Mike MayoPrinciples of E-Learning Instructional DesignWeek 8 AssignmentMarch 4, 2014

Preliminary Course Summary / Design Document:

“How to Create a Budget”

Document Description

This preliminary design

document is intended to be

presented to the leadership of

the U.S. House of

Representatives, including the

Speaker of the House. The

proposed design plans for the

"How to Create a Budget" e-

Learning module are outlined

and presented in this document.

Purpose of Course/Module:

The "How to Create a Budget"

module/course will provide basic

training in common budgetary

principles – with a focus on actuarially

sound budget preparation and

principles.

The course will focus on the key

elements of creating a budget, with a

focus on how actuarially sound budget

principles can be applied to the U.S.

House of Representatives’ annual

budget-writing process.

Purpose of course/module

After successfully completing

this course, participants will

gain additional insights and

perspectives into effective,

sound budget principles…

This includes ways to prioritize

spending so that a budget

deficit can be avoided, and a

balanced budget attained (the

primary long-term objective

resulting from this training).

Performance/Needs Analysis What is the training need?

- How much experience do members of the target audience have with creating a budget, in either the public or private sectors?

- Have members of the target audience participated in any substantive budget training in recent years?

- What are some of the major obstacles preventing the U.S. House from crafting a budget that is fiscally sound and responsible?

Performance/Needs Analysis Is the need for training the result of a skill deficiency or a knowledge deficiency?

- Do members of the target audience lack the substantive knowledge and skills required to craft a fiscally sound and responsible budget?

- Do members of the target audience have a solid understanding of actuarially sound budget practices and principles?

- For political or other reasons, do they lack the motivation required to craft a fiscally sound and responsible budget?

- What specific skills do members of the target audience want to acquire, or improve upon, as it concerns budget creation?

- Does the U.S. House follow certain, specified procedures in crafting the annual federal budget?

Performance/Needs Analysis What incentives are in place for crafting a budget is fiscally sounds and responsible?

- What are some of the incentives associated with crafting a federal budget that is fiscally sound and responsible?

- What are the consequences associated with crafting a budget that does not meet these criteria?

- What are some of the motivations that "drive" the budget-writing process in the U.S. House?

Target Population Analysis Questions

How long have the target audience/population been members of the House Budget Committee?

As a group, do they have strong computer/e-learning skills?

How much experience does the target audience have in creating a budget (in the public or private sector)?

Should training be divided among the target audience (i.e., should the target audience be separated into different groups), based upon budget-writing skill level (in terms of having advanced and intermediate training)?

Target Population Analysis Questions

How many people total will be attending the training?

How many will be available during the same days and times for training…

For example, will one training session suffice, or do we need to have a number of training sessions, in order to accommodate different skill levels and perhaps schedules?

Course Goal:

Increase the collective effectiveness of the U.S. House leadership in creating a budget that is fiscally sound and responsible (and reduces, or perhaps eliminates, the annual federal budget deficit).

Learning Objectives:

-Class participants will be able to identify and explain actuarially sound and fiscally responsible budget practices and principles

- Class participants will be able to identify some of the issues and circumstances that are preventing the House from creating a fiscally sound and responsible budget.

-Class participants will demonstrate their ability to apply actuarially sound budget practices to the U.S. House's budget-writing process

- Class participants will be able to identify and explain the steps that need to be taken to create an actuarially sound federal budget.

- Class participants will demonstrate their ability to prioritize spending decisions, negotiate with peers, and create a budget that incorporates actuarially sound budget-writing practices.

Analyze budgets

from past years

(including supporting documents)

Discuss procedure that was used in creating House Budget

Resolutions

Review federal government

revenues

Review federal government

appropriations

Review each individual

category of spending: Health Care, Education,

Defense, etc.

Identify Discretionary vs. Mandatory

Spending

Cover actuarially

sound budget principles and

practices

Learn to apply these principles and practices to House budget

writing process

Task Analysis

Identify which of these

principles and practices are

not being used by the House

This includes prioritizing

spending decisions and

negotiating with peers

Create a federal budget that incorporates

actuarially sound budget principles and

practices

Assessment Techniques

Direct: 1). At the end of the course/module, participants will be required to answer a series of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions (assessing their knowledge of the actuarially sound budget practices and principles that were covered during the course).

Participants are allowed to use all of the materials that were presented during the training.

Instant feedback will be provided for both correct and incorrect responses 

Assessment Techniques

Direct: 2). While working in small groups of their peers, participants will be presented with a variety of different scenarios, in which they must prioritize their spending decisions, negotiate with one another and create a balanced budget within a specified period of time.

The instructor will closely monitor and assess these proceedings, providing feedback and input.  

Indirect: 1). A number of online Discussion Forums and Wikis will be created, where participants can discuss the budget principles that were addressed in the module.

Participants will be asked to apply those principles and the information covered in the course to specific scenarios that are developed by the instructor

The instructor will monitor these discussions and Wiki's, and provide feedback and input);  

Indirect: 2). Participants will complete a post-training survey that is a part of the module.

