Final Video

It took me a few tries to get it right, but I finally got a take that sounded good and didn't have any mess-ups. Here it is:

So excited to have this finalized. I had some issues toward the end though. For instance, I wanted to include a run-through of our event approval form, but just recently my office has decided to go in a different direction with how we collect that information, so it was no longer relevant. The nice thing is that I can easily pop the new system in to this presentation, edit the script, and re-record the screen cast in order to include the new stuff. 

Another issue I ran across was not being able to include this on our website under the training resources just yet like I said I was going to do at the beginning. My office is about to undergo some major staffing changes and because of that, we are going to do more work on our website overall. I was asked to hold off on making major updates until that happens.

I learned a lot from doing this. First, I learned that creating a script and running through it multiple times with different people is so important. I tried to run through the module without a script and I failed miserably. I started working on the script about a week ago and ended up making 6 rounds of edits, all involving multiple people's input. This helped me to see the parts that didn't make sense, and also gave me the chance to get some fresh perspective. 

I also loved the opportunity to put some of my skills from the AHRD program to practical use with my job. I am looking forward to utilizing this training module for future volunteers. 

Script

Welcome to the JMU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION Chapter Leader Training. If you are watching this video, it is because you have joined an alumni chapter leadership team, so first off I’d like to say thank you for your commitment to JMU and to your local chapter. We are excited to have you and look forward to you being on board.

Let’s go over our objectives for this training video. First, we’ll go over the mission vision and values of the alumni association, and how the chapters fit in to them based on their goals. Second, we’ll cover the resources provided by the Office of Alumni Relations. Third, we’ll walk through the areas of chapter administration, and lastly, we’ll cover the expectations we have for our chapter program and volunteers.

Let’s get started with the mission vision and values. What is our mission as the JMU Alumni Association? It is to engage alumni & cultivate involvement and investment in JMU. Our purpose as an office and organization is to help alumni stay connected in meaningful ways to the university and vice versa. Our vision is to be a leading Alumni Association that, through University, Student and Alumni engagement, is an essential partner to the advancement of the JMU Mission. Alumni are an active, thriving part of JMU and we want to ensure that the experience does not stop at Graduation.

We value Engagement, through keeping alumni connected to each other, current students, and the University.

Investment- through the support of JMU’s fundraising efforts.

Service, by providing opportunities for alumni to give back to their communities and to JMU.

And Collaboration, by working closely with other offices across campus to better serve the needs of our alumni.

What does this mean for you as a chapter? It means that you are engaging alumni in your areas through good quality events, fundraising efforts, and effective online communication. All of these things need to happen in conjunction with each other, and are of equal importance to the success and livelihood of your chapter.

But!

We also want you to make it your own. You all are the experts when it comes to living in in your areas and what events will work there. Whether it be a Nats game in DC,  a Golf Event in  Dallas, a casual get together in San Francisco, we recognize that each chapter is going to have its own flare. You know what kinds of events will work, so make it your own by putting your own local twist on these components.

Some ideas we’ve seen in the past are trivia nights, complete with JMU themed trivia. Service events such as the Big Event, JMU’s national day of service, Picnics at local sporting events, or a pool party hosted at someone’s home. The goal is to find the things that will bring out a variety of people and to work with alumni in your area to make them happen.

Our second topic involves the resources provided by the JMU Alumni Office. First of all, we have a staff person dedicated to you all- the Assistant Director for Alumni Chapters. They are here to assist with the recruitment of new leadership members, training of new/existing members, event planning, chapter maintenance and management, and team development. Basically, this person is your liaison to the University and will assist with your chapters’ needs. They are your lifeline and go to, so please do not ever hesitate to reach out to them with questions.

Additionally, there are some more specific items that are offered by the JMU Alumni Office. First, there is financial assistance. We keep your bank accounts, and can pay for almost anything out of them when you need us to. There is a form to fill out for these payments that can be found on our website, but you need to be sure to work with the Assistant Director for Alumni Chapters to ensure that your bank account is kept up to date and that you have funds to cover your chapter needs.

Second, we provide event assistance through our online registration system. Every event that happens in a chapter should have an event page on our website that we host and track registration through. These pages can be simple RSVP pages, or can take payments for events like a baseball game or anything requiring tickets. The third thing is marketing assistance, through the sending of emails to alumni in your area, facebook and other social media posts from the JMU Alumni Association main page, and creative marketing assistance as needed.  

Lastly, we provide training resources, such as this video you are watching now, conference calls, and our annual Madison Alumni Conference, aka MAC, that is held every June.

We want to ensure that you all have the right tools to make big things happen in your area. So please let us know if there are additional resources that you’d like to see. We’ll do our best to make it happen.

Our third topic is areas of chapter maintenance. These can be broken down in to three main areas. First is administration. This involves forming your team, by finding the right fit for each position, leading your team and managing expectations, keeping records of who is on board and communicating that back to the Assistant Director, maintaining a good budget and chapter finances through your programming, and understanding who all of your contacts are at JMU. For the most part, this areas is managed by the Chapter President who works directly with the Assistant Director on these issues.

The second area is communication- this involves sending email through your chapter gmail account, maintaining your email list through your listserv, updating and engaging people through your social media account and adhering to the communication guidelines of the Alumni Association and the University. This is typically handled by a communications chair, or by two people who tackle email and social media separately.

