Post-Course Self-Assessment- LDT 506- Evaluation of Learning Systems

*Image purchased from Getty Images; no attribution required. 

And here we are again. At the end of a semester and the culmination of another class. LDT 506- Evaluation of Learning Systems- you have been a worthy opponent! In the first message to us before class had even started, Dr. Salik addressed how challenging this class would be and I’ve found that his words were not hyperbole. This course is much more demanding than any of the classes I had previously completed in this program. However, it did not feel needlessly challenging. Rather, this is vital information to anybody moving into the Learning Design industry. More and more our world is relying on evaluative results to make data-driven decisions. So, we as practitioners must be comfortable and adept at conducting and analyzing evaluations and their results. This course felt like a good primer to being learning the theories, techniques, and methods that we will be employing moving forward. It was quite the learning experience!

Based on the results of your self-assessment, on a scale from 1 to 6, with 6 being expert, where would you place yourself as an evaluator at this time? 

In my self-assessment at the beginning of this course, I rated myself as a level 2- novice. However, after completing the first readings for the course, I determined that perhaps I could have rated myself as a 3- beginner, because many of the concepts in those readings, I was already familiar with and had even dabbled in for work.

Now I’m finding myself closer to a 4.5- which I would describe as competent. I think that in many ways, I could even be considered proficient.  However, this course showed me several areas where I could use improvement and I believe it would take further experiences and scaffolding by an expert for me to become truly proficient.

What conclusions have you drawn from your self-assessment, where are you weak and where are your strengths?

I rated myself fairly consistently in the assessment, but I believe that data analysis is the area that needs more experience and development for me. I know now to be very careful not to make fake equivalencies or decide that correlation is a direct result of causation. But I do think I need to go through more real-life experiences of analyzing data to make sure that I am able to interpret findings correctly. The good news is that throughout this course, I have been working on developing an evaluation at work and we are about to deploy it. So very soon I will have the opportunity to analyze that data and present our findings.

Which of the competencies on the self-assessment surprised you as being necessary, and why did they surprise you?

Initially, I was very surprised at the cultural sensitivities section. It had never occurred to me that evaluations have so much cultural connation. This class helped me realize that there are many political and cultural elements that can affect evaluation results and that much research should be done into the culture in which you will be conducting the evaluations before doing so. I rated myself slightly lower in these sections because I feel that I’m not an expert in knowing appropriate protocol in each culture, but I do know that I will respect everybody and do my best to educate myself on the norms of the culture I am about to interact with before beginning.

Based on the results of your self-assessment, what actions might you take beyond this class to gain more competence as an evaluator?

My answer to this question is similar to my original answer. I believe I need more professional development in data analysis and the tools used. Initially, I said I would take a class in Excel. I still think that would be beneficial, but I also believe I will look into a Google Data Analytics certification course. That is much more in depth than I had considered previously, but I do think this would be a truly beneficial learning experience for me as I move forward. Perhaps, I would be more interested in being an evaluator in professional practice if I had more confidence in my skills in understanding the data I receive back.

At the end of this course, I will say that my initial thought is “Ok, this is not necessarily the direction I want to pursue once I have finished my degree.” However, I know realistically that I will need these skills in every job I pursue moving forward. I just think that solely being an evaluator is not my desired goal. That being said, I am incredibly grateful for this course and the knowledge I have obtained throughout. I think this set a solid foundation for my future.

 

 

Interpreting My Self-Assessment on Data and Evaluation

I have been working in the role of Training and Development Coordinator for a few years now, but I believe that I have not been able to fully be immersed in the world of Learning Design and Technology quite yet. My role has been a hybrid of tasks that do involve developing trainings and presentations, but also still assisting with escalated customer service issues, digital communication and group engagement and lots of other tasks as needed. With all that I’m asked to do in this role, I really needed to just jump in head first into the development of training and haven’t had much time to learn and develop my skills in the meantime. And that is why I wanted to enroll in the Learning Design and Technology program at Arizona State University. I knew there was a whole world out there, dedicated to the proper practices of Learning Design and I wanted to be a part of it and to do it properly.

So far in this program, I’ve been pleasantly surprised because much of what we’ve learned, I have already been doing. It is nice to have that confirmation of my skills. But I do believe that my current course, LDT 506: Evaluation of Learning Systems will be a challenge for me. And I welcome it!

