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CAPSTONE REPORT
MASTER OF SCIENCE in
Fatima Rodriguez
Capstone Approvals: (At least one advisor and capstone instructor should approve)
Table of Contents
Abstract ............................................................................................................................... 3
Introduction/Background .................................................................................................... 4
Problem Description ....................................................................................................... 5
Target Audience .............................................................................................................. 6
Literature Review............................................................................................................ 7
Goals ............................................................................................................................... 9
Objectives ..................................................................................................................... 10
Test Instruments ............................................................................................................ 12
Media Components ....................................................................................................... 13
Methods/Procedures .......................................................................................................... 14
Instructional Strategies and Activities .......................................................................... 15
Challenges ..................................................................................................................... 17
Resource ........................................................................................................................ 18
Technical skills ............................................................................................................. 18
Evaluation/Testing plan .................................................................................................... 20
Formative Evaluation .................................................................................................... 20
Formative Evaluation Feedback ................................................................................... 22
Formative Evaluation Pre/Post Test Results ................................................................. 22
Summative Evaluation .................................................................................................. 23
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 26
References ......................................................................................................................... 28
Appendix A: Pre/Post Test................................................................................................ 29
Appendix B: Post-Questionnaire ...................................................................................... 31
Appendix C: Worksheets to Support Learners ................................................................. 34
My Weekly Goals Worksheet ....................................................................................... 34
Self-Evaluation Worksheet ........................................................................................... 35
Relationship-Building Self Evaluation Worksheet ....................................................... 36
Appendix D: Content from module Building Relationships with School Site Staff ..... 38
Appendix E: Slides from PowerPoint Presentation .......................................................... 39
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 3
Abstract
Monterey County United for Literacy AmeriCorps is an educational service that is
hosted by the Monterey County Office of Education. AmeriCorps provides one-on-one
tutoring to struggling readers throughout Monterey County. AmeriCorps members are
expected to become part of their school sites educational system. Members serve full
days at their assigned site, therefore having relationships with school staff is important.
The ability to build relationships with school site staff is an important component. It
allows members to have the support system that will help them have a less intimidating
experience. For this training, members will learn skills that encourage them to build
relationships with school site staff.
Why is relationship building important? Building relationships is not easy for all
members. There are members that are outgoing and can easily start conversations, but
there are also members who get nervous to start conversations with others. Therefore, it is
important that members learn skills that will enable them to build relationships. This
allows them to have access to resources and ask for assistance without hesitation.
Currently AmeriCorps members go through a series of trainings to prepare them
for their yearlong service at a school site in Monterey County. The training developed for
this project titled Building Relationships with School Site Staff will be included to
teach members the importance and skills that they need to build relationships with staff at
their school site. This training will help members to engage and pursue relationships with
staff. The goal is that by the end of the training members will understand the value of
having strong relationships at their school site.
This training will be instructor-led and have an eLearning interactive module that
shows members important skills they should have to build relationships at work. These
skills include developing people skills, identifying relationship needs, scheduling time to
build relationships, appreciate others, be positive, manage boundaries, avoid gossip, and
listening actively. Also, they will have access to deliverables that they can take with them
to their school site. These deliverables include a My Weekly Goals, Self-Evaluation, and
Building-Relationships Self Evaluation worksheet. These deliverables will encourage
them to set goals for themselves, evaluate their progress, and assess how they are
performing overall. For the My Weekly Goals and Self-Evaluation worksheets they will
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 4
Introduction/Background
The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) helps improve
lives through service. The CNCS invests in various non-profits such as AmeriCorps,
Senior Corps, and the Social Innovation Fund among others. AmeriCorps is one of the
programs that plays a major role in supporting schools across the United States.
According to the CNCS, in order for all students to succeed, the education system must
provide the academic support and encouragement at-risk children need to thrive (2017).
The AmeriCorps program along with Senior Corps serve nearly 12,000 schools
throughout the United States. Strategies used by the programs to help students include
tutoring, mentoring, and teacher support.
The AmeriCorps program partners with Monterey County United for Literacy
hosted by the Monterey County Office of Education. The AmeriCorps program is also
overseen by the California Volunteers and is sponsored by the Corporation for National
and Community Service. AmeriCorps partners with school districts throughout the
Monterey County to provide full time reading tutors to various elementary schools.
