really see the appearance of the avatar being important - instead, the community college becomes the avatar, with the player guiding the choices


Mechanics
Game mechanics encompass the reinforcements present in the experience (behaviors with rewarding outcomes are likely to be repeated in the future). This can be done with badges, achievement awards, levels, resources, and such.  The achievements - or rewards - must be valuable to the player or the player may  lose interest.....and stop playing. Having a balance of rewards is most desirable - after all, if everyone earns the top prize, then how much is the top prize really worth?

How do we measure a successful community college administrator? Is it through points? Badges?  Dollars earned? Enrollment? Evaluations?   All of these could certainly be used in the game experience Or.. is the experience itself of serving as an administrator and becoming familiar with all aspects of the community college, is that experience the "success"? Are badges or points even worth considering in this instance?  I suppose awarding experience badges based on visiting and interacting with various college units/departments could be awarded, simply as a way to allow players to see where they have been.....

Competition? Collaboration? Or both?

Research on characteristics of effective community college administrators suggests the ability to collaborate and show respect for others (Jones, 2010; Kezar, 2005) to be at the forefront of requirements, including listening (Schmidt, 2012), the ability to form partnerships/alliances (Eddy, 2007), and using research-based and data-driven decision-making (McClure, 2008).

Competition does not seem to enter into the mix, according to the research. Administrators need to make sure that staff and faculty salaries are competitive and that their college is preparing students to enter the competitive work force environment. Community colleges do continue to face competition from for profits ...but these are all examples of external competition, rather than a personal need to compete.

Perhaps rewarding collaboration, then is a good choice.

Exactly when do I want to integrate the social community? Will participation be required or encouraged?

In conclusion

So many questions still remain...and more reading...and thinking.

How does someone with no programming skills develop the platform for a 3D multi-user environment to immerse adult learners in educational tasks?

Could this game experience be created elsewhere, perhaps in Second Life? If not, where else might I be able to create it?

My quest still continues . . . 

 References

Amory, A. (2007). Game object model version II: A theoretical framework for educational game development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 51-57.

Eddy, P. (2007, Fall). Alliances among community colleges: Odd bedfellows or lasting partners? New Directions for Community Colleges, 2007(139), 59-68.

Elverdam, C., & Aarseth, E. (2007). Game classification and game design construction through critical analysis. Games and Culture, 2(1), 3-22.

Jakobsson, M., & Taylor, T. L. (2003). The Sopranos meets Everquest: Social networking in massively multiplayer online games. Paper presented at the 5thInternational Digital Arts and Culture Conference, Melbourne, retrieved July 28, 2015, from, hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Jakobsson.pdf.

Jones, D. C. (2010, September 6). Collaborative governance depends upon mutual respect. Community College Week,  23(2), 4-5.

Kezar, A. (2005). Moving from I to we. Change, 37(6), 50-57.

Kim, B. (2015, February/March). Game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics. Library Technology Reports, 51(2), 17-19.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), 370-96.

Maslow, A. H. (1954). Motivation and personality. New York: Harper and Row.

Maslow, A. H. (1970). Religions, values, and peak experiences. New York: Penguin.

McClure, A. (2008, May). Driving the data: Applying business intelligence is helping community college leaders reach their goals. University Business, 11(5), 42-43.

Robson, K., Plangger, K., Kietzmann, J. H., McCarthy, I., & Pitt, L. (2015, July). Is it all a game? Understanding the principles of gamification. Business Horizons, 58(4), 411-420.

Schmidt, P. (2012, August 10). Administrators and professors find listening is a survival skill. chronicle of Higher Education, 58(43), A6-7.

The instructional design of gamification: Plan before you Play - PART 2

My journey through instructional design and gamification with the goal of improving a course continues....

After pondering over the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics of MDA Model (Elverdam & Aarseth, 2007; Kim, 2015; Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy, & Pitt, 2015), my search next located several other models, including the Game Object Model II (Amory, 2007).....taking me deeper into the role of aesthetics in educational gaming.

GOM II (shown below) looks more complicated than it is, but when one ponders each item, the interplay begins to make sense. This model adds the concept of a narrative/story line to MDA's (Kim, 2015; Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy, & Pitt, 2015) aesthetics component. The issue, however, is still, how do I use this in designing my game experience for Community College Administration graduate students?

Amory, A. (2007). Game object model version II: A theoretical framework for educational game development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 51-57.