When I first took the self-assessment, I rated myself pretty low on the scale of knowledge about evaluations. The assessment is based on a scale from one to six, with one being a total novice and six being an expert. And my total scores led me to number 2- Novice. However, throughout the readings this week, I have come to realize I may have a little more knowledge on assessments than I thought. However, I like to start with the assumption that I do not know much and be surprised at how much I do know, rather than represent myself as being super proficient and finding out the hard way that I am not. So, we’ll see where this class takes us! Below are more details on my self-assessment.

Based on the results of your self-assessment, on a scale from 1 to 6, with 6 being expert, where would you place yourself as an evaluator at this time? 

2- Novice

What conclusions have you drawn from your self-assessment, where are you weak and where are your strengths?

I believe that my strength is in using the data ethically and for social justice, that I always intend to respect cultural differences and demonstrate respect and integrity. I also think I am good at judging the need for evaluation. However, in my experience, just because the experts recognize the need for evaluation, it does not mean that leadership will go along with the recommendation.

As for weaknesses, I say that it is definitively the synthesizing and interpreting of the data. I know with one survey at work that we send every month and have for years, our data set is in the thousands, and it is overwhelming to try and make sense of all the stories it tells.

Which of the competencies on the self-assessment surprised you as being necessary, and why did they surprise you?

I was not expecting the statement that said, “I advocate for the field of evaluation and its value.” I understand advocating to do evaluations within a job or assignment, but I never thought about needing to advocate for the field of evaluation. And I am looking forward to learning more about what is meant by this question and why advocacy is needed within this field.

I am also intrigued by the statement, “I can respond respectfully to the uniqueness of the evaluation context.” I marked myself high on that statement because I feel I always aim for respect, no matter what I am doing. But I am curious about what is meant by the “uniqueness of the evaluation content.”

Based on the results of your self-assessment, what actions might you take beyond this class to gain more competence as an evaluator?

I would like to begin by becoming more adept with Excel. I can use it and even some algorithms within it, but I’ve learned mostly by teaching myself and Googling a lot. But I see how robust the reports of some of my colleagues are and I am wowed by them. So, that is my first step. Secondly, I think after I’ve graduated, I will look into taking the Google Data Analytics certification course. My husband took this, and he showed impressive improvements to his understanding and execution of synthesizing data.

Overall, as much as this class could be intimidating for those of us who don’t love working with data, I am actually looking forward to it. These skills will be important to my future work, and I am ready to move beyond the “Google and hope it works” stage of data management.

*Image purchased from Getty Images; no attribution required. 

What Will Online and Blended Learning Look Like in 2033?

People have been trying to predict the future, especially in the educational space, for ages. It seems like every time there’s a new technology introduced, someone will exclaim, “This is the future of education!” Sometimes, they are correct. No matter who you credit with the ideation of distance learning (there are many conflicting sources, some say it started in 1728 with Caleb Philipps and others credit Sir Isaac Pitman in 1840, among others), the innovation of uniform postage rates in England made correspondence learning a viable opportunity for distance education (Ferrari, 2020). However, both radio and television were lauded as the future of education when they first were introduced. According to a timeline written by Jeanette Weien called “This History of Distance Education,” professors at the University of Wisconsin developed the first federally licensed radio station for education in 1919. In 1930, the National Advisory Council for Radio in Education (NACRE) was created by The Carnegie Foundation. And yet, just three years later, in The University of Iowa was experimenting with television for educational purposes. And in both of these mediums, people were convinced THIS was the future of distance learning. But then within decades of trying to make TV distance learning THE thing to do, here comes the Internet. Did you know that The University of Phoenix began their first online courses in 1989? What I’m trying to say is that we’ve been trying to predict the future of education, so take my predictions with a grain of salt.

First, I think in this post-Covid world, we are already seeing a preference from employees in the workforce to work remotely and online. And while many employers are trying to buck this trend, this is one place where I’d say that the education industry was ahead of the curve, at least for higher education. There are literally hundreds of thousands of massive open online courses being offered at any given time. Some entire degree programs are offered only as online learning. For instance, the Learning Design and Technology program at Arizona State University (ASU) is a completely online course, which is helpful for me as I live in Northern Virginia and am currently enrolled in that particular degree program. And while researching is starting to show that the remote learning that occurred during Covid was problematic, I do believe we’ll continue to see more and more education turn to online options. And as long as we can teach the teachers how to produce online content in a thought-out way and get them to be technically savvy, I believe this will be an excellent option.

