Honestly, I chose this training because I suck at salary negotiation, and I figured if I was going to watch a training to evaluate for motivation, I'd pick one that I'd be intrinsically motivated by at the onset. :)
The training is split into 6 parts.
Part I
The first part is, in my opinion the best. It is a Howcast video that is very well organized, clear, concise, and even entertaining.
The video begins with an introduction to the topic. Then gives of a list of things you will need (Salary data, patience, asking price, convincing arguments, confidence, potential compromises). Then it goes step-by-step through each of those components explaining why you need them in voiceover, while showing supporting video. The video is very well shot and the actors are just over dramatic enough to be pretty entertaining. (I especially like the very dramatic head nods :). They demonstrate each of the steps as being described, so that the explanation is clear. Also, I like that the video uses text to highlight important aspects (like the list at the beginning and the tips, such as "Ask for a salary range", and "If you lack confidence, your potential employer will know you won't argue with a low offer."), and that they clearly mark these with titles "You will need" and "Tip". (This is especially interesting to me, since my team project will be teaching how to make instructional videos).
This video is on the Independent side of the Interaction scale, but I feel like it is still pretty Engaging. It draws the learner in with its quirky acting and sound effects. It's a very Directive Structure, but again, I did choose to watch this video, so in that way my motivation was already set towards them. The clear narration being acted out and accompanied by text make it very easy for anyone to follow. They are definitively not trying to challenge their audience, but simplify a socially complex situation that many people have difficulty with.
Part II
Part II of the training is a Washington Post article called Know Your Worth by Sakina Rangwala, published on October 9.
I have to say that the first thing I noticed about this article is that there are zero comments, only 4 Facebook recommends and only 6 Tweets. And it was published 5 months ago. I have to admit that seeing this colored my opinion of the article pretty quickly.
Overall the article is nicely divided into 6 parts: How do I determine my worth?, What impacts my worth?, How do I find the typical salary for my position?, When's the best time to bring up the subject of salary?, Do I have to disclose my salary history? and I have a job offer from Company A and a higher offer from Company B. I really want to work for Company A. What should I do? The information in the article is pretty generic. It's the same stuff we've heard over and over again "Don't be the first to bring up salary," "Have a walk away number in your head," etc. And I *love* their suggestion for How do I find the typical salary for my position?: Check the job announcement for a salary range. (Sarcasm alert!) Really? I should read the job announcement to see what they are willing to pay?
Overall, I'm just not motivated much by this article. Nothing bothers me about the design itself, or the structure/organization of the information. But the content itself is just so useless. It's the same old regurgitation of cliched "what-to-do"s. And really, while the information in Part I might be just as old and generic, it was presented in a novel and interesting way, so it did engage the learner, and I would have watched the video to the end even if it hadn't been a class assignment. This article however, I would have stopped reading after the first paragraph.
Part III
Part III is another video, entitled Human Resources: How to Negotiate Salary During Job Offer. Again, this is a really good example for me, given my Team's Project Topic. Because the woman in this video gives basically all the same information as the video in Part I, with a little more emphasis on the actual semantics of the back and forth, but it is sooooo boring. First of all, her speech is very monotone and the video is just a head shot of a brown football helmet (allusion to Steel Magnolias) speaking to the camera. It is about as Passive a video as you can get...I am not at all engaged by what she is saying. Also, this is a great example to me of how using simple editing techniques like text can really improve a video's effectiveness. Because the woman says things like "you'll need to do # things" and "first of all", but there are not titles/text/captions that pop up to support what she is saying. Inserting that kind of text into a video like this really does ease the complexity for the learner, and would have helped to break up the monotone monologue that she delivered.
Part IVPart IV just takes you to Salary.com. Salary.com has been mentioned a few times in the previous Parts as a way to estimate the salary range (if not provided).
