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EDCI 572 – Semester Project Writing Term Papers with Microsoft Word Jane Jahnke - [email protected] Michael Mace – [email protected] Amber Patterson - [email protected] Kelly Trozzo - [email protected]

EDCI 572 – Semester Project 2

Project Initialization

Project Name – Writing Term Papers with Microsoft Word

Project Description When writing term papers, students should be familiar with the various features found in Microsoft Word 2012. Microsoft Word is the standard in most colleges and workplaces today. After completing this short course, students will be able to:

Open Microsoft Word

Create a Blank Document

Save a Document

Use Styles

Determine the Difference between Bullet Points and Number Lists

Add Headers and Footers

Set Margins

Enter References

Review Changes

Print a Document

Audience This short course is targeted towards high school students and college freshmen who are creating papers for coursework.

Materials This course consists of an e-book and sample exercise files for use by the student.

Estimated Time to Completion

This course should take roughly 20 minutes to complete


Introduction Writing an appropriately formatted term paper is a difficult task, particularly as a beginner. The English department at a high school in past years has spent a significant portion of the time in freshman English classes teaching the technological tools necessary to successfully complete this task. With both this and a lack of consistency between teachers in the school being documented issues, the staff has been asked to create a self-paced e-book for incoming freshmen to complete prior to the beginning of the school year. Being that Microsoft Word 2010 is the standard in most colleges and workplaces currently, the instruction will focus on the tool set offered within this program to effectively write a term paper.

Identifying Instructional Goals via Performance Analysis The school has documented complaints from three sources concerning the facilitation of this topic in the past: freshman teachers who are frustrated with the amount of valuable class time that they are spending on this topic; sophomore teachers who have noted a lack of consistency in student knowledge and consequent gaps for many of their pupils; and students, some of which who are frustrated for both of the aforementioned reasons, and others who are frustrated because they have already learned much of the content previously. As there are no existing materials on this topic that have been approved for use in the school, there is a need for the creation of a formal instruction to cover the applicable tools available in the current software standard, Microsoft Word 2010. And with one of the documented performance gaps being overuse of class time, the best solution is self-paced instruction readily available to students both inside and outside of school.

Instructional goal: Students will be able to utilize various features in Microsoft Word 2010 to create and appropriately format a term paper in APA 6.

Leaner Analysis

Information Categories Data Sources Learner Characteristics 8th Graders High School

1. Entry Skills Interviews: students and teachers

These learners have extensive computer skills. Many of them will have had exposure to Microsoft Word.

2. Prior Knowledge Interviews: students and teachers

These learners do not have prior knowledge of APA formatting. Some of the learners may have prior knowledge of Microsoft Word; however they do not have the knowledge on how to use Word for APA formatting.

3. Attitudes toward content

Interviews: students and teachers

These learners have mixed attitudes. Some are very excited and eager to learn, while others are not excited about learning new information.

4. Attitudes toward potential delivery system


These learners are engaged in technical gadgets (iPods, game boy, Xbox). They all may not have a positive attitude toward learning from handouts and “non-technical” items.

5. Motivation for instruction


These learners have a mix of motivation. Some are highly motivated for the instruction. Some are not motivated for the instruction.

6. Education and ability levels


Learners are 8th Grade students with the ability to learn.

Learners are high school students with the ability to learn.

7. General Learning Preferences


These learners do not have one universal learning style. The target population is made up of learners with different learning preferences. The tactile learners need “hands on” activities. The visual learners need to view the content. The Auditory learners need to hear the content and participate in discussions.

8. Attitudes toward training organization


These learners tend to have an indifferent attitude toward the training organization. Materials are more likely to be viewed as important if recommended by a figure of authority that the learner respects. (ie teacher or parent)

9A General Group – Heterogeneity


These learners are different. They come from different cultural backgrounds, have varying levels of work experience, and are different genders and ages.

9B General – Size Interviews: students and teachers

There will be an unlimited number of learners. Given that the materials will be self-study handouts there is no formal training class that would require limited participation.


9C General – Overall impressions


These learners will need to understand the benefit of the materials and will need the materials to be engaging. They will need specific instruction detailing what to do.


Performance Context The training material will consist of self-study handouts and job aids. Learners will access the materials at their own convenience in their desired setting (home, school library, school study hall, etc.)

Information Categories

Data Sources

Performance Site Characteristics

1. Managerial / supervisory support

Interviews Parents and / or teachers may be available to assist the learner.

2. Physical aspects of site

Interviews Facilities: In learners preferred setting (ie home, school, library) Resources: No additional resources are required Equipment: A technical device with Microsoft Word is required. Timing: At learners convenience.

