We partnered up with Atlantic Public Media's Transom.org for digitally prototyping ways to connect users around the world for an online learning experience. Across three iterations of the prototype using Facebook Groups here's the high-level findings.

1. Online Learning!
Prototypes

2. Tadpull was founded to help our friends and partners to
build remarkable digital experiences using the
principles of design thinking. !
!
We’re particularly excited to work with a great organization like
Transom.org. Having the opportunity to collaborate with like-minded
people who believe the web can change education is what makes our jobs
feel like play everyday. !
!
We hope you find our research around how students and instructors
interact online to be interesting and valuable.!
!
Team Tadpull!
Bozeman, Montana!
greetings

3. "First of all," he said, "if you can learn a simple trick,
Scout, you'll get along a lot better with all kinds of folks.
You never really understand a person until you consider
things from his point of view - until you climb into his
skin and walk around in it."!
!
Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird
beliefs

4. executive !
summary
These findings !
support Transom.org’s
desire to learn how
students and mentors
perceive and engage
with the Transom
Online Workshop.
4 primary elements: !
• the technology!
• the content!
• peer interaction!
• mentor interaction
Within this brief, !
you’ll find a blend of
formative research
findings from interviews
conducted by a team of
digital researchers at
Tadpull.

5. Methodology!
!
The Tadpull team conducted three iterations of user interviews, one round
occurring after the alpha version of the course, and one both at the beginning
and end of the beta version. Transom.org also surveyed students throughout
their coursework to supplement the interviews conducted.!
!
Ten total qualitative interviews were conducted between September and
January, including nine students and one instructor of the Transom Online
Workshop:!
!
• After the first six-week Alpha program which took place with approximately 20
members in a closed Facebook group, two participants were interviewed
regarding their experiences.!
!
• During the Beta test Workshop, three participants were interviewed between
the second and third weeks to identify any challenges they faced early on the
workshop. Two of those participants were interviewed a second time at the
conclusion of the workshop and two additional interviews were conducted
including a third participant and the primary instructor. !
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6. The Interviewees!
!
The interviewees were selected by the program administrators and represented
a broad sample of demographics and skill-levels, including:!
!
• Professional backgrounds, which ranged from documentary filmmaking and
writing to architecture.!
!
• Technical ability levels, from radio professional to individuals who had only
recorded audio on their iPhones. !
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• Diverse geographic regions, from Russia and Mexico to Minnesota.!
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Goals!
!
The goals were to better understand both the delivery of the course and the
breakdown of coursework. Specifically, we looked at the value behind:!
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• Facebook as an online learning platform!
• Content modules and resources!
• Peer-to-peer and mentor interactions!
!
In addition, we tried to capture relevant quotes that summarized a key insight
from the interview subjects.!
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7. 7
How might we!
improve !
the prototype
experience?

8. ideas
Make !
resources and
assignments
accessible hosting
them on a dedicated
web page.
Protect!
participant safety
educating on media
ethics and posting
interviews online.
Encourage !
an open learning
environment by
making the TOW a
closed Facebook
group.

9. HOW MIGHT WE
improve
course content?
9
How might we!
clarify!
course content?

10. 22
Alleviate !
student pain points with
editing software
providing basic
guidelines and tutorials.
Improve!
communication
dividing the
workshop into clear
focus areas.
Clear Up !
participant confusion!
with coursework by !
defining and outlining
learning objectives.
ideas

11. How might we!
enrich!
course interactions?

12. Guide !
student expectations!
of structure by clarifying
roles and responsibilities
of mentors.
Personalize!
the online group
experience by
encouraging “ice
breakers” and
personal info.
Better!
student interactions!
with one another by
defining clear ground
rules for giving
feedback.
ideas

13. Lessons
Learned
1. Organization: Address the confusion
associated with how Facebook
reorganizes posts. !
2. Privacy: Create a more comfortable
learning environment by making the
Facebook group a closed group.!
4. Content: Clarify the learning
objectives of assignments so
participants know what they should
learn in terms of content, technical
knowledge and skills. !
5. Resources: Continue to sync up
assignments and resources. Perhaps
explore creating proprietary resources
that are specific to Transom.org
assignments, abiding by the same
parameters.!
6. Additional Resources: Lack of
experience with editing software
seems to be one of the biggest
challenges faced by “beginner”
participants.
8. Mentor Interactions: At the
beginning of the workshop, clarify roles
of the mentor(s) and facilitator(s) of the
workshop; but mostly continue to offer
meaningful feedback.
7. Peer Interactions: Provide guidelines
at the beginning of the course so
participants feel comfortable critiquing
each other’s work. Continue to
encourage peer-to-peer discussion that
will facilitate individual learning and
acquisition of new skills.
3. Overall goal: Deliver on the
participants’ desire to learn how to
produce a story from beginning to end.

14. “People who come to this workshop, it’s
like they want to be writers, but it’s not
really about writing, that’s the thing that
comes last.”
“...I am always looking for the silver
bullet revelation, for whatever you do,
but it’s always incremental...the
beginning, middle, and end - no one
communicated what that really
means.”... “What makes a good story?”
“...A lot of these people have experience
and have clearly done this before. For
those of us who haven’t, I would like more
of a template.”
“The earlier exercises were really good
because I was doing things that I would not
normally do. Getting us out of our comfort
zone and doing something new.”
Content
Opportunities

15. “It was still confusing with the way things
posted. That was always a challenge. I
would like it a little more clear-cut, like
here’s Assignment One and then here’s
everyone’s assignments... rather than
the fluidity that is Facebook.”
“Yeah, that was pretty frustrating,
especially over Christmas when you
would be off and you’d come back on
and it was hard to figure out what was
going on. It is a bit of a jumble..”
“The organization was still a problem
because you spent so much time
scrolling, scrolling, and scrolling all the
time.”
“The other thing that’s tough structurally on
Facebook is the whole draft thing.”...“you
set it aside - when there’s more than one
version of flying around...”
The Facebook
Experience

16. “Beginners and amateurs are less
comfortable giving each other really
hard, constructive feedback and as a
result I think we trusted each other’s
feedback a little less.”
“Personally it bothers me that some
people think they have the authority to
make a comment about whether they
think someone’s work is good or bad.”
“It’s difficult to say something to someone
you don’t know online. It’s hard to make a
negative criticism like ‘this isn’t working at
all.’”
“I really enjoyed the fact that <instructor
name> e-mailed me about my
assignments. That was such a cool
experience - that he took an interest in my
assignments and wanted to put them on
the page.”
Student and
Mentor!
Interactions

17. Thank You!
#UsersFirst
Tadpull.com