Skylands Learning is your trusted learning advisor. That is our promise your trusted learning advisor. Four simple words.

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2 METHODOLOGY Who we are Skylands Learning is your trusted learning advisor. That is our promise your trusted learning advisor. Four simple words. Not enough information? At Skylands, we have an experienced team of learning specialists that Design, Develop and Deliver: courses; learning environments; learning needs analysis; online and offline learning packages; learning pathways for different types of users; and so on. Most Learning companies do. We have a clear learning methodology based on our collective experience working with a variety of industries and organisations. Again, most learning companies have one. So what makes us different? What are the key things we can offer you? If you have an idea and the knowledge we can turn it into a learning reality. If you have an idea and require the knowledge we can turn it into a learning reality. This is where we hope to earn your trust: Just because you can do it, does not mean you should do it. We don t design or develop what you think you need, we deliver what you really do need. The way we work is to find out what you really need and turn that into a reality. You may know what your staff needs to understand to be able to do their job effectively within your organisation. However, there is a big difference between knowledge and understanding. Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Understanding is not putting it in the fruit salad. Miles Kington said that and so do we. That is why when Skylands Learning meets you from the first time until the last, we promise that our aim is to always ask, What do you need? never What do you want? this is the way we have earned the trust of our clients. Page 2 of 12

3 Skylands 3D methodology Our methodology is simple, it s the Skylands 3D approach: Design, Develop and Deliver. We want to make sure we build a three-dimensional, real world and practical learning environment for you and your staff. Our experience has taught us that the more time spent in designing what you really need, will guarantee less time developing and building it. This will ultimately deliver the right tool to the right staff at the right time. Working with Skylands 3D Most learning company methodologies are made up of a combination of the three D s, Design, Develop and Deliver, so what makes ours different? It starts with the main philosophy of Skylands Learning, which is the best teachers never stop being students. We want you to get what you need (the end product we create with you) and we want you to learn something new as you work with us, something you will be able to use in other parts of your work or life. The more engaged you are the better the outcome will be and the more you will learn along the way. Every piece of work we do at Skylands Learning we call a project. Why? Because any task that involves more than one step will lead to more than one action. Step back and think about it. Buying a paper is that one step? Probably not if you are in your house, you will need to: check the weather to decide on what to wear; drive or walk; check you have change for paper; think about other things you could get at same time; do you need to be back by a certain time. Even a simple task can be made-up of many decisions and actions, to make sure we don t miss any of them while doing your work; we turn your task into a project. Some projects, (like buying a paper), are small and the decisions and actions are often straightforward, however, when projects last more than a week, the number of decisions and actions can become complicated. Our Skylands 3D methodology is designed in such a way that we all know what s next. Page 3 of 12

4 Whatever size your project is, we do two things: 1. Apply the Skylands 3D method we make sure we get it right, get it done and get it out there by following each step in the Design, Develop and Deliver phases. 2. Create a Project Dashboard we provide you with all the information you need at your fingertips, so you know where we are in the process and what decisions or actions you and/or Skylands need to do next. Working through Skylands 3D Each of the Skylands 3D phases are made up of steps, the further through the process you are, the less steps are needed. We believe that the more time spent in design (in getting it right) then the more time (and money) is saved in the costlier development and delivery stages Measure twice, cut once. That is why one crucial step appears often in the Skylands 3D methodology Step Back. When we have finished one step, we step back and review what we ve done. We ask, Did we get it right? We then ask you to confirm we got it right. So let s look at the phases in detail. Design Get it Right The first phase is Design and its purpose is to Get it Right. 70% of your work in the project should be done here. This is your chance to explain what you want; it is our chance to step back and to create what you need. The more time spent during the Design phase the better the final result. Design MTG Create Learning Outline Create Storyboard Next Phase DESIGN Step back Step Back Step Back DEVELOP So, what happens at each step? Design Meeting (MTG): The Design MTG is the first step in your project and usually lasts between one and two hours. By the end of the meeting we will have gathered the requirements of the learning you want to create. Based on this information, we will return a Proposal that outlines the way we will move forward. This is just the first step in the Design phase but it is the most important step in the whole project to make sure we Get it Right. Any design phase must begin with a thought, an idea. Based on that idea, people will generally decide on one of two directions, either to: Accept it and develop the idea into a plan to move forward, or Reject it and think of another idea Page 4 of 12