Lastly, there is the events area. These are the foundation of all chapters and the primary vehicle through which you will engage your alumni. This involves event planning, thinking through ideas that work and what specifically will work in your area, working with the event request timeline set forth by our office to ensure we can maximize your efforts and provide all the necessary resources in order for you all to have a successful event. Lastly, it involves submitting the event request form which is the first step to get your event approved by our office and registration pages up on our website. These items are handled by an event chair, or multiple event chairs who cover different areas such as service, social and athletics.  

Let’s take a quick look at the event planning timeline. It is available on our website, but it goes through the different types of events and how far in advance you need to start planning. As you can see, there are different timelines for each kind of event, but at the minimum, we require at least 3 weeks of advance notice for the most basic of events. Ideally, we have 6 weeks for all events, and want you to recognize that the farther out you plan, the better off your events will look to others. It does not display a positive image of the University to plan events last minute and have poor attendance. Planning in advance is the best way to ensure you have successful events in your area. 

Alright, we’ve come to our last topic which are the expectations we have for the chapters and chapter volunteers. First, we’d like you to adhere to the mission, vision, and values of the JMUAA. This means aligning your events to our overall goals to ensure what you are working on builds upon a larger goal for JMU. This means infusing your events with some information about JMU, whether it be updates about new buildings, programs, or staff, or trivia about the history. Incorporating a service component is always good too. Second, you and your chapter are to promote a positive image of the University through your events and communication efforts. This means not endorsing certain things on social media through the use of chapter pages, and being sure to separate your personal issues from any chapter communication efforts. We recognize that you are all individuals with your own opinions, but the chapter is a place for everyone and should remain that way. Third, we want you all to plan meaningful events that appeal to a wide array of constituents in your area. This means planning happy hours and family picnics, and working with our office to include all generations in your programming. Fourth, we want fundraising to be an active and thriving part of all chapters. All chapter leaders are asked to make a financial gift to the university (big or small!) and to participate in the chapter challenge, our annual fundraising competition. This is an area that we partner with the Office of Annual giving on as well. Lastly, this should be a fun and meaningful experience for you as a chapter leader. Please consider taking on a role that appeals to your personal and professional interests, and have FUN!

Alright so what did we cover? First we looked at the mission vision and values of the JMUAA, and the corresponding goals of the chapters. Second, we walked through the resources provided by the Alumni Office. Third, we did an overview of the areas of chapter maintenance and how they align with a volunteer position, and lastly we covered the expectations of chapters and the volunteer leaders.

We want to thank you for taking the time to go through this training, and for you commitment to taking on your new role. Be sure to look at the other resources provided on our website and reach out with any questions you may have. Thanks again… and as always GO DUUUKES!

Finalizing the module

I have been working on the online training module for our alumni chapter volunteers and I have been thinking a lot about how this will help provide a structure for how alumni volunteers are trained all across campus. One thing that has been brought to our attention recently is that there are alumni being engaged in volunteer opportunities all across campus, but no one is taking in to consideration how the university as a whole comes across when every office handles them in different ways. Ideally, there would be a dedicated staff person considering what each office was doing and trying to create consistencies across campus so that a volunteer could move seamlessly through different volunteer opportunities without having to learn new processes or procedures. 

This being said, I am still only in charge of one group of volunteers and the way that they are trained for the purposes of the Alumni Office. As I move forward, this training needs to be one of the best ones on campus so that volunteers are not attracted to other opportunities. I found a great online resources from The Community Toolbox about volunteer orientations. In the article, they say that in a volunteer orientation, you should cover:

• A description of your organization's programs, the community you serve, and your organization's relationships in the community.
• The structure of your organization, including an introduction to key staff members and an explanation of their roles.
• What is expected of the volunteers, including a general overview of the jobs they will be doing.
• A brief history of your organization. Help them understand your organization's mission, policies and main goals, as well as how the volunteer can contribute.
• An explanation of your organization's policies, rules, and procedures.
• A tour of the facilities. Make sure you show the volunteer offices, phones, rest rooms, parking, et cetera.
• The volunteer training schedule, if one exists.
• The volunteer evaluation and performance review system.
• Volunteer benefits. These may be tangible, such as free membership in a nearby gym or free coffee and doughnuts for breakfast. But the job also has more abstract benefits, such as personal growth or the opportunity to obtain new skills. For example, a group helping to build low-income housing may teach volunteers the basics of construction--a skill they will be able to use throughout their lives. A mentoring relationship might give the mentor the satisfaction of having helped a young person succeed in school, or having opened his protégé's eyes to new life possibilities.
• Emergency procedures, such as where to go in case of a storm, where to find the first aid kit, and related information, should always be explained.

 I think that most of these things that are applicable are covered in the training module that I have created. 

Online training tools

One thing I have become very appreciative of in my career is the prevalence of online resources for almost every program imaginable. Today, as I am working on my module, I realized that I did not know if Prezi could do animations or not. Instead of trying to figure this out on my own, I simply googled the question and came upon a youtube channel dedication to teaching people how to use different aspects of the program called Prezi School. The video walked me through exactly how to add animations to my presentation, which took all of about 3 minutes, versus me trying to figure it out on my own which would have taken much longer. In this way, I believe that having the skills to create these kinds of training videos is hugely important, because it allows you to make the learning process much easier for your learner. Additionally, these types of videos provide access to things that they wouldn't normally have access to- such as how to use a complicated program that was typically only taught in a class. This becomes so helpful when you're working with programs that have frequent updates- it allows you to pick and choose what you learn based on your own needs. 