This is the first portion of the training where the learner has an opportunity to interact with the content. So far they've been told to "find a reasonable salary range", but by inserting this step, learners are directed to practice finding those ranges. They are not collaborating peer to peer, instructor to student, so as far as the definition Dr. G gave us, it's still an Independent Interaction, however because they will actually be entering parameters and receiving feedback, it is much more actively engaging. Also, learners have more choice, because they can search for salaries by job or for jobs by salaries, etc. Overall I think the website has a lot going on that I wish wasn't there. It actually took me a few seconds to figure out where we were and why. But I guess all of those buttons and ads are a necessary evil if the site wants to stay free for users. :)
Part V
Part V takes us to Salary Expert.com. This section is basically a repeat of Part IV. I guess there point is just to show you that there are multiple ways to research the same topic. Personally, I like the SalaryExpert.com layout better. It is a clear white screen except for the actual information you have to enter. So to me, it has all the same levels of Interaction/Engagement/Structure as Part IV, but the complexity of this one is lower on the Ease scale because it just seems more clear and user friendly than the Salary.com page.Part VI
Part VI is yet another Salary database website. Again, I think they are just trying to give the learner a lot of Choice. "See, here are all of the different ways you can find a salary". At this point I can't even remember if they emphasized checking multiple resources during the first 3 parts, but if they didn't, they should.
Overall impression
To me, they could have shown the first video (as the introduction to the concepts) and maybe two salary wizards (for practice and comparison), and then ended with a summary page, reviewing what the learner had learned using a bulleted list,asking them to consider certain things, and providing additional references (such as the additional salary calculators and the New York Post article). I think the overall take away would have been the same overall level of interaction, structor, and engagement, but the complexity would have been less challenging and the overall interest in the content would have been better. Because as it is now, the most entertaining (IMO) part of the 6 step training right now...is the first step. After that...they kind of lost the interest of this learner.
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ReplyDeleteMotivation, such a minefield!
ReplyDeleteI didn't have the same reaction as you to this resource exactly, though I agree that the first video was the most engaging step. Actually I thought the video was quite well done (for what it was) and the advice perfectly in line with advice generally given on how to negotiate a salary. It’s a conservative situation which requires a conservative approach so it didn’t bother me that the advice was the “same old” thing. I also thought the teddy bear on the desk was a nice touch (shall we bring one to a job interview I wonder?).
During the video though I did find the adverts annoying and also that the #1 video could not be paused (i.e., no choice but to watch to the end).
The resource was highly structured in that there was steps 1-5 and although you could only go forward or backwards I liked the mentormob interface with the arrow at the top (Next>) telling the user where they were, i.e., only “3 steps left”, which certainly helped to motivate me to stick with it. As well as to scroll ahead and check what they were.
Step 2 - the article. After the video the article fell flat (font too small so demotivating) and I too did not read it.
The video of the lady (step 3) was yes, a bit long, but I again thought her advice was sound, and helpful to anyone who doesn't have a clue what to say.
It was interesting to see how the interface loaded different websites to provide the user with the ability to personalize the training to themselves, and this offered a higher level of engagement than watching the videos, though it would be easier to load both salary.com and salaryexpert.com outside the mentormob interface.
Not at all complex, anyone could use it. Having said that both resources just produce salary data for jobs in the US and Canada so if you are somewhere else in the world the only useful parts are the videos.
Amber I think you approached this resource with high expectations, how could it ever live up? For someone like a young person just starting to go to interviews, someone returning to work after many years away, or someone who has just immigrated to the US or Canada, I thought the resource was helpful and, while perhaps not as engaging as a video game, perfectly acceptable for what it was.
I think this means I'm boring and I will not deny that. Or maybe my ADHD has been cured.
Great reflection on the resource! Very detailed analysis and reflection. It would have been perfect if you reflected upon the motivation principles introduced in the module. Also instead o spending too much time on each part in the instructional material, look at the instructional website as a whole. I like how you suggested a recommended order and usage of the parts in your summary, and I think you could also think about whether the medium they chose was appropriate, color scheme, and so on. You could have also gone farther by discussing whether their instructional strategies were appropriate for their instructional content and goals. For example, they have used tutorials and references mainly. One of the best instructional strategies to teach skills is Merrill's Generality - Demonstration - Practice with Feedback. As you mentioned, it lacks an element for the learners to practice and get feedback, the interactivity.
ReplyDelete