PBL 2: Response to Request for

Proposal by
Immigration Services-Guelph Wellington

Proposal for
E-learning Module Development for atrisk Seniors
Link to RFP: http://www.settlementatwork.org/_rfp_/100432
April 1, 2015
Financial Management of Online Learning - AEDT3130U
Submitted by: Jina Paima & Allison Alexander-Hector

13990 Dufferin Street

jina.paima@bridgethegap.net

Tel: 905-833-3333

13990 Dufferin Street

King City, ON L7B 1B3
905-833-3333
November 15, 2015
Immigrant Services Guelph Wellington
Attn: Project Wisdom - Project Manager
926 Paisley Rd. W. Units 4 & 5
Guelph, Ontario N1K 1X5
Dear Ms. Kew:
Bridging the Gap is pleased to offer this proposal to Immigrant Services - Guelph Wellington in
response to the Request for Proposal titled E-Learning Module Development. This proposal
includes a project plan, timeline and budget for the:

Design and creation of an interactive e-learning module;

Creation of multimedia content for e-learning module and toolkit;
Development website for online toolkit;
Documentation and final report.

We have developed some innovative and culturally appropriate outlines and concepts that the
members of Project Wisdom and other community workers can utilize to understand the
functionality of the website, toolkit and e-learning module. This proposal meets the requirements
you have outlined in your request and is in effect for the period of November 15 to December 15,
2015.
We are confident that our local, national and international experience in consulting, designing and
developing web-based instructional materials, positions us to be the most ideal vendor for
completing the project on time and within budget. We are one of a very small group of vendors in
Canada that has created innovative and exciting solutions that merges online learning solutions
with cultural competence.
We at Bridging the Gap are committed to working closely with the members of Project Wisdom to
coordinate the projects tasks and resources. The core design and development team is looking
forward to meeting with you on November 31, 2015 to discuss our plans for this project. In the
meantime, please do not hesitate to contact us with your questions or updates. Bridging the Gap is
fully committed to building a website; toolkit and e-learning module that will assist seniors at risk
reach their potential goals. We look forward to working with you in the near future.
Sincerely,

Jina Paima
jina.paima@bridgethegap.net

905-833-3333
Allison Hector
allison.alexander@bridgethegap.net

Table of Contents
1.

INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................... 4
COMPANY BACKGROUND................................................................................................................... 4
PROJECT TEAM................................................................................................................................ 4
PREVIOUS WORK EXAMPLES............................................................................................................. 5

2.

DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEMS.................................................................................6

3.

OVERVIEW OF SOLUTIONS......................................................................................7
INSTRUCTIONAL SOLUTION............................................................................................................... 7
TECHNICAL SOLUTION...................................................................................................................... 7

4.

DELIVERABLES....................................................................................................... 8
PROJECT TIMELINE........................................................................................................................... 8
SCHEDULE OF DELIVERABLES........................................................................................................... 8
DESCRIPTION OF DELIVERABLES........................................................................................................ 8
Deliverable #1 Website Development....................................................................................8
Deliverable #2 Website Design............................................................................................ 10
Deliverable #3 Resource Tool Kit........................................................................................ 11
Deliverable #4 E-Learning Module.....................................................................................11

5.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT....................................................................................13

6.

BUDGET OVERVIEW.............................................................................................. 14

7.

REFERENCES........................................................................................................ 16

1.

Introduction

Bridging the Gaps commitment to Immigration Services - Guelph Wellington is to

successfully propose an approach to develop and produce an interactive and
culturally competent multimedia and senior-friendly website with an e-learning
module component. Both the website and the e-learning module will serve as a selfstudy guide and will be easily accessible from a variety of devices including smart
phones,
tablets,
laptops, desktop computers and other digital affordances.
Company
Background
Bridging the Gap is a full-service design and development company. Based in King
City, Ontario, we serve clients both locally and worldwide. Were passionate about
applying online learning, cultural competence, current design, development and
usability standards in everything that we do. But quality doesnt just mean the
finished product. We believe that the key to any successful project is providing
outstanding customer service suited to all people. We seek to fully understand you
and your business and recommend the right solutions to meet your needs. We
implement strategies that allow you to take control of your resources once were
done through reliable intuitive content management systems and support. In
addition to working to make learning accessible, we are committed to assisting
community organizations create and build effective tools. Our mission is to ensure
Project Team
The team at Bridging the Gap is proud to bring a wealth of knowledge and
experience to this project. We are an award winning team of instructional designers,
learning specialists, web developers and community activists.
Jina Paima, Web-based Instructional Designer
Jina holds a degree in Adult Education and Digital Technology from the University of
Ontario Institute of Technology. She is familiar with online and blended learning
approaches and associated tools for e-learning development. Furthermore, she has
over 10 years of experience in instructional design, technical writing and web
editing. She utilizes multimedia technology and authoring tools to appropriately
deliver e-learning materials.
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Allison Hector-Alexander, Social Worker & Instructor