Give Em the Pickle

I wanted to use a post to talk about the session that I teach through the JMU Training and Development Office called Give Em the Pickle. First off, this was a huge step for me- I've always wanted to lead one of these training sessions and last year was the first time I was able to do it. The content was pretty much already created, however, I got to make it my own by tailoring some of the slides and content based on my experiences. The topic is customer service, which is generally pretty applicable to most people at JMU since we all work with many different client bases. The T&D Office does a great job working with you to make sure you're comfortable as a volunteer facilitator, and even will create content for you if you need them to. This session is something purchased from a company, so I did not have the full liberty to completely change everything, but I was able to make some tweaks so that I was more comfortable with the session. What I love about facilitating training sessions is the opportunity to think on your feet and lead a group through a certain idea. Thankfully, I have a lot of experience with customer service and a lot of examples to share, however, I do find that it is still intimidating to stand in front of a group of strangers and talk through a concept. I am teaching this session again in a few weeks and need to practice so that I feel more comfortable with the content!

Reflection on HRD at work

I wanted to spend a little time thinking about the way that my view of work has changed since being in this program. I started at my job in November of 2011 and began the AHRD program in the spring of 2013. Since that time I have taken classes on instructional design, learning theories, consulting, and a handful of others and I have learned three main things that I can apply to my current job:

1. How applicable instructional design is for almost any job- I create a fair amount of training sessions/documents in my job, but the principles that I've learned will stay with me no matter what field I ended up in. Being able to create something that is visually appealing as well as effective at conveying information is important and will benefit me in work but also as I continue to present at conferences and put together presentations for work. Based on most conferences I've been to, most people do not consider instructional design when they are putting together their presentations.

2. Basing your work in theory makes it 100% stronger- I had never thought about theory before in relation to my work, but now I can't think of anything else when I am approaching ways to teach others. Being able to think about why something works, and the mental processes and methods that align with that reasoning has helped me to create better programs.

3. Consulting principles can be applied to almost anything- Since I've been in my job, I've been on two program reviews for JMU and have been so thankful for the consulting class I've taken in AHRD. Being able to conduct a performance analysis and create an intervention, or even just make suggestions based on what makes the most sense to fill the gap within the program is much more helpful than going in to these things without any knowledge of the process

I am very thankful for this program and what it has taught me so far.

Dual Coding

Dual coding relies on the idea that people perceive things visually and verbally. Almost everything we do/interact with stimulates us visually as well as verbally, and therefore both channels should be engaged when learning new information. There is a lot of information being conveyed through this module, and one way to prevent having too high of a cognitive load is to move some of the information to being processed verbally. As I start to build this module, I am thinking about what is actually being shown on the screen vs. what will be spoken verbally through the screencast. Here is an example:

A slide with information about communication strategies will be displayed with the following text:

Chapter Communications:

Listserv

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)

JMUAA Emails

JMUAA Social Media

While these are on the screen, the learner will hear my voice saying the following text:

"There are many different strategies for communicating with your chapter. First there is your chapter listserv, which is comprised of a list of alumni who have indicted that they live within a 30 mile radius of your city. You can also use your social media channels to send out information about upcoming events, and share stories from other JMU sources. For example, the Alumni Association often posts stories about noteworthy alumni on their pages- you can share those with your constituents as well. In addition to your emails and social media, our office an provide nicely formatted emails, as well as courtesy posts via our social media about your events and programs."

This dual coding will convey more information and ensure that the learner is not overwhelmed. 

Content Content Content

Intro: Welcome to being an alumni chapter leader! We appreciate your support and commitment to spreading the JMU love across the country. Your time and energy not only helps alumni stay connected to their alma mater, but also helps bring in much needed donations to the university every year- and for that we could not be more thankful.

At the end of the training module, the learner will be able to:
1. Describe the purpose and goals of the JMUAA overall, as well as their specific chapter. 
2. Identify which role aligns most appropriately with their skills, or demonstrate a full understanding of their already determined role.
3. Apply the goals and mission of the JMUAA to their events and programs.
4. Formulate a plan to fulfill the expectations for their chapter as laid out in the module. 

Overview:

1. Mission, vision, values of the JMU Alumni Association
-Included in this would be how the chapters fit in to those things
2. The role of the Assistant Director for Alumni Chapters & resources provided
3. Overview of the different areas of chapter maintenance
-Administration, Communication, Events
4. The expectations of the chapters

1. The Mission, Vision, and Values of the JMUAA

• Example: when hosting an event through your chapter- does it meet the mission of the JMUAA? Are there events that tie in directly to the vision and values? 

2. The role of the Assistant Director & resources provided

• The Assistant Director is a liaison between you (volunteer) and the university/JMU Office of Alumni Relations. Their role is to assist with:
• Recruitment
• Training
• Event planning
• Chapter management
• Team development
• The resources provided by the Office of Alumni Relations are:
• Event registration pages
• Can accept $ if needed
• Payment for events
• i.e. the office can handle paying for things ahead of time such as tickets with the plan that the chapter will sell the tickets and make up the funds
• Event marketing assistance
• Emails from the JMU Alumni Association to alumni in your area, FB & Twitter posts from general JMUAA accounts
• Financial assistance when appropriate- speak with the AD for Chapters for more information
• Training opportunities
• Conference calls, online resources, annual Madison Alumni Conference

3. Overview of the different areas of chapter maintenance

• Administration
• Forming your team, leading your team
• Keeping track of team members, getting registered through our online systems
• Budget & chapter bank account
• Contacts at JMU
• Communication
• Chapter gmail accounts
• Listservs
• Social Media
• Communication guidelines
• Events
• Event planning
• Ideas that work, planning for your area
• Event request timeline
• Event request form

4. The expectations of the Chapters

• Uphold the mission/vision/values of the JMUAA
• Present a positive image of the university
• No foul language, no negativity, no political endorsements, etc.
• When in doubt- ask your JMU contact!
• Plan and execute meaningful events for your constituents
• Engage in fundraising
• Leadership giving at 100%
• Participate in the chapter challenge
• Have fun!

