Foundational Document 765
Foundational Document 765
Project Title
Understanding Confidentiality: Training for Volunteer Church Office Assistants
Sponsoring Organization
Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel has agreed to be responsible for implementing this project. I will also make the project available to several churches in the Florida District of The Wesleyan Church (including Zephyrhills Wesleyan Church where I presently pastor) in order to gain additional feedback. Roman Roads, the non-profit arm of Learning Road iLearning Services of Wesley Chapel, has tentatively agreed to make the completed instruction available on its website for the use of client churches. The Mission of Trinity Church of Wesley Chapel is to present the Gospel of Christ to the Community and to equip the Body of Christ to live the abundant life that will bring honor to the Glory of God. Other church mission statements are similar. Roman Roads provides consulting and professional services to organizations focused on promoting serviceoriented missions. The goal is use the power of the Internet to reach, engage, and equip these organizations constituents, members, and donors in interactive, virtual communities where they can recruit, train, educate, share information, and participate in communitybuilding activities.
Problem Identification
Church office assistants are in the position to overhear a lot of confidential information: prayer requests, donor contributions, conflicts between members or even among the pastoral staff. They have an insiders look at how the church is run and what pastors schedules are like. They also see all the faults and shortcomings of those they work with every day. Most church office workers are volunteers with little or no training in soft skills such as dealing with confidential issues. But when confidentiality isnt maintained, it can be disastrous for a church. Church members need to know their personal information is kept private. Pastors need to be assured that their idiosyncrasies arent being broadcast to the congregation. Maintaining harmony in the church is dependent upon confidentiality. And most volunteer workers have a vested interest in promoting harmony and rarely realize theyve breached confidentiality until its too late.
Aim
My goal is to create a self-contained instructional piece for online delivery that includes specific scenarios to help volunteer church office assistants understand what information is and isnt acceptable to share. The instruction will also equip them with specific statements to use in social settings to avoid sharing confidential information with others who might innocently inquire.
Target Audience
The target audience for this instruction includes pastors, who may want to share the information with their office assistants, and church volunteers who are already helping in various capacities in their local church, most notably in the church office. General characteristics of these volunteers include: Christians who are active in their church Those having the spiritual gifts of mercy, helps and/or administration (genuinely nice people who have a desire to help others and tend to be very relational) Predominantly female (though there are some men who hold these positions) Generally older (those already retired from vocational employment or those who have never worked outside the home) Lower education level (high school or limited college)
Delivery Options
I plan to offer this instruction as a self-contained online course (developed with Lectora). Ive chosen this option because it will enable the information to be shared quickly and easily with a great number of churches at no additional cost. Most churches cant afford outside training for their volunteers, so the online course option would equip them to offer quality training with good instructional design that would maximize positive results.
GOAL ANALYSIS
Instructional Need
Church office assistants are in the position to overhear a lot of confidential information: prayer requests, donor contributions, conflicts between members or even among the pastoral staff. They have an insiders look at how the church is run and what pastors schedules are like. They also see all the faults and shortcomings of those they work with every day. Most church office workers are volunteers with little or no training in soft skills such as dealing with confidential issues. But when confidentiality isnt maintained, it can be disastrous for a church. Church members need to know their personal information is kept private. Pastors need to be assured that their idiosyncrasies arent being broadcast to the congregation. Maintaining harmony in the church is dependent upon confidentiality. And most volunteer workers have a vested interest in promoting harmony and rarely realize theyve breached confidentiality until its too late. While there are multiple factors that may contribute to breaches in confidentiality, some of which can be addressed through policy and procedure changes, my own experience with four volunteer office assistants working under me, along with anecdotal evidence supplied by my peers in ministry, convince me that part of the problem can positively be addressed through targeted training. Training would not only correct a perceived performance
problem but would also foster volunteer employee growth and greatly minimize possible future problems.