5 There is a third way that we use at Skylands, we call it, Mind The Gap or MTG for short. So what is the third way, what do we mean by Mind The Gap? Skylands is in the business of identifying gaps between where you currently are and where you want to be. We are looking to improve your business not only in the short term but also in the long term. What you do now will affect the future, so we want to make sure what you do now is right. We do that by analysing what you think you need (your idea) and via the Design MTG use our experience to work out what you actually need now and in the future. Sometimes it is the same but more importantly sometimes it is not that s why we are here, to help you Get it right. At Skylands, we know that you have the knowledge and understanding of your subject matter and we have the knowledge and understanding in designing effective, usable and relevant learning. This is a partnership where we translate your knowledge into effective learning for your audience. The Design MTG answers three important questions you need to ask at the start of any project, they are: What? What is it you want to create? This is the time to use your experience to tell us what you want, time to list all the details and requirements of the learning you want created. We use the Design MTG to fill-in the Requirements document that defines the details of the learning to be created. This is the time we work together to find out what your goal is. So what? What is it we need to create? This is the time to reflect on what you want versus what you actually need, time for us to mind-the-gap. Using our Skylands MTG method, we discuss your requirements with you and find out how to reach your goal effectively. We like to understand the requirements first and then refine it to a clear and simple one-sentence vision. This is a one-line statement that reminds us that the ultimate goal is to achieve our objective. Now what? What are the next steps? This is the time to modify our actions based on what you really need. We review and confirm the actions discussed during the Design MTG and set up the Project Dashboard. The Project Dashboard includes: Requirements document details the requirements of your learning project, such as, what is its objective, who is it aimed at, what should the content contain. Proposal document based on the Requirements document, Skylands will send you a Proposal document that outlines: what you need; various options of how we can create what you need; the main milestones in the project and the expected delivery date of the final product. This will be returned within 3 working days of the Design MTG. Page 5 of 12

6 At this point, we recommend you take a Step Back and consider the options provided and decide on how you want to proceed. Based on our recommendations you may need to reevaluate how you want to continue. Step Back: We believe it is crucial that through each of the Skylands 3D stages we periodically Step Back. What this means, is we give you time to review the current work done, take stock of the direction in which we intend to proceed and agree with our recommendations. This way you know what is going on, what is expected of you and what is going to be delivered. Once you have selected the options from the Proposal document, Skylands will set up the project team led by a Learning Consultant who will be your main point of contact. Skylands will review the Requirements document based on the options you have selected and work out what resources are needed by you and us to complete the project. In discussion with you, we will refine the Requirements document so we all have a clear understanding of what the end product will contain. Requirements document this document is reviewed by Skylands and after further discussion with you it is completed. This becomes the template of how the project will proceed. Create Learning Outline: The next step in the Design phase is to create a learning outline. A learning outline is the structure for each element of the learning created. For example, if the end product is to develop one 20 minute e-learning session, the learning outline will be used to structure the content, such as: what subject areas will be covered; how users should navigate through the learning; which subject should be tackled first. In addition, for larger projects, we would need to look at: how the e-learning sessions should be ordered; do sessions build on a previous session s content; do all learners need to complete all sessions; which sessions are mandatory. Whether we are creating learning content (such as, e-learning / face-to-face courses) or learning strategies (such as a learning needs analysis) a learning outline is an important step to ensure we Get it Right. Step Back: Learning Outline document this document shows how the whole of the learning content to be created is structured and fits together. It is important that we Step Back often, especially in the Design phase because most of your time in the project is spent in design. As we begin to explore and delve deeper into the detailed content of the learning, changes are likely to occur and may need to be addressed. Taking time to Step Back and deal with changes now is much more cost-effective than Page 6 of 12