AmeriCorps National Service members serve as literacy tutors at these elementary
schools. Every year AmeriCorps National Service Members are placed at these schools to
provide struggling readers one-on-one tutoring services during the school day. Members
provide struggling readers in kindergarten through 4th grade the support needed to get
them up to grade level. Members are required to serve from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and are
expected to become a part of their sites educational team. Throughout the day members
go into their assigned classrooms, and provide 30 minutes of tutoring time to students on
a one-on-one basis. Members are also required to serve their school sites after-school
program. For the after-school program members can tutor small groups of children.
Members are assigned to their school site per the area in which they live. The
program tries to provide more than one tutor to each school. There are instances when
four to two members are placed at one school site. However, there are instances when
only one member is at a school site. AmeriCorps members who are placed alone at a
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 5
school site are the ones who tend to struggle to build relationships and therefore end their
service year. Members need to have the support from staff at their school site so that they
can become part of their schools educational system.
A one-hour training will be developed for AmeriCorps members to teach them
skills that will help in building relationships with staff at their school site as well as the
importance of building relationships.
Problem Description
The problem/gap is that AmeriCorps members are lacking the skills necessary to
build relationships with staff at their school site. This causes members to have a difficult
service year and early service year termination. The program also experiences low
retention rates due to this. Members should be able to have skills that will help them
foster relationships with staff at their site. It is necessary that members have skills and
understand the importance of building relationships with school site staff. It is important
that this gap is fixed, for if members do not build relationships they will not have the
support from their school site staff. This causes members to feel left out, which affects
their performance as tutors. This performance gap is caused by both skills and attitudes of
the members. As mentioned previously members are expected to become a part of their
sites educational team. However, this is a hard to accomplish for some of the members.
Even though the program provides tutors on-going training and support throughout the
service year, there also needs to be that support at the school site. The AmeriCorps
program coordinator has asked for a one-hour training to be developed that will help
members learn the skills that are needed for members to be able to build relationships
with school site staff. By members having support at their site they are more likely to
enjoy their experience, and build long term professional relationships and mentorships.
By the end of the training it is expected that members will learn the skills necessary such
as listening actively, positivity, and managing boundaries to become confident in
building relationships.
To determine that this was a need, a meeting with the AmeriCorps program
coordinator of Monterey County was set. Upon meeting with the program coordinator, it
was determined that one of the major needs that the program was having was helping
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 6
AmeriCorps members build relationships with school site staff. The program coordinator
is the only person who has access to all AmeriCorps members, she was able to determine
that something had to be done in order to help members with this. Currently AmeriCorps
does not offer a training to its members on building relationships. This training will be
the first and not only will it benefit the members but also the Monterey County United for
Literacy AmeriCorps Program.
Target Audience
AmeriCorps members serving the term year of 2017-2018 are the audience for
this project. AmeriCorps members come from different educational backgrounds. These
include a General Education Development (GED), high school, bachelor, and Masters
degree. The age range for AmeriCorps members is from 18-60 years young. Some of the
members are returning members from past year terms, so these members are aware of the
different training that goes on throughout the year. Throughout the year members go
through different series of trainings that help them learn new skills. Some of these skills
include training members on best practices to tutor students, when it comes to reading,
writing, and pronunciation of words. Other trainings include those such as
cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), Mental Health, and professional development
trainings. This training will be included as a part of the training program. As previously
mentioned, all AmeriCorps members come from different educational backgrounds, and
not all members have experience working in the education field. Some of the members
have good social skills, but there are other members who need help in this area. All
members that are recruited by the AmeriCorps program must have the motivation to be in
the program, and have goals set for themselves. Some members look to get the
experience needed working in the educational system to advance professionally. This
learner analysis was completed by meeting with the program coordinator. The
coordinator provided the information necessary such as age, background, and education.
This instructional product will help members build relationships with their sites staff.
They will be required to do some activities during the training that they can apply when
they are at their sites. Activities for the training will take place as follows: Members will
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 7
take part of a discussion that requires them to share ideas/thoughts on why building
relationships at their school site is important, and what are best practices to build
relationships. There will also be an instructor-led portion covering information on the
importance of building relationships. They will also complete an online module that
covers relationship building skills. These activities will help them interact with staff and
help them build relationships that can benefit them greatly when they are in service and at
the end of the service year.