Van der  Spek, Van Ostendorp, and Meyer (2013) suggest integrating surprising events can stimulate deeper learning and that a narrative background can decrease learning, so game designers need to seriously consider how they embed instruction in the game narrative. Amory (2007) proposes educational games should be designed as narrative spaces where story and plot allow characters to construct their own meaning through the use of plot hooks, characters, backstory and cutscenes.

Plot hooks are used at the beginning of a game to draw players into the game.  a plot hook can take several forms: an urgent plea for help, a central character who awakes in a strange location, or a detective assigned to solve a crime. Their purpose is to arouse curiosity and create intrigue. good plot hooks put players into the middle of action without providing much explanation, serving as an impetus for the player to begin the game.

Compelling characters  need to be integrated throughout the game. In adventure games the player is often cast as the protagonist. Providing information about the goals, personality and motivations of the protagonist and other characters can foster an emotional connection between the player and the main character. this connection is established through the use of multidimensional characters with both strengths and flaws (Freeman, 2003) and by having characters that change and grown throughout the game (Rollings & Adams, 2003).

Backstory and cutscenes deliver the narrative and help players to uncover the narrative storyline. Backstory refers to the background, the history of the storyline, and provides dramatic context for the action. This could be as brief as a simple sketch of the main character and key conflicts in the storyline or as complex as providing detailed histories of all of the characters and conflicts along with maps of the game world. Cutscenes are short pieces of narrative revealed during game play. They could take a variety of forms: a radio broadcast, a telephone message, an email, a journal entry, a newscast, or even a brief video. Cutscenes provide players with key information, often appearing at the end of puzzles or challenges (Hancock, 2002).  Examples of cutscenes include flashbacks, parallel actions, foreshadowing, cliff hangers, and red herrings (Hancock, 2002; Onder, 2002).

Narrative, then, needs to engage the player, and do more that deliver the story - narrative needs to combine with player choices to construct the story. According to Dickey (2015) aesthetics - and narrative - differs with the various game genre.

As I  write this, my mind is spinning with narrative....I can begin to see this coming together.... backstory...cutscenes...plot hooks....compelling characters......taking notes on the side...

I am reminded, however, of my three questions posed previously:

• How do I motivate players and keep them motivated to play?
• How do I meet the goal of player enjoyment?
• In my dream game, the journey is the learning, not the final score or the badge. So how do I create a game experience that allows players to learn about the community college, to interact with community college "employees" and "students" and then complete the experience?

I can see where integrating the narrative component might help to motivate players, even help them to enjoy their play....and if I craft the narrative well - and carefully - then the players' journey could provide the learning......

But how to actually create this experience still eludes me...

Next step: On to situated learning (Lave & Wenger, 1991).

 References

Amory, A. (2007). Game object model version II: A theoretical framework for educational game development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 51-57.

Dickey, M. D. (2015). Aesthetics and design for game-based learning. NY: Routledge.

Elverdam, C., & Aarseth, E. (2007). Game classification and game design construction through critical analysis. Games and Culture, 2(1), 3-22. 

Freeman, D. E. (2003). Creating emotion in games: The craft and art of emotioneering.  Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.

Hancock, H. (2002). Better game design through cutscenes. Retrieved July 27, 2015 from http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131410/better_game_design_through_.php

Jakobsson, M., & Taylor, T. L. (2003). The Sopranos meets Everquest: Social networking in massively multiplayer online games. Paper presented at the 5thInternational Digital Arts and Culture Conference, Melbourne, retrieved July 28, 2015, from, hypertext.rmit.edu.au/dac/papers/Jakobsson.pdf.

Kim, B. (2015, February/March). Game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics. Library Technology Reports, 51(2), 17-19.

Lave, J., & Wenger, E. (1991). Situated learning: Legitimate peripheral participation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Onder, B. (2002). Storytelling in level-based game design. In F. D. Laramee (Ed.) Game-design perspectives (pp. 291-298). Hingham, MA: Charles River Media.

Robson, K., Plangger, K., Kietzmann, J. H., McCarthy, I., & Pitt, L. (2015, July). Is it all a game? Understanding the principles of gamification. Business Horizons, 58(4), 411-420.

Rollings, A., & Adams, E.  (2003). Game design. Indianapolis, IN: New Riders.

Van der  Spek, E, D., Van Ostendorp, H., & Meyer,, J. J. (2013). Introducing surprising events can stimulate deep learning in a serious game. British Journal of Educational Technology, 44(1), 156-169.

The instructional design of gamification: Plan before you play, PART 1

What a journey over the last 7 weeks!

