ID Brief for Final Project IST 526

Title or Topic of Module/Lesson:

Introduction to Lymphedema for New Staff at HERS Breast Cancer Foundation

Date this Design Created/Modified: Friday, March 20, 2015

Designers Name: Lisa Lindert
Time: 7- 10 minutes

General Overview/Need: New employees at the HERS Breast Cancer Foundation (HERS-
BCF) Program Store need training on the basics of the organization prior to on-site training. This
module will be used as pretraining and will be delivered to learners via computer. The goal is to
familiarize learners with: the areas of the organization, the products offered and the basics of
breast cancer that are related to the products and services offered by HERS. The program
developed here will focus on a main product of the Program Store: lymphedema garments.

Why a computer should teach it: The Program Director would like pretraining to prepare new
staff and make on-site training efficient and effective. The online format is appropriate because
it does not require current staff, the new employee can utilize it at any time and it efficiently
trains single learners. Also, new staff may have flexible schedules so this allows them to
perform training at a time they are free and does not impact current employees.

Audience/Learners: The learners will be women aged 22-70 with at least some college
education, basic to advanced experience with technology and an interest in assisting breast
cancer survivors. Many are survivors or have family or friends who have had this condition.

Technical: The learning must run on a standard web browser, and it would be desirable for it to
run on a tablet or mobile device as well.

Conditions of Instruction: There are no special considerations for learners. The training will
take place on a standard computer or mobile device in an office or home setting. The learning
should be administered through a SCORM or similar package. It is anticipated that CourseSites,
a BlackBoard product, will be used to administer the course because this is a service free to
nonprofits (CourseSites by Blackboard is a free learning management system for K12 and
Higher Ed Instructors enabling blended & eLearning., n.d.).

Learning Objectives:

1. Given digital content (text, audio, video, images) learners will be able to define the
term lymphedema (Cognitive domain, comprehension).

2. Given digital content (text, audio, video, images) learners will be able to identify the
impact of lymphedema on a breast cancer survivors self image (Cognitive domain,
comprehension; affective domain, receiving).
 3. Given digital content (text, audio, video, images) learners will be able to identify a
lymphedema garment and its purpose (Cognitive domain, comprehension).

4. Given digital content (text, audio, video, images) learners will be able to list what
information patients need to provide the HERS Program Store to obtain a
lymphedema garment (Cognitive domain, comprehension).

5. Given digital content (text, audio, video, images) learners will be able to identify how
providing lymphedema garments meets the mission of the HERS Program Store and
organization (Cognitive domain, comprehension).

Assessment: Following the training a series of other short scenarios can be presented that
address the learning objectives. These would be partially completed so that the learner has to
provide the next step, identify an appropriate object or treatment or comment on the experience
of the person in the scenario. The scenarios would be similar to Ambers story, the pedagogical
agent that guides the learning during the module. The questions would be in the form of multiple
choice, matching, drag and drop or choose from a list.

Instructional/ Cognitive/Multimedia Strategies:

Instructional/Cognitive Strategies:
1. Adult Learning Theory
Adult learning theory is applicable to this training because the HERS-BCF Program
Store trainee audience is composed of adult learners. The original theory, pioneered by
Knowles, describes four assumptions of adult learning or andragogy: self-direction (or self-
concept), role of experience, readiness to learn, orientation to learning and motivation
(Andragogy- Adult Learning Theory, n.d.; Knowles, 1970; Merriam, 2001). With adult learners
there is an expectation that learning will directly apply to immediate tasks or goals. This
eLearning module will directly address the workplace by being set in that workplace giving
concrete examples and scenarios that the learner will encounter shortly when they enter the
Program Store environment.
The aspects of Knowless theory that involve an adult learners readiness to learn, self-
direction and orientation toward applied learning, will be addressed. The learners will enter the
program ready to learn, as they will use this training as direct preparation for on-site training
with an experienced staff member. There is also an orientation to learning because the learners
will expect to be able to apply their new skills soon; HERS-BCF expects this online training to
occur with two weeks of the in-person, intensive training with a staff member. The design of the
module will allow some autonomous control so that the learner can choose how they gather
information. By providing scenario-based assessment, there can also be a sense of autonomy,
as the learner becomes an agent in the work environment.

2. Cognitive Load Theory

Multimedia presentations can overload the cognitive capacity of learners. Cognitive load
theory states the learners have a limited amount of working memory through which they process
information. They seek to process this information into schemas in long-term memory, which
define elements of learning. For example, a schema of a library may contain the concept of a
library as a place where: books and media are housed, learners can use resources and learners
can borrow media. Learning occurs to build schema and connect them to others already housed
in long-term memory (Margaret, E. Gredler, 2009). These ideas are extended into the realm of
multimedia in the work of Clark and Mayer in their principles of multimedia design (see below,
and Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R. E., 2011)
Clark and Mayer recommend a learner-centered approach to multimedia design that
focuses on knowledge-centered learning. This idea is based on three principles of cognitive
science: dual channel processing, limited capacity and active processing. Using multimedia the
learner processes information using verbal and visual information. If these channels are
overloaded, then learning is impaired. The idea of limited capacity is related to the ideas above
involving limits to working memory, combined with dual processing it implies that each channel
has a limit to its ability to process information. Putting the information from multiple channels
together into a larger picture involves active processing of the information. This organizes the
new verbal and visual information into schema that are integrated into the learners existing
experience (Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R. E., 2011).

