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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY

MONTEREY BAY
  
CSEA Union Chapter 336: New Employee Orientation
 
CAPSTONE PROPOSAL
 
Submitted in partial satisfaction of requirements of the degree of
 
MASTER OF SCIENCE in
 
Instructional Science and Technology
 
Ian Thomas Mason
 
05-02-23
  
Capstone Approvals: (At least one advisor and capstone instructor should approve)
 
___________________________  ___________________________ _____________
Advisor Name                                 Signature                                       Date
 
___________________________  ___________________________ _____________
Capstone Instructor Name              Signature                                       Date
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Table of Contents

Executive Summary..................................................................................................................................................
Introduction..............................................................................................................................................................
Background...........................................................................................................................................................
Problem Description.............................................................................................................................................
Target Audience/Context......................................................................................................................................
Literature Review.................................................................................................................................................
Solution Description.................................................................................................................................................
Goals.....................................................................................................................................................................
Learning Objectives..............................................................................................................................................
Proposed Solution to Fill the Gap.........................................................................................................................
Learning Theories, Instructional Principles..........................................................................................................
Collaborativism...................................................................................................................................
Connectivism......................................................................................................................................
Constructivism....................................................................................................................................
Learning Strategies and Justification....................................................................................................................
Real World Scenarios.........................................................................................................................
Gagne’s 9 Events................................................................................................................................
Keller’s ARCS....................................................................................................................................
Community of Practice....................................................................................................................
Media Components...............................................................................................................................................
Anticipated Challenges.........................................................................................................................................
Method.......................................................................................................................................................................
Preliminary Results/Prototype/Steps Taken.........................................................................................................
Design/Development Narrative............................................................................................................................
Steps to Complete Project.....................................................................................................................................
Resources..............................................................................................................................................................
Timeline................................................................................................................................................................
Implications and Limitations................................................................................................................................
References..................................................................................................................................................................
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Executive Summary

The goal is to train newly hired employees at the Kern Community College District on

important topics that are used throughout their time with the Union Chapter, as well as to provide

existing employees with resources to refresh their knowledge about such topics. This includes

topics such as “Time Off and Leave Balances”, “Fringe Benefits and how to take advantage of

them”, and “Workplace Disagreements and Grievances”.

Currently an employee handbook is handed out to new hires that includes our Collective

Bargaining Agreement and a few leaflets with information regarding health insurance packages.

The problem that arises from that very brief and informal meeting is a misunderstanding of what

is available and how to get started. The capstone project will be a solution to the information

dissemination from HR to the new hires by way of educated them on what is provided to them

and how to complete the processes needed to request time off, review/change their benefits

options, and report workplace troubles or grievances.

The capstone project is being designed to focus on scaffolding the learning process,

ensure the knowledge is presented in manageable chunks, and hopefully creating an environment

that encourages community input. On top of the learning that takes place, the chapter is hoping to

nurture a culture that encourages the sharing of questions, concerns, and information. The

learning modules will be compiled into the Learning Management System (Canvas) and will be

built heavily focusing on collectivist and collaborative learning theories. With time the LMS

course will be open to expansion and will be open for everyone to communicate and collaborate

(with moderation).
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Introduction

Background

My job currently has me building knowledge base articles for our IT support page. I am

the IT Support Specialist at the Kern Community College District, and have been with the union

for 7 years. During my time within the Union I became a negotiator for our Chapter. As part of

the E-Board when I started the MIST program at CSUMB I knew I wanted my capstone to relate

back to something I was familiar with. When the issue arose of training new employees I took

the idea of building my Capstone for the Chapter’s needs to the E-Board and was met with

instant approval and excitement.

Problem Description

Currently CSEA Chapter 336’s new employees are being hired on and given a brief run

down of what is included with their benefits via a pamphlet handed to them by HR on their first

day. While this is a fine way to ensure the employees have access to the information they need, it

unfortunately leaves many of the new employees lost because they don’t fully grasp and

understand the benefits. This leads to a misunderstanding of what is available to the chapter’s

members and also a misunderstanding of the Union’s role in procuring those benefits.