Allison holds a Social Work degree from the University of Toronto and is presently a
Diversity Consultant at Durham College and works within an anti-oppression/antiracism framework. Allisons work encompasses creating online instructional
materials and learning modules for human rights education with students, faculty
and community advocates. She has worked with diverse groups of individuals which
comprise of new immigrants, youth at risk, and women survivors of abuse. Allison is
presently pursuing a degree in Educational Studies and Digital Technologies with a
focus on how technology impacts social location with an anticipated completion date
of April 2016.
Harry Prince, Web Designer
Harry is our resident website designer. Harry completed a Web Design &
Development degree at McMaster University in 2010. Harry is the recipient of two
awards of recognition for his work in creating websites and learning management
systems. His expertise is to create powerful web based animations using Adobe
Flash CS6, combine vector graphics, streaming media and timeline animation to
produce dynamic and compelling digital content. Harrys experience has moved
Previous Work Examples
Here at Bridging the Gap, we have been fortunate enough to work with a number of
local and international support organizations serving cultural and age diverse
individuals as well as governmental departments and agencies. Below are a few
projects that we have been involved in the roles of designing and developing

e-

learning and websites either in partnerships or independently.

A. In 2014, the partners worked with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network in
the United States to create a series of e-learning modules geared towards
immigrants or those looking to secure immigration status. The mission of the
Catholic Legal Immigration Network is to promote dignity and protect the rights
of immigrants in partnership with a dedicated network of Catholic and
community legal immigration programs. https://cliniclegal.org/e-learning-2014
B. In response to call for proposals in 2013, this firm was successful, along with two
(2) other design and development teams, to create a multilingual toolkit and
resource database. The project was administered through the Ontario Agencies
of Councils Serving Immigrants (OCASI) through funding from Citizenship and
Immigration Canada (CIC). This toolkit provided information in eleven (11)

C. We have also had the opportunity to serve as consultants at a round table with an
organization known as CareNet whose mandate is to build information
communication technology competency in the long-term sector thereby enhancing
the quality of life for seniors and those at risk of exclusion. This project was
funded with support from the European Commission. We were privileged to
provide guidance on creating training for support workers using digital
technologies. http://www.carenetproject.eu/final-conference-call-ict-and-eskillsfor-social-care/?lang=en
functionality of the site is being maximized. As part of this contract, we will be
conducting focus groups to discuss what works and what doesnt and use this
information to negotiate the development a new design for this site.
http://www.onpea.org/index.html

2. Description of Problems

Marginalized seniors and older adults are at an exceptionally high risk to experience
abuse. Many times, abuse comes from those who were trusted to provide support.
Those individuals who are immigrants with language barriers and income security
issues are at even higher risk to violence and abuse. Where there is limited or no
access to information or resources that is easily understood, we have vulnerable
groups who continue to be marginalized. The affordances through this website will
allow this targeted group to have access to culturally appropriate assistance all the
time. Live chat capabilities and resource information available in many languages
will be accessible for them to dialogue about any concerns or access information to
make informed decisions. Resource information pertaining to health care, social
services, legal support, housing and safety services are essential features to this
group. Furthermore, the toolkit will provide additional resources such as

3.

