Roadmap to Graduation
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Transcript of Roadmap to Graduation
Roadmap to Graduation
Janis A. Rizzo5387 Publications Management
Dr. Craig BaehrTexas Tech University
Spring 2010
Project Development
Based on
Information Development:Managing Your Documentation Projects,
Portfolios, and Peopleby
JoAnn T. Hackos
Getting started
First Class, First DayQuestions on My Mind
What’s an English MOO?
How do you set up a website portfolio?
What are single-sourcing methodologies and technologies?
First Day, End of ClassQuestions on My Mind
How little can someone know about a subject?
What did I get myself into?
Brainstorming project ideas
Choosing a project
Finding legacy documents
Selecting a project title
Defining two deliverables
Blog comments:I’ve had to produce
some potential projects from which to choose my class project. My suggestions lack creativity, substance, and interest. Bad start.
Phase 1: Planning
Abstract
The graduation requirements set by the Texas Education Agency (TEA) are the basis for the project. In the past seven years, TEA has published three different sets of graduation requirements depending on the year the student entered 9th grade.
The Round Rock Independent School District (RRISD) must be compliant with the TEA requirements. To this end, they have established several different programs for graduation over the years: Summa Cum Laude, Distinguished Achievement, Recommended, Round Rock Advanced, Texas Scholars Recommended and High School Program. RRISD also publishes the requirements and course information in its annual course catalogs.
The project will be to inform students of and set up an interactive program for them to track their progress through the requirements of their chosen program.
Understand goals and objectives
Simplify the process of retrieving the requirements for individual students based upon the year they entered high school
Define the different programs Delineate the required components of each program Document the courses from the Round Rock
Independent School District Catalog that would fulfill the requirements
Set up a program for students to track their progress through the requirements
Stimulate use of the program by informing students of its development through a print document
Understand information needs of audience
There are three user groups for the project: students, parents and educators
All of the users have the same need of accumulating data to determine if the students are completing the requirements specific to the program they have chosen
Select legacy documents
Round Rock ISD: Graduation Requirements
http://roundrockisd.org/index.aspx?page=56
Round Rock ISD Course Catalogs High School and Middle School
2009-2010 http://roundrockisd.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=119302008-2009 http://roundrockisd.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=119292007-2008 http://roundrockisd.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=119262006-2007 http://roundrockisd.org/Modules/ShowDocument.aspx?documentid=11924
Texas Education Agency High School Graduation Requirements
http://www.tea.state.tx.us/index3.aspx?id=3286&menu_id=793
Define scope of deliverables
The two deliverables will be: an interactive website where users will be
able to determine what the graduation requirements are for their chosen program, then enter past, present, and projected courses to help determine the student's path to graduation
a brochure or flyer to advertise the website
Develop project schedule
Define requirements for final production
Website will have multiple pages with links that guide students to the appropriate set of graduation requirements
A form will allow students to pull up course information and choose the courses that they will use to fulfill requirements
Course credits will be tracked on the formFlyer will engage, inform and direct
students to the website
Evaluate project dependencies and risks
Product stability. This product is totally stable during the course of this project. The Texas Education Agency does not have changes to high school graduation requirements during this school year. There is significant expectation, however, that requirements will change in the future.
Information availability. The information being used for the project is public information and is clear and concise and readily available.
Prototype availability. There is no prototype for the project, just public information in list format for both the high school requirements and Round Rock Independent School District course descriptions.
SME availability. Since my web design experience is essentially non-existent, I will need to depend on subject-matter experts to help with training and guidance throughout the project. I will probably need to seek out someone with more experience in web design as there will be some complexity in the operation of the site.
Review experience. I will be asking my four children, all graduates of Round Rock ISD high schools to evaluate the project and its usefulness.
Technical experience. Understanding the material about the project is not an issue, but my technical skill in web design approaches zero, so there will be a significant learning curve. The production of the brochure/flyer will be easier as I do have experience in desktop publishing, although I have not decided as yet what program I will use for the design.
Writing and design experience. I have some writing and design experience that I would categorize as average to above average. Integrating the use of different technologies for the design will create a need for training and extend the amount of time needed for the project.
