Wicked Problem Project Summary

My Wicked Problem Project assignment was to identify a process where I work (MSU) where technology could address a problem of practice or an educational goal. This posting outlines the project problem and my solution, along with links to both a slidecast presentation on the entire Project process, and a link to the final recorded Jing session for my WPP solution (these links are listed at the bottom of this posting). I strongly depended on the TPACK framework to identify my final solution, by considering the pedagogy aspects, solution content and use of technology.

My Problem
In my daily tasks for MSU, I support web-based business software for approximately 10,000 faculty and staff users from around the world. The problem I am addressing is that our technical communications for using our software are primarily all text-based. More than a year after the implementation of our business software solution, MSU support areas still receive large call volumes and emails from users confused with how a process is designed to work, or that don’t know how to resolve it. These text support documents are not providing a sufficient level of information to all users.

My Solution
Vodcasts are narrative videos that are used to show complete, step-by-step instructions on the processes and technology that MSU receives a large amount of user inquiries on. I used Jing, a free tool from TechSmith to create my vodcast for this project. This tool creates narrated video sessions up to five minutes in length. My initial vodcast subject is Adobe Reader, which is used to interface with several of MSU’s business software capabilities.

Application of TPACK (Technological Knowledge, Content Knowledge and Pedagogical Knowledge)
The technology I'm using that supports instructional strategies is a narrative video. Video is an immersive medium, and provides learners with complete step-by-step visual and sound instruction on processes that otherwise may be difficult to convey using text documents and pictures. Instruction that is delivered in different formats increases the likelihood that the content is understood by a more diverse group of learners. Specifically this will help my learners that come from other parts of the world, and those that may not have a strong technological backgrounds or experiences.

With narrated video, students can see the interaction required with the software, hear descriptive narration that explains complex ideas and acronyms, and understand the timing and speed at which the software application processes user requests. This is information that may not be identifiable when using text documents. Narrated video is also an assistive form of technology, for those learners who have hearing or sight impairments.

The instructional content will be supported by video and audio cues to highlight important, key information. Chunking of the information will be used, to provide lesson content in smaller, concise sections that are easy to understand. The goal is to support my users’ understanding of how each individual process supports their overall use of the software, and for these users to better retain information learned, through the synthesis and inference of the demonstrated instructional materials.

These links access a slidecast that outlines the process of implementing my WPP solution: MP4 Video File or YouTube Link

This link is the original Jing session for my vodcast to MSU users on Adobe Reader: Jing Screencast of Adobe Reader