Overview of Solutions

Instructional Solution
Bridging the Gap is well-versed and has proven experience creating instructional
solutions for the Ontario Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and is familiar
with the objectives of this project. The final product has been designed to provide
two pathways through the learning environment. For first time learners, the
instruction will be presented in a linear fashion starting with the fundamentals and
moving onto higher skill level as the learner gains confidence and experience. The
instructional design will provide a learning experience that is thorough, proactive,
motivational and interactive for both the new and experienced learner. The toolkit
will also serve as a resource and will resemble a reservoir of information for senior
and community workers alike. Considerations of all software and licensing
The adoption of multimedia for training and education can enhance the learning
Technical
process andSolution
help learners to achieve measurable performance results. Multimedia
will be used for different communication mediums within a single computer
program used to present information. By communications mediums, we mean audio
for music, sound effects, or voice-over narration, still photographs and/or graphics
to help the end user understand the message that is being presented, video to
further explain or illustrate ideas. To tie all of these mediums together, we use
simple text based information to further communicate with the reader what we want
them to understand or learn.
The key benefits of learning using interactive multimedia

Provide users with opportunities to represent and express their prior knowledge;
Allow users to function as designers, using tools for analyzing the world,
accessing and interpreting information, organizing their personal knowledge, and

representing what they know to others;

Multimedia applications engage users and provide valuable learning

opportunities.
Empower users to create and design rather than "absorbing representations

created by others."
Its interactive, flexible and practical. Encourages deep reflective thinking.
Create personally meaningful learning opportunities. (Beichner, 1994)

4.

Deliverables

Project Timeline
Start Date: December 9, 2015
Finish Date: March 31, 2016
Schedule of Deliverables

SI.

Activity

No.
01

Front end Analysis

02

Instructional Design

03

Storyboarding

Date
December 9,
2015
December 23,
2015
January 23,

Graphics/Audio Video Production, Authoring, Quality

2016
February 26,

Assurance Testing

2016

05

Pilot Testing

March 1, 2016

06

Program Evaluation

07

Website Design & Development (includes Toolkit Design)

04

March 15,
2016
March 31,
2016

Description of Deliverables
Deliverable #1 Website Development
The goal of this website is to enable maximum functionality where seniors will be
able to access supporting resource information that will keep them safe in the
community. Furthermore, through this website other community members will be
educated on how to identify signs of abuse, a senior at risk, to help raise awareness
about seniors issues and ensure people are aware of reporting procedures for those
they believe are in distress. The website will adapted with live chat capability as
well as a discreet option that will allow them to connect with a live person, but also
easily hide their browsing history in the event that they live with their abuser or
abusers.
9

10

Website Content:
Safety and Security
Senior connect
Outreach services
Telephone support/Reassurance
Escorted transportation
Friendly visiting
Assisted shopping
Transportation
Emergency shelter
Counselling and Support Services
Link to Toolkit
Health and Wellness Programs
Signs and symptoms
Abuse education
Resource link
Contact information
Help line
Live chat support
Frequently asked questions
Leave here discreetly button
Checklist
Risk assessments
Needs assessments
Safety planning: Are you being abused checklist
Training tools
Link to e-learning module
Multimedia content
Forums, blogs, discussion boards (Facebook, Twitter, Blog, YouTube, Flickr,
LinkedIn, RSS feed)

11

Deliverable #2 Website Design

There are specific demographics and performance attributes within this group of
users that need to be addressed. In general, older adults are sometimes less
familiar and may be a bit slower to access many pages at a time. They are less
likely to leave a website when experiencing long delay times, and would generally
spend more time selecting targets for tasks than those more familiar with the
digital technology capabilities. Recognizing these valuable needs and patterns of
use of older adults, this website will use accessibility and senior friendly guidelines
to address the needs of adult learners. We will incorporate the following baselines

Guideline Description of Web Content

Animation, Audio &
Video
Back/Forward
Navigation
Backgrounds
Color
Consistent Layout

short segments will be used to reduce download time

previous and next buttons will be used to view text
light text on dark backgrounds or vice versa will be used to avoid
patterns
yellow, blue, and green will be used to avoid proximity

Help & Information

standard page design and standard navigation icons will be used for all
pages
helpline and contact information will be incorporated

Hyperlinks

icons with text as hyperlinks will be used

Icons & Buttons

whenever possible large buttons and icons will be incorporated

Illustrations &
Photos
Justification

only text relevant images will be used

Lettering
Menus

upper and lower case for body text and capitals for headlines will be
used
pull down and cascading menus will be used sparingly

Mouse

single clicks to access information will be used

Navigation

Phrasing

explicit step-by-step navigation procedures; simple & straightforward

method will be used
lengthy documents will be broken into short sections to keep it
organized
active voice will be incorporated

Physical Spacing

double spacing in the body of text will be used

Scrolling

scrolling text automatically will be avoided and scrolling icon will be

provided
simple language will be used for the text and glossary will be provided
for technical terms
site map will be used to show how site is organized

