Portfolio Project

EDUC 765: Trends and Issues in Instructional Design

By: Tiara Campbell

Submitted October 21, 2022

 Project Proposal – Module 2

PROJECT TITLE: SOFT SKILLS TUTOR TRAINING

SPONSORING ORGANIZATION
Lorem Ipsum Tutoring (LIT)

LIT is a tutoring company that provides one-on-on instruction and assistance for
students K-12. The company offers both virtual and in-person tutoring for all academic
subjects.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION
In-person tutors are integral to the functioning of LIT. They must be trained properly to
ensure student success and retention of clients. It is important that in-person tutors
cultivate professional and cordial long-term relationships with students and guardians.
Soft skills–such as communication, conflict resolution, and empathy–enable in-person
tutors to both educate students and maintain client satisfaction.

AIM
This training aims to increase tutors' communication and interpersonal skills to improve
their efficacy in dealing with students and parents/guardians.

TARGET AUDIENCE
● Target audience is primarily comprised of young, ethnically diverse women with
academic content knowledge but limited teaching experience.

DELIVERY OPTIONS
● Instruction will be delivered in two parts to allow learners adequate time to
familiarize themselves with the content, recall new information, and practice. The

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first part will be online and asynchronous but must be completed before the
second part. The second part will be delivered in person to emulate real working
conditions and encourage collaborative learning among participants. The final
evaluation will also occur in person in the form of a written self-evaluation.

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 Front-End Analysis: Instructional Need – Module 3

INSTRUCTIONAL NEED
The problem is expressed as both a felt and anticipated need for the organization. Need
analysis reveals that, as the company has grown, conflict between parents and tutors
has also grown. The company sees the need for tutors to learn basic conflict resolution
skills to decrease frequency and lessen the burden on the Director to resolve all issues.
Due to educational difficulties that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, private
tutoring has gained popularity, and the company will be bringing in many new tutors to
meet demand. Soft skills training will both address current problems and provide the
company with an instructional resource it can use to induct new tutors and standardize
interactions with clients.

Analysis also reveals that while tutors have the content knowledge, their relative youth
and limited work experience sometimes leave them without a toolset to build rapport
with students and parents/guardians. Soft skills training will address this need as well.

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 Front-End Analysis: Learner Characteristics – Module 3
LEARNER ANALYSIS

Primary Audience
● Newly employed tutors, regardless of work background
● Tutors without a teaching or tutoring background
● Tutors with greatest conflict occurrence with clients

Secondary Audience
● Tutors with a teaching or tutoring background

General Learner Characteristics

● Primarily women
● Primarily age 20s
● Most have limited work experience of 0-3 years
● White, Asian American, and African American
● American-born and immigrants
● Have earned college credit or undergraduate degrees
● Typically carry cell phone, mobile device, and/or laptop

Entry Characteristics
● Content knowledge in academic subject
● Comfort with idea of teaching and/or working with children
● Growth mindset

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CONTEXTUAL ANALYSIS

Orienting Context
● Learners from the primary audience have the goal of becoming better at their job
and more comfortable interacting with clients. Learners also want to retain clients
from year to year.
● Learners from the primary audience believe it is useful, but learners from the
secondary audience could believe they have enough experience working at the
company and with students to not necessitate soft skills training.
● If they do not strengthen soft skills, their efficacy could decrease, potentially
leading to termination.
● Learners could believe that skills such as conflict resolution, empathy, and
communication do not need training. They could also believe that interactions
with clients for a tutoring company are akin to any other customer service
interactions.

