Assignment 4.2: The Use Case Scenario 11 November 2014

Comments on Civ

Reacting by students

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=B3uCVqqIuM4

Assignment 4.2: The Use Case Scenario

INTRODUCTION

At this point you should have a pretty good idea of what your learning challenge is and how you plan to address it with educational technology. In this assignment you will think about the big picture of how your intervention fits into a learning ecosystem, and write up a use case scenario. This should give you more insight into what specific uses you may need to design for.

USE CASE SCENARIO

What is a use case scenario? It’s basically the story of one user (or group of users) of your tool. It’s a written (or maybe drawn) narrative telling about who this user is, why they’re using the product, and in what context they are using it. So in the case of ed tech, we like to include things like the age and background of the learner, why they’re using the product, where, with whom, what are the stakes, etc. The key thing about a use case scenario is that it doesn’t detail all possible users and everything they might want to do with your technology. You just get to dream up one learner and tell the story of their experience. You can see a sample use case scenario in the next unit of the ribbon.

WHAT TO DO

For this assignment you will write a use case scenario for your product. Here is a list of questions you might answer in your story. You don’t have to hit all of these, and you will likely touch on things not listed here, but this will get you started. What’s important for one intervention may not be for another, so keep in mind what will best illustrate how your product could be used, and how it could benefit the learner.

• Age and knowledge level of the learner

The average age of the learners is 33 and they generally have had some college level experience. They are often knowledgeable from work and life experiences.

• What type of learner they are - visual, struggling, gifted, etc.

The predominant type are generally indicative of the general population. They are mostly visual learners. They struggle but after three quarters most students will continue and finish if they get that far.

• Why are they using the product - teacher assigned it, peers are into it, etc.

  They have assigned survey courses so it fits into their program to graduate.

• What setting they use it in - after-school program, on their phone on the bus, etc.

The setting is a four-hour night class generally after their work day.

• What are the stakes - is it graded, extra credit, just for fun?

It is graded as a part of their course work.

• Do they use it alone or with others?

The first part of the game Civilization is played alone; however, they will take what they have learned and apply it to a role-play experience, Reacting to the Past.

• How do others - teacher, peer, etc. - help or hinder their use?

The professor will be the guide and facilitator. The students will significantly interact with peers during role-play.

• When they start using it are they timid and want directions, or willing to jump right in?

Based on the research, many students have not experienced this type of class before so they will need directions until I, as the facilitator, can remove myself to the back of the physical room during role-play, and circulate as a guide during Civilization.

• What do they do first? What do they do next?

First, they will be presented with background and lectures on the Greeks. Then, they will engage the game itself to build their ideal civilization. Finally, they will role-play the threshold of democracy in Greece.

• Do they engage with the intervention over multiple sessions? How long is each session?

These are ten-week sessions: five on Civilization, and five on the Threshold of Democracy.

• How does the user know if they are doing well or not?

There are learning outcomes listed in the course syllabus and there will be quizzes, presentations, and assessments based on the learning goals.

• Where do they go when they can’t figure out what to do?

A Civipedia is a reference guide for the game, the instructor will facilitate, and the role-play relies on the participants for assistance.

• If there are community elements built in, how do they utilize them?

Both formats encourage communal efforts since the game and the role-play are engaged in with a group.

• Are there offline elements that complement the technology experience?

The students are often referring to materials and each other outside of class for assistance.

• How does the learner know when they are done? What do they feel when they have finished?

The game itself plays out with a resolution and the role-play has a set number of sessions. They will feel numerous emotions depending on how the game unfolds and how involved they get with the role-play.

DELIVERY FORMAT

Your use case scenario may well be a written “story”. If you want to supplement the written document with media, feel free to use images, video, perhaps a comic strip or storyboard element. You don’t need to write a book or detail every minute of the user’s experience, but it should cover each important phase of their use of the tool.

Share (External resource)

You’ll post your use case scenario to the forums to get feedback from your peers again. In the “Use Case Scenario” discussion (in Week 4 on our forum site), start a new thread and post your work. Once you do, please read through at least 3 other students’ pitches and comment on them.