3. ARCS Model
The structure of the modules will also aim to target motivation. Kellers ARCS model
provides good structure for the lessons aimed a adult learners. The main components of the
ARCS model are: attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction (ARCS Model of
Motivational Design (Keller) | Learning Theories, n.d.). There will be clear attention-getting,
relevant media to spark attention and the story of Amber to engage the learner. There will be
direct relevance through examples that are designed in the setting of the Program Store, and
the training will be tailored to give the information that is relevant for job tasks. A focus on
scenario-based learning will be used to increase motivation and transfer. Satisfaction can be
gained by the learner following the assessment portion of the module because they can show
how they might interact with a patient or staff member within the HERS Program Store
environment using authentic scenarios.

Multimedia Strategies:
Careful choice of media within the design of this eLearning module will help learners
gain the greatest amount of knowledge. To avoid cognitive load the principles of good
multimedia design will be followed. There are three areas of focus: extraneous processing,
which is processing of information that is not central to learning, essential processing, which
represents the core material, and generative processing, which works toward deep
understanding. The design will stress essential and generative processing and avoid extraneous
processing. The use of the multimedia principle (the use of graphics and words) will avoid
extraneous processing by following: the contiguity principle (graphics that are aligned with
words), the modality principle (words presented as audio rather than text), the redundancy
principle (words should be presented as either audio or text but not both), the coherence
principle (removing any material that does not support the instructional goal), and the signaling
principle (using key words, and cues to point out key ideas) (Clark, R.C. & Mayer, R. E., 2011).
Special attention will be paid to the personalization, segmenting and pretraining
principles. The personalization principle stresses the use of personal language and pedagogical
agents to activate the psychological aspect of learning. During this eLearning module, the use of
pedagogical agents that tell the story of HERS patients will be used as a guide and a personal
language style will be employed. The segmenting principle will be employed to break up the
material and learners will be able to control their own speed through the content. The pretraining
principle stresses that learning is more effective when learners are familiar with new terms and
concepts. This eLearning module is pretraining for the on-site training that will happen at the
HERS Program Store. The goal of this training is to introduce the learner to the idea of
lymphedema, a condition they may not be familiar with, but which HERS staff encounters
frequently during their work with patients.

Instructional Materials:
This eLearning module will allow learners to explore the story of a patient, Amber, who
has recently undergone surgery for breast cancer and is in need of a lymphedema garment.
She is a 45-year-old woman, with one child and has a job working part-time in an office location.
She does not have health insurance that will cover the lymphedema garment. Learners will hear
about Ambers treatment, prognosis, and the need she has for this garment. The eLearning
module will follow her journey through the HERS Program Store as she obtains a garment. The
module will use an avatar of Amber and audio of a female voice. During the story that Amber
relates, there will be opportunities for the learner to pause the story and click on different
resources that provide further information. The goals of the training are to give: factual
information about lymphedema and its treatment, an introduction to the service HERS provides
to lymphedema patients in their Program Store, and an orientation to the experience of a breast
cancer patient seeking treatment for a chronic condition. It is also important for the new staff
taking this training to see how this treatment meets the mission of the HERS Program Store and
provides patients with a garment that can restore and support a positive self-image. This can be
accomplished through the story of Amber, as it is something that can be achieved through
personalization and will model what occurs in the Program Store.

Special Instructions for Reviewers: A storyboard will be provided in a separate document.

Resources:
Style guide: Although HERS does not have a formal style guide, their documentation and
marketing materials follow the style set out on their website (below). The color scheme should
be similar to what is found on this site and the Helvetica font should be used in
documentation(HERS Breast Cancer Foundation, 2015). http://hersbreastcancerfoundation.org/

Images:
Logo files for HERS can be found here: http://hersbreastcancerfoundation.org/logo/
Lisa Lindert will obtain images of lymphedema garments as needed.
The avatar for Amber and other pedagogical agents can be chosen from those provided
in the Captivate or Storyline software.

References
Andragogy- Adult Learning Theory. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2015, from
http://teachinglearningresources.pbworks.com/w/page/30310516/Andragogy--
Adult%20Learning%20Theory?mode=embedded
ARCS Model of Motivational Design (Keller) | Learning Theories. (n.d.). Retrieved December 9,
2014, from http://www.learning-theories.com/kellers-arcs-model-of-motivational-
design.html
Clark, R.C., & Mayer, R. E. (2011). e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven guidelines
for consumers and designers of multimedia learning. (Third Edition). San Francisco:
Pfeiffer.
CourseSites by Blackboard is a free learning management system for K12 and Higher Ed
Instructors enabling blended & eLearning. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from
https://www.coursesites.com/webapps/Bb-sites-course-creation-
BBLEARN/pages/index.html
HERS Breast Cancer Foundation. (2015). HERS Breast Cancer Foundation - serving women
healing from breast cancer with programs and services. Retrieved February 25, 2015,
from http://hersbreastcancerfoundation.org/
Knowles, M. S. (1970). The modern practice of adult education. New York Association Press
New York. Retrieved from
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/medicine/hospitalists/downloads/cc4_articles/Educa
tion%20Theory/Andragogy.pdf
Margaret, E. Gredler. (2009). Learning and Instruction: Theory into Practice (Sixth Edition).
Pearson.
Merriam, S. B. (2001). Andragogy and self-directed learning: Pillars of adult learning theory.
New Directions for Adult and Continuing Education, 2001(89), 314.