This training guides new volunteers through a non-profit organization's mission, background, and services. It instructs the volunteers on the history and funding of the organization, students, work expectations, and next steps. Articulate Rise was chosen as the development tool because it could rapidly develop content and incorporate 508 accessibility features, such as AI speech-to-text elements.

Purpose: Introduce new volunteers to the organization, work expectations, and adult learner information

Target Audience: New volunteer corps

Client: The Learning Source

Tools Used: Articulate Rise, Well-Said Labs (AI)

Year: 2023

URL: https://thelearningsource.org/new-volunteer-orientation/index.html#/

At the beginning of the project the client indicated that they would like to update existing training slides for their volunteers using Articulate Rise. They wanted to create an asynchronous and freely accessible training module for their new website, and they provided several requirements:

• Update old training slides and materials.

• Refresh content using a new video and photos.

• Match color schemes, logos, and brands throughout the materials.

• Incorporate activity learning features such as matching tasks and short scenario-based story.

• Insure SCORM 2.0 compliance and prepare files export to new website.

• Transfer Articulate Rise files to ensure files can be updated in the future.

In addition, I helped the client identify three other improvements:

• Include 508 accessibility features including (high contrast text, alternative text for images, and text-to-speech audio)

• Use of UDL features such as visual and graphic representations of information.

• Add a downloadable checklist of next steps to complete for the training process.

Volunteers are typically retirees, such as former teachers, who are looking for volunteer opportunities to make an impact in their community. They may also come from a range of backgrounds, countries, and primary languages. It was important for training information to be easily accessible, supported with videos and pictures, and clear and concise in message.

Interactive elements such as drop down lists, expandable tables, and sorting cards help introduce information in chunk-sized information for easy digestion. A video was also added to give the volunteers alternative way to learn about the organization.

Any instructional program, whether its for K-12 curriculum or a Fortune 500 company training program, requires clearly defined learning and performance goals. These goals are broken down into learning objectives and aligned to the assessments and activities. The picture below shows the alignment chart for this training project.

During the design stage, specific text was targeted to volunteers as a solution to a important problem. The text was also edited for consistency, message, and grammar. Videos and new photos were created to improve the quality of presentation. And, the text was carefully chunked into bite-size information and matched to text-to-speech audio files.

In this phase, learning objects were refined through an iterative process with the client feedback. The module was organized and edited accordingly. Learning activities, including a short scenario-based story from the view point of the volunteer was created to reinforce expectations when working with teachers.

Once the course was completed in Articulate Rise and the organization approved of the final edits, the course was created using the SCORM files standard and transferred to the client.  The client was able to upload the SCORM files to their website server where volunteers could access the training without using a password. Also, because the files were transferred to the client directly, the content of the files updated at a later date.

SCORM (Sharable Content Object Reference Model) is a set of technical standards developed between multiple organizations so that e-learning modules could be easily uploaded or transferred between Learning Management Systems (LMS), such as Blackboard or Canvas.  

SCORM file packages are created with a manifest and file structure using XML. Because the file structure is standardized, it makes the files portable and prevents rework if the content needs to change or moved to a different computer server. Articulate Rise and Storyboard 360 can automatically export content modules into SCORM packages and those files can be transfered to clients using the Articulate cloud or by zipping the files. Recently, more developers are using xAPI rather than SCORM because it can collect more data, and it is more flexible in creating learning objects.