All I wanted to do was to learn more about instructional design in gamification.

Sounds simple, right?

Not so much. . . .

I have a fully online course I am trying to gamify (and gamify well), but as I concentrate on redesigning the course, I  realize how much more I need to know than merely the course content.  THAT I have down pat. I have tasks and learning objectives and final products which currently live in 3D Game Lab where students earn badges and awards for completing the various tasks.

To be effective community college administrators, my students need to learn about all facets of the community college  - faculty issues, student development, instruction, fundraising, housing, sports,  governance, workforce development..... I have readings on all of these topics, and, of course, students could read, complete a few activities to interact with the material and with one another, but  what will that really lead them to learn?   Will they really leave this class with a better understanding of the various units within the college and how they function, the interdependence as well as the independence of each unit?

Students in this program work a 40-50 hour week, so I try to be mindful as I craft assignments and course-related tasks. I am also aware that students enter the program with differing amounts of knowledge and experience in the community college, so they need options to meet their needs.

I see several pathways for this course:

Path A: (the dream) To create a simulation in which students basically build a CC from the ground up, choosing the type of governance,  identifying the various degrees and curricula (credit and non-credit) to be offered, hiring faculty and staff, setting up schedules, enrolling students, working with a foundation, setting up a budget, and so forth.  I teach decision-making that is research-based and data-driven, so students will review the research as they craft their own CC.  At the end of the course, students will share their colleges and compare notes. This could actually be expanded for use in several of their courses. ...ah....my dream creation. . . .

Path B: To create an interactive application/website/platform where students would "tour" the community college I have created, meeting avatars along the way to give them an overview of each unit/topic and guiding students to readings and then to various activities to allow them to interact with the content and apply their learning to their CC sites.

Path C: To create a series of tasks associated with each unit, where students complete from a menu of tasks, according to "credit earned" from previous experience. (current course organization).

So, possibilities exist, and I want to provide a stellar learning experience.  I realize this may take time, and I may have to design in phases.

That is fine - but the compulsive part of me wants to do it well - now.

The researcher in me says, "Go to the peer-reviewed research to find your answer."

So... I did....and this task has taken  - and is taking - quite a bit of time. . . .

Journey through the research

I quickly found that using some form of gamification instructional design as a search term was not working. Broadening the search to use gamification design did yield more results. Gamification design sometimes referred to web design or the appearance, the attractiveness of the game on the web (Hsu, Chang, & Lee, 2013). Other times it encompassed the MDA (mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics) framework of understanding games and how gamification works (Elverdam & Aarseth, 2007; Kim, 2015; Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy, & Pitt, 2015).

Ah, something useful!

MDA Framework of gaming design

This MDA framework or model breaks down  games into three components from the users' perspective: rules, system, and fun.  From the designer's perspective, this turns into  mechanics. dynamics, and aesthetics (Kim, 2015; Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy, & Pitt, 2015).

Wow!  Users and designers...what a great idea!

Mechanics involve the  distinct set of rules that dictate the outcome of interactions within the system. Points, badges, leader boards, statuses, levels, quests, countdowns, tasks/quest/missions, and other particular rules and rewards all fall under the category of game mechanics (Kim, 2015).

Three different types of mechanics are extremely important in games and in gamified experiences: set up mechanics, rule mechanics, and progression mechanics (Robson, et al., 2015). 

Set up mechanics include what shapes the environment of the experience.  This includes the setting and objects, and how those objects are distributed to the players. This also includes who the player is playing against - are they known or unknown? internal or external? It is in this component where designers determine the spatial dimensions of the virtual world along with regulating when the experience will happen (i.e., real-time or turn-based and finite end or infinite play).  Player structure is also part of game mechanics: how many can play? Is it single or multi-player? Single or multiple teams? Strangers, friends, or allies? (Elverdam & Aarseth, 2007).

Rule mechanics shape the goal of the gamified experience (Elverdam & Aarseth, 2007), describing permissible actions as well as constraints that limit those actions to create pressure for the players (Kelly, 2012). If players make the same decisions each time they play, will the results be the same, or is there some element of chance? Do interactions with other players impact the outcome? Rule mechanics can also be topological or time-based. Topological includes spaces where players land - are they rewarded for landing and checking in? Time-based mechanics address whether players have to react within a specific time period and how resources build up or deplete. Objectives-based rule mechanics refers to the effects of specific circumstances, such as completing one level to unlock the next (Robson, et al., 2015).