Goal Analysis
Step 1: Set Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. What is and isnt confidential? Understand why they may be breaking confidentiality Situations in which they may be tempted to divulge sensitive information Understand the consequences 3
5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Address self-esteem issues? Scripture verses that specifically address the issue What to say to someone who asks you about something confidential Unintentional slips how to keep phone calls from being overheard Self-examination Express desire to make changes
Step 2: Refine Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Identify types of information that should be kept confidential. List reasons why confidentiality is important. Develop 3-4 key statements to avoid confidentiality conflicts. Examine past behavior and possible underlying reasons for breaching confidentiality. Rate verses from Scripture that speak to confidentiality issues in order of relevance. Develop specific strategies for keeping phone calls and email messages private. Express a desire to make changes, if necessary. Roleplay situations where they may be tempted to divulge sensitive information.
Step 3: Rank Goals 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Identify types of information that should be kept confidential. List reasons why confidentiality is important. Examine past behavior and possible underlying reasons for breaching confidentiality. Develop 3-4 key statements to avoid confidentiality conflicts. Roleplay situations where they may be tempted to divulge sensitive information. Develop specific strategies for keeping phone calls and email messages private.
Step 4: Refine Goals Again Right now I dont see any discrepancies between the goals and exiting performance, because I developed my goals with the end in mind. However, I do think the role-playing could be included as part of developing key statements to avoid breaching confidentiality. And it may be possible to include information about phone calls and email messages in my other goals. Step 5: Create Final Ranking Upon completion of this course, learners should be able to: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. List reasons why confidentiality is important. Identify types of information that should be kept confidential. Examine past behavior and possible underlying reasons for breaching confidentiality. Develop 3-4 key statements to avoid confidentiality conflicts and role-play how to use them in specific situations where they may be tempted to divulge sensitive information. Develop specific strategies for keeping phone calls and email messages private.
Final Goal: Now, taking these five mini-goals into consideration, I have condensed them into one over-arching goal for the course: 4
Learners will be able to define confidentiality, identify the types of information that should be kept confidential, and develop strategies for maintain confidentiality in a variety of work settings.
Contextual Analysis
Orienting Context Most of those taking this module of instruction will be doing so because they were asked to by their supervisor or pastor. Since they are volunteers, there is an assumption that they generally want to please their supervisors and also want to improve their skills for the betterment of the church. Their attitude is expected to be enthusiastic, although most will probably consider the instruction somewhat unnecessary before they begin. They will most likely have the perception that they will be highly successful in completing the course, since most volunteers have not 5
considered fully the extent of confidentiality that is required by a church. Even so, they will be highly motivated to complete the instruction if, for no other reason, to complete an assignment that is outside their normal, somewhat mundane, work responsibilities. Instructional Context This course will be completed on the churchs office computer or from home. Because it can be accessed at any time, there are no conceivable scheduling difficulties or other contextual problems. On the other hand, for busy church offices, it may be difficult in the office context to take the instruction uninterrupted or without distraction. In those situations, the office volunteer will be encouraged to complete the instruction at a time when they are not volunteering in the office so they can concentrate on the material being presented. Transfer Context Preferably, this instruction should be given before the volunteer begins working in the church office. It is expected that the instruction on maintaining confidentiality in the church office will be readily transferred to other situations where the volunteer may be privy to sensitive information, such as small group settings or Bible studies where other may share difficult life experiences, family situations where confidentiality may promote unity and trust, prayer chains, and other workplace situations.
TASK ANALYSIS
Task Analysis Method
While the critical incident method is the most logical choice for this project, since it provides the context for analyzing interpersonal skills (Morrison, p. 91), I chose to use the procedural analysis for this portfolio project, focusing on information-processing analysis. While not procedures per se, there are processes involved in the cognitive, unobservable tasks associated with the goal of understanding and maintaining confidentiality. However, as I interview pastors about their experiences with breaches in confidentiality, I will also be utilizing the critical incident method as I probe the source of the breach and the results. But that information, in my opinion, is more background information for me than the basis of instruction for my learners. Since I introduce rules and principles and provide some specific content, its possible that Im also using portions of a topic analysis. I recognize my approach may be slightly unorthodox, but I hope my treatment of the task analysis will make it clear why this method was chosen.