This training will be delivered at the Monterey County Office of Education
(MCOE) located in Salinas, CA. MCOE has several training rooms available throughout
the year that fit groups of thirty or more people. The training will take place at MCOE;
this location is already in use by AmeriCorps for training courses. Training rooms at
MCOE have the necessary equipment to accommodate the members and the training
materials. There are enough tables and chairs for the members. There is also a table at the
front of the room to place materials. There is also a white board, and an overhead
projector. Members will also have access to computers, which they will need to have
access to during the training.
Literature Review
considers the organizational attitudes towards volunteers. Cluster two determines crucial
factors affecting volunteers. Cluster three considers the structural feature that limit the
action space of volunteers and coordination of volunteers. Studer and Schnubein found
that there were positive effects when it came to volunteer satisfaction. They determined
this by investigating efficacy of volunteer management practices. Cnaan and Cascio
(1998) studied this and administered a bivariate analysis and regression analysis that
tested several effects of recruiting practices, training, supervision, rewards and
orientation. The positive effects that were found showed that training, on-going support,
and activities that contribute to personal benefits has a positive impact on volunteers.
Cuskelly et al. tested the effects of volunteer management practices on retention of
volunteers (2006). A Volunteer Management Inventory was developed to measure
planning, recruitment, training and support. It was found that recognition activities,
training, and volunteer development have significant positive effects on retention of
volunteers. It is important that along with building relationships at their school site,
AmeriCorps members have a positive experience throughout their service year. These
studies researched several factors having to do with volunteer management practices and
positive effects that impact volunteers.
The theory that will be used to support the relationship building component is the
Uncertainty Reduction Theory (URT) by Berger and Calabrese 1975. This theory was
first introduced as a series of axioms (axioms are truths that do not require much proof)
that describe relationships between uncertainty and other communication factors. This
theory was developed to describe interrelationships between seven important factors in
interactions between individuals. These factors include: verbal communication, nonverbal
expressiveness, information-seeking behavior, intimacy, reciprocity, similarity, and liking
(1975). To reduce uncertainty one must communicate with others. The reduction of
uncertainty follows a pattern of developmental stages which are the entry, personal, and
exit stage. Table 1 shows these stages in order. These stages go over what happens during
interactions of each stage. Berger makes a distinction between three ways that people
seek information about others, and these three ways are described as strategies. The first
is passive strategies; this consists of an individual being observed in environments where
another person may be self-monitoring for example a classroom. The second active
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 9
strategies; this is when one asks questions to others about people who one is interested in.
Because of this one sets up a situation where we can observe those people. The third
interactive strategies; is when direct communication with the person occurs. This theory
will help understand the process that people go through when building relationships with
others.
Moreover, training for AmeriCorps will be both instructor-led and have an e-
learning portion included. According to Training Today, Instructor-led training remains
one of the most popular training techniques (2016). Instructor-led training allows the
training to be personal, and allows for all learners to get the same information at the same
time. If a large body of material will be presented an instructor-led training is an efficient
method for large or small groups. There are several ways that interactive methods can be
included in instructor-led trainings. One of these ways that this is possible is by including
quizzes. One can administer brief quizzes based on the information that has been
presented. Letting learners know that there will be a quiz, trainees will remain engaged.
Small group discussions are also an interactive method. Giving trainees situations to
discuss in small groups allows discussion between one another, and allows
knowledgeable trainees to share experiences with newer trainees. Instructor-led trainings
give participants the opportunity to interact, provide feedback, and make the training
enjoyable. As mentioned previously an e-learning portion will be included into the
training. E-learning can be accessible online by the learners, and these courses allows
learners to take part of hands-on, interactive activities. Trainings that are web-based can
be linked to software that allows the progress of the trainees trackable. Having both an
instructor-led training and e-learning component to the training for AmeriCorps will
make the training personal, conversational and will allow them to take part of interactive
activities.
Solution/Description
Goals
2. AmeriCorps members will be more confident and feel part of their school site.
3. AmeriCorps members will learn the value of building strong relationships by
taking part in a training that will teach them relationships building skills as well as
the importance of building relationships.
