e-LIFE

e-LEARNING VIRTUAL CENTER FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

2011-1-RO1-LEO05-15322

e-LIFE e-Training Handbook – A Handbook for Virtual Assistants with a short presentation of

pedagogical tools and methods

e-LIFE

E-LEARNING VIRTUAL CENTER FOR PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

2011-1-RO1-LEO05-15322

This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Commission cannot be held

responsible for any use whit may be made of the information contained therein.

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1. INTRODUCTION

The work not only individual’s having an income but also their social relations, personal

satisfaction, happiness and familial relationships etc. Employment has a considerable

role in solving the problems of disabled people. What needs to be accepted here is the

fact that disabled people needs to be employed more than able bodied people.

However, it goes without saying that one of the most disadvantageous fractions of the

society in terms of employment is disabled people. Disabled people encounter many

challenges in working life. They are more or less a part of employment market depending

on the development level of the countries in EU. Attitudes of disabled people as well as

their employment are of much importance. However, disabled citizens are maybe the

group which feels the discrimination in working life most. Companies prepare job

analyses and definitions without considering disabled workers which particularly impacts

working methods of disabled people who are newly employed. Also, working place

buildings are constructed ignoring some certain physical needs of disabled people which

do not allow them to work comfortably. They receive less money due mainly to their

being disabled though they do the same work as others. Besides, they are also less likely

to be promoted which is another reason alienating disabled people from working life.

This is a clear proof of why disabled people want to work at home.

In conclusion, individuals with disabilities are faced with the problems of employment.

This means that human resources are going waste in terms of national economies.

This project aims to providing a job to people with disabilities with which they can exhibit

their knowledge and skills at the highest level through start and builds a successful

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virtual assistant business and offer guidance to build a thriving practice. Virtual

assistance is one of the growing businesses in today‘s computer-driven world and a ideal

solution particularly who need work at home jobs due to a disability. Virtual assistance

allows them to career, good paying options, and build new skills as a business owner.

The project also adopted the principle that each individual in the society must be able to

benefit from the right to work in terms of macro employment policy. Employment is the

way to prevent disabled people from the feeling that they do not depend on others and

they are the burdens of society and to make them see that they are actually a part of

society. Thus, they will feel the happiness of being useful.

Based on these facts we are opening the doors of e-Training Program for people who are

disabled and looking to create a virtual assistant business. Training materials are all on

website, in a member’s only resource area and the program contains six modules. It is

better to know that the e-LIFE website offers to people with sight disability, the feature

“text to speech”.

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The Content of the Training Program….

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Module 5: e-LIFE WEB Design (Dreamwaver,

Flash and Joomle)

Module 3: Other

office utilities

Module 1:

e-LIFE Virtual

Assistant

Virtual Assistant

Module 2:

Improve Your Skills

MS office 2010

Module 4:

Graphic (Adobe

Photoshop and Corel

Draw)

Module 6:

e-LIFE CADD

Course

2. E-TRAINING PROGRAM SCHEME

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2.1. Module 1: e- LIFE Virtual Assistant

This module is intended for employees who will work a self-employed entrepreneur

specializing in virtual business support services and who need to improve virtual

assistant position. In this module you will learn how to build succesful virtual assistant

bussiness.

Firstly this module is to give you some job readiness training before moving into the

virtual workplace. When you build for a job, you will need to make many decisions about

what you want to do, what you are able to do, what kind of virtual work and benefits you

are looking for. At this stage you need to know how to make self-assessment for

understand your strengths and weaknesses. This will help you identify what types of

profession will allow you to build on those strengths, and minimize those weaknesses.

We will try to guide you on these issues.

On the other hand you need to know that what kind of virtualwork is available and how

to reach for potential clients. The internet could serve as a metaphor for information

behaviour. Job research has become more extensive as s consequence of the availibility

of new search technologies. For effectively job seeking you should know to use

communication/ web based tools.

And finally you will learn how to behave when doing business in virtual markets. Know to

be organized, relationship with clients, managed of them, charging behaviour, job duties

and job responsibilities are important to take it seriously.

2.2. Module 2: Improve your Skills MS Office

This module is meant for advanced users of MS Office who had been familiar with older

versions. The latest version of MS Office 2010 user interface look has changed.

Therefore, this module aims to describe the new environment and the types and tricks

that you use in your work. This module is for disabled people seeking opportunities to

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enter into labour market and to work as a freelance, self-employed or entrepreneur from

their home based offices (“virtual assistant”). The best thing on this module is that you

don’t need to read text all the time. We prepare for you some helpful videos with

subtitles, which show you tips and tricks, what you can use in your work. Thanks to

videos you can learn faster because ‘once seen is more than twice read’. Computer-

oriented module is unique among e-learning modules because of its ability to support

disabled people to learn new things and to increase their skills by watching videos with

innovative subtitles. These useful tools provide high levels of freedom of time and place

to engage in this e-learning environment. New developed e-learning module is flexible,

promoting active engagement and providing new opportunities for target group for

improving ICT skills in effective way.

