Job Training Cirriculum: October 2012 Update by Design Impact

Learning Systems at Quest Alliance November 2, 2012 Eva Miller, Design Fellow Design Impact

Quest Alliance Creates programs and services to prepare youth for a better future: Quest is a non‐governmental organization that designs job training solutions for young people who have been failed by India’s educational system. English language and vocational training matter, but the true heart of Quest’s approach is life skills and work readiness, with a growing emphasis on active learning methods. Students understand themselves better, grow in confidence, and see work and education as a path to greater goals for their lives. Works with partners to deliver programs and services: Quest Alliance does not want to be in the service delivery business and creates partnerships with industry, education, and vocational organizations to deliver their programs. They also train facilitators to assure Quest’s educational philosophy becomes reality in the classroom.

Quest Alliance offices in Bangalore, India

Grow in reach and quality Help Quest scale their work to more partners and bring the student perspective to learning

The project challenge

ONE: Review Quest’s programs and services, as well as their high‐level business goals

TWO: Propose possible projects and discuss with key staff to hear their reactions

PROJECT DEFINITION: finding the right thing to do

THREE: Create project plans that define design activities, staff and resource needs, and timelines

Reviewed… Quest’s curriculum and quality assessments to understand programs Vision documents and action plans for the next few years Work of past Design Fellow, Ali Maiorano, to build on her foundation Training sessions for both students and facilitators Possible and preferred project ideas with Executive Director Aakash Sethi.

ONE: Understand Quest’s programs and business goals

Proposed… BIG PROJECT: Student‐centered active learning Work with students using forms like art, music, drama, film, and games to create active learning structures Hand off the process to Quest

TWO: Propose possible projects and get feedback from key staff

Proposed… MEDIUM PROJECT: a Web‐based learning management system Start with Life Skills Toolkit as content focus Start with facilitators as audience focus. Eventually, students, alumni, partners, funders, and Quest staff will use it TWO: Propose possible projects and get feedback from key staff

Proposed… SMALL PROJECT: product roadmap for an alumni support system Focus on students who have completed Quest programs to understand needs Take findings into a roadmap workshop with Quest staff TWO: Propose possible projects and get feedback from key staff

Some staff supported creating a Web‐based learning management system. Both Design Impact and the director of Quest felt this project should be given priority.

Some staff supported a design process to make student‐centered, active learning content. Most felt this would affect the information design for the learning management system. This project would begin after the learning management system product design.

TWO: Propose possible projects and get feedback from key staff

Defined… MEDIUM PROJECT: a Web‐based learning management system Easier to scale Quest programs Easier to hand off daily operations to partners and organizations Reduce facilitator training burden Support better assessment

THREE: Define and plan projects

Defined… BIG PROJECT: Student‐centered active learning Truly active, more relevant to a low‐ literacy audience A flexible “cookbook” and not a linear set of lessons Reduce facilitator training burden Support better assessment

THREE: Define and plan projects

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Content is changing or new for many programs

•

Facilitator development is changing or new and affects what they will need from an online system or can comfortably deliver in the classroom

•

New staff are joining Quest to support or train facilitators and develop content, and these projects may create confusion

•

Time and logistics: both projects have tight schedules and interdependencies

Concerns at this point

Stakeholder Workshop The “Voice of the Business” for Quest’s learning management system

Getting clear priorities for goals, audiences, and content needs from Quest staff

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STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Begin with a story to help people imagine the system

What does Quest want from this project? Any problem the system could solve for Quest Any new opportunity it may provide Any time or effort it might save Cluster similar ideas or needs into business goals Label them Prioritize them

STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Establish and prioritize business goals for the system

How will we know we succeeded? Think of what success looks like for top goals Make sure you can measure it Consider when or how often you should measure Consider any baseline measures you’ll need for comparison

STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Create success metrics for Quest’s main business goals

STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Present user profiles to help people imagine audiences

Who is the main audience? Think of all the types of people who might interact with Quest through an online learning system Think of all the types of people you want to reach through this system Cluster similar types into audiences Label them Prioritize them

STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Find the main audience for the system

Prioritize content types Small groups work together Sort a deck of over 100 cards with existing and imagined content types on them 10 are high priority 15 are medium priority The rest are low priority Analyze how the groups agree or disagree and rank content types

STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Sort a set of content cards by importance

Delivered findings Save time, then spend it more wisely: reduce reporting and training burden for staff Mobile to connect: reach audiences through SMS/text A better Quest story: present student progress beyond just numbers An active learning cookbook Build capacity: content and software development

STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP: Voice of the Business strategy for the system

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Content development will drive the learning management system even more than expected, as staff clearly expressed they want more active content and a flexible curriculum design for facilitators, not the linear approach that is currently used. This requires reworking the structure and consistency of current materials. Staff who have the content expertise and knowledge to tackle this already feel overextended.