Objectives
levels of uncertainty. These levels include the Entry Stage, Personal Stage, and the Exit
Stage. Table 1 below is an ideal model for these stages from Heath & Bryant.
Table 1. The table shows three stages that make up the Uncertainty Reductions Theory.
Mark L. Knapp is a professor whose work was based on nonverbal
According to Knapp, the steps shown on Table 2 under coming together and
coming apart, can be skipped depending on the progression or deterioration of a
relationship. This project is intended to help AmeriCorps members build relationships
with staff therefore the five stages of Knapps model under the coming together section
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 12
will be used. The five stages are put in order from bottom to top; the first stage of this
section is the initiation stage; this stage is about making favorable impressions. The
second stage is experimentation; in this stage information shared is analyzed. The third is
the intensifying stage; in this stage relationships are strengthened through frequent
conversations. The fourth stage is integration; in this stage individuals will start making
their relationship closer. The last stage is bonding; in this stage relationships are
recognized and partnerships are built that can result beneficial.
The instructional design model I will be using to guide me while developing this
training for AmeriCorps is the ADDIE Model. ADDIE is the acronym for Analysis,
Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.
Test Instruments
Media Components
Based on the learner analysis and objectives it has been determined that this
training will be both an instructor-led training and have an interactive Captivate Module.
According to Ruby Spencer the Director of the Global Curriculum Development at Pulse
Learning Blending instructor-led training with eLearning provides a best of both
worlds training synergy (eLearning Industry, 2016). A blended learning solution
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 14
provides flexibility to learners and can help reduce costs that are associated with
instructor led training. Media that will be used are PowerPoint, and print materials. The
instructor-led portion of the training will include an introduction, ice-breaker were
learners can interact and share ideas, and a PowerPoint presentation which will cover the
importance of building relationships and setting goals section. The media that will be
used for the module is Adobe Captivate. Adobe Captivate is a tool that can be used to
create responsive eLearning. Captivate will be used to introduce the relationship building
skills, and will allow learners to practice and assess their knowledge of what they have
learned. Google Docs will also be used for this project. Monterey County United for
literacy AmeriCorps has access to America Learns which is a web page were members
access daily or bi-weekly to input service hours. On America Learns members have
access to a google document which contains all student/member worksheets that
members can have access to and print when needed. On this Google Doc the program
will make available the deliverables that will be created for the training. These include
the My Weekly Goals, Self-Evaluation, and Building-Relationships Self Evaluation.
These worksheets were developed on Microsoft Word. These worksheets will be part of
the training, which their purpose is to facilitate and help members set goals for
themselves when it comes to building relationships with their school site staff.
The reason why this delivery system was chosen was because it makes the
training personal to the learners. As mentioned previously they will have the opportunity
to share ideas amongst one another, and share experiences thus far in their service year
when it comes to building relationships with their school site staff. The module will
provide learning activities that will teach them skills, needed to build good relationships.
They will also have the opportunity to look at scenarios and determine which are good
interactions and which are not when it comes to the skills learned.
Methods/Procedures
present through the training which will be the program coordinator who delivers most of
the trainings to the members and me. Current AmeriCorps members will take part of the
initial delivery of this training. AmeriCorps members will try out the product created on
captivate as well as take part of the other materials being developed for the training. After
the members have gone through the training, feedback on the training will be taken into
consideration to make any necessary changes to the product. It is important that members
find this training useful, therefore feedback is important.
For this training to be successful it is crucial that all resources are available per
the needs of the training. For instance, finding a room with access to computers for the
eLearning section of the training. It is also important to gather feedback from members
pertaining to the overall effectiveness of the training. If there needs to be changes that
will benefit the training they will be considered if any. Members will also have the
opportunity to evaluate the eLearning module created on Captivate.
The major activities for this training will include a PowerPoint presentation, and
module that will present to members relationship building skills. The skills that will be
presented were adopted form Mind Tools. Mind Tools is a career and management
learning solution which provides resources to increase productivity, improve
management, and leaderships skills to many organizations (2017). As mentioned
previously Uncertainty Reduction Theory is a theory that explains the process of building
relationships. Using the Mind Tools building relationships skills will help facilitate the
process of this for AmeriCorps members. The training will consist of the following
activities which also show the duration of each activity. The following is an outline of the
training; it also contains an explanation of what each activity will consist of.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 16
Training Outline
Activity Duration
Time
Before beginning with the introduction participants will be given a pre- 5 minutes
test with questions pertaining to the training.
