Project Proposal

Project Title

Learning to set-up and run the first round of the Airplane simulation

Sponsoring Organization

JWA Consulting is a Lean healthcare consulting firm. Their focus on Lean healthcare has helped clients achieve dramatic improvements in operational and clinical quality, costs, healthcare access, employee and patient safety, and physician/staff engagement.

Part of JWA’s mission is to teach our clients how to become a Lean thinking organization, so when we return in 10 years they are still implementing the same strategies and operational improvements.

Project Description

When JWA’s clients purchase a portion of our intellectual property called the Workshop Leader Training or our Lean Leader Training they purchase our airplane simulation. This simulation teaches some of the Lean principles. It is divided into 3 rounds. But, before the rounds of the simulation are run there must be correct examples of how to fold the planes for the workshop participants to observe. This module will be provided to the Lean office staff on-site at the hospital so that they can correctly prepare and run the first round of the Airplane simulation. Besides our clients, new JWA consultants can use the module to understand our instructional methods.

Aim

The goal is to create a module that illustrates how to correctly run the first round of the Four-Fold Airplane simulation. The aim is that the person who is teaching the Airplane simulation has the correct material prepared prior to the class and understanding of the principles that this round of the simulation is explaining.

Target Audience

  • Lean Department Managers within our Client organizations
  • Our New Consultants
  • Nurses, Doctors, and Executives that participate in our classes

Delivery Options

In-person: The simulation can be run in order for people to understand the set-up and the order of events

Online: The supplemental materials for the training should continue to be used by the organization repeatedly after we they have purchased JWA’s intellectual property. The supplemental materials can be used in order to understand the process of setting up and running the first round of the Airplane simulation

Front-End Analysis: Instructional Need

Instructional Need

Hospitals reach out to JWA when they want to improve on different aspects of their patient and staff experience. As an introduction to Lean methodology, JWA teaches different classes onsite to explain Lean principles to our adult learners. Essentially, when JWA first begins work on the client site we are rolling out a new product according to Rossett this is one of four opportunities. (Morrison 2013)

The people that attend JWA’s classes are all staff at the hospital, but their jobs can range from Executives, Directors, Doctors, Nurses and Administrators. Each of these different learners can come from different cultural and educational backgrounds. But, all of these people need to be exposed to the new system that is going to be deployed throughout the hospital.

As part of these classes, JWA teaches an Airplane simulation, which explains some of the more complicated aspects of the class and breaks it down into a simplified idea. The first round of the simulation focuses on “Traditional Batch Processing.” This is the way that many people manage their workflows before Lean systems are put in place.

The nature of the Airplane simulation breaks up the monotony of the training and allows people with different kinds of learning styles to understand the concepts in a different fashion. This simulation is very good for kinesthetic learners to understand the Lean principles in action.

Everyone who has ever folded a paper airplane before could have a different way of folding the wings. The assumption is that because these will be adult learners they may have their own preconceived notions about folding paper airplanes. Part of the set-up for the first round of the simulation is showing the learners the correct way to fold the paper airplanes as part of this simulation. A video module will be provided as supporting content for the instructor. The instructor can use the video to explain the steps of the process to the learners. This video is an asset for in the classroom as well as for training others on the set-up and process of the simulation. There is no certification that goes along with the process only the expectation of excellence.

 

 

Front-End Analysis: Learner Characteristics

Learner Analysis

Primary Audience

  • Lean Department Managers who will teach the Airplane simulation
  • Administrative Assistants in the Lean departments

Secondary Audience

  • New JWA Consultants who have never seen the Airplane simulation
  • Learners in the Lean Leader Training classes

General Learner Characteristics

  • All are hospital or JWA employees
  • Education: high school diploma – post-secondary education

Entry Characteristics

  • Most are familiar with folding a paper airplane before

Contextual Analysis

Orienting Context

  • Correct set-up of the airplane simulation
  • If the example planes are not done correctly, then the instructor will have a harder time teaching the simulation
  • Some people may have their own perceptions about how to fold a paper airplane