My hope is that as technology becomes more intertwined with our society, it will also become more accessible. I feel there are definitely ways to bridge the Digital Gap that exists when potential learners do not have access to the tools and services needed for online learning based on many factors, like poverty, location, or even federal laws. Once that Digital Gap begins to close, online learning will be more accessible for all and therefore education will be more attainable than ever before.

It is also my dream that accessibility for those with disabilities will become standard best practice in the development of educational experiences. Currently, many entities do not worry about accessibility if they are not subsidized by federal funds. Even in today’s world, so many are fighting to make the public see these obstacles as differing abilities, rather than a handicap. If we are able to continue lifting the veil and changing ways of thinking that accommodating these abilities is limiting, the world on online and even blended learning will be a welcoming space for all.

I also think we will finally see a more regular usage of virtual reality, augment reality and mixed reality (VR, AR, MR) in learning spaces. We’ve been hearing about how these mixed realities were going to revolutionize every industry, and it has in many of them, but as usual, education is a slow adopter of the new innovations. We are starting to see these technologies being utilized by learning designers for the medical, industrial safety and even retail spaces with regularity. Today, I bought 5 pairs of glasses online because I can “try them on” using augmented reality. It’s the only way I’ll shop for glasses anymore. So I’m hoping that we will see much more of the mixed realities being utilized in the classroom. How cool would it be to be able to teach an online biology class and not have to use real animals to dissect, but instead use AR or VR to give the same lessons, but without the smell…and the death…

And what about artificial intelligence (AI)? This has been all the talk in the chat channels of universities and schools around the world. This particular technology has gotten smarter and more advanced and now we have tools like ChatGPT that can produce written documents that are eerily accurate and well-written. So, naturally, the education industry is in a panic about how students will use this to cheat, how it will dumb down people by not making them provide their own reflections, and to some it’s the beginning of the end of human intellect. I admit, that was pretty much my own first reaction to ChatGPT. However, I think that like many technologies, we will find a way to harness it for good (and some will inevitably use it with ill will, too). For example, I think that it will take some of the labor out of research, while also introducing us to sources that we may never had a chance to find on our own. Think of the revolution it can make for law clerks and paralegals, who spend many an hour digging through torts and law history. I believe that we will find a way to use this technology and still encourage human thoughtfulness.

It's an exciting time to be a learning designer and I am quite excited to be entrenched in the industry as we continue to develop and grow! I’m not naturally an early adopter of technology, but I’m going to work to change that in my professional life! Bring on the technology!

 

References:

*Image purchased from Getty Images; no attribution required. 

Ferrari, P. (2020, September 30). https://www.capstan.be/distance-education-is-not-a-new-concept-it-is-actually-much-older-than-zoom-google-classroom-or-even-the-internet/ [web log]. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.capstan.be/distance-education-is-not-a-new-concept-it-is-actually-much-older-than-zoom-google-classroom-or-even-the-internet/.

Weien, J. (n.d.). The History of Distance Education. Sutori. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.sutori.com/en/story/the-history-of-distance-education--4Af1NswW6PBY8HeCaJ3ptWNh

 

 

A Perspective on Online and Blended Learning

I was about to start this by saying that online and blended learning looks like the future to me. But when I really stand back and look at my educational journey, I’ve been in blended learning environments since elementary school. I was one of the first classes in my school to benefit from including computers into our classrooms. It may have started with just the one computer per teacher, but it was definitely present.

I started with computers back in the days of the black screen with green 8-bit text, so that’s dating myself, but I feel lucky that my teachers were willing to incorporate this technology, even when it was still pretty new. Of course, back then we were learning to type using “Paws Party” or building HyperCard stacks (which totally helped me when I first started with PowerPoint years later). And today, students are learning complicated algorithms in Excel and how to code in elementary school, but this makes sense as the current workforce and even more of the future will lean even more heavily on technology.

However, as the pandemic showed us, we are not completely ready to replace in-person learning with online for all education levels just yet.

In a The New York Times article from November 2022, reporter Sarah Mervosh illuminated the real toll of the learning loss that was a direct result of the pandemic.

“To what degree is remote learning responsible for these setbacks? The answer is both simple and complicated.