Introduction
During the introduction of the training the training facilitator will be
going over the objectives of the training and what activities will be
taking place.
Ice breaker 10 minutes
During the ice breaker learners will be getting into small groups and
discuss and answer the following questions?
1. Why is it important to build relationships with staff at their
school site?
2. What are the skills that one should have to build relationships?
Once groups have finished with the discussions they will share out with
the rest of the learners.
PowerPoint presentation Importance of Building Relationships 10 minutes
During this presentation learners will be made aware of why it is
important to build relationships. As well as, the positive outcomes that
come along with relationships building at their school site. This
presentation will be used to encourage the fostering of relationships.
e-Learning Module 15-20
On the learning module, the learners will take part in the following minutes
activities:
1. Lecture: Relationships building skills from Mind Tools. Learners
will be learning the following skills and their definition and how
they can apply these:
Developing People Skills
Identify Your Relationship Needs
Schedule Time to Build Relationships
Appreciate Others
Be Positive
Manage Your Boundaries
Avoid Gossiping
Listen Actively
2. Practice: During this practice learners will be matching the skill
to its definition. (Drag and Drop Activity)
3. Quiz: Learners will be taking a quiz that will test their
knowledge on what they learned. Learners will be shown
different scenarios per the above listed skills. They must
determine which scenario matches the skill based on the
scenario.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 17
Setting Goals
After learners have finished the module they will be given a
presentation on setting goals and they will be presented with worksheets 10 minutes
that will help facilitate the relationship building process with school site
staff. These worksheets consist of the following:
1. My Weekly Goals
This worksheet will enable members to set measurable
goals for themselves.
2. Self-Evaluation
This self-evaluation will help members evaluate their
progress and answer questions such as the following:
1. How many staff they have gotten to know this week?
2. What are the names of the teachers that I have gotten
to know?
3. What is something interesting I found out about
them?
4. Did I accomplish my goal/s for this week?
3. Relationship-Building Self Evaluation
This worksheet will help AmeriCorps members evaluate
their relationship-building progress two to three months
after the training was delivered.
These worksheets will be brought by AmeriCorps members to the
weekly team meetings. During this time, members will be sharing their
results with other members.
Conclusion 5 minutes
At the end of the training members will be completing a post-
questionnaire. This questionnaire will help determine the effectiveness
of the training. A post-test will also be given.
Challenges
There are challenges that may arise while developing and designing this training.
One of the challenges is making sure that the module being created for the training
includes all components that will help members learn the skills that will help them build
relationships. Making sure the expected goals and outcomes are reached is important.
Also, remembering Adobe Captivate and its features to create a successful eLearning
module can be quite challenging. To overcome these challenges, I must make sure I ask
for immediate assistance from a professor or someone who is knowledgeable that can
assist me. In the MIST program, I have come to learn that I should not be afraid to ask for
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 18
help when it is needed. For this project to be successful any doubts or help should be
discussed with a professor, advisor early on.
Resource
Monterey County United for Literacy AmeriCorps would like this training to be
delivered in mid-November. Mid-November is still early on in the service year for
AmeriCorps members, this is the time when members are still getting to know their
school site staff. Therefore, they will be able to take what they learn in the training and
implement it soon after. As previously mentioned Captivate will be used to create the
eLearning section of the training. Images needed for the module will be obtained in
Captivate or online sites with free image libraries. The Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
will also provide the audio for the online module. Paper deliverables will be produced on
Microsoft Word and will be accessible through America Learns, which is Monterey
County United for Literacies website. At this moment, there are no costs for the training,
this may change as the project develops.
