Be aware! at the end of each project

You will find at the end of each project this same screen.

Do not believe in this "congratulation" screen

Some Toastmasters did get confused, as I did the first time.

In my opinion, we should be able to view this ONLY if at least Base Camp would recognize we did finish our project, not every time we get to the last page of a project,  going through pages one by one or jumping to it.

Why?

Base Camp does think you finished a Project (any project) when you answered the Self Assessment Last questions and saved it. Then it compares the before and after auto assessment questions. And then, it also marks a check on the project. You can congratulate yourself, after you finished all assignments of a Project, and see this screen. Or one similar,  from another project, comparing each time your Before and After answers.

This is when you can congratulate yourself

Base camp sends you at the same time, also an email. Asking you to evaluate how you liked the project. And, you find Evaluate instead of Launch - for 10 days it seems if you do not answer before the evaluation questions. I never waited so long to answer. Once you answered, the Evaluate turns to Launch again. After you finished a project, indeed, you can open it as many times as you want. And of course, in the meantime you get a check on your project.

I am not a good programmer. But I did learn about Conditional statement in a program. "If... then..." Is it really difficult to add to our project's end a condition? Only IF the assessments were completed, or, at least the last "after" one, and saved, should we get to the next page that congratulates us. If it was not completed or not saved, THEN we should get a reminder, what to do. Or get the great small short Training, "How to finish a project". This would help lift many confusions at the beginning! 

"But it does say: "Congratulations, you finished! Then why the check does not come? Then why can I not go farther?" this questions could be avoided. 

IF the program is changed in just a little way! THEN a lot Toastmasters would be less confused. ELSE --- we have to help each other for the moment and wait until someone on the top who make decisions at TMI, as for example, the Chief Instructional Designer about pathways programs listens to us. Not only listens, as I have told her about this in July already, but also takes action. 

I already published a list, what are the changes needed on Base Camp user interface, But this one would be the first, more important as it does confuse to many Toastmasters and instead of adding to their confidence, diminishes it. That is why I write now a whole post about this in February when a new region will get "on" pathways in only 10 days. 

For the moment, what we can do? 

Of course, answer all the Before and After questions. But be aware! do not answer ALL the Self Assessments After questions before you finished the project and the speech. Then you mislead Base Camp that presumes: you are done. Does believe you.

It can happen you click happy and answer fast. Too late, once saved, you can not go back. What to do? Well work on your project, accomplish the task. It is your knowledge! It is us, each of us who learn from it. 

Yeah, it happened also to me. I know, I still have to create a Panel discussion! I will. With joy. Base Camp thinks I finished and did all the project as assigned, What really happened,  I clicked to fast this time and too sure of myself that if I did not answer the Self Evaluations Before... base camp will not consider my project done.

Never assume with the base camp logic. And answer both, anyway even if you can get away answering only the After one's. 

One day, we will find, surprised that If ... Then... Else was implemented, and you can no more get to the Congratulation page, last page in every project, till you really finished it, or till at least the Base Camp is told, by answering the last auto-assessment questions and saving, that you did really finish your current project. 

Then the Senior Instructional Designer, deciding many things and supervising all Programmers will have right. She wrote me in her letter: "do not offer advises to each other, as we could change something and our staff is more aware of changes." 

Till then, we are best giving information to each other. 

Already some of the things have been fixed! After we log out from the Base Camp, we arrive directly back to TMI web site and no more to a page saying us "you are not allowed to log in" From the TMI you can log in again!

I hope, we all Toastmasters will have soon a page: Current changes in Pathways