Today I’m launching my new website plus my free, downloadable resource: The Distance Learning Workbook.
The workbook is an accessible, useable guide that will help any museum map out their journey into distance learning.
It is divided into two sections: Building Blocks and Distance Learning Types. The Building Blocks section has four subsections that examine the foundational components of any distance learning program:
Identifying Your Target Audience and Their Needs
Identifying Your Learning Goals
Identifying Your Stakeholders
Identifying Your Technology
Each subsection includes an introduction followed by questions or activities for you to explore at your museum.
The second section, Distance Learning Types, dives into three types of distance learning, laying out the pros, cons, and best practices. Once the first section of the workbook helps you define your museum’s goals, the second section presents a menu of distance learning platforms to best achieve those goals.
Why did I create this?
When the pandemic hit, most of my attention focused on helping museums launch new distance learning programs or revamp onsite programs into virtual offerings. In working with those museums, I recognized the broader need in the field for a concrete, user-friendly guide that walks museums through the steps of setting up a foundation for distance learning programs.
I want to empower any museum of any size to feel like they can leverage the power of distance learning to engage audiences.
What do I want users to get out of it?
So often a toolkit or workbook is long, text heavy, and focused more on theory than practice. I wanted users of this workbook to walk away feeling like they have a plan.
If you download it and use it, let me know what you think!
What’s Next?
This workbook is a kickstarter guide and there is so much more we can talk about when it comes to distance learning. I plan on writing here (once or twice a month) and hosting webinars covering more topics such as accessibility, content creation, partnerships, and more, so stay tuned!