Technical skills
Timeline/Progress Report
Building Relationships with School Site Staff Training Timeline
Week Date Deliverable for Training Start Date Expected
Due Date
1 August 21-29 Develop training Outline August 21 August 29
2 August 30- Training Storyboard for August 30 September
September 5 Captivate 5
3 September 6- Captivate eLearning Module September 6 October 3
12
4 September 13- Training deliverables September 13 October
19 (continue working on module) 10
5 September 20- Continue working on module
26 and deliverables
6 September 27- Complete Captivate Module October 3
October 3
7 October 4-10 Complete training deliverables October
10
8 October 11-17 Training presentation outline & October 11 October
PowerPoint 24
9 October 17-24 Training presentation outline & October
PowerPoint 24
10 October 24-31 Meet with client October
31
11 November 1-7 Revise training November
(make changes if needed) 7
12 November 8- Deliver Training at Monterey November
15 County Office of Education 15 or 29
13 November 16- Analyze data collected December
23 5
14 November 24- Complete deliverables December
December 1 5
15 December 1-5 Complete Deliverables December
5
16 December 6- Submit all Deliverables December
12 12
The outline above shows the progression of when each major deliverable for the
training was completed. Dates varied depending on changes needed to be made.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 20
Evaluation/Testing plan
Formative Evaluation
Table 5. The slide below shows the practice drag and drop activity on the module.
Table 6. The table below shows a quiz question included in the module.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 22
The feedback gathered from the three learners was given via email. Changes that
needed to be made included the following:
1. Closed Captioning needed to be included.
2. The quiz section of the module needed to be fixed. As Table 6 shows the text for
the question and title of the slide were overlapping. There were a couple of other
slides that needed to be fixed with the same problem.
3. The back button did not take the learner to the previous page, instead it went to
the next page.
Based on the feedback given by learners there were a few changes that needed to be
made to the module. This feedback was important and all the changes necessary were
made.
Post-Test Pre-Test
Summative Evaluation
To determine the effectiveness of the training a paired t-test was conducted. The
test would determine if there was a significant change in number of correct answers after
the training was completed on the pre-test and post-test. This test was completed using
Microsoft Excel. To complete the paired t-test the questions for the pre/post-test were
calculated out of nine points. Meaning each question was worth one point, since there
were nine questions the amount of total correct answers was nine out of nine. The
following charts show results for the paired t-test.
Table 9. The tables below show the descriptive statistic results for the pre-test and post-
test.
Table 11. The following table shows the difference of results on the pre-test and post-test.
Pre-test Post-test
Table 12. The table below shows the number of correct answers for the pre-test and post-
test. Also included is the percent of increase from the pre-test to post-test.
Based on the results of the paired t-test, it can be concluded that there was a
difference in results from the pre-test and post-test. We reject the null hypothesis that
there is no difference between the pre-test and post-test. When looking at the feedback
from the five learners on the post-questionnaire the following was concluded:
Question 1: Three out of five learners (60%), agreed that the module was easy to
navigate, while two out of five (40%) strongly agreed.
Question 2: All learners agreed that the visuals were appropriate for the lecture.
Question 3: All learners agreed that the audio of the module was clear and
understandable.
Question 4: Four out of five learners (80%) agree that the length of the module was
appropriate, while one out of five (20 %) was undecided if the length was appropriate.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 26
Question 5: Three out of five learners (60%) agree that the skills presented provided
enough information while two out of five (40%) were undecided.
Question 6: All learners agree that the skills presented in the module were
understandable.
Question 7: All learners agree that the practice activity in the module allowed them to
define each of the skills presented.
Question 8: All learners agree that the quiz adequately tested their understanding of the
skills presented.
Question 9: All learners responded Yes when asked if the instructor-led portion of the
training provided enough information to understand the importance of building
relationships with staff at their school site.
Question 10: Two out of five learners (40%) strongly agreed that they can apply what
was learned during the presentation at their school site when building relationships, while
three out of five agree (60%).
Question 11: One out of five learners (20%) strongly agreed that they can apply the
skills learned in the module at their school site, while four out of five agree (80%).
Conclusion
AmeriCorps Monterey County United for Literacy had a need to help members
build relationships with staff at their school site. This need was brought up by the
program coordinator who had access to all AmeriCorps members throughout their service
year. To complete this capstone several face-to-face meetings and emails were exchanged
between the coordinator and the designer/developer. Along with meeting with the
coordinator different sources were studied that would help fill this gap. It was determined
that the best solution to fill this gap was to develop a training for AmeriCorps. This
training would be an hour long. According to the program coordinator, it was important
that members become aware of the importance of building relationships with school site
staff, and a training would be the best option. Gallup a performance-management
consulting company mentions that people who have a support system at work are more
likely to be engaged in their work (Gallup, 2016). Not only would this benefit
AmeriCorps members and help them have a support system at their school site, it would
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 27
also provide their students with the best tutoring services. This capstone project was
developed and designed using the skills learned in the Masters of Instructional Science
and Technology program (MIST) at California State University Monterey Bay (CSUMB).