Task Analysis
In order to tackle the issue of confidentiality in a way that will result in a positive change in behavior, there is a cognitive process that must take place in the learner. The volunteer must first identify with the issue on an emotional level and understand the importance of it personally in order to transfer the concept to the church office setting. Then, he/she must understand the steps to determining whether or not something is confidential and should be kept private. Theres no formal check-list for such information. It requires the volunteer to think through the reasons why information should be kept private and also to understand higher, scriptural principles that should dictate the behavior of a church volunteer.
Next the volunteer has to do some self-examination and then be proactive in finding the words to say and procedures to follow in order to safeguard confidentiality in potentially compromising situations. The process can be easily assimilated/internalized by memorizing four questions: 1. 2. 3. 4. A. How would you feel? How can you know? Where have you been? Where will you go?
How would you feel? Develop a working definition of confidentiality and an understanding of the impact of breaching confidentiality in a church setting 1. Identify past personal experiences with breaches in confidentiality 2. Explore how you felt when your confidential information was breached 3. Consider the lasting damage you experienced 4. Contemplate potential damage that could be caused by breaching confidentiality in a church setting. How would others feel? How can you know? Think through what makes information confidential and what kinds of information should be kept private 1. Any information that is highly personal (financial giving, marriage problems, counseling appointments, conflict) A. If youre unsure or are checked in your spirit, ask your pastor or supervisor B. When in doubt, keep it confidential! 2. Any information that is none of your business or others dont need to know (see above) A. Just because someone asks doesnt mean they need to know. B. You dont need to answer every question just because you know the answer. 3. Any information that will cause others to think less of another person A. Is it kind? B. Is it necessary? Where have you been? Examine your past behavior in your volunteer position to see if youve breached confidentiality 1. Humbly listen to what God is trying to say to you; be prayerful and teachable. 2. Ask God to reveal to you any shortcomings in the area of confidentiality. 3. Ask for forgiveness if youve wronged someone by breaching confidentiality. 4. Confess to your pastor and ask for guidance concerning restoration. Where will you go? 1. Brainstorm a strategy for dealing with situations where others ask you for information that should be kept confidential. A. I wish I could tell you, but thats confidential. B. I believe thats probably a private matter. 7
B.
C.
D.
2.
3.
C. Why do you ask? or Why do you want to know? D. Not to change the subject, but [and then change the subject] Determine ways to keep information in the office private A. Follow established procedures and policies. B. Dont leave sensitive information out where others can see it. C. Blank your computer screen if others come into the room and youre displaying confidential information on your computer D. Be conscious of whether or not others are in a position to overhear phone conversations. (1) Ask if they would mind leaving the room. (2) Tell the person on the line youre not free to speak openly because others are may overhear. Make an appointment to call back. Make a commitment to your church and to the Lord to make confidentiality a priority.
INSTRUCTIONAL OBJECTIVES
GOAL: Learners will be able to define confidentiality, identify the types of information that should be kept confidential, and develop strategies for maintaining confidentiality in a variety of work settings.