Audience understanding. This aspect needs to be investigated as there will be multiples users, i.e. students, educators, parents, who will each have different technological skills and information needs. The focus of the three groups will vary somewhat, even with the unified need to ensure in advance that high school graduation requirements are being met.
Team experience. Not applicable. Team of one makes this a non-issue.
Tools experience. This is an area of weakness, in particular the tools and technologies for web design but the desire to learn will offset this somewhat. Production of the brochure/flyer will be easier due to some experience designing similar products.
Phase 2: design
Conduct user and task analysis
Students May have difficulty holding on to flyer with website address Will be able to access and use website without problems May be least interested in utilizing the site
Parents May have trouble receiving information about the availability
of the site May have technological difficulties using the site
Counselors Will be able to readily access the website Will be most informed about availability and usefulness
Participate in training
Training requirements:Learn Microsoft
Expression Web 3Refresh Adobe
PhotoshopLearn upgrade
changes to Microsoft Office Enterprise
Learn basic XML, CSS
Blog comments: I am so excited. I bought
a book to learn the software since the videos and tutorials I've seen don't seem to have any order to them and I can't waste a lot of time on training. The book promises it can teach me the basics of the MS Expression Web 3 in 24 hours. One down; 23 to go.......
Understand the marketing goals and objectives
High school counselors will have flyers available for distribution
Flyer will be uploaded to each class websiteWebsite address will be advertised on
RRISD website and counselors’ home pages Website address will be sent to e-mail
newsletters for distribution to parentsArticle will be written and sent to high
school newspapers for printing
Define usability goals
Make flyer engaging to students to encourage participation
Make flyer information readily available to parents so that they know about the website
Make website simple to use and the form easy to understand for adults with fewer computer skills
Ensure website information is accurate and up-to-date to minimize questions for counselors
Define information structure
Flyer single graphic with overlay of information about
use and availability of websiteWebsitehome page with matching graphic which tells
student to click on year he/she entered high schoolprogram page defines programs for that year and
compares requirements, then tells student to select his/her program
form page lists all categories of subjects with drop-down menus containing potential required courses, plus a place to list any elective courses and credits
Define deliverables
Flyer – classified as single-sourcing level 2: static customized content. The content is single-sourced, but there is additional information that is provided for this particular product, i.e. the announcement of the website to the appropriate users which describes the purpose of and access to the website program.
Website -- would be classified as single-sourcing level 3:
dynamic customized content. This category includes elements that are stored in drop-down menus, such as the Round Rock ISD catalog courses. Access will be by user selection with the user determining what information he wants to view and each user will see different data depending on their input.
Phase 3: development
Develop new content
Design graphic and text with roadmap theme for flyer
Design layout of tables to maximize quick comparison of programs
Make instructions simple and clearOrganize classes into subject matter and
required vs. electiveDesign form with drop-down menus listing
all options to minimize confusion
Revise draft content based on feedback from smes
Make flyer less busyReduce number of street signsEliminate route numbersReduce number of town namesReduce opacity of backgroundChange font and spacing in text box
WebsiteChange font colors
Edit content for structure and style
Add program names to the navigation bar
Add FAQs Add ContactsAdd advanced
classes earlier for students with advanced placement
Add links to RRISD course catalogs as a reference
Blog comments My plan was to use
Expression Web and not do anymore of that tedious hand coding. But Dr. Baehr was a tricky prof when he made us do the XML scripting exercise. Clearly he knew that we would have to do some coding in our projects. And so I have.
Edit content for compliance with templates
Use Dynamic Web Template to simplify production and revision of multiple pages
Define non-editable areas
Phase 4: Production
Plan and manage production activities
Use Adobe Photoshop to design flyer
Send flyer to printer for production
Use Microsoft Expression Web 3 to develop website
Investigate and choose web server for publication of website
Publish website
Blog comments I was high on getting my project
underway, just having some minor issues with links. So I decided to start on my database. Piece of cake. Then I figured I could work on the form. Simple again. Then wham, a wall. Apparently combining those two is complicated, so complicated that my more detailed reference doesn't cover it except to say it's beyond the scope of the book. Hey, I'm realistic. I can barely interpret that book, so there is no way I can take on a bigger challenge.