At a basic level, there is good evidence and a growing consensus that extended remote learning harmed students. Some state test results from 2021 help show the damage. In Ohio, researchers found that districts that stayed fully remote during the 2020-21 school year experienced declines up to three times greater than those of districts that mostly taught students in person.”

And while this article details that the failure occurred on many levels, even those outside of the learning environment, I’m personally still a fan of blending traditional in-person learning with technological supplements, at least for K-12.

In my opinion, one of the greatest advantages of online learning or blended learning is the engagement it creates for the students. We all know that people learn in different ways, so giving learners opportunities to see the material from different perspectives or in more interactive methods can keep the student more attuned with the lesson. Often, technology helps to illustrate concepts in ways that a traditional lecture style just would not do.

For example, when I was a child, my mom realized that I really only engaged in the topics that I could relate to or that piqued my interest. (How it took us so long to recognize my ADHD is beyond me.) So for our family vacations, she would usually try to align where we visited in the summer with what I’d be learning in school the next year. (Also, she was a teacher, so she liked to see what she taught about.) This helped me really engage when it came time to hear about it from my teachers. I can never thank her enough for that level of thoughtfulness and the gift of learning. Now, was that a sign of incredible privilege, certainly and I acknowledge that. Many families can’t take trips like that and that’s why I think the next best thing is the technology that can be utilized to bring those environments and learning opportunities to the students directly. What a great experience to see videos of children your own age in different countries or circumstances! Or to see what the inside of an Egyptian tomb looked like when it was being discovered? Technology can bridge a gap between having actual experiences and being taught concepts.

However, is it perfect? Absolutely not. One of the biggest issues is the actual divide of the “haves and have nots.” The Digital Divide is reality. How awesome for those students who are in affluent areas to each have their own tablet issued by the school, for example. But what about the students two towns away whose schools can’t even afford all the textbooks they need?

What if homework is assigned that involves doing research online, but the student’s family can’t afford Internet? Or even if they can afford it, they live in a rural area with little to no coverage? Does this mean that blended learning can’t still exist for these students, not necessarily. But it becomes a much heavier lift for the schools and the local and eventually even federal government to be able to provide what is needed.

“Even though 87% of families have an internet-enabled device, that still means that more than one out of every 10 students likely doesn’t have the technology needed to complete daily schoolwork and homework (McElroy, 2022).”

So far, I’ve focused mostly on children as learners, but what about adults? I work for a non-profit that employs thousands of independent contractors to help assess teachers of early childhood education. This external workforce is spread around the world. Obviously, in person learning is not a viable nor efficient option for training and professional development. For that reason, we have really embraced online learning techniques. We have changed our Learning Management System (LMS) at least twice and are considering another search for better options. We have gone from just text on a screen to voiced videos, to using Captivate and Powtoon.com for more interactivity and engagement with our learners. As of right now, the online learning is working well for us.

And according to statistics reported in an article for the Institute for the Future of Education:

“95% of students indicated being satisfied with online education and that web-based learning is more fun and helps them retain information faster. Forbes reports that online learning increases student retention rates between 25% to 60% (Colman, 2021).”

Also, online education allows people who would not usually pursue higher education the chance to do so. I am an example of that! Even though I was lucky enough to have a great instructional design program at a university near me, where I would have taken in-person courses, I really wanted to attend Arizona State University. However, my life is pretty settled in the DC Metro area, so it would have been unlikely that I would have applied for this program if it wasn’t a solely online offering. And I’m so grateful that I am taking an asynchronous style program. I work a full-time job, but I also have two side jobs or hobbies that take up a lot of my time. So throwing actual scheduled classes that I must commute to (Have you driven in DC? It’s a nightmare!) and all the trappings of having to keep to that specific schedule would have been very cumbersome for me. But with the asynchronous courses at ASU, I can make time when I have time and still be able to meet the class deadlines and expectations. And the best part is that I have classmates from all over the world. What a cool opportunity for all of us to learn from each other in ways that wouldn’t have been possible in a static classroom.

I think the difference between blended and online learning is clear. While blended learning can involve aspects of online learning, it still retains elements of in-person education. And online provides the opportunity for the entire training or course to happen in the digital environment.

I think the future will include much more of the digital learning environments and a heavy emphasis on online learning. And this is for every age and educational level. Even as workers and bosses are struggling to reconcile remote work wants with in-person work needs, we’ll see more of the same in education.