User Interface & Usability

I know this is a silly picture, but this is how I feel sometimes about using some online programs. Based on my learner analysis, I need to be very aware of how easy this module is to use because as I stated previously, the learners all have full time jobs that they are committed to, and some have families. Most of them are very busy and need something quick and easy to use. At the same time, these learners are all highly educated and their abilities should not be undermined. I know I have already planned out the information for the module, but I'd really like to focus on chunking the information so that it does not become overwhelming. This will help ensure that the cognitive load is not overbearing. Thankfully, this information is not intrinsically very dense... but the extrinsic load is something that I can be sure to do correctly as to maximize the amount of information transferred to the learner. 

Tips to keep volunteers coming

Illona Bray, J.D., in her article talks about her tips for keeping volunteers coming back. They are as follows:

1. Tap Into Volunteers' Motives

2. Tell Volunteers What You Expect

3. Make Volunteering Convenient

4. Make Volunteering Fun

5. Show Appreciation

I try to remember these anytime I am creating any type of program or event for my volunteers. Of these 5, I believe that my program does a really good job with 4 of them. My volunteers are motivated by their positive experience at JMU during undergrad, their desire to see the University grow, and their interest in staying connect to what's currently happening on campus. I have outlined the expectations I have for Chapter Leaders in their training documents but am working on this project to improve what those things are as well. Volunteers get to plan fun events, such as baseball games, picnics, and happy hours. Lastly, I give out awards and gifts to the chapters every year at the annual Madison Alumni Conference. The part that is not done super well by my program is making volunteering convenient. The reason I have not done a great job with this part is because 1. I work for a University that requires paperwork, redtape, and lots of hoops that need to be jumped through before something can happen and 2. Because there is only one of me for 80+ volunteers, there have to be some things that the volunteers take on alleviate the amount of work it would require for me to make it convenient for everyone.  For example, I require a document filled out every time a chapter leader needs money to come out of their chapter account. I've had complaints that this document is not convenient to use, but it is the exact form our auditors need to see every year, and there is necessary for all of those account allocations. Rather than simply submitting the receipt to me, chapter leaders must also fill out the form so that I know why the funds are coming out and I know who they are going to. The other option would be for me to then get the receipt, and email back and forth with the volunteer about what the funds are for, who they go to, etc., which can take days. Not only does this save time, but it also saves energy. In that way, I don't believe that volunteer roles can always be convenient, because there are things that have to be done in order to keep the volunteers moving forward. 

Lack of formal training

I run in to this issue quite a bit in my current role with JMU. I have inherited volunteers from 2 different people- either because they were passed on to me when I took my job or because they have switched to having me as their primary contact. What has happened is that many of these volunteers were never formally trained, or at least did have any training with me, and procedures that I expect are not being followed. One thing that needs to happen within the program is a once a year regroup on all of the policies and procedures and the importance of these things. This could have happened at our annual alumni conference, but this weekend has become more about improving the volunteer overall rather than focusing on specific aspects of volunteering (i.e. the roles in the chapter program). 

I am thinking about also putting together a job aid for volunteers... perhaps a quick guide to the things that seem to be forgotten the most. I think this would help overall and provide the leaders with the resources they need (at a more convenient speed than waiting for me to respond to their emails). 

Design reflection

I started to actually create my product today, and it was a lot harder than I had originally thought. The legwork is all there- I have gone through Kemps Model and figured out all the different components of my product but I am still feeling stuck in terms of design. It's like writers blocks but on the instructional design side. What I feel like I need is to create a really basic version of what I want, and then tweak is to be more visually more appealing. I'd like to use photographs where appropriate, and I won't know which photographs to put with the different information until I have laid it all out. I think that way I can move and adjust images as needed. 

To help, I did some searching about designer's block and found a great article: http://gomedia.us/zine/insights/graphic-design/10-tips-avoid-designers-block/. I think a lot of these things definitely help me to see more clearly, especially the ones that involve taking a step back. Typically, when it comes to creating something like this, when I step away for 24 hours and come back, I have a whole new take on how it should look, feel, etc., and can tackle a lot more and be much more productive. 

Online resources

I recently stumbled upon a really great online resource for volunteer managers called 501 Commons. They provide resources to non-profit organizations and have a section specifically for orientation and training for volunteers. They show different examples of training resources that other organizations have used and highlight different successes these organizations have found with these resources. This is the kind of stuff that I like to bookmark and look back at when I am "stuck" or need some inspiration. I also find that within the realm of higher education, other schools are open to sharing their insights in to what has worked and what hasn't. For example- I frequently touch base with the Alumni Relations staff at Villanova because their alumni base is similar to the one at JMU and they are extremely helpful when it comes to sharing resources and ideas. One of my programs for alumni giving is based on a Villanova program, and we schedule a call every year to discuss what worked for us and what didn't. In this way, the field of training and development seems very open, which is one thing I look forward to once I am more deeply involved in it. 