3. Social aspects of site Interviews Supervision: Depends on learner’s preference. May be at home with parental supervision or may be at schools with teacher supervision, or may be at library with no supervision. Interaction: Learners may interact with classmates.

4. Relevance of skills to workplace

Interviews The skills learned through the training will have a direct impact on the term paper format grading. These skills can be applied in future term papers.


Learning Context

Information Categories

Data Sources

Learning Site Characteristics

1. Number / nature of sites

Interviews Number: Unlimited copies of materials will be available. Facilities: No facilities are required for training. Equipment: Learner will need access to technical equipment with Microsoft Word. Resources: No additional resources needed. Constraints: 1) Given that this is self-study material, there is no guarantee that learners will review materials. 2) Learners may have questions that are not addressed in materials.

2. Site compatibility with instructional needs

Interviews Instructional strategies: Self-study print materials or electronic copies will be used. Delivery approaches: Self-study review of materials. Time: Learners can take as much or as little time as they wish to review the materials in this self-study course. Personnel: There are no personnel requirements.

3. Site compatibility with learner needs

Interviews Location: Learner preference in determining location. Likely that selected location will be consistent with actual environment that learner prepares term paper. Conveniences: Learner may choose time, location, and duration for learning materials. In addition, materials can be reviewed multiple times and used for reference while working on term paper. Space: No classroom or space requirements. Equipment: Learner will need access to equipment with Microsoft Word.

4. Feasibility for simulating workplace

Interviews Supervisory characteristics: The supervisory characteristics can be simulated since learner can select to review study materials in same location


with same individuals (ie parent/teacher) as he/she will work on term paper. Physical characteristics: The physical characteristics can be simulated since learner can select to review study materials in same location as he/she will work on term paper. Social characteristics: The physical characteristics can be simulated since learner can select to review study materials in same situation as he/she will work on term paper (with or without classmates).


Goals Analysis


Subordinate and Entry Skills


Performance Objective: Students will utilize various features in Microsoft Word 2010 to create and appropriately format a term paper following the APA 6th style guide.

Terminal Objective: Using a computer equipped with Microsoft Office, the student will utilize various features in Word to create and correctly format a term paper following the APA 6th style guide.

Main Step In Instructional Goal Objective

1. Create, Save, and Print a Microsoft Word Document

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will create, save, and print a document.

Subordinate Skills Objective 1.1 Open /Microsoft Word Given a computer equipped with Microsoft

Word, the student will successfully open Microsoft Word. The student will do this without the use of the help function.

1.2 Create a Blank Document Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully create a new blank document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

1.3 Access/Navigate Backstage Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully access and navigate the backstage. This will be done without the use of the help function.

1.4 Save a Document Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully save a document to the desired destination. This will be done without the use of the help function.

1.5 Select a Printer Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully select the desired printer. This will be done without the use of the help function.

1.6 Print Document Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully print a document. This will be done without the use of the help function.


2. Apply a New Style To Document Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will apply a new style to


the document.

Subordinate Goal Objective 2.1 Navigate the Home Tab on the Ribbon Given a computer equipped with Microsoft

Word, the student will navigate the home tab on the ribbon. This will be done without the use of the help function.

2.2 Insert a Heading Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully insert a heading in the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

2.3 Change the Font and Size Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully change the font and font size in the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

Main Step In Instructional Goal Objective 3.0 Format Document Given a computer equipped with Microsoft

Word, the student will format the document. Subordinate Goal Objective

3.1 Determine Whether a Number List or Bullet List is Appropriate

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully determine whether it is appropriate to use a numbered list or a bullet list. This will be done without the use of the help function.

3.2 Create a Bullet Point and a Numbered List

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully create a numbered list and a bullet list in the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

3.3 Navigate the Insert Tab on the Ribbon Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully navigate the insert tab on the ribbon. This will be done without the use of the help function.

3.4 Select a Style of Header/Footer Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully select the desired style of header and/or footer. This will be done without the use of the help function.

3.5 Insert Header/Footer Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully insert the desired header/footer into the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.


3.6 Navigate the Page Layout Tab on the Ribbon

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully navigate the page layout tab on the ribbon. This will be done without the use of the help function.

3.7 Set Margins Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully set the desired margins in the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.


4.0 Create References Correctly In The Document

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully create references in the document.

Subordinate Goal Objective 4.1 Navigate the References Tab on the Ribbon

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully navigate the references tab on the ribbon. This will be done without the use of the help function.

4.2 Select Bibliography Style Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully select the desired bibliography style. This will be done without the use of the help function.