Instructional Context

  • Online
  • Based on their availability and schedule
  • If reading the material and watching the video, they may ne located in their office or cubicle at the hospital
  • On their office computer or laptop
  • Headphone may be required if voice-over is included

Technology Inventory

  • Access to a computer or laptop
  • Access to Microsoft Word and PowerPoint
  • Ability to watch a video on a computer

Transfer Context

  • Because it is a video module and a text support document it will be easily transferred from one office staff to another
  • The learner will demonstrate the learned techniques with the Airplane simulation is taught
  • JWA Staff are always available to support and answer question

 

Instructional Impact Based Upon Learner Characteristics

Application of Learning Theories

All of the learners who will be participating in the training and learning the Airplane simulation are adults. Andragogy, “makes the following assumptions about the design of learning: (1) Adults need to know why they need to learn something (2) Adults need to learn experientially, (3) Adults approach learning as problem-solving, and (4) Adults learn best when the topic is of immediate value” (Culatta 2015). We are using the Airplane simulation to address each of these aspects of adult learners.

We are teaching the participants about batch processing by illustrating the principle with paper airplanes. Even though my project is only associated with the first round of the simulation, the rest of the process is important to the entire learning process. In the second two rounds the learners problem solve based on the lean principles to increase their production and error-proof their work. We then apply the same principles they have learned from the simulation and relate it back to their everyday workload. Thus making the simulation immediately applicable to the participants.

Learning how to run the first round of the Airplane simulation can be self-directed. If so, the learners are expected to learn the module on their own time. Being self-directed is very important for adult learners.

Application of Motivational Theories

Part of the simulation is for the customer to approve or reject the airplanes that are folded correctly. This is exactly what happens in Behavioral Theory (Morison 355). Participants are told by the “customer” and the “manager” if they have correctly completed a plane as part of the simulation. The are rewarded by

The people who are running the simulation are not rewarded for learning it correctly. But, because the simulation is divided into three rounds the people who are participating in the simulation will build on each section before. This instruction will focus on the first round of the simulation.

Impact of a Diverse Audience on Instruction

Because we often teach these simulations within a hospital system, it is possible that these learners come from culturally diverse backgrounds. It is possible that paper was not readily available to be wasted on frivolities such as folding paper airplanes in class as a child. This simulation on folding paper airplanes could be the first exposure that they have had to the practice. It is important that the instructors that we are training to run the simulation are prepared that it may take more time for some people to grasp the concepts

 

Task Analysis

Task Analysis Method

Because of the procedural nature of folding paper airplanes it is logical to use the Procedural Task Analysis Method. I have become a SME on this simulation by nature of my job. I create all of the set-up and am often explaining to the new consultants about running the airplane simulation before they have actually participated in one of our classes. There are very specific steps and instructions for running the simulation even though you are just folding paper airplanes. This simulation is using a simple concept to explain the much more complicated concept of patients flowing through the hospital system. Explaining how the simulation will run is essential to illustrating the traditional batch processing.

Task Analysis

I. Instructor: Randomly pick participants for the roles from different parts of the room

  • Operator #1 – First fold
  • Operator #2 – Second fold
  • Operator #3 – Third fold
  • Operator #4 – Fourth fold
  • Runner – Moves planes through the system
  • Customer – Accepts and rejects the planes
  • Manager – Keeps customer happy and tries to fix problems in the system, but does not make any folds

II. Instructor: sets the timer for 7 minutes

III. Operator #1: Receives a blank piece of paper from instructor and makes first fold on airplane

  • Fold the paper vertically so that the two top and bottom corners meet
  • Calls for the runner after they have a batch of 3 pieces of folded paper
  • Visual Cue: Paper is folded in half

IV. Runner: takes papers to Operator #2

V. Operator #2: Makes Second fold

  • Unfolds paper
  • Folds upper left corner to the center crease made by Operator #1
  • Folds upper right corner to the center crease made by Operator #1
  • Calls for the runner after they have a batch of 3 pieces of folded paper
  • Visual Cue: Top of the paper comes to a point at the center