7 during the Development or Delivery stages where products have already been created at the moment, during the Design stage it only exists on paper and can be changed quickly. At Skylands, we estimate that 70% of your time is spent in the Design phase and the Development and Delivery stages will progress both faster and smoother as a result of more time spent in Design. Learning Outline document sign off this is a formal agreement by you that you agree with the work and recommendations put forward in the Learning Outline document. Request for Change document this document is used when you request changes that are significantly different from the original Proposal document. This document will be written by the Learning Consultant in consultation with you and passed to Skylands for review. Create Storyboard: This step is the development of the content for each learning chunk identified in the Learning Outline document. This is the crunch-time this is when we create the learning material that will be built in the Development stage. This is the step where you use your knowledge as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) to create the learning material. This is also the step where we use our knowledge of designing informative and interactive learning material as Instructional Designers (IDs) to make sure the subject matter (i.e. content) is created according to what you need. This is also the fun-time the point where you may learn new ways of communicating your subject matter to learners. For Skylands, this is the time where we get to learn more about your subject matter, which may be a new subject area for us. Whenever we create any type of learning content, we create a Storyboard. A Storyboard shows the logical flow of content from one subject to another as well as instructions on how the learner will navigate through the material and the type of assets (graphics, videos, animations) that will be used. ID meetings these are scheduled meetings between your SME and our ID to work together to create a storyboard. The ID s main aim during the meeting is of course to gather subject matter content from SMEs but we also aim to tell you a bit about instructional design, that is, how certain types of information is best communicated to learners. Storyboards created a separate Storyboard is created for each learning chunk that makes up the end product. For larger projects that include the production of Apps for mobile phones or the implementation of a Learning Management System, the Project Dashboard will be extended to include relevant documents such as: Mock-ups, Functional Specification and Implementation Plan documents. Page 7 of 12

8 Step Back: After creating the Storyboards, we again Step Back and review the design work that has currently been done by the SME and ID. As part of the Storyboard creation, there will be time to review and edit the work done and make changes to the individual learning elements. In Step Back, you will review all of the learning material (content) to make sure it fits with the criteria described in the Learning Outline document. This step is the last opportunity to make changes to the learning material (content) before they are formally signed-off and move to the Development stage. Remember, it is more economical to make changes during the Design stage than at the Development or Delivery stage that is why we include this Step Back. Storyboard document sign off formal documented sign off that the content is accurate and complete. Learning Outline schedule sign off formally agree that all learning material in the project has been completed. End of Design phase meeting arranged - your Learning Consultant will meet with you to review the Learning Outline document and explain the next steps involved in the Development stage of the project. Next Phase: The project will now move to the next phase of the Skylands 3D methodology, which is the Develop stage. For larger projects that include tens or hundreds of learning sessions, we will recommend in the Learning Outline document to stagger the Design, Develop and Deliver stages. Develop Get it Done The second phase in Skylands 3D is Develop and its purpose is to Get it Done. This is the time when Skylands will create your learning material based on the Storyboards created in the Design stage. DEVELOP Build Prototype FINAL Build Next Phase DELIVER Step Step Let s look at each step. Page 8 of 12