Objectives
Domain: Cognitive Terminal Objective #1: By the end of this course, you should be able to identify the types of information that should be kept confidential and the principles for doing so. Be able to define the terms confidential and confidentiality by writing a brief description of each. Given a list of types of information you might encounter when working in a church office, categorize (sort) information as either confidential or not confidential. After analyzing sample principles, create your own list of 4-6 principles for determining the kinds of information that should be kept confidential. Based on scenarios of various church office situations, formulate (list) of at least 4 principles to guide your sharing of any information. Domain: Cognitive and Psychomotor Terminal Objective #2: By the end of this course, you should be able to critically examine past behavior and determine a strategy for future behavior in regards to maintaining confidentiality. Given time to prayerfully reflect on your shortcomings in the area of maintaining confidentiality, ask God for forgiveness and make a commitment to maintain confidentiality in the future by signing a commitment form. Based on specific scenarios of potentially compromising situations you might encounter, develop and memorize (recall) a list of 4-6 possible responses to use when others request confidential information. Given a list of common office practices (both positive and negative), create your own personal checklist of 4-6 simple behaviors to safeguard sensitive information. 8
Domain: Cognitive and Affective Terminal Objective #3: By the end of this course, you should be able to identify the potential damage that can be caused by breaches in confidentiality in a church setting. Describe in 2-3 short sentences past experiences when you were personally hurt by breaches in confidentiality and identify (check off) the feelings you experienced. Given a series of scenarios describing the personal stories of people who have been hurt, list four long-term negative consequences of breaches in confidentiality. Given a list of Scripture verses as a basis for understanding Gods plan for His church, explain in 3-4 sentences the harm done to Gods purposes when Gods ideal for His church is compromised. Domain: Affective Terminal Objective #4: By the end of this course, you should be able to demonstrate an appreciation for the value God places on His church by taking appropriate measures to guard sensitive information. Given sample responses, determine (list) the steps you will begin to take to guard Gods church by maintaining confidentiality and signing a commitment to do so regularly.
COURSE MAP
Sequencing Strategy
I determined that a hybrid of two sequencing strategies was needed in order to present the material in this instruction most effectively: the familiarity phenomenon of learningrelated sequencing and the logical prerequisite phenomenon of concept-related sequencing. In examining the concept of confidentiality in a church setting, it is first necessary to help learners understand the prerequisite concept of confidentiality in general. And the best way to do that is by beginning with information that is most familiar to them. The final sequence of objectives will look like this: Terminal Objective #3: Identify the potential damage that can be caused by breaches in confidentiality in a church setting. Describe in 2-3 short sentences past experiences when you were personally hurt by breaches in confidentiality and identify (check off) the feelings you experienced. Given a series of scenarios describing the personal stories of people who have been hurt, list four long-term negative consequences of breaches in confidentiality. Given a list of Scripture verses as a basis for understanding Gods plan for His church, explain in 3-4 sentences the harm done to Gods purposes when Gods ideal for His church is compromised. Terminal Objective #1: Identify the types of information that should be kept confidential and the principles for doing so. Be able to define the terms confidential and confidentiality by writing a brief description of each. Given a list of types of information you might encounter when working in a church office, categorize (sort) information as either confidential or not confidential. 9
After analyzing sample principles, create your own list of 4-6 principles for determining the kinds of information that should be kept confidential. Based on scenarios of various church office situations, formulate (list) of at least 4 principles to guide your sharing of any information.
Terminal Objective #2: Critically examine past behavior and determine a strategy for future behavior in regards to maintaining confidentiality. Given time to prayerfully reflect on your shortcomings in the area of maintaining confidentiality, ask God for forgiveness and make a commitment to maintain confidentiality in the future by signing a commitment form. Based on specific scenarios of potentially compromising situations you might encounter, develop and memorize (recall) a list of 4-6 possible responses to use when others request confidential information. Given a list of common office practices (both positive and negative), create your own personal checklist of 4-6 simple behaviors to safeguard sensitive information. Terminal Objective #4: Demonstrate an appreciation for the value God places on His church by taking appropriate measures to guard sensitive information. Given sample responses, determine (list) the steps you will begin to take to guard Gods church by maintaining confidentiality and signing a commitment to do so regularly.