Progression mechanics dictate the reinforcements present in the experience (behaviors with rewarding outcomes are likely to be repeated in the future). This can be done with badges, achievement awards, levels, resources, and such.  The achievements - or rewards - must be valuable to the player or the player may  lose interest.....and stop playing. Having a balance of rewards is most desirable - after all, if everyone earns the top prize, then how much is the top prize really worth?

Mechanics form the structure for the game experience. On their own, however, mechanics are not enough to change behaviors or boost one's performance. Game dynamics and emotions or aesthetics animate the game experience and facilitate behavior change. It is this interdependence between mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics that signals the designer what changes need to be made to the mechanics to result in behavior changes.

Dynamics refer to the principles that create and support aesthetic experience. Unlike the game mechanics set by the designer, game dynamics describe in-game behaviors and strategic actions and interactions that emerge during play (Camerer, 2003). Examples of game dynamics include behavioral momentum, feedback, progress, time pressure, and certain abilities that game avatars can develop (Kim, 2015). Dynamics are difficult to predict and can lead to some unexpected behaviors and outcomes which can be either positive or negative. The challenges for designers, then, is to anticipate the types of dynamics that can emerge and develop the mechanics of the gaming experience accordingly.

(Robson, Plangger, Kietzmann, McCarthy, & Pitt, 2015)

Aesthetics encompass the various emotional goals of the game: sensation (game as sense-pleasure), fantasy (game as make-believe), narrative (game as drama), challenge (game as obstacle course), fellowship (game as social framework), discovery (game as uncharted territory), expression (game as self-discovery), and submission (game as pastime) (Kim, 2015). Aesthetics, then, are the result of how players follow the mechanics then generate the dynamics.  Playing games should be fun and appealing. Assuming that players will stop playing if they do not enjoy themselves, then creating player enjoyment should be the main goal (Robson, et al., 2015).


The MDA framework allows us to consider the game from two perspectives at the same time - we can see the game from the viewpoint of the user as well as from that of the designer...making this a very useful design...particularly if a designer also plays games.

The next step on this journey...

Hmmm...   The MDA model certainly provides opportunities for planning and a great checklist of items to consider....but I need something else to help me in this journey to gamify well.

Reading about MDA generated several questions to be answered:

• How do I motivate players and keep them motivated to play?

• How do I meet the goal of player enjoyment?

• In my dream game, the journey is the learning, not the final score or the badge. So how do I create a game experience that allows players to learn about the community college, to interact with community college "employees" and "students" and then complete the experience? 

 Let's see where this journey takes me next: The Game Object Model II (Amory, 2007).

 References

Amory, A. (2007). Game object model version II: A theoretical framework for educational game development. Educational Technology Research and Development, 55, 51-57.

Camerer, C. (2003). Behavioral game theory: Experiments in strategic interaction. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

Elverdam, C., & Aarseth, E. (2007). Game classification and game design construction through critical analysis. Games and Culture, 2(1), 3-22.

Hsu, S. H., Chang, J. W., & Lee,  C.C. (2013). Designing attractive gamification features for collaborative storytelling websites. CyberPsychology, Behavior & Social Networking, 16(6), 428-435.

Kelly, T. (2012). Real gamification mechanics require simplicity, and, yes, game designers can do it. Available at http://techcrunch.com/2012/12/08/real-vs-fake-gamification-mechanics/

Kim, B. (2015, February/March). Game mechanics, dynamics, and aesthetics. Library Technology Reports, 51(2), 17-19.

Robson, K., Plangger, K., Kietzmann, J. H., McCarthy, I., & Pitt, L. (2015, July). Is it all a game? Understanding the principles of gamification. Business Horizons, 58(4), 411-420.

Merrill + ADDIE = MADDIE

I tend to view adult education - graduate education in particular - as professional development...sometimes corporate training...and ADDIE fits that bill perfectly!

Its 5 phases of Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate  provide an extremely useful framework through which to view design and development of professional development training.

ADDIE easily lends itself to adult learning by providing a dynamic, flexible guideline for building effective training and performance tools. It's cyclical, rather than a linear approach, and it provides for frequent evaluation at each phase, with constant "tweaking."

I want to emphasize, however, that ADDIE is more of a project management tool than an instructional design model. As such it has a strong pre-planning and design phase.

Merrill's first Principles of Instruction merges well with ADDIE. Centering around creating learning experiences that are focused on authentic problems or tasks, this model aims to guide students through learning about, reflecting on, and solving problems and tasks.The four principles are Activation, Demonstration, Application, and Integration.