This training was both instructor-led with an online module included. Having both
approaches for the training would allow members to interact with one another as well as
give the opportunity to complete a task on their own.
The instructor-led portion of the training included a presentation that covered
several different materials including theory, that helped support the importance of
building relationships. A summative evaluation was completed during the development
of the training to determine any necessary changes. After the training was completed and
implemented, data collected from the pre-test and post-test determined that the module
was effective. The post-questionnaire also helped determine that the training was
effective. A paired t-test was used to determine the effectiveness of the training by
comparing the results from both pre/post-tests. Both the pre-test and post-test contained
questions and statements from the instructor-led portion and module.
AmeriCorps Monterey County United for Literacy provides members with on-
going training throughout their service year to provide support, skills, and professional
development. The Building Relationships with School Site Staff training will be part of
AmeriCorps training. This training will be delivered to AmeriCorps members at the
beginning of their service year.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 28
References
Culatta, R. (2013). Instructional Design Models. Innovative Learning.
Communication Theory. (2010). Knapps Relationship Model. Available from:
http://communicationtheory.org/knapps-relationship-model/
Grossman, J., & Furano, K. (1999). Making the Most of Volunteers. Law and
Contemporary Problems, 62(4), 199-218. doi:10.2307/1192273
Heath, R.L. & Bryant, J. (2000). Human Communication Theory and Research. Concept,
Context and Challenges. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
MindTools. (2017). Building great work relationships: making work enjoyable and
productive. [Online]. Available from:
https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/good-relationships.htm
Scott-Spaulding, M. (2013). Partnering for success: advice on building collaborative
work relationships. Health Facilities Management, 26 (5).
http://go.galegroup.com.library2.csumb.edu:2048/ps/
Spencer, R. (2016). 5 ways to maximize instructor-led training. eLearning Industry.
Studer, S., & Von Schnurbein, G. (2013). Organizational Factors Affecting Volunteers: A
Literature Review on Volunteer Coordination. Voluntas: International Journal of
Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations, 24(2), 403-440. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org/stable/42629816
Pre/Post Test
The following questions will be used to test your knowledge on material covered on the
Building Relationships with School Site Staff training. Please answer all the questions
to the best of your knowledge. Thank You.
3. Which of the following can affect relationships, can cause distrust, animosity, and
prevent effective communication?
a) Managing boundaries
b) Listening actively
c) Gossiping
5. Ana seems to be spending too much of her time at her school site talking to staff,
although it is good that she is talking to staff, she must remember the reason why
she is at her site. She must not let these relationships and interactions come in the
way of her tutoring time. Which of the following skills must Ana work on?
a) Appreciate others
b) Identify relationship needs
c) Manage her boundaries
6. Building relationships with staff at your school site is important. Which of the
following are benefits of building relationships?
a) Mentorships
b) Accessibility
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 30
Appendix B: Post-Questionnaire
1. The module titled, Building Relationships with School Site Staff was easy to
navigate.
a) Strongly Agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly Disagree
7. The practice activity on the module allowed me to define each of the skills.
a) Strongly Agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly Disagree
9. Did the instructor-led portion of the training provide enough information for you
to understand the importance of building relationships with staff at your school
site?
a) Yes
b) Somewhat
c) No
10. I can apply what I learned during the presentation at my school site when building
relationships with staff.
a) Strongly Agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly Disagree
11. I can apply the skills that I learned on the Building Relationships with School
Site Staff module at my school site when building relationships with staff.
a) Strongly Agree
b) Agree
c) Undecided
d) Disagree
e) Strongly Disagree
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 33
12. What did you like about this module? Please provide your response below.
13. What would you like to see in future trainings like this one? Please provide
your response below.
Self-Evaluation Worksheet
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 36
Appendix D: Content from the module Building Relationships with School Site Staff
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH SCHOOL SITE STAFF 39