Launch 11.132x Forums

FEEDBACK CRITERIA

Although there is no need for a formal rubric in this assignment, these are the areas you should evaluate and respond to for each use case scenario you review:

• Does it include the basics of who the learner is and in what context they are using the technology?
• Do you get a sense of the ecosystem? That is, all the pieces inside and outside of the technology itself, that have an effect on its use. Is there anything you feel is missing?
• Does it get you excited about the technology and its potential to help learners learn the content?

DUE DATE

Technically the only due date is to submit this assignment by the end of the course. However, to get the benefit of peer feedback, we strongly suggest you submit it by the end of Week 4: November 11th. After that time the majority of course participants will be moving on to Week 5 work and won't be focused on this specific topic.

 

 

Assignment 4.2: The Use Case Scenario

INTRODUCTION

At this point you should have a pretty good idea of what your learning challenge is and how you plan to address it with educational technology. In this assignment you will think about the big picture of how your intervention fits into a learning ecosystem, and write up a use case scenario. This should give you more insight into what specific uses you may need to design for.

USE CASE SCENARIO

What is a use case scenario? It’s basically the story of one user (or group of users) of your tool. It’s a written (or maybe drawn) narrative telling about who this user is, why they’re using the product, and in what context they are using it. So in the case of ed tech, we like to include things like the age and background of the learner, why they’re using the product, where, with whom, what are the stakes, etc. The key thing about a use case scenario is that it doesn’t detail all possible users and everything they might want to do with your technology. You just get to dream up one learner and tell the story of their experience. You can see a sample use case scenario in the next unit of the ribbon.

WHAT TO DO

For this assignment you will write a use case scenario for your product. Here is a list of questions you might answer in your story. You don’t have to hit all of these, and you will likely touch on things not listed here, but this will get you started. What’s important for one intervention may not be for another, so keep in mind what will best illustrate how your product could be used, and how it could benefit the learner.

• Age and knowledge level of the learner
• What type of learner they are - visual, struggling, gifted, etc.
• Why are they using the product - teacher assigned it, peers are into it, etc.
• What setting they use it in - after-school program, on their phone on the bus, etc.
• What are the stakes - is it graded, extra credit, just for fun?
• Do they use it alone or with others?
• How do others - teacher, peer, etc. - help or hinder their use?
• When they start using it are they timid and want directions, or willing to jump right in?
• What do they do first? What do they do next?
• Do they engage with the intervention over multiple sessions? How long is each session?
• How does the user know if they are doing well or not?
• Where do they go when they can’t figure out what to do?
• If there are community elements built in, how do they utilize them?
• Are there offline elements that complement the technology experience?
• How does the learner know when they are done? What do they feel when they have finished?

DELIVERY FORMAT

Your use case scenario may well be a written “story”. If you want to supplement the written document with media, feel free to use images, video, perhaps a comic strip or storyboard element. You don’t need to write a book or detail every minute of the user’s experience, but it should cover each important phase of their use of the tool.

Share (External resource)

You’ll post your use case scenario to the forums to get feedback from your peers again. In the “Use Case Scenario” discussion (in Week 4 on our forum site), start a new thread and post your work. Once you do, please read through at least 3 other students’ pitches and comment on them.

Launch 11.132x Forums

FEEDBACK CRITERIA

Although there is no need for a formal rubric in this assignment, these are the areas you should evaluate and respond to for each use case scenario you review:

• Does it include the basics of who the learner is and in what context they are using the technology?
• Do you get a sense of the ecosystem? That is, all the pieces inside and outside of the technology itself, that have an effect on its use. Is there anything you feel is missing?
• Does it get you excited about the technology and its potential to help learners learn the content?

DUE DATE

Technically the only due date is to submit this assignment by the end of the course. However, to get the benefit of peer feedback, we strongly suggest you submit it by the end of Week 4: November 11th. After that time the majority of course participants will be moving on to Week 5 work and won't be focused on this specific topic.