Organization

Simplicity
Site Maps
Style

left justified text will be used

information will be presented in a clear and concise manner without

need for inferences

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Text Alternatives

text alternatives will be provided for all other media types

Type Size

12 or 14 point font will be used for body text

Type Weight

medium or bold face type will be used

Typeface:

san serif typeface which is not condensed will be used

Deliverable #3 Resource Tool Kit

The Resource Toolkit will contain information that will be beneficial to support
individuals and agencies, seniors and anyone who wishes to be educated, access
information or connect with supports that assist in reducing or eliminating
violence and abuse against seniors.
Information will be categorized in the following areas to allow for ease of
access and navigation:
Training
Materials
Legal Support
Risk Assessment
Tools

Housing
Multi-Media

Abuse (types,

Resources

symptomology, signs)

Program

Income

Best Practices

Workshops

Activities

Reporting Abuse

Agencies/Organizatio
ns

Cultural Safety

Research

Long-Term Care
Facilities
Information
Technology

Support Groups
Safety
Care Planning
Senior Discounts
Funding Opportunities

Translated Documents

This e-learning module will be presented in an asynchronous format facilitated by

media
such as#4
email,
discussion
board and blogs. Asynchronous e-learning makes it
Deliverable
E-Learning
Module
possible for learners to log on to an

e-learning environment at any time and

access documents or communicate with an instructor and peers (Hrastinski, 2008).

There are some key advantages to asynchronous collaboration tools. For one thing,
they enable flexibility. Learners can receive the information when it's most
convenient for them. There's less pressure to act on the information or immediately
respond in some way. People have time to digest the information and put it in the
proper context and perspective. Another advantage is that some forms of
asynchronous collaboration, such as email, are universal. These days, it's hard to
find a classmate, co-worker, or other party who doesn't have an email account.
Incorporated in this module will be a brief introductory video and PowerPoint
presentation to introduce seniors to computers for e-learning. The module will
utilize a variety of interactive media tools to include videos, PowerPoint and Prezi

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14

Given the targeted population, this team commits to tapping into previous working
partnerships to ensure that materials will be translated and recorded in three (3)
identified other languages. The content provided will be organized to ensure
culturally appropriate learning, ease of access and access to other resources to
support learning.
Interactive Learning - Module Topics:
1. Computer 101 for seniors: Asynchronous Learning. Fundamentals of e2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

learning.
Learning objectives
Abuse: signs, symptoms, cycle, prevention, supports
What makes seniors a vulnerable group?
How to assess abuse in seniors?
Who perpetrates abuse?
How to report abuse? What is involved in the process?
Discuss cultural safety. Barriers to access.
Accessing supports: health, housing, income security, safety. Participating in

groups: the experience.

10.
Abuse has ended, now what?

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5.

Return on Investment

E-learning has proven to be flexible and serves the needs of diverse groups of people.
It is self-paced and can occur anytime and anyplace thus reducing the costs
associated with providing education. Support workers and seniors alike around the
country and globally will be able to access this website, toolkit and

e-learning

module with ease. Adams (1992) reported the following results:

1)

e-learning produced a 60% faster learning curve as compared to traditional

instruction;

2) students had up to 50% higher content retention for e-learning over traditional

classroom instruction;
3) e-learning students demonstrated 56% greater gains in learning than students

who were taught by traditional instruction.

Well-constructed e-learning is not only faster and less expensive than classroom
training, but also more effective. Numerous studies have shown that people learn
faster with multimedia training and more accurately recall what they learned over a
longer period of time. They are better able to transfer what they learned to actual
performance. This positively affects ROI and significantly improves a corporations
competitive advantage.
Becoming culturally competent has several advantages. Embracing diversity can
increase problem-solving capacity. By accepting different points of view, one can
increase the number of possible solutions to a problem. Differing perspectives can
also serve to reframe the problem in a way that is more positive. Diversity can
increase an individuals ability to adapt to challenging situations and new
environments. It allows for flexibility and open-mindedness to replace rigidity and
narrow mindedness (Hong, 1997).
The bottom-line return on investment is that seniors and community workers will
have access to culturally appropriate information that allow them to increase their
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6.

