Agile Training: An Innovative Educational Process for Information Technology Educators

RJ REDDEN University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182, USA and Dr. Peter WOLCOTT University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE 68182, USA
Businesses unfamiliar with technology tools risk being left behind in the digital divide, rendering them unable to compete in today's business environment. Discovering more efficient processes for keeping microenterprises abreast of technology skills and tools will help ensure that more businesses will be able to compete in the marketplace, thus sustaining and growing local economies. Information technology (IT) plays a critical role in the development of small businesses by increasing efficiencies, providing access to new markets, and fostering the development of new products and services. Microenterprises often face great challenges in using IT effectively. They may suffer not only from a lack of resources and skills, but also the awareness, knowledge, and confidence needed to adopt technology successfully [3]. In the field of technological instruction, plan driven training has been effective to a point, but it is sometimes insufficient to help microenterprises to cross the digital divide [4]. In this context, plan driven training refers to instruction in technology skills, with little attention paid to psychological factors [3]. Traditional education uses a plan driven approach, documented through a course syllabus and training material prepared ahead of time. Technical training programs that are part of microenterprise development programs typically involve courses or workshops with well defined, but previously determined, learning objectives and pedagogical methods [5]. Even in more customized technical assistance, the training process typically begins with an interview of the subject, in which the technical needs of the subject are taken into account. Information from the interview is used to devise a technical instructional plan for the subject. Each instructional session is intended to move the

ABSTRACT Information technology (IT) plays an important role in the growth of small businesses. Many businesses unfamiliar with technology tools risk being left behind in the so-called digital divide, rendering them unable to compete in today's business environment. Efforts to train owners of microenterprises often employ plan driven training, which emphasizes structure and linear learning with pre-defined learning objectives. This has been effective to a point, but it is sometimes insufficient to help microenterprises to cross the digital divide. This study proposes an alternative educational method, known as agile training. Agile Training is adapted from the Agile method of information systems development. Agile Training is an iterative method, designed to produce a demonstrable set of valuable technical skills on a short timetable. This innovative educational method adds process and psychological factors to standard plan driven training. Keywords: Agile methodology, training, education, microenterprise, digital divide 1. INTRODUCTION Microenterprises are a significant part of the economy in the United States. According to the Association for Enterprise Opportunity, microenterprises are defined as businesses with fewer than five employees [1]. These businesses constitute a vital part of a regions economy, providing not only jobs, but the innovation and entrepreneurial dynamic that benefit communities as a whole [2].

subject closer to the overall goal of the plan. This is a linear process with prescribed goals that is difficult to adapt to changing circumstances. While such training often produces positive results, in other cases the impact has been negligible. The elements that separate a high impact interaction from a low impact interaction are not well understood; however, psychological factors may play a role in the impact of the interaction [6] [3]. This paper reports on research in progress to make technical training and assistance more effective in an unconventional educational setting, such as that of the microenterprises. Through the use of agile training methods, participants will overcome the barriers to learning that arise from gaps between learning objectives and the prior knowledge, skills, abilities, and perceptions [7]. 2. AGILE EDUCATION Agile education extracts principles from the agile software development method and adapts those principles for use in traditional classroom learning situations. The agile development method was devised as an alternative to heavyweight, inflexible systems development methods. The principles underlying agile development are expressed succinctly in the Agile Manifesto [8]. The agile method is characterized by adaptive planning, customer collaboration and rapid response to changes in the environment. This method has been successful in delivering high quality software products, particularly in chaotic environments where requirements change often. Agile principles have also been adapted for other fields, such as project management and education [9]. The adaptation of agile principles for use in education led to the development of the agile education method. It has been used as an alternative to traditional educational methods. Agile education has already demonstrated success inside the classroom, and is amenable for use in various educational situations [10] [11]. Computer Science faculty have used the Agile Education principles in courses about the software development process, with noted success [12] [10]. Agile Education principles have also been used to teach writing and communications skills in a University setting [13]. 3. AGILE TRAINING Agile training is a pedagogical method similar to agile education. The principles were taken from the Agile Manifesto and adapted for use outside the classroom. Agile training addresses the shortcomings of plan driven training. The chart below illustrates the adaptation of agile principles for use in unconventional educational settings. Further elaboration on the adaptation of the 12 underlying principles of the Agile Manifesto may be found in the appendix. Principles of the Agile Manifesto Principles Adapted for Use in Unconventional Educational Settings

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools Working software over comprehensive documentation Customer collaboration over contract negotiation Responding to change over following a plan

Individuals and interactions over pre-determined methods Demonstrated learning of useful IT skills/concepts over tutorials User collaboration over student teacher relationship Responding to user over following a plan