After studying this module, it is assumed that:

• You will be able to use the new user interface of MS Office package (Word,

Excel, and PowerPoint).

• You will be able to control the program without using the mouse - with hotkeys.

• Learn about new MS Office.

• You will learn useful tips in Word, Excel and PowerPoint, which helps you

• You will discover a lot of fun facts about Word and Excel

• You will test your newly knowledge.

2.3. Module 3: Other Office Utiliites

This module is intended for disabled who intend to work as virtual assistants specializing

in the provision of specific services to companies or organizations. Database

management, marketing management, media follow up, professional scanning and

professional translation are becoming key issues in most of the companies or

organizations. Because of the complexity of the different issues the module only will

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provide a basic approach to each professional role. Each sub-module basically try to

describe each professional role, the skills needed, the expected tasks and the main topics

with whom the virtual assistant will have to deal with. It is expected that you go in deep

in each topic which is presented in these materials.

The role of a virtual assistant is well described in the module e-LIFE Virtual Assistant

Module. This module will provide you with information, advices, recommendations and

the right strategies to become a successful virtual assistant, so, we recommend that the

two modules are taken together to maximize the impact of the training. Together with

these modules, within the e-LIFE training - you will be prepared for using CADD, MS

Office Program, Graphic Design, and Web Design.

2.4. Module 4: e-LIFE Graphic Course (Adobe Photoshop

and CorelDRAW)

Computers can be a perfect solution for the physically impaired people, because a

computer requires only the use of fingers and vision. Disabled people with creative

talent can start to work as a graphic designer or as a webdesigner.

Graphic designers create visual concepts by hand or using computer software to

communicate ideas visually through effective use of words, symbols and images. Graphic

designer's work can be used in many mediums including print, web, advertising and

promotions.

This course isn’t an exhaustive one that explain all options of Adobe Photoshop or

CorelDRAW, but one in which you will learn the most important concepts that a

professional in graphic and web design uses in his/her work. At the end of this module

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you’ll be able to create professional graphic which any company will want to buy and

use.

2.5. Module 5: e- LIFE Web Design

This module offers general instructions for people wishing to build a specialty website

themselves, or with minimal professional assistance, for the purpose of running their

own business from home.

This module will help you to create websites for small businesses who want to extend

their business to the World Wide Web, without paying big price to a bigger web design

company. So, you as a person with special needs and skilled in web design, can start a

job in this domain. For example, Crainglist.com is a free way to start finding business.

The guide is structured so that you can easily construct a website with no prior technical

knowledge of website design, and it also offers other resources that will allow you create

it successfully and effectively.

The main content management system (CMS) for the basis of this guide is Joomla. CMSes

give you a complete framework of a website and allow you to manage it professionally

with minimum effort. Your main requirement will be to provide the content (text,

images, and videos).

The most difficult thing for people with disabilities is commuting. It is a real adventure

trying to reach office in the morning or leaving it in the afternoon, especially when the

city you live in, is not designed for these situations. By becoming a web designer from

home, you overcome all these barriers.

2.6. Module 6 – e-LIFE CADD Course

This course is designed for those who like design: 2D design (figures and curves in two-

dimensional space) or 3D design (surfaces and curves in three-dimensional space).

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CAD (computer-aided design) or CADD (computer-aided design and drafting) it is used in

order to create, modify, analyze or optimize a design. Usually it is used in electronic files

format and you can find it in different fields: industrial, engineering, architecture,

constructions, shipbuilding, aerospace industries, etc.

People with disabilities interested in a creative career path, design fields - such as

architecture, interior design, industrial design, apparel design and landscape architecture

can follow this course. Design fields offer multiple, interesting career options that allow

you to be creative, develop your technical skills and see how your ideas can become

reality. Designing buildings, cars, transportation systems, cities etc. offer the

opportunities to improve the world around you. Moreover, by being designers, persons

with physical disabilities can help to make the world more welcoming and accessible to

others who have other kind of disabilities.

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3. WHAT IS VIRTUAL ASSISTANCE?

Virtual describes something that can be done or seen using a enformation technologies

(IT) and therefore without going anywhere. “Assistance” is the act of assisting or the

help supplied. As a new way of working Virtual Assitance is work carried out by the use

of the information technologies which placed of somewhere other than brick and mortar

office and includes specializing in virtual business support services.

There is a website - VirtualAssistants.com that matches work-at-home employees with

businesses in need of services. In this website you can find different jobs that include

virtual assistant, transcription, data entry and customer service work.