Select and contract with production vendors
Get department head signature on form for in-district cost savings
Schedule flyer printing with RRISD Media Shop
Arrange upload to RRISD and high school websites through Information Technology Services
Run pre-production tests on draft content
Ensure version of graphic is same throughout website
Ensure links connect to correct program requirements
Verify completeness of course options against master list
Verify program requirements against TEA tables
Conduct production edit
Manual checks: Be sure not to convey information using color alone Provide sufficient contrast for low-vision users Be sure to include a document type declaration Be sure that you are using style sheets to control layout and
presentation Identify language changes in the document Be sure that equivalents for dynamic content are current Be sure that dynamic content is accessible or provide an
alternative Avoid causing screen flicker Do not create automatically refreshing pages
Do not automatically redirect pages Do not cause pop-ups Use the latest W3C technologies If you are unable to make an accessible page, create an
alternative page Websites and pages should provide semantic information and
orientation Websites and pages should provide layout information Use of navigation should be consistent throughout your
website Use the clearest and simplest language appropriate for this
content Provide a method for the user to skip repetitive links If a time-based response is required, provide an alert allowing
the user to request more time
Warnings: Verify that this document can be read with style sheets turned off If this is a complex data table, identify structure and groupings If this table is used for layout, make sure it makes sense when
linearized If this table is used for layout, do not use structural format for
visual formatting Ensure that implicitly associated labels for form controls are
properly positioned Large blocks of information should be grouped so they are more
manageable If you use electronic forms, ensure that they can be completed
using assistive devices
Incompatibility The W3C now regards the attribute “align” as outdated. Newer
constructs are recommended
Perform final quality assurance checks on all rendered output
Flyer proofread All information links
operationalAll navigational links
operationalForms working
correctlySpell-check
completed
Blog commentsOkay, so I thought I
could call this one "Totally Done". But it's not! After more frustrating work than writing the entire program, I finally got the website published. Then I got to view it. Yahoo! Boo hoo. Home page, first look, failed graphic.
Phase 5: evaluation
Deliverable: flyer
Deliverable: website
http://jamstx.com
Accumulate and analyze project data
Resources required:Team of one – Salary $0Training materials – one reference book – est. $30Software programs:
◦Microsoft Expression Web 3 - $137.46◦Adobe Photoshop – available◦Microsoft Access 2007 - available
Web host – est. $15Domain name - $15
Compare estimates with actuals
Training materials – required two booksSoftware programs – didn’t need Microsoft
Access 2007 since canceled databaseDid not track training or production hoursCost:
Programs free or availableReference materials - $ 56.27Publication expenses - $25.06
Under budget by $116.13
Prepare project’s final report
Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007 presentation prepared
Based on Hackos’ Information-Development Life Cycle
Deliverables loaded to portfolio website at www.janisrizzo.weebly.com/project.html
Presentation to 5387 Publications Management class on 4/22/10
Hold “lessons learned” review
Expect that some part of the project will be revised, no matter how well-defined it is
Learning new technologies takes more time than expected
Clear, concise information and training is not readily available
Close attention to resource and time utilization is critical to staying on track
Collect customer feedback
Graphic much improved after revision to make less busy, yet “confusing” signs and text could still stand out more
Good, simple, clean designExcellent idea to use drop-down lists to
choose required courses
Identify problems and correct
Change “About” to “Disclaimer”Correct dropped letters on title barCorrect loading issue on homepage
graphicFormat tablesFix internal link problemsFix loading issues on publication
Revision suggestions
Need “Save” button on formsNeed “Print” button on formsIncorporate database to hold course
information so ~400 electives can be loadedAdd submit link to student’s counselor
depending on high school, grade and last name
Add Webmaster contact informationTotal credits automatically
acknowledgements
Dramatic thank yous to:
Dr. Craig Baehr -- for developing a course structure that was engaging and informational
Bea, Melody, Ali, Jennifer, Bill, Cary, Heather, Kelli and Ashley -- for allowing me to exponentially increase my learning through your comments and work output
My SMEs who provided excellent overall critiques and help with my graphic design