In order to enhance understanding of benefits and influences of quality child care among the general public, a web-based interactive instructional program (lesson) is being developed. The lesson will be one of outreach services that the Child and Family Development unit at the UGA Cooperative Extension provides available to the public.
The lesson will be web-based so that learners will be able to access it at any time and from anywhere with a proper Internet connection. The average learners are expected to have at least an 8 th grade reading level, and most are likely to have high school or postsecondary education. Due to the fact that learners will more likely have various types of Internet connections, using complex and sophisticated multimedia such as animation and audio is deliberately limited.
The lesson will begin with an eye-catching splash screen followed by a short intro. Learners will initiate the lesson by choosing a key question from the six key questions as the primary navigation method. Four key questions, why does quality matter, what does quality look like, what types of child care are available, and how do I make the transition into child care easier for me and my child, will provide a series of descriptive information followed by a simple quiz. The fourth key question, h ow do I choose a quality child care program , is the “Interactive Guide to Choosing Quality Child Care”. Learners will be exposed to a situational problem-solving scenario where learners will be asked to provide information related to child care needs. Once adequate answers are selected by learners, the unit will generate customized report to suit individual needs based on the information provided. Learners will then be able to print out the customized report as well as the checklist for visiting child care programs. The key question w here can I go for help choosing child care will direct learners to a pool of resources with brief descriptions. It is expected to take approximately 30 minutes for average learners to complete the lesson.
The two most common tests – Alpha test and Beta test – will be conducted as the formative evaluation. The alpha test is the major test of the lesson by the design and development team as well as the subject matter experts, whereas the beta test is a full test of the final product by the clients and participants from the target audience (Alessi & Trollip, 2001).
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