Instructional Context
● Training will have both an in-person component and an asynchronous virtual
component. Because the center is open for tutoring during after-school hours, in-
person training will be held on weekdays during standard business hours when
everyone is available.
● Because the training will be held in a classroom typically used for tutoring,
lighting, noise, and temperature will be the same as work conditions. Ceiling
lights are functional, and large windows provide natural light. Distracting noises
are rare. The temperature is mildly chilly but can be adjusted with the thermostat.
● Learners will sit beside each other in desk chairs facing the front of the room.
Tables and chairs are lightweight and can be easily moved to allow for roleplay
activities.
● Because the desk chairs are detached, tables can be made wheelchair
accessible. Key information can be distributed as printed handouts (with

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 adequate text sizing) or digital pdfs learners can access on own mobile devices.
Facilitators of training can speak in an accessible manner.
● There is a dry erase board and computer in the room. There are no projectors or
speakers, so no videos or presentations can be shown. There are ample
electrical outlets. There are writing utensils and paper for those who would like to
take own notes. Company will provide cards with prompts for roleplay activities.
● Learners will provide own transportation to and from in-person training. Virtual
component requires no transportation since learners have devices and internet at
their residences.
Technology Inventory
● Company does not provide technology, but learners always carry personal
mobile device or laptop.

Transfer Context
● Training will be situation-based to allow learners to transfer skills to familiar
situations more easily.
● Training will have direct relevance to learners’ jobs, so there will be many
opportunities to apply what they learned in daily interactions with students and
parents.
● Training will be held close to the employee’s first day.

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 Instructional Impact Based Upon Learner Characteristics

APPLICATION OF LEARNING THEORIES

Because learners are young adults tasked with strengthening soft skills, training will be
based on theories of andragogy and constructivism. Training will explain why the
included components are necessary and show immediate value to the learners.
Trainers will facilitate learning through experiential learning activities, such as roleplay.
In lieu of a test, training will culminate with a self-evaluation submitted virtually. In-
person training will encourage learners to make connections to existing knowledge and
learn collaboratively through problem solving and open dialogue.

APPLICATION OF MOTIVATIONAL THEORIES

Instruction will be grounded in the ARCS theory of motivation. Instruction will draw
learners’ attention by encouraging active participation and utilizing real-world examples.
Content will cover how to deal with common issues tutors face in building relationships
with clients as well as critical incidents. Learning will be collective by using roleplays,
observation, and class-wide discussions. Instruction will underscore relevance by
connecting course content to learners’ past experiences and future job responsibilities.
Instruction will instill confidence in learners by giving them clear objectives to which they
can align their behavior and holistic feedback to help them improve performance.
Instruction will increase learner satisfaction by giving them space to immediately apply
what they have learned and praising when they have done well. Learners have the
additional incentive of being able to earn raises when they perform well on the job,
which this course will enable them to do.

IMPACT OF A DIVERSE AUDIENCE ON INSTRUCTION

Learners are diverse in race, ethnicity, and national origin. Some are multilingual or
speak English as a second language. Therefore, training will use plain English and
avoid cultural assumptions. Instruction will remain open to varied perceptions of conflict,

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empathy, communication style, rapport, and inappropriate behavior. When necessary,
definitions will be given or discussed.

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 Goal and Task Analysis – Module 5
GOAL ANALYSIS

INSTRUCTIONAL GOAL
The goal of training is to improve the interpersonal skills of tutors at Lorem Ipsum
Tutoring. Toward this end, trainees will learn how to build rapport with students and lead
positive, encouraging tutoring sessions. Trainees will also learn how to communicate
professionally with parents/guardians and discuss student performance.

TASK ANALYSIS METHOD

I conducted a Critical Incident Analysis due to its suitability for analyzing interpersonal
skills. Experienced and successful tutors approach building positive relationships with
students and parents/guardians in a variety of ways, and Critical Incident interviews
reveal the commonalities and best practices of their approaches. I interviewed three
experienced tutors on how to build rapport with students.