4.3 Enter References Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully enter the references into the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

4.4 Navigate the Review Tab on the Ribbon

Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully navigate the review tab on the ribbon. This will be done without the use of the help function.

4.5 Utilize Spell Check Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully run spell check in the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

4.6 Utilize the Thesaurus Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully utilize the thesaurus in the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.

4.7 Review Changes Given a computer equipped with Microsoft Word, the student will successfully review the changes made to the document. This will be done without the use of the help function.


Assessment Plan

Since the training utilizes self-paced instruction materials that will be provided to students before they enter high school, the assessment will be an assignment that the student will turn in for a grade in their English class on the first day of school. The students will need to perform self-assessments at the beginning and throughout the training to ensure that the skills have been mastered.

Entry Skills

Entry skills are required for the instruction and include the ability to use a computer and create a Microsoft Word document. Since the instruction is a self-paced, self-study, these entry skills will be called out in the instructions of the material and it will be up to each individual learner to self-assess if they have the skills required to proceed.

Pretests

There will not be any pretests. Self-evaluation will be up to the individual learner.

Knowledge Checks

Throughout the training materials, students will have an opportunity to check their knowledge by answering quick questions. The answers to the questions will be provided at the end of the document in the appendix.

Posttests

Learners will be required to take a posttest at the end of the training to demonstrate that they have learned the concepts in the training materials. This posttest will be required to be submitted to the learners English teacher on the first day of school for a grade in their Freshman English class.

Main Step In Instructional Goal Assessments 1.0 Create, Save, and Print a Microsoft

Word Document Print a copy of the document to submit to your teacher on the first day of class.

Subordinate Skills Assessments

1.1 Open /Microsoft Word Open the file called WordPostTest.docx

1.2 Create a Blank Document Not tested. 1.3 Access/Navigate Backstage This skill is tested with the assessment

question in 1.4.

1.4 Save a Document When finished, save the file as WordPostTestLastName.docx, replacing


LastName with your last name.

Main Step In Instructional Goal Assessments 2.0 Apply a New Style To Document The student will demonstrate the ability to

apply a new style to the document by modifying an existing document.

Subordinate Goal Assessments 2.1 Navigate the Home Tab on the Ribbon This task is tested with the assessment

question in 2.2.

2.2 Insert a Heading Apply the Heading 1 style to the word Summary below.

Summary

2.3 Change the Font and Size Change the font of the word Einstein to Times Roman and increase the size to 16 below.

Einstein

Main Step In Instructional Goal Assessments 3.0 Format Document The student will demonstrate the ability to

format a document by modifying an existing document.

Subordinate Goal Assessments

3.1 Determine Whether a Number List or Bullet List is Appropriate

Determine if the list below should be a bullet list or a numbered list. Once you have made your decision, modify the list to match your answer.

In order to enjoy a soda:

Open a soda

Place ice in a glass

Pour the soda in the glass

Drink

Determine if the list below should be a bullet list or a numbered list. Once you have made your decision, modify the list to match your answer.

There are three different video game


consoles available for purchase:

Xbox

Wii

PlayStation

3.2 Create a Bullet Point and a Numbered List

Modify the list below to create a bullet list.

Blue

Orange

Yellow

Green

Modify the list below to create a numbered list.

Inch

Feet

Yard

Mile

3.3 Navigate the Insert Tab on the Ribbon This task is tested in assessment item 3.5.

3.4 Select a Style of Header/Footer This task is tested in assessment item 3.5. 3.5 Insert Header/Footer Create a Header and Footer for this

document. Use the Alphabet style. 3.6 Navigate the Page Layout Tab on the Ribbon

This task is tested in assessment item 3.7

3.7 Set Margins Set the Margins of this document to one inch.

Main Step In Instructional Goal Assessments

4.0 Finalize the Document The student will demonstrate the ability to correctly finalize the document through modifying an existing document.

Subordinate Goal Assessments 4.1 Navigate the References Tab on the Ribbon

This task is tested in assessment item 4.2

4.2 Enter References Enter the book below as a source. Title: Einstein: His Life and Universe


Author: Walter Isaacson

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Location: New York, NY

Date: May 2008

4.3 Select Bibliography Style Add a bibliography to the end of this document

4.4 Navigate the Review Tab on the Ribbon This task is tested in assessment item 4.5 4.5 Utilize Spell Check Run spell check and correct the sentence

below

Einstein creatted the Theory of Relativity.