Designing the message

I have some limitations when it comes to designing the message. Most everything I create for the JMU Alumni Association will need to be branded with their logos and colors that fit with the overall JMU brand. I can however, bring a lot of specific photos in from many of the events and programs that I have done in the past that will make it unique. When it comes to actually designing how the content will be displayed, I will most likely start very simple, with text and images and add in narration that helps explain the information in a more robust way. Through this method, I will be able to easily cover the information while also not overwhelming the learner with too much on the screen. Additionally, by chunking the information, I will be able to both allow the learner to pace themselves and choose the information that is most relevant to the role that they play within the chapter. 

Instructional Strategy and Delivery

As I discussed in an earlier post, the learners in this situation come from an array of locations, are mostly within the 25-35 age range, and all have a college degree. That being said, the strategy for delivering this module is based on the high amount of self-efficacy that the learners have and therefore is self-directed. One thing that I also have to acknowledge as the instructor in this situation is that the learners are volunteers and we do not require them to go through a specific training course to be in their roles. They also have other resources at their disposal for understanding the information such as previous leaders and current leaders on their team that can bring them up to speed. All that being said, this module is a resource and not a requirement due to the nature of the program and therefore will work best as a self-paced module.

Editting vs. Ease

So one issue I have faced recently with my project is the plan for being able to easily edit the information within the module. Ideally, the module is narrated and walks through the different components of chapter management, but as things change the module needs to be very easy for someone to update, considering that I will not always be in this position and would like to leave it so that it can continue to be used and updated as necessary. That being said I think I can take The different parts of the module and record them in chunks so that A. the information is chunked and therefore easier for the learner to comprehend, and B. so that anyone can go back in and rerecord if needed and it will be a smaller amount. 

I am leaning towards putting the content in a program like powerpoint or prezi so that it's visually exciting and can include photos, and then using a screen casting software to narrate. This I think will allow for maximum edit-ability and will still be fun for the learners to watch. I have seen some very visually exciting Prezi's recently, so I am leaning towards that software.

Types of Learners

One thing that makes creating a training module for this group much easier is that they have all self selected to be in their roles and therefore all have some similarities in their motivation. That being said, no one is motivated by this being a requirement for school, work, or because they've been guilted in to doing it. Dirksen calls these the "This is a required course" learners in Design for How People Learn- and thankfully I do not have to deal with those folks. I do, on the other hand, have many other varieties of learners. Dirksen has a couple of labels that fit nicely with the types of people I am working with in the Chapter volunteer program. There are:

-The "Just tell me what I need to know" learner
-The "Hey! This is cool!" learner
-The "I need to solve a problem" learner
-The "Oooh- Shiny" learner
-The "I pretty much know this already" learner

The struggle I have is identifying these types of learners up front so that I can adapt my process for each type. I have not yet come up with a formal way to categorize my volunteers other than getting on the phone with them early on and get a sense for what they do, and how they operate based on their questions. Perhaps once this training module is done I can spend some additional time figuring out how to capture this information in a more formal way.

Chapter Leader Input

Today I spent some time getting feedback from a few alumni volunteers in regards to what they would like for a training module. It was a great opportunity to discuss the idea of a module and hear about what kinds of things people wanted to see. One of the biggest things across the board that people wanted was to see a sample of what a typical year for an alumni chapter could look like. This includes going over what kinds of things typically happen in each "season"- i.e. in the fall, chapters typically host football game watch parties whereas in the spring they do service events and baseball games. This is something we can easily incorporate in to the final training module. Additionally, chapter leaders wanted me to make sure that they walked away from the module with a clear understanding of how they fit in to the larger picture at JMU. This, they said, was vital to the health of the chapter in that it provides the perspective in which they operate. I believe this will be covered in the mission, vision, values part of the module- but I can be sure to include a few sentences about how the chapters help support that by reinforcing the same overall tenants of the university as well as by serving as a positive representation of the university in their areas. 

Content Sequencing

When considering the sequencing of what I am putting together, I  think most about cognitive load and being sure not to overload the learner. For this reason, I think chunking out the material will make the most sense and will prevent the volunteers from feeling overwhelmed with information. In terms of the actual sequence, I'd like to start with the most basic concepts and move to the more complicated. That would look like this:

1. Mission, vision, values of the JMU Alumni Association
-Included in this would be how the chapters fit in to those things
2. The role of the Assistant Director for Alumni Chapters & resources provided
3. Overview of the different chapter maintenance role
-Administration, Communication, Events
4. The expectations of the chapters

Employee Satisfaction

This past Friday I attended a division-wide meeting where we discussed issues of employee satisfaction. It reminded me of the AHRD program because there had been some tension in some offices and the division put together a team to figure out how to make some changes. The team put together a "pulse check" survey that they sent out to all of the employees within the division- they wanted to gather feedback on the current state of things so they could create a baseline. At the organizational level, this allowed for everyone to give anonymous feedback (increasing the likelihood of real, honest feedback) and contributed to why there was a 90% feedback response amongst the division. At the meeting on Friday, they asked for additional feedback but broke down 3 main categories that they found important from the original survey. They did these in groups which was great for brainstorming purposes, but difficult in other ways. For example, we got to spend some time talking about career development and what support/programs would help us feel like we had more options. Some of the newer staff members wanted to shadow more seasoned staff members, whereas some of the folks who had been around longer wanted more options to move up/receive promotions. The new staff want to see what the options are, while the older staff want to actually start making moves in their career. It was a really helpful session, but I think the most important part of it will be the follow-through from the feedback they received. I think there's a huge opportunity to make the staff feel like they can trust management if the suggestions are executed well. 

