ENGLISH LEARNERS – RULE 15

English as a Second Language Training Module

ENGLISH LEARNERS – RULE 15

English as a Second Language Training Module

Nebraska Department of Education partnered with California Dingo Media in the development of online modules aimed at training staff on the state requirements for Rule 15 regarding English Learner programs in school districts throughout Nebraska. The training modules also provide support in creating and integrating the programs statewide.

Audience: This course is designed to be used by Nebraska K -12 educators and districts to establish, review, and improve services for English learners according to Rule 15.

Responsibilities: Animation, Motion Graphics, eLearning Development, Script Editing, Narration

Tools Used: Adobe Creative Suite, Pro Tools Audio, Articulate 360

PROBLEM AND SOLUTION

The “English Learners – Rule 15” training course, previously delivered in-person using PowerPoint slides, is being converted to an eLearning format. This change addresses educators’ requests for online access to resources and reduces the time and cost associated with NDE dispatching trainers, particularly for new hires in districts where training had already taken place. This new format was to include all resources available to educators in the state of Nebraska in an easy-to-find manner, interactivity to emphasize key elements of Rule 15, assessments and progress tracking to ensure learning occurs, and video scenarios to connect the learning taking place in this course to the educators’ situation in the classroom. This self-contained certification course is designed for educators to progress at their own pace utilizing NDE’s Learning Management System (LMS), while empowering educators to confidently establish, review, and improve services for English Learners in Nebraska school districts.

PROCESS

Throughout this project, California Dingo Media worked closely with the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at NDE to translate the in-person training into an online eLearning environment. The process began with the SMEs providing a course outline and accompanying script for the individual modules that would make up the entire course. Instructional designer, David Schlotterback, promptly edited the script alongside the SMEs to ensure the content was simplified, concise, and included notes on visual cues.

Using the approved script, a storyboard was developed showing the sequencing of events in the video scenarios. Due to the large amount of sequencing required for this course, we opted for quickly hand-drawing key frames.

Assets were developed to create the video sequencing and motion utilizing Adobe Creative Suite.Video and motion graphics were developed using Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro.

Once the assets were finished, the assets were assembled into Adobe After Effects and commenced animation and motion graphics for each scene, all the while engagement with the SMEs from NDE continued on a bi-weekly basis. These were then exported into Articulate Storyline where interactive assessments and knowledge checks were developed within each sequence or video scenario. SCORM files were exported from Articule Storyline and provided to NDE to place into their LMS of choice.

REFLECTION

Reflecting on this project, it must be noted that the collaborative approach with clients and SMEs is invaluable. Listening to their concerns, observations, and desires allowed California Dingo Media to accurately pinpoint performance gaps and mitigate these concerns by utilizing interactive engagement on the part of the user and delivering the content in easy-to-digest video scenarios.

We successfully translated the learning event for online use and crafted engaging activities and assessments that aligned seamlessly with NDE’s Rule 15 objectives. SME feedback played a pivotal role in refining these modules, ultimately leading to an engaging learning event which will equip educators for years to come.

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