A recent issue has spurred this movement toward a need for training as many employees

and managers are not watching their leave balances and are now capped. CSEA believes that

both management and employees should be responsible for this situation and are taking the

initiative to do their part in educating the members. State policy requires that CSEA be given

time to speak the new employees within a month of their hiring date. The plan is to present them
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with the basics during these meetings and get them enrolled in our training New Employee

Orientation course in Canvas to complete the trainings at their own rate.

Target Audience/Context

Teaching and motivating union members to utilize their benefits and to stay on top of

their knowledge of the chapter’s benefits is a very difficult task because of the vast variety of

members we have in the chapter. What may be motivating to one employee may have little to no

effect on the next. Adult learning is an important and varied field of research, and the goal of this

project is to teach and motivate a large amount of adults all with varying backgrounds of culture,

economics, and knowledge. Many learning models and theories have solutions that embrace the

diversity and provide a rationale for using examples and scenarios that can reach more or of the

employees.

Our target audience is a wide spectrum of diversity. We will have employees from all

education levels, many different economic backgrounds, and a large array of cultural

backgrounds. Most of our employees are between the ages of 20-50, but we have many that stay

on well past retirement years. The majority of our job descriptions have no need for a formal

education past high school, but the highest ranges prefer a master’s. Kern County has become a

destination for many because of the low cost of living in California. So we have many different

cultures in the central valley and that is reflected at the College. The research and design for the

modules are including the diversity factors and discussions have already begun to localize the

training for Spanish to accommodate for those that English is their second language.
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Literature Review

Through studies on the subject of union employees, and seeing a need for their

involvement in their chapters in order to gain more out of their job, I have come across many

works that reinforce this thought and tie into the capstone project. Budd (2004) claims that

workers’ equity and voice are as important as the wants of the business and efficiency as well as

the workers’ wanting income. There is a lot of buzz around the idea of growing a culture with the

use of the course as more a MOOC. The capstone is being built in a way that allows for the

project to continue to grow and expand even after the initial instructors and designer have left, so

it will be extremely important that it be kept up to date and moderated in order to foster the best

outcome. Lan and Hew (2020) found that “three main factors that can promote MOOC

participants’ sense of autonomy, relatedness, and competence were found: active learning, course

resources, and instructor accessibility”. Feedback from moderation promotes the active learning,

while course resources will continue to also be updated. Participation in the learning will be a

hurdle that needs to be jumped, but due to the environment of our workplace (being a college)

the structure is there to encourage and promote learning all around the employees. Elman and

O’Rand (2002) say that “Adult participation also reflects the institutionalized support for adult

learning stemming from employers and from occupational requirements for certification”.

Motivations and attitude will be at the forefront of our experience working with our learners and

we need to ensure that they feel they are gaining as much as we are asking they put it. In young

employees Loughlin and Barling had found that “benefits are most pronounced when jobs

provide skills that will be useful in the future” (Loughlin and Barling, 2001).
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Solution Description

Goals

The mission is to provide a space for our new and existing union members to grow as

dedicated employees that, in turn, will also be developing them to have a larger interest in the

union itself. We believe that the more the employees understand the union is a member run entity

and that they have a voice in what is decided for them at work, the better they will be as both an

employee and a member. The verifiable measure of improvement will be by testing existing and

new employees on their knowledge of the subjects existing in the trainings. We will have all new

entrants start the course with a quiz with questions spreading across all of the learning modules.

The introductory quiz will not count for or against them in any way, but will allow us to provide

the same quiz at the end of the modules to see the change and track the improvement across the

employee base.

That perceived improvement in training retention will then be followed by the e-board to

see if there is any improvement in attendance and participation from the members at chapter

meetings. Human resources, and I, will be more concerned with the numbers at the end of the

assessments and the labor representatives will be interested to see the more anecdotal evidence of

participation. The intention is to see an uptick in followed procedures and a cut down in

complaints and visits to either HR or CSEA with self-answerable concerns. We believe that the

quantifiable better understanding of the contract will see this progress, but it will be hard to
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measure the culture of personnel at work without an extended amount of time. So we will

continue to focus on the assessments and individual’s progress.