How might a merger between these two instructional design models appear? What issues need to be addressed in an Instructional Design Model for adult learners? What, if anything, needs to be added to the new model?

Let's call this merger MADDIE!

This SpicyNodes below depicts this mashup, and a written explanation follows:



MADDIE Phase 1: Material
Make the material relevant.  Not part of the original ADDIE, Merrill proposes the relevancy of the material is extremely important to adult learners.  Questions to be pondered include

• Is the topic problem- and task-centered?
• Can learners be engaged in solving real world problems and tasks?

 
MADDIE Phase 2: Analysis
The ADDIE analysis phase is the pre-planning phase where one thinks about the training to be offered. Designers ponder the design of the course or training, audience, goals, objectives, identify content, identify environment and delivery, consider instructional strategies and assessment, along with formative and summative assessment....Think about these items. Research best practices.

Merrill's model does not really provide a "thinking" phase where the designer pre-plans and readies him- or herself to design. His Activation phase, however, can be integrated into the ADDIE Analysis phase. During Merrill's Activation existing knowledge is retrieved or activated as a foundation for the new knowledge or learning. 

Several questions guide this "thinking" process:

• What pre-existing knowledge do the learners bring?
• What is the gap between what the learners already know and what they need to know?
• What do you need to teach?
• Do you need to do a pre-test to see "where they are" and "where you need to begin"?
• Will you need to provide a review with the students?
• Who are the learners and what are their characteristics?
• What is the desired new behavior?
• What are the specific learning objectives (outcomes) for this course?
• Are the objectives based on accreditation agency, program, or university mission requirements? 
• What LEVEL of learning will you target for learning outcomes?
• What types of learning constraints exist?
• What are the delivery options (face-to-face, online, hybrid)?
• What are the pedagogical considerations?
• What types of learning need to happen? 
• Knowledge
• Skills
• Attitudes  
• What adult learning theory considerations apply?
• What constraints might impact the delivery of this course/training?
• What is the timeline for project completion?

MADDIE Phase 3: Design
ADDIE's Design phase encompasses creation of a blueprint of the course or training on paper.  In this phase the designer starts developing the overall structure of the course, the content topics, the Goal of the instruction in general terms, the specific learning objectives, content that will be used (documents, PowerPoint, etc.), instructional strategies to be used, exercises, resources, media selection, assessment strategies, due dates, specific tools that will allow the designer to accomplish these.

This is also the point at which the designer structures the learning event, (i.e., the sequence of instructions the learners will use to work them through the content and learning strategies in each of the units. The Design phase is a systematic and very specific approach. Details.  Planning. Constantly evaluating and re-evaluating. 

Merrill does not really have a  blueprint design phase, just somehow expects designers to move from identifying the task to..BOOM! creating the content and building the course.

Adding the Merrill phase of Demonstration allows developers to truly design for the adult learner as  they identify the learner's existing knowledge  to use as a foundation for new knowledge. Merrills's questions posed in phase 1 and phase 2 actually integrate much better here into the MADDIE's Design phase. Merrill's Application and Integration phases could be integrated here as well as they deal with quality of instruction.

The Design phase, then, results in a very complete blueprint for the course or training,
contains a series of tasks guided by overarching questions (questions combined from ADDIE and from Merrill's Demonstration, Application, and Integration phases):

Overarching Questions

Designer Tasks

Does the instruction make use of or activate learners’ prior knowledge as a foundation for the new learning, including cognitive structures to help organize the new knowledge? Is there an opportunity to demonstrate previously acquired knowledge or skill? Does the instruction help learners see the relevance of the problem task and boost confidence in their ability to complete the task successfully? Does the instruction involve real world problems and tasks relevant to the learner? Does the instruction show the learners what they’ll be able to do at the end of the learning experience? Does the instruction include the components or chunks required for the successful completion of the problem or task? Does the instruction show multiple examples of the problem or task?

Document the instructional, visual, and technical design strategy by using a blueprint  or storyboard designed to cover the entire training Identify learning objectives  and activities for each unit Apply instructional strategies according to intended behavioral outcomes by domain (cognitive, affective, and psychomotor) Identify formative and summative assessment Design the user interface and the user experience Create a prototype Apply visual design/graphic design

MADDIE Phase 4: Development
The course or training has been planned: now it it time to develop the training or course - to build it...

