Instructions:
The main goal of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to select an application appropriate to an education or training program at a specific organization or institution. To clarify, an application is a specific product (Google Docs, YouTube, Camtasia, Wikispaces, etc.), instead of a technology (video conferencing, wiki, screen capture, learning management system) or a mode of delivery (online, hybrid, face-to-face). You will write a paper that applies what you have learned about technology and how it can be integrated into the program or training you have chosen.
The purpose of this paper is to propose to an institution (or organization) of your choice an application that you want to implement. You will want to determine through the institutions/organizations mission/vision or their mandates or goals what application would help meet these mandates/goals/initiatives.
Divide the paper into the following sections:
Introduction: In the introduction, please contextualize the choice of technology by identifying and answering these 6 major questions:
- the institution (this can be the entire institution or a department/program within the institution) you will be using within your paper
- a key point in the institution’s mission or mandate or goals that could affect the choice of the application for the education (or training) program under consideration
- the target audience (who, where) to be served
- the program content to be taught
- the application that will be proposed to the institution
- the application setting (DE only or classroom instruction with DE)
The above information should provide the reader with an overview of what is proposed in the analysis section to follow. You may use any institution whose mission, mandate and institutional goals are clearly and fully documented, either in published materials or on its own website. Make sure you are very clear about the choice of institution and technology.
Analysis: This is the main body of the essay and should describe all that would be involved if you were tasked with introducing a new technology to an existing institution and/or program. The requirements above for the introduction should guide your choice, and the main body of the paper should answer these 6 major questions:
- Justification of your choice of application for the institution/department/program you chose
- When looking at what we have learned in class, how will this application be utilized within the institution
- A strategy for introducing your chosen application, to include everyone who should be involved and a reasonable timeline. What would you do with every step on your timeline?
- An explanation of what you would do to overcome two types of barriers
- Probable sources of resistance within the institution/department/program you chose and how this will be overcome
- Weaknesses of the technology itself and how would you work around it.
Conclusion: In the conclusion, be strategic in how you sum up the work. You want to refer back to the issues in your introduction, and be saying, in effect, given what the target audience needs [or organizational mission or whatever] and the features of X application, the key point emerging is the degree of organizational change required – or whatever factor is most central – and the need to address those issues before proceeding further. A conclusion should be concise and should not add any ideas or sources not already presented in the body of the work.
Paper Requirements:
- Double-spaced, 12-point font; proper citation of any sources using APA style
- At least 4 peer-reviewed sources
- 4-5 pages (not including the title/reference page)
- An abstract is not required