Budget Overview

In the process of developing the cost projection for this RFP, a few factors were
taken into consideration. The most significant and constant consideration was the
non-profit status of this organization and the fixed budget within which we are
working. All our team members agreed that given our experience in the non-profit
sector and our expertise, we would be able to design and develop a first-rate
product given your parameters.
As with any project, it is imperative that we have a solid understanding of the needs
and expectations of the client as well as an opportunity to analyse pre-designed
content. In our estimation, 10 hours will be sufficient to engage in interviews with
members of Project Wisdom and another 10 hours will be allocated to conduct data
analysis. These front end analysis hours will be charged at $50 an hour because we
expect that these interviews will be straightforward given how well the expectations
and deliverables have been articulated in the call for proposal. Furthermore, we
also continue to keep in mind that this is a non-profit organization.
For the instructional design, we looked at Kapp (2009) who suggested $154 per
hour given high interactivity which was what we expect to do with the e-learning
modules. We decided that we would charge half of this amount per hour since we
will be receiving content that has been developed, organized and reviewed. 10
hours would be sufficient to develop 10 modules at $75 per hour. Although content
will be provided, there will still be a significant amount of work put into assessing,
interpreting and organizing information from the needs assessments for a
curriculum map.
The e-learning modules will each run for approximately one hour per module for a
total of 10 modules. Given the teams prior experience in creating these tools, we
suggest allocating 15 hours of work for digitizing (graphics production, video
production, authoring) per hour of online content resulting in 150 hours calculated
at $50 per hour. To ensure all hiccups or problems are identified and addressed and
initial feedback is incorporated into all areas, a pilot testing process will have to be
17

The team arrived at this number given how detailed and thorough these reports will
need to be. Final documentation will include efforts by all involved team members
working collaboratively to provide a superb project overview.
The costs for the website design and development will also include the toolkit. The
website will be attached to the organizations domain and hosted on pre-existing
servers. All safety certificates will continue to be paid for by the organization.
Having said that, we will charge $150 per hour (Atilus LLC, 2015) for 15 hours to
develop the website and toolkit with special considerations to throw in 5 unbilled
hours in the event we run into unforeseen circumstances and go over these hours.
Anything beyond this amount will have to be reviewed and approval will be sought
to continue. These budget considerations ensure that we complete all deliverables
within the budget.
An alternate cost projection schedule has also been submitted for review which can
see this project completed under budget but with less time dedicated for thorough
research, curriculum mapping, interviews and website design and development. It
will also mean that our key team leads would be simply overseeing and delegating
work to less experienced team members and with less expert time dedicated to it.
We would be happy to review this with your team should you wish to explore this
alternate cost schedule.

18

7.

References

Beichner, R. (1994). Multimedia editing to promote science learning. Journal of

Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, (3), 55-70. Retrieved from
http://www.ncsu.edu/per/Articles/MultimediaEditing.pdf
Bridging the Gap. [Online image]. (2014). Retrieved from
http://amtec.us.com/blog/2014/02/04/how-the-skills-gap-will-affect-2014/
Calgary Seniors Resource Society. (2015). Services and Programs. Retrieved from
http://www.calgaryseniors.org/services-and-programs
Hart, T. (2003). Evaluation of Websites for Older Adults: How Senior-Friendly
Are They? Retrieved from
http://psychology.wichita.edu/surl/usabilitynews/61/older_adults.htm
Hick, S. (1997). Benefits of Interactive Multimedia Courseware. Retrieved from
http://http-server.carleton.ca/~shick/mypage/benifit.html
Hong, L. (1997). Celebrating diversity on campus. Louisiana State University:
Wellness Education Department.
How E-Learning Can Increase ROI for Training. (n.d.). THINQ's Research
Department. Retrieved from
https://www.carriersedge.com/downloads/Report-ThinQ-ELearningROI.pdf
Hrastinski. S. (2008) Asynchronous and Synchronous E-Learning: A study of
asynchronous and synchronous e-learning discovered that each support
different purposes. EDUCAUSE Quarterly 4, 51-55. Retrieved from
https://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/eqm0848.pdf

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Kapp, K. M. & Defelice, R. A. (2009, August 31). Time to Develop One Hour of
Training. Retrieved from
https://www.td.org/Publications/Newsletters/Learning-Circuits/LearningCircuits-Archives/2009/08/Time-to-Develop-One-Hour-of-Training
Katkin, Z. (2014, April 7). What Does A Website Cost? Web Site Development
Costs. Retrieved from http://www.atilus.com/what-does-a-website-cost-website-development-costs/

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