ADDIE's Development Phase involves the developers creating and assembling the content assets and activities that were planned in the design phase. Programmers work to develop and/or integrate technologies. Testers perform debugging procedures. The project is reviewed and revised according to any feedback given.  Again, Merrill does not really address this issue separately, but items addressed in the Demonstration phase can certainly be re-visited here in the form of review. Feedback is an extremely important aspect of this phase, and several questions (not posed in either model) need to guide this:

• Does the instruction flow easily from one topic to the other, one unit to the next?
• Is an orientation module or unit provided, one that introduces the learner to the expected experience, assignments, assessments, and such?
• Are activities and assessments aligned with learning objectives?
• Is feedback provided after practice?
• Are multiple types of feedback provided?
• Is coaching or scaffolding available to learners? 
•  Are examples consistent with the content being taught? E.g. examples and non-examples for concepts, demonstrations for procedures, visualizations for processes, modeling for behavior? 
• Are learner guidance techniques employed? 
• Learners are directed to relevant information?
• Multiple representations are used for the demonstrations?
• Multiple demonstrations are explicitly compared?
• Is media relevant to the content and used to enhance learning?
• Does instruction encourage learners to transfer learning to everyday contexts?
• Are learners given  an opportunity to publicly demonstrate their new knowledge or skill?
• Are learners given the opportunity to create, invent, and explore new and personal ways to use their new knowledge or skills?

MADDIE Phase 5: Implementation
Phase 1 (Material) identified the topic. In phase 2 (Analyze) the designer pre-plans.  Phase 3 (Design) sees the creation of the blueprint. Phase 4 (Development) builds the training.   

So, what's next?

To implement -  to USE what was just built!

Implementation has several components: (1) a pre-flight course check, (2) the first few days check, (3) instruction begins check, and (4) formative feedback in each module or unit.  

Pre-flight course check. Before students are added to the course or before it is "published," designers need to double-check the course:

• Check start/end dates, due dates, etc., for
  • Topics to be covered
  • Assignments
  • Quizzes
  • Discussions postings
• Check settings for
  • Assignments
  • Quizzes
• Check
  • Links in learning modules
  • Student activities to make sure they are clear and correlate with content in menu
The early days of class. After the course begins, the designer now needs to concentrate on Orientation (This should, obviously, have been built in the Development phase, but now it is time to make sure students "orient" themselves to the training or course.)

This orientation needs to incorporate a variety of activities, such as

• Students read the welcome page.
• Students work through the "Start Here" information.
• Students introduce themselves. (This creates a sense of community.)
• Provide feedback to some or all of the introductions.
• If the training uses audio or video, have the students test it before they actually need to use it.
• Make sure the students understand all the course policies as outlined in the "Start Here" module. Ask if there are any questions.
• Students take the "Student Survey" if you desire to get information from them.
• Give a quiz over the "Start Here" module? (optional)
• Announce when the students should begin working.
• Be vigilant to questions from students; check email and discussions frequently (at least for the first week), and respond in a timely manner.
 This can be accomplished with students working through a module themselves but also with students video-conferencing with the instructor. Gathering feedback as this process evolves allows the designer to "tweak."   

The instruction begins. One students are "oriented" to the course or training, the real instruction begins.  Designers may be adding to the course as follows:

• Post a discussion to reinforce what the students should be doing.
• During the first week, ask "How's it going? This helps the students know you genuinely care about their experience in your course, and it could alert you to any potential problems.  
 

Formative feedback in each module. During Implementation, we begin to collect  formative feedback to help us see what is working and not working. This should have already been set up in our course for every learning module. Open-ended questions get the best results. For example:


• What do you like best about this learning unit?
• What do you like least about this learning unit?
• How would you improve this learning unit?
You have access to this feedback at any time. It is recommended that you read the feedback on a frequent basis, and make adjustments to the course as necessary.

MADDIE Phase 6: Evaluation 
This phase is really continuous and is not saved until last. The evaluation phase consists of two parts: formative and summative. Formative evaluation is present in each stage of the ADDIE process. Merrill does not really address the evaluation portion - something extremely necessary to learning! 
In addition to using specific course assignments, summative evaluation could also entail using the questions below in addition to carefully reviewing each module in light of the overarching questions posted in preceding phases.

• Did the students achieve expected learning outcomes?
• What have you learned?
• How can you make the course better?
 

MADDIE, in conclusion
ADDIE, as a project management tool provides a fantastic process for planning, developing, and building....but is somewhat weak as to the instructional component. Merrill's First Principles is weak on the planning but provides a strong structural framework for the instruction and evaluation pieces.

Combining the two models into MADDIE strengthens both models and may well be the one I decide to adopt in course design.