The modules will be hosted on the Canvas Learning Management System that is being

provided by our employer. The forums and Q&A pages will be hosted straight through Canvas

for discussions and feedback. The lessons will be built using Articulate Storyline and exported as

SCRUM to utilize within Canvas with grades. The lessons will also be exported as webpages for

the chapter to utilize if Canvas is ever lost. The Orientations are held in person so during the

initial presentations users will be guided through the signup process to gain access to the Canvas

course.

Learning Objectives

Terminal Objective: Keeping the most important information regarding the CSEA

Chapter 336’s CBA and Benefits packages in memory, while also training to find and use the

material needed for requests and answering questions.

● From Memory, the Employee will be able to recall how many floating holidays they are

given a year.

● From Memory, the employee will be able to recall how many sick days are provided a

year.

● Given the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the employee will be able to justify whether

a given scenario should be a grievance or not.

● Given a selection of Holidays, the employee will be able to pick out the days that we do

not recognize as days off.

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● Given a workplace scenario involving personnel conflict, the employee will be able to tell

us what was done incorrectly.

● Given a scenario, the employee will be able to identify what leave should be taken to

accommodate the time off.

Proposed Solution to Fill the Gap

Given the lack of reinforcement that is given along with their initial onboarding

materials, we will bridge that gap by providing new employees with the help they need to

understand and utilize their benefits. Along with benefits we are building a community to help

grow the union and bolster the employees’ voices so that they can be better heard by the District.

We stand to gain better, happier, employees as well as work-life balancing across the chapter by

providing this New Employee Orientation. By providing the chapter with a basis of

understanding that they have a voice they stand to become more motivated and content with the

work they are doing (Budd, 2004).

Learning Theories, Instructional Principles

The capstone project is set to incorporate collaborativism, connectivism, and

constructivism to reach the target audience (union members). Gagne’s 9 Events, Keller’s ARCS

will be the basis of the learning module designs, incorporating scenarios based on real world

events that can, and will, happen within the workplace. There will also be life events like

vacations, flat tires, and catastrophic illnesses that may be used as an example which continues

with the focus on events that can relate to everyone and hold the learner’s attention. Both

Gagne’s and Keller’s deal with attention and motivation, and our hope is to develop a project

that inspires our new employees to not only dig into the relevant material they will be learning
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but also motivate them to continue past that into the workings of our Union and how to get

involved. A Massive Open Online Course or (MOOC) is what we want the project to become.

More than just a collection of learning modules, CSEA hopes to build up a culture that tracks

back to the ideals and information that are laid out. The LMS forums will be moderated by the E-

Board and CSEA Labor Representatives, with the end goal being that it will become a place for

all of the employees to discuss with each other to develop questions and answers.

Collaborativism

Collaborativism is a learning theory that emphasizes the importance of social interaction

and collaboration in the learning process. In collaborative learning, learners work together in

groups to solve problems, share knowledge, and construct new meaning. Collaborativism allows

union members to learn from each other's experiences, skills, and knowledge. Union members

often have a diverse range of backgrounds and expertise, and collaborativism enables them to

share their perspectives and learn from each other's experiences. This will also foster teamwork

and cooperation, which are essential skills in a union setting. By working collaboratively, union

members can develop their ability to work effectively in teams, communicate effectively, and

resolve conflicts.

Connectivism

Connectivism aligns well with the modern digital age in which we live. Union members

are likely to have access to a range of digital tools and resources, and connectivism enables them

to use these tools they are familiar with to connect with diverse sources of information and build

their knowledge. Connectivism recognizes the importance of networks and communities in the

learning process. In a union setting, union members are likely to be part of a broader network of
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individuals who can provide valuable knowledge and support. Connectivism enables learners to

tap into these networks and communities and benefit from the knowledge and expertise of others.

It also encourages forming a positive culture and adaptability for a changing workplace. In a

rapidly changing world, it is essential for union members to continue to learn and adapt to new

situations. Connectivism enables learners to develop the skills and strategies they need to

navigate and learn from a constantly changing environment.