TASK ANALYSIS
I interviewed three experienced tutors on the task of building rapport with students
during tutoring sessions. Tutor A worked one-on-one with students in a traditional
classroom environment. Tutor B worked with small groups in a traditional classroom
environment. Tutor C worked as a private tutor in family residences. All three worked in
similar conditions, including a quiet and well-lit room supplied with learning aids. Tutor A
and Tutor B worked while other tutors and students were in the room, while Tutor C
worked in an empty room. All three tutors noted the importance of utilizing the short time
before the session begins if a student arrives a few minutes early. Tutors used this time
for casual yet appropriate conversations unrelated to schoolwork. During sessions,
tutors built rapport by conducting daily check-ins and sharing their own educational
experiences to relate to students. Tutors found that students with whom they built the
strongest relationships fared better on their classwork, asked more questions, and were

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more comfortable making mistakes. Other similarities across successful incidents
included displaying friendly body language, using students’ names, and active listening.
All three tutors also noted the importance of the first tutoring session with a student to
set the tone for later sessions. In instances where the first session failed to students at
ease, students remained reticent, which decreased tutors’ efficacy. Critical Incident
Analysis identified body language, check-ins/icebreakers, conversation topics, and
active listening strategies as key content for trainees to know. Topic and Procedural
analyses will be carried out for these content focuses.

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 Instructional Objectives – Module 5

TERMINAL OBJECTIVES AND ENABLING OBJECTIVES

● The tutor will be able to conduct positive first tutoring session alone with new
students in classroom setting. (Cognitive Domain; Application)
Criteria: Friendly demeanor is used.
o The tutor will use icebreaker strategies at the beginning of the session
alone with students in classroom setting.
o Without notes, the tutor will recall appropriate topics and use them in
conversation with students in classroom setting.
o Without notes, the tutor will use open body language in the presence of
students alone in a classroom setting.

● The tutor will communicate professionally and effectively with parents/guardians

in person and via email/text. (Cognitive Domain; Application)
Criteria: Words are clear and truthful. Tone is polite. Body language is open and
friendly.
o The tutor will conduct intake meeting alongside Director in office setting.
o Without assistance from Director, the tutor will compose straightforward
and informative emails and text messages addressed to
parents/guardians.
o Without assistance from Director, the tutor will discuss student’s
performance with parents/guardians.

Enabling Objectives Matrix & Supporting Content – Module 6

Title of the unit/module: Communicating with Parents/Guardians

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 Brief description of target audience: The target audience comprises of both longtime
and newly employed tutors. They are overwhelmingly young, female, and diverse with
less than 3 years of work experience.
List Terminal Objective Here: The tutor will communicate professionally and
effectively with parents/guardians in person and via email/text.
List Pre-Instructional Strategy: The pre-instructional strategy will be presentation of
objectives in order to give straightforward expectations to trainees and because content
will be less than 2500 words.

Enabling Level on Learner Activity Delivery Method

Objective Bloom’s (What would (Group
Taxonomy learners do to presentation/lecture,
master this self-paced, or small
objective?) group)
The tutor will Application Learner will read Online asynchronous
conduct intake content on meeting (Self-paced)
meeting alongside process, including
lead tutor in office examples. Then
setting. learner will be
quizzed on recall of
procedure. (Online)

Learner will practice In-person synchronous

skill and receive (Small group)
feedback during in-
person roleplay
activities alongside
other learners. (In-
person)
Without Application Learner will view In-person synchronous
assistance from example and attend (Lecture and small group)
lead tutor, the lecture on content.
tutor will discuss Learner will read
student’s examples of
performance with conversations and
parents/guardians. asked to evaluate
them. Learner will
then practice in
roleplay.
Without Application, Learner will view Online asynchronous
assistance from Evaluation example (Self-paced)
lead tutor, the communications with

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 Enabling Level on Learner Activity Delivery Method
Objective Bloom’s (What would (Group
Taxonomy learners do to presentation/lecture,
master this self-paced, or small
objective?) group)
tutor will compose diagram pointing out
straightforward desirable elements.
and informative Then learner will be
emails and text given examples of
messages written
addressed to communications and
parents/guardians. choose which are
most appropriate.
Feedback will be
given through
interactive platform
that shows real-life
consequences of
their choices. For
inappropriate
communications, they
will rewrite them to
better fit the
standards. Then
leaner will be given
prompts and
compose own
communications.

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 SAMPLE INSTRUCTIONAL CONTENT
This infographic would serve as a job aid after training has been completed. It will
remind trainees of the qualities they should demonstrate while conducting intake
meetings with new parents/guardians and students.

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