4. MENTAL MODELS Agile training addresses the process of the instructional interaction. Particular attention is paid to the psychological factors of training [6]. The psychological factor measured in this paper is so-called mental models. Peter Senge's work with the concept of mental models led to many advances in the field of organizational theory. Mental models are the deeply held internal images of how the world works, images that limit us to familiar ways of thinking and acting [14]. If a business owner has deeply ingrained beliefs about both technology and the role the technology plays within the business, he/she takes actions based on those beliefs. When those beliefs are incorrect, the business owner is unlikely to achieve the desired impact. Making decisions based on ill-formed mental models about technology leaves the typical small business owner mired in inefficiency. Attempting to teach individuals with undiscovered mental models leaves the teacher mired in inefficiency, as well. Consequently, a tool for measuring mental models is used in order to create a high impact interaction. 5. METHODOLOGY Action research involves utilizing an iterative method of planning, taking action, observing, evaluating (including selfevaluation) and critical reflection prior to planning the next iteration [15] [16]. Action research asks the researcher to execute an observation, orientation, decision, and action loop [17]. These four actions take place within each session, changing the trajectory of the session/s when necessary. The Action Research method is often used in both information science research and service learning courses [3]. This method is also similar to the agile method itself, as it is developed through iterations, and focuses on flexibility over a fixed plan. The setting for the application of agile training is a technical project undertaken for and with a microenterprise by a team a pair of individuals who may be consultants, students in a service-learning class, etc. [4]. Each microenterprise identifies at least one technical project that needs attention within their organization. The team acts both as consultants (using technical expertise to guide the project) and educators (using expertise to teach technical skills). The duration of a project depends on a number of factors, but each project takes on average 6-8 consulting sessions to complete. A session is a single visit to a microenterprise, typically lasting one to two hours. Each

session with a microenterprise is counted as an iteration of the agile training method. Each session incorporates the cycle of observation, orientation, decision, action, and critical reflection. Insight gained from each session is then used in subsequent sessions. Prior to the initial session, an interview is conducted to determine the mental models of the participants concerning their attitudes/perspectives of technology. Interview questions also determine hardware/software availability, and nature of technological need. A second survey is administered to the participants to collect additional data about participants mental models, specifically around the four constructs of fear, frustration, confidence and empowerment. These four constructs emerged out of multiple years of experience with microenterprises. Statements cropped up repeatedly, statements such as "I never get this right" or "The system just won't let me do anything. Researchers noticed that microenterprises with positive impact results also tended to make positive statements (reflecting confidence and empowerment), and vice versa with negative statements (reflecting fear and frustration). A clear understanding of mental models is essential for effecting change [14]. Each microenterprise is given a rating according to measured level of each construct. The ratings are used as an initial guide for the investigators, in order to assess a formal starting point for each microenterprise. The approach for each microenterprise differs according to the ratings. The four constructs are measured informally within each session throughout the training period. During the course of each session with a microenterprise, special attention is paid to the statements and body language of the participants, in order to note changes in perceptions of technology. Any general shift toward either positive or negative constructs is recorded. Training for each session alters according to the perceived levels of positive and negative constructs. For example, if the participant is making frustration based statements, the instruction pauses while the team attempts to determine the reason behind the statements. If the reason cannot be determined within the session, the team resumes the session and determines post session if/how the course of the project should change. The first session is a planning session between the team and the participants. Given the overview of the technical situation, the team and participants identify and prioritize user stories that are collated into technical projects which can be done within time/availability constraints. This project is agreed upon by everyone, and broken into smaller project goals/technical lessons that are accomplished within each session. This approach mirrors the agile development method, which collects user stories and prioritizes them in order of project importance. It also brings to the table everyone who is concerned with the project (stakeholders). The method of breaking large technical projects into smaller, more manageable pieces serves as a bit of instruction in itself for the microenterprise owners. In the future, they will be more

empowered if this skill is something that they can repeat for themselves. The remaining sessions focus on the smaller project goals/technical lessons that were previously agreed upon. Before each session, the team decides on specific technical lessons for the session. As the session proceeds, the team members use interactive methods to teach each lesson. The participants work hands-on with the hardware/software whenever possible. Impact measurement takes place during each session. Near the end of each session, the team determines if a skill has been successfully taught by asking the microenterprise owner to teach them the skill as if they were a new employee. As an alternative, the participant will be given the opportunity to perform the evaluation at the beginning of the next session, rather than immediately, if that makes the participant more comfortable. This evaluation accomplishes several goals. It causes the microenterprise owner to assimilate the new information before the session breaks. In having the participant to try to explain the new information to another person, the approach identifies holes in the participant's learning. These skills/tools/techniques are measured on a pass/try again basis. At the beginning of the next session, the participant is offered a second chance at the skills that were not passed. After each session has ended, the team meets at a separate location to evaluate the impact of the session. A list of technical lessons learned is recorded. In addition, critical reflection takes place. Critical reflection consists of the team members discussing the session, particularly where the participants reactions seemed out of the ordinary. The participants responses to the session are noted, and further alterations to the trajectory of the project are proposed if needed. Patterns that produce positive mental models in the participants are determined and encouraged. Patterns that produce negative mental models are also discovered and minimized. A plan is outlined for the next session. The effect of the session is determined by shifts in mental models on the part of the participants. These are determined both directly and indirectly, using participant behavior as the principal measure. The effect of the session is also measured by skills demonstrably learned on the part of the participants. The final session takes the same format, except the team does not teach the participant new skills. Rather, they review the process for breaking large projects into smaller ones, and unveil the result of the project/s. There is also some skill review as a spot check. Defining an effective method requires the measurement of impact. This paper describes impact in terms of first order effects, both in number/quality of skills learned, and shifts in the mental models of participants. First order effects are defined as effects on the individual. When an interaction is complete, how many new skills has the participant learned? What can s/he do with technology that they could not do before? Has the participant gained any new tools, software or otherwise? What is the level of mastery that the