Constructivism

In constructivism, learners build their knowledge through a process of actively

constructing their own understanding of the world based on their experiences and interactions

with their environment. Union members bring their own unique experiences and knowledge to

the learning process, and constructivism enables them to build on this knowledge and connect it

to new information. Building upon cultural norms and past workplace experience will be the

focus in the trainings. This goes hand in hand with the real-world scenarios being the focus of

design. By exhibiting relatable scenarios and calling back to the learner’s experiences outside of

the training we will be calling upon more diverse questioning and progression that will help

build a scaffolding of understanding of the subjects being taught.

Learning Strategies and Justification

Real World Scenarios

The union members are currently motivated by what happens in the workplace. Their

attention and engagement to the subjects being taught in the New Employee Orientation is

determined by decisions made that effect their pay, leave, or schedule. By including examples of
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these very scenarios in the design and providing possible real-world examples (with names and

pertinent information removed) we will garner a better reception to the course.

Gagne’s 9 Events

Event Utilization in Capstone

Gain Attention Lessons will begin with questions regarding

real scenarios

Inform learners of Objectives Objectives will be listed to help the learners

understand what to expect

Stimulate Recall of Prior Learning The real-world scenarios will call back to
prior knowledge, and the lessons will be built
to call back upon themselves

Present the Content Canvas and Articulate Storyline will be

utilized to present the content in an accessible
manner

Provide Learning Guidance Scaffolding will be utilized and Canvas will

have forums to submit questions every step of
the way

Elicit Performance Practice request forms, and scenario-based

questions

Provide Feedback Integrated into the quizzes, as well as through

forums

Assess Performance Provided in the quizzes

Enhance Retention and Transfer Calling back to previous lessons throughout

the course will help retain what has been
taught while leading to the end.
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Keller’s ARCS

ARCS is a model designed by John M Keller to better engage the learner and ensure they

are motivated to learn.

● Attention: Asking questions pertaining to real on the job tasks will grab the

learner’s attention.

● Relevance: Real-world scenarios that call to real events in the workplace will

keep the course relevant.

● Confidence: Practice forms, quizzes, and forums will allow the student to receive

feedback and ask questions to ensure they keep their confidence throughout the

training.

● Satisfaction: Completing the course will give them the satisfaction of knowing

that they can achieve what was taught without the anxiety of possibly performing

the task wrong the first time.

Community of Practice

The CSEA Union Chapter acts as the shared domain of interest and meets the “Key

Qualities” of a community: being founded on a charter, where membership is voluntary and with

leadership being required but voluntary and voted upon (GOTO Conferences, 2016). By creating

a safe space for discussion that is open att any hour of the day we will be developing the

community that shares discussions to help one another. When changes occur or confusion is met

regarding the union contract or how to handle workplace scenarios it is almost a guarantee that

you are not the only one with that question. By building a community of active members
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working to answer questions, build upon discussions, and help eachother we stand to create a

community that can grow together. This also aligns with the Constructivism theory and ensuring

that knowledge is built and not just acquired. The last and most important piece in the CoP

(Community of Practice) outlook is that it must never stop evolving. The construction that the

community and lessons must undertake must mirror that of the changes that the union chapter

undergoes from year to year.

Media Components

● Canvas

● Articulate Suite

● Adobe Creative Cloud

○ Acrobat

○ Premier

○ Photoshop

● Windows 10/11

● MacOS

● Android

● iOS

● Approved Branding (Logos/Font/Colors)

● Video Demonstrations

● OBS
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Anticipated Challenges

We are not anticipating too many challenges due to the course being accessible on
phones, but we will be taking steps to ensure that computer labs are reserved so that employees
can drop in on their breaks to continue coursework should they need it. English second language
employees could become a challenge, and we are already in talks to localize the content we
design into Spanish but are unsure of a possible timeline. Due to the nature of what is being
taught it is possible that the contract language will change and alter what needs to be in our
courses. Unless something big happens the only updates should be the materials and a few of the
paragraphs and recordings going over specific information.
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Method

Preliminary Results/Prototype/Steps Taken

The KernCCD New Employee Orientation is intended to be a course for employees to

learn more about the Union, the benefits they are provided, and the workflow processes they will

encounter while working for the KernCCD. I have spoken with the Union E-Board and it’s Labor

Representative to ensure that what is being taught is relevant and will be of benefit to the

employee, the union, and the district. The Capstone will be an hour-long segment of the course

consisting of 3 to 4 modules.