Evaluation Instruments

Evaluation for chapter volunteers is, in some ways, completely straightforward, and in other ways is much more difficult to measure. In terms of the training module, it will be that same way. For instance, some topics covered in the training modules, such as the overview of expectations, can be evaluated based on whether or not the chapter met those expectations or not. Did they host a certain number of service events, and fulfill their fundraising needs for the year? The part that is more difficult to measure is the outcome of their events- were their events meaningful and leave a lasting impression on the attendees? That is something my office is currently working on trying to figure out. Do our events lead to other engagement opportunities for attendees? Do the attendees of Crabfest donate to the scholarship because of that event, or because of something else the chapter is doing?

For the purposes of this module, I will keep it fairly straightforward in terms of evaluation. I am always interacting with volunteers on their roles and keeping a close eye on their events and programs. In lieu of any formal test, because that would not be appropriate for this group, I will monitor the questions and successes/failures of the chapter to see if the module is actually proving effective or not. I will also ask for feedback after the new volunteers have gone through the module.

Strengthsquest

One thing I love about my job is that I get to interact with people all day long, and a couple of times a year I get to design a training session for those people. One of those sessions is the Madison Alumni Conference, and last year we looked at leadership styles through an assessment called Strengthsquest. This assessment worked really well for our group, because it was comprised of about 80 people an we only had an hour and a half to do a professional development session for them at the conference. I sent all of the attendees their own personal link to take the assessment, and we had the results ready for them upon arrival at the conference. Then, we had an entire session breaking down the results and figuring out what to do with our strengths. We put people in to groups based on their top strengths, an then put them with their leadership teams to talk through what stengths they had a lot of, and what they might be missing. All in all it was an excellent way to provided a meaningful, yet fun and interactive leadership training session to the conference. 

Design for How People Learn: Pace Layering

I had planned to devote a couple of posts to interesting concepts from the book I chose to read for this class. Dirksen references a concept called 'Pace Layering' from Stewart Brand's "How Buildings Learn" in relation to how much content a person can learn in a course. Brand uses the house as a metaphor for the person, and the things inside the house as the information being obtained in class or learning course. For example, some content falls in the stuff category and changes daily- knowing the weather or planning a lunch for that day, similar to the way the stuff comes in and out of a room within a day. On the other end of the spectrum is the site layer which is much more difficult to change because it's the foundation of all of the other layers. This would include attitudes and beliefs of a person that take long amounts of time to change. 

Applying this to my project for this semester, I recognize that most of the information falls within the moderate level of change for these volunteers. That being said, having this module makes a lot of sense only if paired with the on the job training that comes while they are actually taking on their roles. 

Instructional Objectives

I found a really great online resource for creating instructional objectives: http://www.acu.edu/academics/adamscenter/course_design/syllabus/verbs.html

The content from this training module fall under the comprehension, application and synthesis levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Using these two areas, I came up with the following instructional objectives:

At the end of the training module, the learner will be able to:
1. Describe the purpose and goals of the JMUAA overall, as well as their specific chapter. 
2. Identify which role aligns most appropriately with their skills, or demonstrate a full understanding of their already determined role.
3. Apply the goals and mission of the JMUAA to their events and programs.
4. Formulate a plan to fulfill the expectations for their chapter as laid out in the module. 

Social Media to Engage Volunteers

http://www.slideshare.net/azurecollier/social-media-for-nonprofit-volunteer-recruitment

I found a great slideshare online about using social media to engage, inform and recruit volunteers. What I like about this presentation is that it describes how each different platform can benefit your organization. Since most people are engaged in social media in someway, it's worthwhile to have a presence for your organization on these platforms, and it makes the most sense to have them all since people engage in them at different levels. The slideshare also covers what kinds of content to post in different platforms- even talks about how often to post. This is actually a helpful piece to share with my volunteers who are constantly trying to figure out how to use their social media platforms for their regions. 

Learner's Characteristics

I started this post with this photo because it shows a typical subset of the alumni volunteers that will eventually use the training module that I would like to create. It's somewhat difficult to tell, but there is a wide range of ages, however, there are some consistencies in their backgrounds. 

• All of the volunteers have a college degree 
• They all went to James Madison University
• They all have access to a computer and regularly use email/internet/social media
• Their roles are all in addition to full time jobs
• Most of them are between the ages of 25-35, however a small handful are 35+ and have families/children
• They are motivated by different things, but have all self-identified for their roles (i.e. they let us know what they were interested in and were put in to their roles based on their preference)

Taking all of these characteristics in to account, I have decided that the module most definitely needs to be flexible in its delivery (i.e. asynchronous vs synchronous) and self-guided. These volunteers have the motivation to learn the material on their own and need the flexibility to do it on their own time. This will help me decide what program to use when I create the module as well.