3.1. Who is a Virtual Assistant (VA)?

As a self-employed professional a virtual assistant is the person who is work in virtual

assistance and provides services to clients via electronically. They work outside the usual

workplace such as at home. A Virtual Assistant may be a part-time or full-time worker in

his/her "Virtual Business" which is also called as "e-business" or "e-job".

3.2. Who is a Virtual Employer (VE)?

A Virtual Employer (VE) is an individual or a company who needs certain tasks to be

completed with help of VA's. The Virtual Employer may be a small entrepreneur; home

based entrepreneur, home office or small business owner as well as a large corporation.

Sometimes a person in e-business acts as both "Virtual Employer" and "Virtual Assistant"

especially in case of large tasks requiring services under more than a single category or

subcategory.

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3.3. Working from home

Persons with physical disabilities are very stressful because of their disability. If they do

not have job or find a job that request some accommodation for their special needs, they

are more stressful. But, finding a work-at-home job with a flexible schedule it is a big

chance for them to be integrated into society and stress will disappear.

With the changing times, working from home is considered to be one of the best

concepts that could have been implemented and the workplace has become more virtual

than it was ever before today, millions of workers who spend the bulk of their days

working in cyberspace in one form or another. These workers have sometimes been

referred to as clickworkers, cyberworkers, or cloudworkers although “virtual vorkers” is

umbrella term. While virtual workers have different skills and labour under different

conditions, their commonly is that their workplace exist only in the ether.

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3.4. Virtual Assistant Jobs

Disabled doesn't have to mean unemployed. While not all disabilities make it possible to

get to on-site employment, there are other options available. Working from home has

become increasingly popular with many people who need the flexibility or find getting to

work difficult. With so many viable and legitimate home jobs, by being a virtual assistant,

someone with a disability can find employment in the comfort of his home. Even a hobby

can become a way to make money from home.

There are no jobs that are specifically designed as jobs for people with disabilities. All the

available jobs for people with disabilities vary as widely according to each individual's

capability. Someone who uses a wheelchair may be considered disabled, but there are

various jobs do not require any standing, and can be done from home like office

assistants, graphic designer, accounting clerk, transcription, captioning, document

formatting, etc.

The following list shows some jobs that can be performed by people with physical

disabilies:

Secretarial work, letters, reports, power point presentations, business

writing etc

Appointment setting/scheduling, live phone answering for clients

Emailing, Faxing, Printing, Scanning, CD burning, Mailouts, multimedia

presentation

General Transcription, legal transcription, digital and tape

Bookkeeping, accounts, invoicing, benefit & payroll services,

statements / billing

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Spreadsheeting

Litigation document coder

Virtual legal secertary

Professional organizer, realtor support

Internet research

Social media marketing VA

Internet marketing VA

Brand Building Competitor Analysis Market Research Search Engine

Optimization (SEO)

Social Media Optimization (SMO)

Online Reputation Management (ORM)

Link Building Efforts Press Release Campaigns,

Article Submissions,

Assisting webmasters with article and blog management,

Support, submission to directories,

Reciprocal linking, bookmarking,

Pay per click management,

Affiliate marketing and management,

Online advertising,

Content writing, proofreading, keyword searches, podcast editing

and submission, etc.

Assisting webmasters with forum moderation

Assisting webmasters with ezine creation/management

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Customer service, manufacturing consultant

Personal assistant

Virtual Author's Assistant

Virtual marketing assistant

Virtual data assistant

Website designing, set up, blog and forum creation, hosting,

maintenance, architecture, tracking website statistics (Creating great static

and dynamic websites, Delivering attractive and contemporary layout

designs, Providing creative inputs on what can work best for business, Easy

to navigate websites with minimal bounce rate)

Graphic design, graphic scanning, software support services

Desktop publishing, CAD, computer programming services, database

management

Travel arrangements, virtual concierge, virtual receptionist

Proofreading, editing

Virtual bankruptcy assistant

Resumes/CV's writing

Event management

Digital photos

Ebay sales assistant

Translation service (also foreign language transcription)

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4. PEDAGOGICAL TOOLS AND METHODS

4.1. Pedagogical tools

According with Heinrich et al. “It would be overly simplistic to believe that there is one

method that is superior to all others or that serves all learning needs equally well”.

Heinich et al. categorized instructional methods into the following ten categories

(Heinich et al. 2002)1: Presentation, Demonstration, Discussion, Drill-and-practice,

Tutorial, Cooperative Learning, Gaming, Simulation, Discovery and Problem solving.

We can say that all of these categories can be used on e-learning. Of course, it will

appear some weakness like: the teacher can use many delivery methods in classrooms;

even there is a discussion forum on e-learning it is a lack of communication between

teacher and virtual student becauses of internet connection, time misfit etc.

Nowadays, different functionality of the e-learning system, such as content creation,

course administration etc. are already implemented and used (LMS, LCMS and Content

Creation Tools). The Content Creation Tools include those tools used for developing

learning materials (e.g. slides, pictures, movies, animation, etc.).