The course will take place on Canvas, as approved by Bakersfield College within

KernCCD. The lessons will be designed using Articulate to be imported into the Canvas

modules. The courses will be accompanied with forums for discussing the topics and asking

questions. Where available, photos will be taken at the college (with the expressed approval of

the subjects) to be included in the course. Graphics and guidance on overall look will follow the

standards set by the Media Team so that the branding and presentation match and correlate with

the college.

Assessment will be taken before the courses and after the courses to measure the

effectiveness of the learning modules, and feedback will be provided on a one on one basis when

needed or requested.
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Design/Development Narrative

Narrative describing how you will design and develop your project. It is good to include
your instructional process model in this section. If this is a team project, describe who will do
what.

Steps to Complete Project

1. Draft Storyboards for the remaining modules (Module 1 is Complete)
2. Design frameworks for the modules in Articulate
3. Draft questions for the modules to create assessments
4. Begin filling out the modules with content and questions
5. Ensure the SMEs approve of the product
6. Publish finished modules to the New Employee Orientation Canvas Course

Resources

● Computers or phones to complete the course

○ Computer labs will be reserved on BC’s campus to ensure access is

provided to those that may need it

● Documentation will be provided and directions to access it from other locations

will also be provided

○ Absence Reports

○ Collective Bargaining Agreement

○ Insurance Pamphlets

The design of the course will also require its own separate set of resources with cost

● Articulate

○ provided by me

● Canvas
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○ provided by BC

● Unsplash (Stock Photos)

○ provided by me

● OBS

○ Free

● Adobe

○ Provided by BC

● Camera

○ provided by me

● Microphones

○ provided by me

Timeline

Item Description Status Timeline

Outline of Course How many modules In Progress TBD

and design of Canvas
structure

Storyboard of Module Outline for Module 1 Completed April 2023

1

Development of Articulate course Completed May 2023

Module 1 created for Module 1

Beta Test of Module Distributed and In Progress May 2023

1 analyzed

Storyboard for Outline the work TBD August 2023

Modules 2&3 needed for Module
2&3

Development of Courses Created for TBD October 2023

Modules 2&3 Modules 2&3
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Beta Test of Modules Distribution of the TBD October 2023

2&3 modules to be tested

Final Report Training Design and TBD November 2023

evaluation

Implications and Limitations

The Capstone project has the potential to improve employee knowledge and engagement

with union policies and benefits. Which will cause a larger engagement with the union as a

whole, and better accurate engagement with the policies set in place by the collective bargaining

agreement such as: time off requests, grievance policies, and ensuring the proper benefit

packages were chosen during the correct time frames. The capstone design is being built to

accommodate as many possible, but in may not reach some as well as it does others. An

adversity to technology may pose a hardship to some and will cause a slower retention of the

material. The proposed solution may also not address all of the unseen issues that are causing the

issues HR and the Union are seeing. Further analysis and iteration may be needed after the study.
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References

Budd, J. W. (2004). Employment with a Human Face: Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Voice.

Cornell University Press.

Lan, M., & Hew, K. F. (2020). Examining learning engagement in MOOCs: a self-determination
theoretical perspective using mixed method. International Journal of Educational
Technology in Higher Education, 17(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s41239-020-0179-5
Elman, C., & O’Rand, A. M. (2002). Perceived Job Insecurity and Entry into Work-Related
Education and Training among Adult Workers. Social Science Research, 31(1), 49–76.
https://doi.org/10.1006/ssre.2001.0718
Loughlin, C., & Barling, J. (2001). Young workers’ work values, attitudes, and behaviours.

Journal of Occupational and Organized Psychology, 543–558.

GOTO Conferences. (2016, Oct 31). Communities of practice, the missing piece of your agile

organization – Emily Webber – GOTO 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=9Owrovki73o
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Appendix