participant has been able to attain with the new tool? Was the participant able to learn any new techniques during the process of the interaction? Have these techniques influenced the participants daily work? Finally, has the participant learned new options for making progress with problems which had previously seemed insurmountable? Are there any new alternatives/workarounds available? First order effects will be measured in terms of the psychological factors/mental models under examination. Has the individuals attitude toward technology changed? Has the individuals attitude toward themselves using technology changed? How have their statements about technology changed during the project? Overall, how has their body language changed? Plan driven training focuses on the teaching and retention of skills. In agile training, skill instruction, process, and psychological factors play equally important roles. Adjustment of the teaching process will enable the participant to retain more information. Affecting psychological factors toward more positive mental models will enable the participant to continue to make progress on technical skills in the future. 6. AGILE TRAINING IN PRACTICE The following is an illustration of the Agile Training process. As previously mentioned, research on Agile Training is currently underway at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. A number of sessions have been conducted. These sessions are the basis for this illustration. The owner of a gym (participant) requested assistance with a marketing campaign. The team decided to introduce the participant to two software programs, Prezi and YouTube. Both programs were entirely new to the participant. These programs were chosen for their centrality to his new marketing campaign. The skills and concepts for these new programs were taught to him within three working sessions. The first session provided an introduction to basic tasks in YouTube and Prezi. The second session delved into more advanced skills of both programs. Between sessions, the participant was asked to use the skills to prepare a video and a presentation. During the third session, the participant and the team reviewed both presentation and video. At the end of each session, the participant was asked to role play by teaching the skills back to the team members. The participant scored highly on the confidence and empowerment constructs in the mental model survey. These qualities were observed by the team throughout all three sessions. For example, the participant asked many questions about video streaming, developed new ideas for using video in his business, and expressed that he did not feel as inept with technology as he had before. The participant exhibited no hesitation in demonstrating knowledge of all of the skills and concepts involved in the session. These observations of the participants mental model confirmed the path taken during the sessions. Had the participant experienced more fear or frustration, the team would have needed to revise the training strategy.

At times, the progression of a session changed based on the interests of the participant. In one case, as a result of the participants interest in producing comedic videos for his YouTube channel, the next appointment agenda was changed to include a review of a YouTube software product called Xtranormal. This product takes text and transforms it into a fully animated cartoon. One indicator of the success of the sessions is what the participant does with the skills after the training session has finished. On his own one evening, this participant wished to embed a video into a presentation. The video was on his hard drive, but Prezi would not allow him to embed the video directly into the presentation. He noticed that YouTube videos could be inserted into presentations. He uploaded the presentation to YouTube and added text, overlays and transitions. Then he made the video public and embedded it into his presentation. He also set the video to be the featured video, ready to play automatically upon visitor arrival to his channel. The notable item about the participants experience is that he had no knowledge of either YouTube or Prezi before his sessions began. Not only did he learn the skills required to work with both programs, he demonstrated the ability to find workarounds in order to overcome obstacles. The entire video embedding experience occurred outside of a regular session, with no assistance. 7. CONCLUSION Technological tools are essential for success in todays business environment. Plan driven training has been moderately successful, yet it yields variable results. Methods must be devised to make technological training more effective in unconventional educational environments, such as the microenterprise. The Informing Science Framework suggests that [i]deally, the knowledge skills, and abilities that are being learned must be packaged, sequenced, and delivered in response to each learners unique needs [6]. The agile training method seeks to provide such learning through techniques that emphasize highly dynamic and flexible interactions between trainers and microenterprise participant; frequent iterations involving planning, instruction, practice, evaluation, and critical reflection; and close attention to mental models. The approach described above is currently being employed in a study involving twenty microenterprises in the Nebraska/Iowa region.

Appendix

I. 12 Underlying Manifesto principles. Agile Manifesto Principles Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software Welcome changing requirements, even late in development Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months) Working software is the principal measure of progress Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace Close, daily co-operation between business people and developers Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (colocation) Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design Simplicity Self-organizing teams Regular adaptation to changing circumstances Agile Training Principles User empowerment by rapid learning of useful IT skills/concepts Welcome changing learning scope, anytime in development Useful IT skills/concepts are learned frequently (weeks rather than months) Demonstrable IT skills/concepts are the principle measure of progress Sustainable learning, able to maintain a constant pace Close cooperation between user and teacher No Change

No Change

Continuous attention to the learning environment No Change No Change No Change

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