Welcome to the Words & Numbers storybook on contextual learning. This is the first in a series of stories meant to highlight and investigate different areas of the field of educational content development.

This first story focuses on how to navigate the new expectations set on course development.

Story #1: Scaling Course Development in Today’s Economic Times

The Words

Enrollment is up, and students are heading back to school. Even so, student acquisition is very intense, and differentiation is key. To attract students, schools must have robust, engaging courses that can be offered in a variety of formats. It is simply an expectation in our technology-savvy world. So, course development occurs and challenges begin. As the curriculum directors, deans, and provosts wait anxiously for courses to be developed, they ponder questions such as what percentage of my course development project is complete? Will I receive these on time for enrollment? If I have to add resources, will I have enough money? Do I even know that my method is most efficient?

The Numbers

Managing course development efficiently is an absolute necessity in these economic times. No school can afford waste in inefficiencies, schedule slippages, or lack of quality-assurance checkpoints. If courses are not ready, schools risk losing students. This loss is compounded over many semesters and years, as well as in reputation. The need for strong, efficient course development process is critical to scaling and budget efficiencies.

The Case Study

Words & Numbers was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 2000. From a small company of five employees, it quickly grew into an organization of more than 100 employees. In the early years, Words & Numbers focused primarily on print-centric content development for commercial publishers. As time went by, the company found itself collaborating more and more with virtual educators and Web-based schools and institutions.

When the 2008 economic recession hit, two main challenges resulted at Words & Numbers. First, course development for clients must become more efficient to compete in the marketplace. Every client has limited funds and must do a lot for a lot less. Second, the acceleration of course solutions beyond the printed book occurred very rapidly. So, rather than simply managing development of products specifically for one instructional medium (print), now, we must address a myriad of print, audio, video, mobile, games, and simulations in ever-changing delivery modalities and learning platforms.

The Solution

In order to survive and thrive in this environment, there was simply no room for inefficiencies in course development, and we had to learn how to juggle and manage development of a host of learning objects. We needed a central nervous system composed of the integration of curriculum development tools with workflow processes and standard project management practices. Soon, WNFlow™ (“Win-Flow”) was born.

WNFLow™ is our central nervous system to track course development in real time. We need to see where everything is and who is working on what in any location and at any time. We also need to measure progress objectively, using best project management practices. The answer to the question “How is the project going?” simply can’t be “OK.” The answer has to include numbers and metrics (such as Earned Value Analysis) as proof of the project’s health.

As the WNFlow™ system calibrates with real time updates, management receives reports classifying the status of every curriculum development project as green (Go), yellow (Slow down), or red, (Stop) based on current or projected risks. Such risks can involve scope of work, schedule, or budget concerns. Classifying project risks ensures that risks are proactively identified in a timely manner. The ability to hold conversations and manage documents within the project management portal allows knowledge about course development to be retained, even if team members come and go.

Through WNFlow™, Words & Numbers has seen a dramatic lowering of costs and an increase in efficiencies. Transparency across the organization, as teams work on hundreds of projects, has helped manage cost, quality, and timeliness of content development.

As Patrick Campbell, Executive Director of Project Management at Words & Numbers, knows, standardized project management has been a driving force behind the success of the company. “Project managers are vital to risk management. They serve to foster an environment in which co-workers openly indicate concerns and anticipate challenges.”

What’s Next?

WNFlow™’s success has attracted the attention of many institutions to bring efficiency and transparency to course development processes.

“At Words & Numbers we lower communication barriers by increasing visibility in real time,” Patrick explains. “This allows key stakeholders to have a good idea of where the project is at every moment.”

At this time, we are looking for institutions that need assistance with growing and scaling their course development. Our hope is that we can share our lessons learned with others so that they too can thrive in this trying environment.

W&N Completed STEM Projects:

• Infinity Project with SMU – Middle School Engineering Modules
• Department of Homeland Security (DHS) University Programs – Middle School DHS-related content
• Department of Defense (DOD) STARBASE – 5^th grade science activities
• Morgan State University – High School Teacher Training Modules for DHS-STEM-related content
• Discovery Education – STEM Activities for Elementary and Middle School

Thought Leadership:

• VP Educational Outreach, NDIA Workforce Development
• STEM Panel for Eduserc – STEM Stakeholder’s Conference Building a Stronger STEM Community
• STEM Research and Modeling Network – Sponsored by BHEF (Business and Higher Education Forum) and Raytheon
• DHS University Programs Conference – STEM Collaboration Project with Morgan State University
• Entertainment Industry Council – STEM Committee (June 2010)

Associations, Organizations, Partnerships:

• STEM Workforce Development Committee for National Defense Industry Association

http://www.ndia.org/Divisions/Divisions/STEM/Pages/default.aspx

• Teachers on Tour – STEM teachers training schools across the country
• STEM Education Coalition

http://www.stemedcoalition.org/

In today’s high-stakes commercial market, the competition for the Administration’s new funding grants will be fierce. As the definitive thought leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education, we understand the implications for the education industry. By monitoring developments that impact STEM education in policy and industry needs, we have aligned relevant STEM education requirements to the needs of pre-K-12 and postsecondary education in the past, and we stand ready to partner with you to make you stand out from the competition.