Chapter Leader Task Analysis

A task analysis is not the most effective way to understand what it is that chapter leaders need out of this training, since this training is meant to provide a broad overview of what is required versus an in-depth look at each role (i.e. this training won't cover exactly what needs to be done by the communications chair). For that reason, I will use the task analysis to breakdown the broad tasks that are required of all chapter leaders regardless of their roles.

1. Being a positive representative of the University
2. Welcoming and engaging with alumni through Facebook, email and at events
3. Be present at chapter meetings and conference calls
4. Make a financial gift to the University
5. Submit paperwork and reports in a timely fashion

Again, so many of the specific duties are taught on the job, and a lot of them will continue on that way but it will be helpful to get these broad overview types of details taken care of off the bat.

Problems and Goals

According to Kemp's model, one of the initial steps in instructional design is to "identify instructional problems, and specify goals for designing an instructional program." For this specific project, the instructional problems lie in the distance and discrepancy of the current state of training for alumni chapter volunteers. The current gap exists because chapter leaders are being trained over the phone and due to busy schedules, not much time is left for actually covering all the appropriate topics. Additionally, the topics that get pushed aside are big picture ones that give perspective to the work that the volunteers do such as the mission, vision and values of the entire organization.

One of the more common issues I have seen in the chapter program is volunteers wanting to pursue events and programs that do not align with the overall mission of the Alumni Association. Devoting more time and energy to training volunteers on this topic will provide that context needed in order to stay in line with those objectives.

The goals of the training are as follows:
1. Provide a broad overview of the Chapter Program
     -This includes the mission, vision, values of the JMUAA
2. Be self-guided so that volunteers can take the training on their own time
3. Have an interactive portion to test volunteers on their knowledge of the program
4. Set volunteers up for success upon moving in to their volunteer roles.

With all of these pieces in place, this training will save time for myself while also bringing volunteers up to speed on their roles in a flexible and exciting way.

Kemp's Instructional Design Model

I plan to use Kemp's model for instructional design for this project and the reason for that is because I agree with Kemp in that instructional design is an on-going process. The way that volunteer leaders are trained also changes as time goes on so it makes the most sense for me to follow a model that allows for formative evaluation continually through the process. For this reason as well I'd like to use a technology that is easily updated to allow for that evaluation. 

Topics for Alumni Chapter Training

In this post I'd like to spend some time brainstorming the topics that will be covered in the training module.

First, I'd like to start with an overview of the mission, vision, values and goals of the Alumni Association. This will provide the alumni chapter volunteers with the crucial framework within which their work will exist. It is important to bring the volunteers in to the larger picture of what they are a part of before giving them their tasks, it will encourage them to know that they are part of a larger overall mission.

Second, it is important that the chapter leaders have an overview of each area of chapter maintenance. These are broken down in to administration, events, and communications and can be broadly covered in order for each member to know how their roles fits in to the larger picture.

As a note here- it may be worth covering these broadly, and supplementing each area with documents that discuss each area further in order to provide the entire picture.

Third, a brief run down of my role as the Assistant Director of Alumni Chapters, and the specific resources offered to chapters by our office. These include volunteer recruitment, training, event assistance, marketing assistance, and chapter financial assistance.

Lastly, the module will cover the expectations the Alumni Office has for the chapters. This includes event success, fundraising, regular and appropriate communications, and regular communication with our office.

Other topics that could be included in the training are:

-Succession planning
-Finances (how to pay for things)
-Keeping your team up to date
-Annual Giving
-Staff contacts
-Working with athletics
-Community Service

As I continue to look at the plan for this training module, I will figure out how to incorporate these items in to the training as appropriate.

Tenants of Effective Training

• Communicate: Spread the word about our mission, values, and expectations.

• Educate: Teach volunteers how to be successful.

• Motivate: Share goals and get volunteers excited.

• Integrate: Bring leaders into the University family.

• Congratulate: Use training as a reward for volunteers.

According to Kathy Bickel in her book Alumni Clubs and Chapters, the above tenants are what should exist in all alumni volunteer training programs. I think that all of these things exist in our current training model, but some of the tenants are much stronger than others. For example, we use our annual training weekend, the Madison Alumni Conference to train but also thank and reward our volunteers. This weekend has always been very popular and scores very highly in the survey data we collect every year. During this weekend we also do a lot of training with University officials, as well as tours of new facilities and sneak peaks in to upcoming plans. With these things we are able to integrate our volunteers in to the university family while also arming them with the information they need to share updates back in their regions. 

On the flip side, our current training model does not a lot for much time to be spent training volunteers on the mission, values and expectations. Most chapters are able to create their own set of goals and stick to them, which works most of the time but certainly has a lot of room for improvement. An introductory training module would allow for all of the chapters to start off with the same instruction that covers the overall mission of the Alumni Association and how chapters fit in to that mission, and to give an overview of what types of events and engagement strategies will be the most effective for connecting alumni in their areas. 

Work flow of alumni training

My plan for the online training module came from the Performance Analysis and Needs Assessment class in the AHRD program. I created a performance improvement plan for the current state of an alumni volunteer training and the major gap still exists in the initial training of each volunteer.  As you can see from the workflow above, volunteers receive an overview of information upon starting their role but the majority of their training comes as on the job training. The addition of the online training module will enhance this workflow but cutting out the amount of time I spend going over the initial training with every set of new volunteers that steps in to a team annually. The benefit of this is huge, because there are 25 chapters with teams that rotate all year around. Transferring that initial training to an online course will open up more time to spend on the more substantial on the job training require to be a more effective volunteer.

