E-Learning Module: The Many Roles of a Member of Congress

 

Overview

Despite widespread coverage of Congress, what Members do on a daily basis is still a mystery to most people, even though several of those roles might be of particular benefit to them. This E-learning module gives an overview of Members' various roles — from national legislator and investigator to constituent helper, educator, and civic promoter. Interactive sections go through a typical day in Washington, D.C., and then show some quite different roles back home. You'll hear from some experts and will try your hand at sorting out some of the challenges facing a new Member of Congress.

 

This module has six self-contained sections, briefly described below. Depending on the amount of time you have available, you may have students view all six sections, or you may choose to have them view only certain sections.

1. What Does a Member of Congress Do Anyway? This section gives you a brief overview of the various roles of a Member of Congress.
2. A Day in the Life. In this section you will go through a schedule of a typical day of a Member of Congress and see what a day in D.C. is really like.
3. A Representative Back Home. In this section you will follow around Representative Zach Wamp of Tennessee and see what he does when he is back home.
4. If You Were a Freshman Member of Congress. This section contains an interactive exercise that shows that being a Member of Congress is a complicated business.
5. Main Types of Members. This section describes the five main specializations of Members serving in Congress.
6. Lee Hamilton's Perspective. In this section former Congressman Lee Hamilton reflects on his 34 years in Congress.

Prerequisites

Prior to completing this E-learning module, students should:

• understand the organization and functions of Congress

Navigating the E-Learning Module

Navigating this e-learning module is fairly intuitive. If needed, you may refer to the step-by-step instructions below.

Once you begin this module, you will automatically progress through the introduction. If you wish to skip the introduction, you may do so by clicking SKIP.

What Does a Member of Congress Do Anyway?

A brief introduction will play when you start this section. Click ENTER at the end of the introduction. You will see the requirements for being a U.S. Senator and a U.S. Representative. Then you will hear about one of the roles of a Member of Congress. At the end of the audio, click on the ARROW. You will then hear about another role of a Member of Congress. Continue clicking on the arrows until you have heard about all the different roles of a Member of Congress. At the end of this section, you will be provided with links to Senator Web sites and Representative Web sites. If you do not want to visit these sites, click CONTINUE. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

A Day in the Life

A brief introduction will play when you start this section. Click ENTER at the end of the introduction. You will see and hear what the first item is on the agenda. Click CONTINUE to see what is next on the schedule. At the end of this section, you will see some numbers about Congress and its workload. After you have read these statistics, click CONTINUE. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

A Representative Back Home

A brief introduction will play when you start this section. Click ENTER at the end of the introduction. A picture will appear, and a narrator will describe what Representative Zach Wamp is doing. Click CONTINUE to advance to the next picture and description. At the end of this section, click CONTINUE again. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

If You Were a Freshman Member of Congress

A brief introduction will play when you start this section. Click ENTER at the end of the introduction. You will then hear a description of the interactive exercise. Click CONTINUE at the end of the description. Then read the question that appears at the top of the window. Indicate your answer by moving the slider. After you have moved the slider, roll over SEE WHAT OTHERS THOUGHT. A yellow triangle will appear. This triangle shows the average of the responses by all the previous people doing this exercise. Click CONTINUE. You will then see what most Members of Congress, in fact, decided on that particular question. After you have answered all of the questions, you will see a "How did you do?" section, based on your responses, grading you on whether it looks like you are off to a good start or whether it looks like you might be in for a rough first term. Click CONTINUE. The menu will appear, and you can choose another section by clicking on the title of your choice.

Main Types of Members

A brief introduction will play when you start this section. Click ENTER at the end of the introduction. A narrator briefly explains how Members of Congress set their own priorities and find their own specialization where they can be most effective. Click CONTINUE to move to the next section. A video in which Walter Oleszek describes the responsibilities of a Member of Congress will automatically play. At the end of this video, click CONTINUE. Another video will automatically play. This video describes one of the five main specializations of a Member of Congress. Click CONTINUE at the end of the video. You will be prompted with a question. Move the slider to indicate your answer. Then click CONTINUE. Another video will automatically play. When you have watched all the videos and answered all of the questions, click CONTINUE. You will then hear a summary. At the end of the summary Click MAIN MENU (located at the top left of the window) and choose another section.

Lee Hamilton's Perspective

You will automatically progress through this section when you click ENTER.

 

Helpful Hints

If you use a projection device to show sections of this module, you will find the navigation buttons very useful. There is a BACK button and PAUSE button at the top of each window. You can stop the animation by clicking on the PAUSE button to discuss the main points and make sure students comprehend the material—and you can go back to review points by clicking on the BACK button.