9 Build Prototype: The first step in the Develop stage is to build a prototype of what the learning material will look like. Is it important to build a prototype? At Skylands, we believe it is very important, whatever the size of your project how you communicate is as important as what you communicate. It doesn t matter how good your content is if it is communicated badly. Here are a few examples of prototypes: E-Learning session the prototype will show the overall design of the session, such as, navigation tools, how content will be laid out, typical order of screens, etc. Presentations the prototype will show the fonts used, corporate style guide adopted, typical sequence of slides, etc. Mobile Apps the prototype will show the layout of data, views of different screens, interactive elements of the screen, etc. At Skylands, we will only build what is appropriate for your project. In other words, the type and complexity of the prototype will depend on the size of your project. If your project needs just one e-learning session then the prototype will be the first learning objective of the session. However, if your project needs 100 e-learning sessions, three mobile Apps and five face-to-face courses, we would create a variety of prototypes and wireframes. As part of the original Design MTG, the number and complexity of prototypes would have been agreed and described in the Learning Outline document. Step Back: Access to prototypes you will be given access to each of the prototypes and changes can be discussed with your Learning Consultant. Again we must Step Back and this time review the prototypes with the intended audience (learners). Once you have agreed and signed-off the look and feel of the prototypes, Skylands will conduct some User Acceptance Testing (UAT) of the prototypes. The purpose of a UAT is to check that we did Get it Right during the Design stage of the project and we are communicating what you need to communicate to the learner. Conduct user testing a User Acceptance Test (UAT) is carried out by Skylands with potential end-users of the learning at your organisation. Review UAT results the Learning Consultant will create a report on the user testing and discuss the results with you to check what changes may be required. Page 9 of 12

10 Final Build: Now that we have checked with the learners that we got it right, Skylands can begin to build all the learning material. Your Learning Consultant will keep you up to date on the development of each learning chunk and when it will be ready to review as part of the Learning Outline document will be a schedule of when each item will be completed. Step Back: Weekly updates on the production of learning material your Learning Consultant will keep you informed on the progress of the project. Once all scheduled items have been created for the project, we do a final Step Back review. The purpose of this step is to formally agree that all items have been built as scheduled in the Learning Outline document and also to explain the next steps involved in the final Delivery stage of the project. Built session sign off formal documented sign off that the session is accurate after build. Learning Outline schedule sign off formally agree that all learning material in the project has been completed. Next Phase: The project will now move to the next phase of the Skylands 3D phases, which is the Delivery stage. Deliver Get it out there! The third and final phase in Skylands 3D is Deliver and its purpose is to Get it out there! This is when your learning material moves from a project to a product that is delivered to your learners. Here are the steps that make-up the Deliver stage: Deliver Product DELIVE END of Project Next Steps Page 10 of 12

11 Deliver Product: Skylands believe it is important that you acknowledge that once the learning material has been built and signed off in the Develop stage it is now a product. This is important because you need to recognise that you have completed the creation of the learning material and now need to deliver it often projects can stall as learning material is continually tweaked. That is why at Skylands, we spend the majority of the time at the Design stage, to avoid unnecessary tweaking at later stages. How we deliver the product will depend on what original requirements were established during the Design stage. For some projects, the delivery may be completed in phases over several weeks or months and for others it may be completed in one-day. The key point of this step is that you have a product that is now ready to be delivered and used by the learners. As part of this step, we will deliver the product to the learners in line with the instructions described in the Learning Outline document. Next Steps: Project sign off Formal documented sign off that project is complete. Deliver the product to learners how the product is delivered will be described in the Learning Outline document and implemented by your Learning Consultant. In most methodologies, once the product is delivered the project is finished in Skylands 3D we include Next Steps. At Skylands we want to be your trusted learning advisor to prove we can become that, we have developed our processes around finding-out what your organisation needs. Once we have delivered the product to you, and your learners have used it, we want to check that we did Get it Right, that we did deliver what you needed. To do this, we meet with you and some of your learners to gauge the reaction of the product and if it has positively affected them in their work practices. Conduct a Lessons Learned Exercise arrange a meeting between you and your Learning Consultant to discuss what went well during the project and how effective the product is within your organisation. Report back on lessons learned arrange a meeting with you to discuss the feedback from the Lessons Learned Exercise; review current trends in learning and what might apply to your organisation; and to discuss potential future developments to the product or future projects. Page 11 of 12

12 Your Trusted Learning Advisor Skylands have developed the Skylands 3D methodology for one purpose, that is, to make sure that whatever we create with you, we: Get it Right Get it Done Get it out there! We want to communicate what we have learned about learning so that you can be confident that you get what you need for your learners and enjoy the creation process as much as we do. Page 12 of 12