I'll be using this performance improvement plan to guide my project as I go along and I will plan to go through some additional pieces of the PIP that prove relevant to my project. 

SWOT Planning in the Office Setting

I had the pleasure of working on a SWOT analysis with my office recently and found it to be one of the most helpful internal processes that we have engaged with since I've worked there. What helped our office tremendously was that we filled out the analysis anonymously, which allowed everyone to share real weaknesses and threats that existed at that time. Our office is very willing to share accomplishments and celebrate achievements, but it is much more difficult for us to discuss the negative things that bring us down. Once we all filled out the analysis, we were able to sit down and discuss the real issues facing our team. Through that process, we gained a lot of good insight in to the challenges that face us, and came up with a plan for how to combat them. 

I think SWOT analyses can be very helpful for an office, especially one looking to implement a major change, such as a program review or a strategic planning session. It allows your team to celebrate the positive aspects of your team which helps maintain focus, while also allowing them to take a hard look at the negative aspects. From there, it opens up doors to either remove unnecessary tasks or programs, or refocus the efforts of the team to maximize their strengths.  

The role of millenials

This past week I received some interesting feedback from one of my volunteers. She is a 2000 grad from JMU and recently took over one of my chapters. I had emailed her all of the information she needed to start her chapter and directed her to our online resources, and held a conference call where I went over all of the policies and procedures of the program. She was upset by this, and had wanted a print copy of all the information mailed to her house- she had envisioned a large binder with all of the information layed out. This was interesting to me because most of my volunteers prefer to have all of that information online where they can easily access any pieces that they need when they need it. 

This brought up an interesting thought that I had not yet considered. I have been assuming that all of my leaders want information the same way- online and not print, but I had not yet considered that some people may prefer the huge binder of information to the web-based resources. I thought perhaps I could wrap this in to my online training modules somehow- perhaps by including a survey that asks that person what their preferred vehicle is for information. I am thinking that this will provide that valuable insight in to the best way to keep my volunteers motivated and on task with their roles. 

Looking to the work of others

I spend a lot of my time as a professional looking at the work of other schools. The nice thing about my profession is that people are very willing to share information and tools with each other, because there is no direct competition between our target audiences (i.e. the alumni from JMU don't have to worry about getting hit up by Tech!). When it comes to volunteer training resources, I've seen a lot of schools move from a pdf file of a handbook, to a more interactive web toolkit that lays out all of the different aspects of chapter leadership in different pages. This trend shows an increase in the awareness alumni offices have of how their volunteers process information. As millenials step in to the picture more often, so does the need for online training tools.

I found that the University of Delaware went above and beyond in their online resources by creating a slideshare pictured here (if you click the image it will take you to the actual slideshare). 

I really like this for an online training module and may consider using slideshare to create mine as well. I'd like to spend a little more time researching before I make my final decision. I was also considering making a powerpoint/prezi and doing a screencast so that I can make it more visually exciting.

Chapter Leader Training

One of the issues I run in to most frequently in my position is coming up with new and exciting ways to train chapter leaders on the same old information, or updating outdated policies and procedures in ways that make sense. For example, we have a new form that needs to be filled out by all of our chapter leaders whenever they have a payment request or a reimbursement request. I chose to go over this new form during a conference call, but feel as though this was not the best way to cover this information. First of all, not all of our chapter leaders were on this call so there are still a good number of them who are unaware of the change. Secondly, the conference call had no visual component other than an agenda. It would have been great to set up a webinar or perhaps do a screencast of someone filling out the form with the proper areas filled in rather that just discussing the form over the phone. This is something that I will look in to for the next change.

Design For How People Learn

This is the book I've chosen to read and critique for this class. I wanted to read something having to do with design, because while it is one of my favorite aspects of this program, it is what I feel as though I am the least skilled in. Upon first glance of the book, it is clear that the author has a good understanding of learning technique, as she includes lots of different types of visuals to enhance the text of the book. As a visual learning, I am excited to read this book!

Independent Study: A JMUAA Chapter Leader Training

For this course, I would like to create an introductory training video for Alumni Chapter leaders to watch prior to coming on board with a chapter leadership team. In my current position at JMU, I recruit, train and oversee the 80+ volunteers who run our 25 active chapters across the U.S. and in London. One of the biggest strains on my time is volunteer turnover, and having to repeat the same information over and over again to new folks joining new teams. When these training sessions occur, they are often times on the phone and scheduled during a short duration of time that is semi-convenient for the volunteer. An online training video would ensure that all volunteers are receiving the same information, but at their own pace and at a time that is most convenient for them.

Currently, these chapter leaders do not have a formalized training structure. There are job descriptions for each role, however, much of the training for these roles comes in an as-needed basis. The on-the-job training model has worked for many of the aspects of chapter management, but there are still aspects that fall through the cracks. For example, when a volunteer starts as a social events chair on a chapter leadership team, they are given an overview of how many events to plan per year and what demographics to consider when planning, but they are not told how necessarily to pay for these events. That is one part that they typically learn as they go through the role and communicate their needs with my position.

My goal is to create a learning module that introduces chapter leaders to the world of chapter management and gives insight in to the goals of the university as well as how the chapters can assist with those goals. This will not only cut down on the amount of time spent telling chapter leaders about these things, but will also allow them to participate in the training at a time that is most convenient for them, and at their own pace.

I found a video that fits in with the style that I'd like to convey:
http://vimeo.com/1629500