The survey will uncover areas of the training that were beneficial and helpful to participants, as well as areas of the training that could be improved for future training sessions 

Indirect: 3). After completion of the training, the instructor will monitor actual proceedings of the U.S. House Budget Committee, to ensure that participants are practically applying the principles and information that was covered in the course.  

Course Content

Section 1: Introduction

In the Introductory section of the training module, participants will be provided with an overview of the course - including its purpose, goals and objectives.

In the Course Guide, a Table of Contents will be provided at the beginning of the training.

Again, the goal of the course is to increase the collective effectiveness of the U.S. House leadership in creating a budget that is fiscally sound and responsible (a budget that reduces, or perhaps eliminates, the annual federal budget deficit).

Course ContentSection 2: Challenges to Overcome

In this section of the training, participants will address some of the challenges that need to be overcome in order for the U.S. House to craft a budget that is fiscally sound and responsible (so that the annual federal budget deficit can be addressed).

Using interactive technologies (such as Wikis and Discussion Forums), participants will discuss some of the ways in which the annual federal budget is currently created.

Participants will identify weaknesses in that process and ways in which actuarially sound budget principles and practices that be applied to the process moving forward.

Course ContentSection 3:Overview of Actuarially Sound Budget Principles

In this part of the training, participants will receive training on actuarially sound budget practices and principles.

Facts, concepts, procedures, processes and principles that are associated with actuarially sound budget practices will be addressed, including how they can be applied directly to the budget-writing process in the U.S. House.

As participants work through the module, ample opportunity will be provided for “drill and practice” of the information covered.

Course ContentSection 4: Assessment

In this final phase of the training, participants will test their knowledge and skills of actuarially sound budget practices.

All materials that were presented during the training can be used. To assess their knowledge, participants will answer a series of multiple choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.

Also, while working in small groups, participants will be presented with a variety of different case studies and scenarios, in which they must create a balanced budget within a specified period of time.

The course will utilize the following Media:

Course Guide

Instructor

Slide Presentation w/ Graphics (created in Articulate Storyline)

Social Media and Mobile Technology

Facts: Facts provide information about specific, unique instances of

something. Thetraining will present facts that are associated with the federal budget,

as well asfiscally sound budget practices and principles.

Concepts:A concept is a category of items or ideas that share common features.

The trainingwill cover concepts associated with fiscally sound budget practices and

principles.

Procedures:Procedures are step-by-stepinstructions. The module will

present toparticipants the series of steps

that areassociated with creating a fiscally

soundbudget.

Interactive Techniques: A number of “interactive techniques” and technologies will

be employed during the training – including group work

A number of online Discussion Forums and Wikis will also be created, in which participants will be able to discuss the issues that are covered during the training.

A number of assignments in the course will be based around student participation in these Discussion Forums and Wiki’s (i.e, students will be assessed on their participation).

The instructor will create the content and closely monitor the discussions.

Example of a Wiki, which will be used by students to discuss issues covered in the course.

A Wiki will be also be used by students to complete a number of assignments.

Cognitivism (Learning Theory):

- During the module, participants will be required to demonstrate memory and retention of information covered during the training, while also problem-solving (especially during the group work assessment exercise).

- Participants will learn through active participation - either in group work, or by participating in Wiki’s and Discussion Forums.

-As a result of the training, it is anticipated that changes in behavior will occur among the participants - in terms of how they negotiate with one another, and how they use and apply sound actuarial principles during the House Budget Committee's actual sessions/meetings

- Following the training, meetings of the House Budget Committee will be monitored by the instructor.

Constructivism (Learning Theory):

-The training will be structured and delivered in a manner that requires participants to be "active learners“.

-Information and knowledge is constructed by the learners (especially through the use of the interactive techniques and collaborative technologies that will be employed during the training).

-Training participants all have experience with creating a budget, especially in the public sector

- Therefore, the instructor is not dealing with "blank slates", but learners who are bringing significant past experience and existing knowledge into the training.

Guided Discovery (Learning Architecture):

- Since learners will be immersed in problem-solving situations and support will be provided for their solutions.

- Learners will also spend part of the training working in small groups, similar to a case study, and will have numerous resources at their disposal and sources of assistance (including the instructor.

Exploratory (Learning Architecture):

Some of the module will be “learner controlled” – with the learners free to access information and knowledge online, and through collaborative technologies, with the instructor serving as a guide and a resource of information.

Collaborative technologies (Web 2.0):

- Collaborative technologies will be used for primary learning, to augment learning and to assess student learning throughout the module.

-These technologies will be used to facilitate “shared or social learning”, to share information and knowledge “real time” (by creating “communities of knowledge”)…

- They will also enable the instructor to “push” supplemental content to participants.

More on Collaborative Technologies(Web 2.o)

A number of Wiki’s and Discussion Forums will be created

A Facebook page will be created, where supplemental information can be shared w/ students, and students can share knowledge and information with one another. - Mobile technology will be used to

augment learning

- Chat rooms will be developed, so that students can share information and knowledge w/ one another

- Links to informative videos will be provided – accessible through YouTube and other websites