Developing Online Tutorials for Patron and Staff Instruction
An Infopeople Online Learning Course
Dates: Tuesday, October 16, 2012 – Monday, November 12, 2012
Fee: $75 for those in the California library community and Infopeople Partners, $150 for all others (about payment)
Instructor: Dawne Tortorella
From library tours to task-oriented skill building and staff training, this course will provide options for developing effective online tutorials. Unleash your creative juices to maximize use of resources and services by producing engaging online tutorials for your patrons and staff!
- Have you ever found yourself explaining or demonstrating the same process over and over to users or staff?
- Ever wished you could refer users to online sources for standard information and skill-building, freeing your time to address more in-depth questions?
- Do you know of a particular service or resource that challenges your users or staff?
- Could your online videos and screencasts reach a larger user community?
This course will provide a structure for developing short online tutorials targeted to specific library users, staff, applications, services, and resources. Through an exploration of available free and industry-leading tools, we will examine the process for creating online tutorials, promoting their availability, incorporating them into training programs, and reusing content and assets in your tutorial development efforts. We will examine the use of screencasting to produce video-based modules that can be accessed both within the library and from remote locations via the web.
In this course, Dawne Tortorella will help you:
- Track and evaluate appropriate tutorial topics for both staff and users.
- Develop a storyboarding process for rapid outline of tutorial content.
- Create online tutorials using free and low-cost software and web-based tools.
- Publish and publicize online tutorials to your library users.
Course Description: This four-week course includes weekly course reading and examples, as well as assignment options and discussions, to be done anytime during the week. You will choose from several assignment options to plan, create, publish, and promote online tutorials – you choose a path that matches your experience. You will learn from example, as well as review detailed steps to create your own tutorials. The instructor will provide practical tips and techniques that will enable you to create useful tutorials within tight time and budget constraints.
Preliminary Course Outline: Using your web browser and your Internet connection, you will log in to the Infopeople online learning site and complete the following learning modules:
- Week 1: Planning: Identifying Tutorial Topics and Developing Content
- Develop a fluid and responsive method of identifying tutorials topics for library users and staff
- Follow a template for storyboarding tutorial content.
- Write tutorial scripts to guide demonstration of applications and information sources.
- Week 2: Creation: Screencasting Tools and Best Practices
- Capture critical screenshots to be used in tutorial production.
- Use free software and web-based tools to produce screencasts.
- Convert PowerPoint presentations into video recordings.
- Adding Closed Captions to Screencast videos
- Week 3: Publishing: Producing and Hosting Online Tutorial Series
- Understand best practices for file types and screen dimensions used in screencasting and video production.
- Create an inventory of media assets for reuse in your tutorial production.
- Publish screencasts and videos to the web and embed within web pages and social media.
- Week 4: Promoting: Leveraging Tutorials and Evaluating Use
- Reuse online tutorials by promoting to targeted audiences through channels of library communication and promotion.
- Rapidly deploy instructional modules to maximize just-in-time learning.
- Evaluate metrics and content to determine lifespan of online tutorials.
Pre-course Assignment: While the majority of work can be accomplished using free web-based tools, PowerPoint as a base application will be used for storyboarding. In addition, for optimal engagement and experience, learners may choose to access trial versions of software reviewed in the course. Some free tools used in the course may require a download and install.
Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2½ hours per week, for a total of 10 course hours. You can work on the assignment options and discussions at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, but it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.
Who Should Take This Course: Anyone involved in providing training and information sessions for users and staff in all types of libraries. If you’ve ever answered a question from a user or colleague, demonstrated the answer on your computer, or walked them through the steps on the phone, you are a candidate for this course.
Online Learning Details and System Requirements may be found at: infopeople.org/training/online_learning_details.
Payment: Your invoice will be emailed to the email address of the person who completed the registration. If that is not the person paying the invoice please forward invoice to the appropriate person. Payment is due within 30 days. If you have any questions about your invoice or payment please contact Gini Ambrosino at assist@infopeople.org.
Course Start: This online learning course starts on Tuesday October 16, 2012.
After the official end date for the course, the instructor will be available for limited consultation and support for two more weeks, and the course material will stay up for an additional two weeks after that. These extra weeks give those who have fallen behind time to work independently to complete the course.
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