4.6 Utilize the Thesaurus Use the Thesaurus to find a similar word to the one below, and type it next to the word. Unique

4.7 Select a Printer This skill is tested with the assessment question in 4.8.

4.8 Print Document Print a copy of the document to submit to your teacher on the first day of class.


Instructional Strategy

Instructional Sequence Cluster Objectives Time (in minutes) 0.5 Instructional Goal 3

1 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6 5 2 2.1, 2.2, 2.3 5

3 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 10

4 4.1, 4.2, 4.3, 4.4, 4.5, 4.6, 4.7 5 5 Terminal Objectives 3

I. Pre-instructional activities

a. Gain attention and motivate learners: Prefaced alongside objectives and entry skills to explain that the information within this training is necessary to be successful in formatting term papers in upcoming high school classes. Further motivation will be provided through advisement that the completed training will be turned in on the first day of their high school English class for a grade.

b. Describe objectives: The performance objective will be described at the beginning of the course by explaining each of the four main instructional objectives.

c. Describe and promote recall of prerequisite skills: Each of the entry skills will be described in the preface. It will be up to the learner to ensure they have mastered each of the entry skills prior to beginning this training.

II. Content presentation a. Content: The content will be presented in the form of a self-paced, paper-

based training. b. Learning guidance: The learner will guide themselves through the various

modules of the paper-based training. Their English teacher will make further guidance available upon request once the school year begins.

III. Learner participation a. Practice: Practice tests will be given intermittently during the training for the

learner to self-evaluate their progress and understanding of each skill. b. Feedback: Feedback will be made available in two ways. The learner will

receive informal feedback in the form of self-evaluation upon completion of each practice test. Their English teacher will provide formal feedback once the completed training has been turned in on the first day of school and graded.

IV. Assessment a. Entry skills: Learners will be tasked with self-assessing their skills in this

self-paced training. b. Pretest: No pretests will be given. It will be up to each learner to ensure they

have all of the required entry skills prior to beginning the training. c. Posttest: Learners will be required to complete a paper-based posttest that

will cover all of the subordinate skills learned during the training.


V. Follow-through activities a. Memory aids for retention: A paper job aid covering skill 3.1 (determining

whether a number list or bullet list is appropriate), skill 3.4 (select of style of header/footer), and skill 4.2 (select bibliography style) will be provided. These are the most intellectual skills covered, and the job aid will assist in memory retention after successful completion of the course.

b. Transfer considerations: Students will work through the presented skills in Microsoft Word throughout the training in order to practice each skill. The English teachers will also provide feedback and answer any outstanding student questions once they have graded the completed training assessments.


Formative Evaluation

Plan and Procedures In order to assess the effectiveness of the instructional materials, we will conduct one on one formative evaluations with three students in our target age population. We will conduct the one on one evaluations in the learners home environment. We believe this environment will be appropriate at it is likely to be consistent with the performance environment. We followed the following procedures for our evaluation:

1. We developed a list of questions (see Results Report below) to ask during the evaluation. We ensured that the questions aligned with our Instructional Strategy. The questions were asked verbally and documented by the interviewer.

2. We identified three participants within the target age range. 3. We informed the parents and participants of our project and obtained parental

approval. 4. We provided the participants with a hard copy of the instructional material and a

soft copy of the post test. 5. We observed the participants completing the training material. During the

observation we also documented the time for the instruction and the time for the post test.

6. Following the completion of the instruction and post test we asked the identified questions to the participants.

7. The feedback was documented in the reports summary.

Results Report The following report is a summary of our formative evaluation. It contains a description of the students and the context and conditions in which the evaluation was conducted. During the evaluation, each participant completed the instructional training, knowledge checks throughout the instruction and the posttest. The performance data including accuracy on the knowledge checks through the instruction and the posttest are included along with the learner's attitude during the instruction. Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Method 1 on 1 1 on 1 1 on 1 Context Learning and

Performance Learning and Performance

Learning and Performance

Age 15 13 15 Grade 10th 9th 10th Gender Female Female Male Instruction Start Time 3:05 pm 1:10pm 2:25pm End Time 3:35pm 1:48pm 2:47pm Duration 30 minutes 38 min 22 min Post Test Start Time 3:35pm 1:49pm 2:51pm End Time End Time 3:40pm 1:57pm 2:55pm Duration 5 minutes 8 minutes 4 minutes Questions on Strategy

1a. Gain attention and motivate

Did the instructional

Yes Yes No, too many pages


materials appear interesting?

1b. Describe objectives

Were the objectives clear?

Yes, very organized and professional.

Did not understand what “review” a document meant

Yes

1c. Describe prerequisite skills

Did you understand what skills you needed to know prior to starting?

Yes, very easy. Everyone knows how to do this.

Yes Yes

2a. Content Was the content easy to understand and follow?