Instruction: Why its important to create principles / sample principles Activity: Create a list of types of information that should be kept confidential Scenarios of church office situations Activity: Create list of principles to guide sharing Scenarios Activity: Develop list of responses PART 3 Introduction Reflection and Prayer Activity: Sign commitment form Instruction: Importance of having a plan) Scenarios Activity: Create list of sample responses Activity: Create list of office practices to guard confidentiality PART 4 Activity: Self-Evaluation and Next Steps Activity: Sign Commitment Form Course Evaluation
Preinstructional Strategies Because there is little content structure and the material deals with concepts, I have chosen the overview as my primary preinstructional strategy for this activity. Learners will be prepared for the learning task by being provided an overview of the information that will form a basis for the activity. I will also use the pretest preinstructional strategy by posing two or three rhetorical questions at the end of the instruction, such as, Can you think of ways these principles can apply to specific information items you come across in the church office? This will help the learner to be thinking about the task before being given concrete examples to sort. Assessment Activity Overview
In this activity you will be given a list of various types of information you might encounter while working in the church office and will sort them by indicating which ones you consider confidential. 11
Pedagogical Rationale
Church office volunteers are exposed to various types of information. It is often difficult for a part-time volunteer to assess what is and isnt confidential. This activity will test their ability to discern what information should be kept confidential. It will require learners to take general information they already know (supplied in the preinstructional strategy) and apply it to the new situation of working with information in a church setting. Feedback will be offered for each selection, giving rationale for why the specified information should be kept confidential or what might happen if the information were shared. The immediate feedback will serve as reinforcement of the concepts learned and also encourage the learner with extrinsic motivation when they receive a great job or other positive reinforcement after completing the exercise. This activity was chosen because it is the most practical means of giving learners experience in determining what is and isnt confidential.
Instructions
1. Read the introductory material outlining principles for determining what is and isnt confidential. 2. From a list of ten information items, drag and drop [see definition] each one you consider confidential into the confidential file folder at the bottom of the page. 3. Click on the submit button when you feel youve correctly identified all the confidential items. 4. Read feedback for any items you missed. 5. Click on Try more items if you feel you need additional practice and repeat the above directions with another set of information items.
Assessment Instrument
This assessment, as with all the assessments in this course, is ungraded. I am more concerned that learners complete the activity than that they complete it perfectly, especially since corrective feedback is supplied for each answer. However, it is important that learners be able to identify confidential information and that they perform this activity reasonably well. By providing an opportunity for remedial activity, it is expected that they will master the material. This activity provides a quiz-like assessment, so students will receive an indication of the number of correct responses (10 points for each of the 10 information items correctly categorized, for a total of 100%). If a learner chooses 10 additional information items, their score on the remedial work will be counted as the final score instead of the original questions answered. I plan to create this activity in Lectora, which can easily accommodate the requirements for the activity and track the score for learner feedback.
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Audience
The initial pilot course will be given to six experts: two experienced instructional designers, two pastors who currently oversee volunteer office assistants and two church volunteer office assistants who also have professional (non-volunteer) experience working in an office environment. The second pilot course will be given to a group of office volunteers at two churches: Trinity Church in Wesley Chapel, Florida, and Zephyrhills Wesleyan Church, Zephyrhills, Florida. Both are willing to pilot test the program and offer feedback.
Issues
The most important issues to address are the relevance of the material to the audience (does the instruction represent a realistic understanding of confidentiality in the church setting?) and the potential of the instruction to change attitudes and subsequent behavior
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(e.g., did the instruction make an emotional connection with the learner, was the information provided compelling enough to cause the learner to want to change behavior?). Another important issue is the soundness of the instructional design. I have two professional instructional designers who will view the material and offer suggestions. I particularly want to know if they feel my instructional objectives are met through the instruction. I want to know if my pedagogical principles are sound.
