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Product | |
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Software & Technology | |
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Accountability | |
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Services | |
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Instructional Design & Content Development | ||
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Implementation & Deployment | ||
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Standard Products | |
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Collaborative Content Creation Process |
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eSchool® Online modules are tailored to the unique needs and perspectives of each client. Our staff of instructional designers, educational producers, video producers, and web designers collaborates with the client to define the content to be presented in the modules and to lay out the user experience as a whole. This not only includes the online course content, but also all supplementary materials and activities embodied in our Learning Management System (LMS), such as links to relevant web resources, scheduled online discussion forums, moderated-threads, and online surveys. Following are the key steps of the collaborative content creation process that we carry out with our clients. |
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Project Launch |
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To launch the project, the instructional designer, educational producer, video producer, and project manager will meet with key staff on the client side to determine the current professional development initiatives and resources that could aid in the development of the new professional development series; define the instructional objectives for the series and the nature of the learning experience desired for the user; and come to consensus on the content and sequence of modules in the series and their general structure. |
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Storyboarding of Modules |
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The client generally names 3-5 content experts with which our instructional designers and educational producers will work to lay out the flow of the user experience for each of the modules. Based on input from the client's content experts, eSchool® Online staff develops a high-level description of the video content and the integrated web material to be presented to the user as he or she works through the module. We call this "storyboarding" - a storyboard maps out the general content (video, text, graphics, animations, interactives, links to resources, etc.) for each of the screens viewed by the user and their sequence in the module. The storyboard serves to define the effective integration of convergent content, interactive activities, assessment questions, and other online resources to ensure an engaging, meaningful experience for the users. The storyboards for the modules are the first deliverable to the client in this process. The client reviews and signs off on the storyboards. |
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Development of Web Page Specifications |
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The storyboards become the basis for the subsequent production process. For the sake of efficiency, web and video production proceed in parallel. The eSchool® Online educational producers expand the storyboard into the actual text of the web pages for the modules, and flesh out the preliminary conceptualization of the interactive activities and assessment questions that some of the web pages will contain. These specifications for the web pages are another deliverable to the client for review. The producer incorporates any revisions, and sign-off is obtained from the client. |
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Script Development, Shooting, and Editing |
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From the storyboards, eSchool® Online producers collaborate to develop scripts with a video production team. Depending on the capacity and wishes of the client, eSchool® Online can take the lead in video production, assembling and directing a production team, or our staff can collaborate with the video production team named by the client. The teachers and schools to be showcased on the video are identified and the video shoots are scheduled (this information is on a "shot list"). The script and the shot list are reviewed by the client, and revised as needed. Once this deliverable is approved, the video is shot and then edited to become a final video product. |
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Creation of Integrated Product |
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Once the pages are produced and the video production completed, our educational producers will integrate the video and web content to create the complete experience. This process involves using eSchool® Online's authoring tools to create a "playlist" - the list of video segments and web pages, and the times at which they are presented to the user. Once again, the client will review the complete experience, and suggest any changes. Our content team makes the appropriate changes and the modules are complete. |
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Quality Assurance |
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eSchool® quality assurance professionals thoroughly review each completed module, testing it on all anticipated combinations of computer platforms, operating systems, video players, and web browsers. |
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LMS Programming & Management |
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While the modules for professional development series are being completed, the learning management system (LMS) is programmed to provide password-protected access to the course. The LMS is also customized for the client to enable additional functionality, including organized web resources, printable materials, portfolio information, online forums (threaded discussions), and administrative reports. The LMS provides a web site portal for users in which they can register for courses, launch modules, access work they have placed in their portfolios, view their journals, participate in threaded discussions, download documents, and engage in other custom-designed learning experiences. Accountability measures and various reporting features are built into the LMS to allow designated users to determine course completion rates, view summary data on individuals and schools, and obtain detail of individual responses to assessments embedded in the online course. |