Initiating the Project
According to Lynch and Roecker (2010) every organization and each project will have its own specific requirements, so a project manager will need to customize these requirements for that specific organizational culture and for that project’s circumstances. In this context, agile design models will comprise a solid reference for this project’s manager and the team members, all of whom seek to successfully initiate, plan, execute, control, and close this technology-based training project at a higher educational institution.
There will be three major deliverables in the initiating phase of this online teacher training new program: 1) Building a strong business case with a solid project charter, 2) stating the scope of the preliminary project, and 3) securing an effective participation of all team members that support the development of the project (Lynch & Roecker, 2007).
Regarding the first deliverable in this phase, this proposed action plan will serve as a concrete project that will provide a good pitch to all executive sponsors with whom a continuing relationship will be sustained for the duration of the project. Managing a new project in any organization takes time, resources, as well as collaborative efforts to plan, design, develop, and evaluate the outcome. Thus, a project charter will guide the first stage of initiating this project, and then allow for effective project management and development actions within any higher educational organization.
According to Dick, Carey, and Carey (2009), the planning of DE is critical and it takes an inclusion of all of the different components that play a crucial role in the successful design, delivery, and evaluation of a DE course including learners, the content itself, the course delivery method, learning environment, technological tool(s), and others. Adapting the similar approach to their systems approach to DE course design and delivery, Moore and Kearsley (2012), too, emphasized the importance of using all of the necessary components and subcomponents of the school system—both in traditional, face-to-face and online, asynchronous, virtual learning environments. Most importantly, if the instructor and designer of this online, asynchronous course manages to incorporate into the course curriculum some of the subtle elements such as culture, diversity in learning styles (Bloom, 1968), languages, educational backgrounds, learning goals, preferences, needs, interests, she will end up successfully designing, developing, and delivering effective and efficient instruction pertinent to the various topics taught.