Resources Needed
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Pilot group #1: Experts instructional designers, pastors, those with office experience Pilot group #2: Volunteers currently serving as office assistants Completed pilot course and delivery system (via Internet) Online survey tool (www.proprofs.com) Meeting room space for follow-up focus group Someone to record focus group session or take notes
Evidence
Time needed to complete the instruction (collect automatically) Personal impressions concerning relativity and effectiveness Suggestions for improvement
Data-Gathering Techniques
When I create the computer-based instruction (using Lectora), I will enable a feature that measures the amount of time it takes a learner to complete the course. This is important because I want the instruction to take approximately one hour. Survey responses will be gathered through a survey service at www.proprofs.com or some other survey company that will automatically tabulate scores for various questions. I plan to use a Likert type scale along with open-ended questions to gather feedback on the following: Objective 1: Determine if the instruction is clear, engaging and the appropriate length. Did you feel the course was an appropriate length? [Answers: too long, slightly too long, just right, slightly too short, too short] Did you find the instructions to be clear for each assignment? [Answers: not clear at all, slightly unclear, clear, exceptionally clear] Open-ended follow-up question: If you answered not clear at all or slightly unclear, would you explain what parts you found to be unclear and why? Did the course hold your interest? [Answers: not at all, not for some sections, for most sections, for all sections]
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Open-ended follow-up question: Which part of the course did you find most interesting or most uninteresting?
Objective 2: Determine if the instruction is relevant to the real needs of local churches and their volunteers. Before taking this course, did you think there was a problem with confidentiality in your church office? [Answers: not at all, not very often, sometimes, often, very often] Did this course touch on issues that you now think are relevant to your church office setting? [Answers: not relevant at all, not very relevant, somewhat relevant, very relevant] Open-ended follow-up question: What relevant material did we miss that you wish had been included in the instruction? Did you find the scenarios to be realistic and characteristic of actual situations that have arisen in your church or church office setting? [Answers: not at all realistic, not very realistic, somewhat realistic, very realistic] Open-ended follow-up question: If you answered not realistic or not very realistic, will you share a scenario that you think would better represent an actual confidentiality situation that might arise in a church office setting?
Objective 3: Determine if the instruction is effective In part 1, how well did you relate to the opening examples of betrayal of trust? [Answers: didnt relate at all, somewhat related, related, related very well] How much impact did the Scripture verses provided have on your understanding of the church and the value God places on it? [Answers: no impact, little impact, some impact, much impact] How much did this instruction heighten your awareness of confidentiality issues in the church office setting? [Answers: not at all, not very much, some, very much] Do you think you will use the suggested phrases to answer those seeking sensitive information? [Answers: will not use, not likely to use, may use in the right circumstances, will probably use, will definitely use] Did you covenant to make any behavioral changes based on this course (by signing the commitment forms in parts 3 or 4)? [Answers: I didnt sign either form because I dont plan to change my behavior, I didnt sign either form because they werent relevant, I
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signed one form but wasnt ready to sign the other, I signed both forms but dont plan to follow through, I signed both forms and plan to make changes in my behavior] Open-ended question: What comments or suggestions do you have for making this course better?
Analysis
Once all the surveys are collected, the Likert-type responses will be tabulated to see if responses were mostly negative or positive. Those questions that had negative responses will be carefully reviewed and the follow-up questions analyzed for clues to problems in the instruction itself. All comments will be written down and read to the follow-up group for further clarification and consensus on steps for improvement.
Reporting
Results of the initial survey will be shared in writing with the two sponsoring organizations: Learning Road iLearning Services and Trinity Church, both of Wesley Chapel, Florida. The information will be made available within two weeks of the end of the pilot group studies. A follow-up focus group will be called for the next week, followed by an additional written report (containing a list of relevant comments from the focus group) emailed to all participants in the focus group within one week, so the entire formative evaluation process from the close of the pilot program will take one month.
Implementation Time-line
The survey results will be made available within two weeks of the end of the pilot group studies. A follow-up focus group will be called for the next week, followed by an additional written report (containing a list of relevant comments from the focus group) emailed to all participants in the focus group within one week, so the entire formative evaluation process from the close of the pilot program will take one month.
REFERENCES
Morrison, Ross, Kalman and Kemp, (2011). Designing Effective Instruction, 6th Edition. John Wiley & sons, Inc.
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