•

Quest does not do application development in‐house, though they have an existing relationship with an external vendor

Concerns at this stage

The Project Plan Folding the learning management system and student‐centered active learning into one effort

DESIGN ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE

Design Activity

Roles

Time estimate

Review background materials and programs

User experience lead: Eva

Sept 3‐7

Plan and give stakeholder workshop on the learning management product

User experience lead: Eva

Sept 10‐21

Establish main audiences for the product as a user profile for now

DESIGN ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE: Learning

DONE

Stakeholders: Aakash, Amitav, Abhijeet, Ayeesha, Augustine, Ali, Ashutosh, Jayashree, Nikita User experience lead: Eva Sept 10‐21

DONE

Design Activity

Roles

Time estimate

Write and share “Voice of the Business” findings

User experience lead: Eva

Sept 24‐Oct 1

Select design team

User experience lead: Eva Business owner: Aakash User experience lead: Eva

Oct 2‐12 Oct 12‐26

User experience lead: Eva

Oct 26‐Nov 2

User experience lead: Eva Curriculum designer: Lara Internal active learning workshop to generate draft User experience lead: Eva activities (3 rounds): use framework. Make activities in Product owner: Nikita art, music, drama, film, games, etc. Content lead: Ali Curriculum designer: Lara Subject experts: TBD Write draft activities (3 rounds) User experience lead: Eva Content lead: Ali Curriculum designer: Lara External workshop using draft activities with students (3 User experience lead: Eva rounds): lead students through activity, then explore Product owner: Nikita what might work better. Explore student challenges and Content lead: Ali Curriculum designer: Lara needs. Students (4‐5): TBD Interpreter: TBD

Oct 15‐Nov 2

Diary/Field Study to understand facilitators’ daily lives Create “day in the life” snapshots of facilitators to guide product design Establish active learning framework

DESIGN ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE: Defining

DONE DONE STARTED STARTED STARTED

Nov 5‐9 Nov 26‐30 Dec 17‐21

Nov 12‐14 Dec 3‐5 Dec 26‐28 Nov 15‐23 Dec 3‐5 Dec 31‐Jan 4

Design Activity

Roles

Time estimate

Create student personas

User experience lead: Eva

Nov 26‐Jan 4

Write pilot activities using the best ideas from student workshops

User experience lead: Eva Content lead: Ali Curriculum designer: Lara User experience lead: Eva Product owner: Nikita Content lead: Ali Curriculum designer: Lara Technology lead: Venky User experience lead: Eva Product owner: Nikita User experience lead: Eva

Nov 26‐Jan 11

Use pilot activities at selected training centers and observe

Participant survey to get student and facilitator feedback on pilot activities Analyze pilot results Adjust activities and finalize content plan: hand off to content team Create initial learning system wireframes, review with team and finalize Create remaining wireframes and interaction design, review with team and finalize

Jan 14‐Feb 8

Jan 14‐Feb 8 Jan 16‐Feb 13

User experience lead: Eva Product owner: Nikita Content lead: Ali User experience lead: Eva

Jan 16‐Feb 15

User experience lead: Eva Visual/Interaction designer: Kaleidoscope (TBD)

Feb 27‐Mar 8

DESIGN ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE: Model, test, and build

Feb 18‐26

Design Activity

Roles

Paper‐based usability testing with facilitators and Quest User experience lead: Eva staff Visual/Interaction designer: Kaleidoscope (TBD) Product owner: Abhijeet Content lead: Ali Technology lead: Venky Create clickable prototype User experience lead: Eva Visual/Interaction designer: Kaleidoscope (TBD) Back‐end developer: Azri Solutions Content lead: Ali Prototype usability testing with facilitators and staff User experience lead: Eva Product owner: Abhijeet Content lead: Ali Technology lead: Venky Visual/Interaction designer: Kaleidoscope (TBD) Back‐end developer: Azri Solutions Begin development iterations and create final visual User experience lead: Eva design Visual/Interaction designer: Kaleidoscope (TBD) Back‐end developer: Azri Solutions Present development iterations at demos to team User experience lead: Eva Visual/Interaction designer: Kaleidoscope (TBD) Back‐end developer: Azri Solutions Release (alpha)

DESIGN ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE: Model, test, and build

Time estimate Mar 4‐15

Mar 13‐25

Mar 25‐29

Mar 25‐May 17

Apr 8‐May 20

May 21

Thanks. Contact: Eva Miller eva.miller@d‐impact.org www.d‐impact.org