Overall, it is very organized and easy to understand. There’s a mistake on page 3 (you will be learn how to). On page 4, Access and Navigate the Backstage – it was unclear if I am supposed to go the backstage view now. The pictures are great. I like how it shows you what to do.

Yes, the pictures made it easy to understand.

Yes, I liked the pointing hand on the pictures and the step by step instructions.

Were there any words that you did not understand?

I didn’t understand the backstage view at first, but once I read a little farther, I understood it.

I don’t understand Backstage view

No

2b. Guidance Did you need any help in understanding what to do?

No Yes, I wasn’t sure what to do about the header and footer.

No it was simple.

3a. Practice tests Were the practice examples helpful?

Yes, the knowledge checks are good; they keep you on your toes

Yes, it was a good reminder.

Kind of, they were pretty simple.

3b. Feedback Did the materials provide you with enough feedback to confirm that you were on the right track?

Yes It would be nice to have someone to ask questions to. I wanted to know if certain formatting styles (ie font / header & footer) are better to use than others.

Yes

4a. Assessment – entry skills

Was it clear what skills you needed to know prior to

Yes Yes Yes


starting? 4b. Assessment – Pretest

Was it clear what skills you needed to know prior to starting?

Yes Yes Yes

4c. Assessment - Posttest

Was the post test easy to understand?

There was some confusion on the instructions. Initially, I thought the post test was to create a new document. It was initially unclear that the post test document was already created and just needed to be modified.

Yes, it was easy to understand

Yes, it made sense. I wish the examples during the session were already typed in and provided so I wouldn’t have to type.

Did the activities in the post test relate well to the materials you learned?

Yes Yes Yes

5a. Memory aid Is the job aid helpful?

5b. Transfer considerations

Did you find it easy to follow allow? Any points of difficulty?

Yes I got confused at the header and footer section. I thought I needed to enter words in the header and footer but wasn’t sure what to enter.

Yes, it was easy to follow.

What suggestions do you have to improve the training?

None that I can think of.

Could we just email the file to our teacher?

I’d like it better if it were a game online.

Did any part seem inadequate?

No I’d like more instruction on the header and footer section.

No, it was ok. The packet looked really big at first but it was pretty quick to go through.

Accuracy on Knowledge Checks

What was the learner's accuracy on the Knowledge Check?

100% 100% 100%

Accuracy on Posttest

What was the learner's accuracy on the Posttest?

100% 100% 100%

Attitude What was the Positive attitude Positive attitude Reluctant at first but


learner's attitude while completing the instructional materials

during entire training session

during entire training session

felt more comfortable as the training progressed


Suggestions for Revision Upon review of the evaluations, we feel confident that our training is both appropriate and effective as planned. The suggestions for revision below only stand to make it even better.

Mode of Delivery Based upon comments given during the one-on-one evaluations, we believe there is room for improvement on the mode of delivery for this course. Given the time and resources to move forward with this project, we would move the content from a Word document loaded on a CD-ROM to a self-directed online module created in a program such as Adobe Captivate. This revision could assist with holding the attention of participants by making it more interactive and possibly even turning the assessments into something of a game, as one participant requested.

Assessments A pretest, which was omitted by design, could prove to be more successful than initially thought. The evaluations show that even though the participants suggested that the content was “easy”, each of the three still walked away with at least one question. By asking them to complete a pretest that they may not be able to ace as they likely expect, it could help participants find more value in the training and pay closer attention.

Built-in Help Features A few content questions were brought up during the evaluations that centered on confusion over some of the technical terms utilized. The addition of an accompanying data dictionary that defined key terms could assist with this. If combined with an online module, this could be embedded into the content so that the participant could mouse over these terms to see a small popup with more information about the word or phrase in question, which would save time and confusion simultaneously.

A home on the web Social networking applications, such as the free Twiducate, could provide an interesting home for either the training in its current Microsoft Word format or a self-directed module as suggested above. Value adds would include having a home on the web for ease of access and a discussion board where students could ask outstanding questions and receive answers from peers or even teacher moderators. Additionally, students could submit their assignments electronically through this format to streamline the process for both the participant and the teacher.

Expanding to new target audiences As a few of our evaluations pointed out, much of the content is already understood or even “easy” for many members of the target audience. Although this suggestion is not a true revision for this project, it did occur to us after the evaluations that this same training could benefit adult students going to college for the first time even more than new high school students. There is an even greater need for this group as they are generally less familiar with Microsoft Word than the original target audience, and they are generally expected to get up to speed on this topic very quickly upon beginning classes. The training, with or


without the above suggested revisions, would be a perfect fit for first time, non-traditional college students.

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