PLA MULTIMEDIA PROJECT Selia Karsten May/June 1994 LIVE AND LEARN CD ROM: The Mac version of the CD ROM continued to require corrections and revisions through May and much of June. As sound files were imported into the program, the paging system became unworkable and was finally eliminated. Users will now be advised as to the length of each part of the program and an approximate completion time of 1/2 to 1 hour. The thumbnail menu of each part was devised as a review tool. All efforts to get this to work effectively have been in vain, so in order to meet the deadline, the menu design was altered. The user will be able to review each part of the program but not by going directly to a specific step at random. The user will select a part and move through that part in step sequence until the desired screen is located. The extreme slowness of file transfers from the Mac to PC has necessitated upgrading the 486 being used for authoring the PC version. Allan Booth's assignment has been extended until the end of the project. His assistance with all things technical and in particular with programming puzzles has been invaluable. The program is fairly large now that the sound and music have been added - approximately 200 megabytes for the Mac version alone. The computers that will have CD ROM drives are assumed to have all of the necessary cards needed to show the program effectively. How fast the program will run will depend on the power of the computer. Notes to this effect will accompany the CD ROM. As industry predictions point to a significant increase in consumer CD ROM drives, more and more learners will be able to take advantage of this Live and Learn extra. Meanwhile, we can hope that students will seek access in their community college resource centres. It has been acknowledged from the beginning that this disk may be slightly ahead of its time but should enjoy a healthy shelf life. PLA MM May/June p 2 The program was designed to have universal, timeless qualities. It may also have a broader application than Portfolio Development. The process of goals clarification and extracting learning from experience will be helpful in life skills and employment skills curriculum. Once the opening animation was completed, Steve Paul Simms was brought in to record an original tune to accompany this lead into the introduction of the CD ROM. Nelson Caetano created the label design for the disk incorporating the logo designed by Dan Barbosa. Independent Study Guide Dan Barbosa was asked to stay beyond his six-week field placement for an additional three weeks. He continued work on the Independent Study Guide through numerous changes. Further revisions were carried out by me as suggested by Roberta. Leslie Madge did additional word-processing of files and May Joliffe did the proofreading. May is with the Ministry of Community and Social Services and has considerable experience with official reports and other Ministry documents. Early in May, quotes were gotten from printers for the study guide however, at a meeting at TVO on June 9, it was decided that TVO would take on the responsibility for printing and packaging of Live and Learn. The final edition was completed on June 20th and delivered on disk with a hard copy to Nina Sinolpoli at TV Ontario on June 22nd. Because TVO will be printing the guides, they will be done in black ink - not blue as designed. This final version of the study guide is 115 pages including the cover sheet and list of items to be personalized for each individual college. There are a total of 12 graphics within the workbook taken from those created for the CD ROM. The data and the extraction program fit on one disk. Allan has created a program for installation on the hard drive along with a Read Me file for instructions. PLA MM May/June p 3 VIDEO A number of graphics from the Role Model parts of the CD ROM were delivered to Les Nirenberg for use in the final credits for Show Four. I also provided further samples from the study guide for use in editing the shows. I attended a sound mix session at TVO with Les Nirenberg and TVO sound editor Michael Jackson. A completed copy of Show One was delivered to me in time to present at the Fifth Annual Prior Learning Assessment Conference in Belleville, May 26. The response was very favourable. The completed shows have been promised in time for the packages being mailed to the colleges in August. I have arranged to see the completed videos and from my viewing of the final cuts, I am confident that the series will be an excellent one. Being consultant to the series was a very satisfying part of this project and one in which I take pride. I believe it will promote PLA and motivate learners to become involved in the process. I also think it will be extremely helpful for those going through the Portfolio Development course. The Package At the Prior Learning Assessment Conference hosted by First Nations Technical Institute, Carol introduced the project at a well-attended presentation. Roberta spoke briefly about the study guide. I showed Program One from the TVO series and spoke about the CD ROM. Due to technical problems, I was not able to give a demonstration of this component. Handouts were snapped up and additional copies were sent as requested by those attending. The overall response was very positive. The meeting at TVO on June 9th was attended by the TVO advertising, marketing and promotion staff, Louis Lizotte, Carol and myself. PLA MM May/June p 4 Kathryn McFarlane, Director of Marketing Services, introduced everyone. It was decided that TVO would handle the printing of the workbook and the packaging of the materials. Seneca would complete the CD ROM, delivering the disks to TVO to distribute. Details about copywright and royalties are yet to be determined. I am working with Jacqui DeBique, TVO publicist, on the insert for the package being sent to all colleges. I have met with Pat Fillmore and Reta Richardson of Marketing and Development to discuss promotion of the package for markets outside of Ontario. Summary This project has been a very demanding challenge. I have been gratified by the positive response to screenings of the first show of the series and expect the other three shows to demonstrate the same excellence in production values. While all three parts of the learning package are well integrated, I believe this part of the package will be particularly inspiring. I hope that the success of this venture will inspire future partnerships with TV Ontario to create video materials for courses at the college. When, after the program has been in use and evaluations have been received, I expect revisions to be made to both the study guide and the CD ROM. The extensive revisions of this version of the workbook have required that I learn Pagemaker 5.0. It is satisfying to have gained the desktop publishing skills necessary to see this part of the project to completion. As could be anticipated with any pioneer project, the CD ROM portion of LIVE AND LEARN has been the greatest challenge. With a technological revolution in full swing, there appear to be more questions than answers in creating computer software, especially a CD ROM. Although the overall design is relatively simple and straightforward, the actual iimplementation in Authorware Professional has been far more demanding than expected. PLA MM May/June p 5 I would recommend to anyone considering another project of this magnitude to recruit a full time technical support member of the team. I have no doubts that LIVE AND LEARN would have benefitted immeasureably from the greater collaboration that would have been possible if at least one full-time technical expert had been assigned from the outset. This would have allowed the time needed to come up with programming solutions at the prototype stage of development rather than in the final phase of production. It was, as with any first time or pilot project, an enormous learning experience for all involved. The final evaluation in this case is with those facilitators and distance learners who use the package. At my meeting with Pat Fillmore, TVO Marketing Director, there was much interest and enthusiasm for extending the scope of LIVE AND LEARN to reach a vast market, particularly in the United States. Potential was seen for translating the work into Spanish and French. This is a rewarding response as the project comes to completion. I am grateful for all of the assistance I have received throughout this year of discoveries and hard work. It is with a sense of accomplishment that LIVE AND LEARN is being delivered on time, within budget and with a bright forecast for serving learners throughout the college system.