VI. Runner: takes papers to Operator #3

VII. Operator #3: Makes Third fold

  • Folds left corner into center crease
  • Folds right corner into center crease
  • Folds paper in half
  • Calls for runner after they have a batch of 3 pieces of folded paper

VIII. Runner: takes paper to Operator #4

IX. Operator #4: Makes Fourth fold (wing fold & wing tip)

  • With the triangle shaped paper in front of them, operator folds top corner of the paper away from the center fold so that the edges are parallel to each other
  • Turn paper over
  • Repeat previous fold
  • With point of paper facing right, fold left corner upwards so it is parallel to the top of the plane making a wing tip
  • Turn paper over
  • Repeat previous fold

X. Runner: takes paper to Operator #5

XI. Operator #5: Colors the wing tips

  • Uses a colored marker shades in the area folded upward by Operator #4
  • Turn paper over
  • Repeat coloring
  • Visual Cue: Coloring should not be on the body of the plane “stay in the lines”
  • Visual Cue: The wing tip is fully shaded in no gaps or white of paper showing through

XII. Runner: takes paper to Customer

XIII. Customer: Inspects Airplane

  • Inspects Airplanes
  • Rejects miss-folded airplanes
  • Customer objects to the manager if planes are rejected
  • Visual Cue: Is tip of plane reasonable pointy
  • Visual Cue: Both sides of the plane match
  • Visual Cue: Are all of the folds crisp and correct
  • Visual Cue: The wing tip is fully colored in
  • Visual Cue: There is no color on the “body” of the plane

XIV. The process repeats until the 7 minutes are up

Instructional Objectives

Project (Instructional) Goal

The learner will be able to demonstrate how to run the first round of the Airplane simulation. The learner will be able to demonstrate how the simulation integrates Lean principles in a tactile and relatable manner by learning all of the process steps. 

Terminal Objectives and Enabling Objectives

  • Prepare for the airplane simulation –
      • Assemble the sample/example airplanes with 100% precision (Synthesis)
      • Compile a training packet with all the materials needed for the simulation (Precision)
      • 100% of needed materials are brought to the learning environment (Precision)
  • Conduct the Airplane Simulation-
      • The instructor demonstrate each of the roles and their actions (Imitation)
      • Given the list of roles, the instructor selects the participants that will fulfill the roles (Evaluation)
      • Explain that completing the airplane is a process. The steps that must be fulfilled in order for the plane to be assembled with zero error (Comprehension)
  • Run the simulation-
    • Within a seven minute period, monitor the participants as they proceed with the simulation (Evaluation)
    • Supply the materials to the participants as needed (Synthesis) 

 

Enabling Objectives Matrix & Supporting Content

Terminal Objective:

  • Prepare for the airplane simulation

Pre-instructional Strategy:

  • Overview
Enabling Objective Level on Bloom’s Taxonomy* Fact, concept, principle, rule, procedure, interpersonal, or attitude? Learner Activity (What would learners do to master this objective?) Delivery Method
(Group presentation/lecture, self-paced, or small group)
Assemble the sample/example airplanes with 100% precision Synthesis Procedure Watch the example video or use the handout to follow the instructions Self-paced
100% of needed materials are brought to the learning environment Precision Attitude Learner receives a handout with list of materials needed for the simulation.

Learner prepares a training packet with all of the materials from the list.

 Self-paced 

References

Culatta, R. (n.d.). Andragogy (Malcolm Knowles). Retrieved February 26, 2016, from http://www.instructionaldesign.org/theories/andragogy.html

Keesee, G. (n.d.). Andragogy–Adult Learning Theory. Retrieved January 25, 2016, from http://teachinglearningresources.pbworks.com/w/page/30310516/Andragogy–Adult Learning Theory

Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Kalman, H. K., & Kemp, J. E. (n.d.). Designing effective instruction.