SCORM used in this project, provides standards and procedures for building the content

(learing object). Learning objects (like web pages or flash tutorials) that have been

designed to conform to the SCORM model can be combined by the learning designer into

1 Heinich, R., Molenda, M., Russel, J.D., Smaldino, S.E. (2002). Instructional Media and Technologies for

learning, 7th edition. Merrill Prentice Hall

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a sequence of activity and zipped together into a SCORM “package”. That package can

then be uploaded into a learning environment. The package will be opened, a menu

created, and the items saved on the Internet.

We have created, especially for disabled learners, a feedback questionnaire. The

feedback provides the learner with confirmation of their thinking and understanding of

the studied materials and in this way he/she is able to clarify any misconception.

Providing effective feedback is one of key interventions in encouraging the development

of learners.

Videos realised in some e-LIFE Modules will request to the person with disability the

visual attention, recapture and continued viewing for the movie and subtitle.

4.2. e-LIFE Portal Navigation

Access to e-Life portal is fairly simple. We suggest you to use Firefox browser for the best

compatibility.

Type http://www.elife-eu.net/ on the addressbar of your browser.

Then press enter.

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Depending on your browser settings, pc settings and your IP number, e-Life portal is

expected to appear in your own language, if available in portal design. Otherwise, it will

appear in English. Then you can use language flags located on right top of page to change

the site language.

If you have any vision impairment and/or being tired of long readings, then we suggest

you to use e-LIFE portal’s voice feature. Please select the paragrapth you intend to follow

by left clicking the mouse and dragging at the same time. After you are done with

selection, release the left click and see the speaker icon right below the selected

paragraph. Once you click on this “appeared” icon, you will hear the parahraph in your

own language.

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Then we suggest you to navigate through sub-menus in Public Menu located on left

hand side, for acquiring basic and brief information/knowledge about “virtual assistant

concept” and our approach and demonstration how valuable this concept for

increasing employability of persons with physical disabilities.

4.3. How to Become a Member

After you will have a brief idea about the approach and e-LIFE

portal, we urge you to become a member for benefiting from

easy e-learning system.

For initiating membership process, click on “Create an account”

sub-menu located in e-LIFE Member Login menu placed on top

right of the home page.

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This will open a registration page where you will be asked to supply basic information

together with a valid e-mail address.

Symbols next to each question means:

After you click on Submit button, you will be prompted by a screen confirmation.

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Then you will receive a confirmation e-mail. Then you must confirm by cliking on the link

which is sent to you in the message.

You should also save this e-mail as it will contain your user name and password as well as

the address you have choosen to communicate.

This will complete your membership procedure and you can now login to the portal via

member login menu.

4.4. Member Area

After you login by using your username and password pair, system will greet you and

make “Virtual VET Center” menu available for your access. By using this menu, which is

located on right hand side of the screen, you will be able to manage your personal

account and access to e-Training courses in your own language, if your language is

available.

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4.5. e-Training Courses

When you click on “e-Training Course” sub-menu under “Virtual VET Center” menu, you

will be directed to “e-Training Programme of Virtual VET Center of e-LIFE Project” page

where you can have a brief list of available e-Courses.

Moreover, a new menu ”e-Training Platform” on left top will appear for allowing you to

navigate through e-learning system made of available e-courses, quizes for every

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available e-course, your feedback acquisition elements for every e-course as well as for

overall e-Training infrastructure so called “VA e-VET Center Evaluation”. Other sub-menu

“External e-VET Center Evaluation” is targeting those who would like to evaluate the

system as potential future employers of you as being our Virtual Assistant.

By cliciking on different modules, you will

be able to access their brief content and

their sub-menus for taking e-Courses,

respective quizes and access to individual

assesment links.

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In every module, you have an option to display the content either in landscape or

portrait orientation depending on your display type and size. If you happen to seek to

study two modules or two languages of same module simultaneously, it is suggested that

you use portrait format. Otherwise, landscape versions will be more suitable for most of

the displays.

When you click on either portrait or landscape, a new window will open to display the

content of the module.

4.6. Quizes

After you complete the e-

Course, you are strongly

suggested to take the quiz

for self-evaluation and to

see how much you were

able to grab the content.

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For this purpose just click to “Quiz” link and follow on screen instructions and complete

the quiz in given time. A new window will open and will ask you to confirm that you

understood limitations.

Then you will launch to multiple choice quiz and submit answers once you finish.

You will then be able to see your score and

correct answers which you marked wrong or

left unanswered. This will give you the

ability to assess your studying efforts. We

advise you to repeat the e-Course if your

score is less than 80 points.

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As you have noticed, this system is entirely relies on your willingness and interest in the

concept. Thus, the level you will benefit from this programme is completely depend on

your eagerness and enthusiasm.