However, we need to really look at making technology access more affordable and feasible before the Digital Divide grows any larger!

References:

*Image purchased from Getty Images, no attribution required. 

Colman, H. (2022, June 17). How did the COVID-19 pandemic change the Education Industry Forever? Institute for the Future of Education. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://observatory.tec.mx/edu-bits-2/how-did-covid-19-change-the-education-industry-forever/

lemono. (n.d.). Online School Education at Home, Quarantine Concept. Tiny Student Characters Distant Studying Sitting around Huge Laptop . Getty Images. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/online-school-education-at-home-quarantine-royalty-free-illustration/1285857854?phrase=learning%20online%20kids&adppopup=true.

McElroy, T. (2022, November 9). Council post: Addressing the digital divide in education: Technology and internet access for students in underserved communities. Forbes. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2021/12/03/addressing-the-digital-divide-in-education-technology-and-internet-access-for-students-in-underserved-communities/?sh=12c0254f5cec

Mervosh, S. (2022, November 28). Pandemic Learning Loss. The New York Times. Retrieved January 22, 2023, from https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/28/briefing/pandemic-learning-loss.html. 

LDT 502- Reflections on Creating a Full Training

 

I really enjoyed the process of putting together a full training for this class. I think the way it was approached resonates with how trainings are truly constructed much of the time in the real world. I just took the time to go back and really look at our site from the eyes of a learner (rather than as the designer whose team was working at break-neck speed to complete the project by our deadline) and I have to say, I really like what we put together.

It helped that at least one member of our team, in this case it was me, has experience creating and running a successful podcast. I think this may have been harder for those who are not well-versed in the podcasting world. It also goes to show that as instructional designers, we need to be at least familiar with many different formats of learning technology or, at the very least, be very good at researching those processes. My group members created fantastic lessons that I feel would absolutely benefit the learner, but several of my teammates had no experience with podcasts at all. It was good that we had someone to act as an SME when needed, but I think it reflects very highly on those who were not experts in this topic that they could find and learn enough about the topic to create a robust training. Something that I have learned from others in this field is that often, an ID needs to be able to learn something completely new and then get to know it well enough to summarize and teach it, even becoming somewhat of the SME themselves. This could be about something like podcasting, but it could also be about complex mechanical systems or medical practices, etc… This assignment was good practice for us.

I enjoyed that we were provided with realistic scenarios from our “boss” with supplemental details, decisions that were made by the management and parameters. This echoes a real-world experience. As learning designers, we often must work within the decisions that have been made without us and with equipment we did not choose, and especially within budgets that may or may not be ideal. In this course, we could have been given carte blanche to go wild with the ideal equipment and space. But this is not realistic, so I appreciate the scenarios that were provided to us.

When I looked back at my team’s modules and our “LMS” with fresh eyes, I sent a message to them all to thank them for the work and tell them how proud I am of this training. I think that it is comprehensive and robust. We thought of many small details that I know that I have learned as a result of experimenting when creating my own podcast for my job, such as making sure your recording space is set up and sounds good, testing your audio and playing it back to make sure it is as close to ideal as possible. I know for a fact, there is nothing more disheartening than recording an awesome interview or a full podcast and then realizing that your audio quality is terrible. I am glad we were able to incorporate practice sessions, best practices and tips and tricks into the training.

I also think it was very important that we created different types of learning experiences. For me, I could not imagine teaching someone to edit their audio without actually showing them. So the videos that we created were pivotal. But we also realized that not everyone learns best from videos, so we supplemented with a written how-to guide. We worked to accommodate different types of learners and their various learning and teaching styles. And I believe we definitely met the goals that were discussed in the Design Case.

Overall, I’m very pleased with the work we submitted and feel it could actually be used right now in any real-life setting

Setting Goals for the Not-Too-Distant Future

When I first learned that our first assignment in LDT 502 was to write about our goals, I cringed. Not because I think goals are pointless or because I’m, like many people, afraid to write SMART goals (I finally have those figured out since I teach a presentation all about writing them for work). No, I cringed because I assumed that this was one of the ubiquitous “Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?” questions. Those questions, I dislike. Generally, I hear this question during an interview and it is always a game of figuring out if the interviewer will understand where I’m coming from or judge me as someone who just doesn’t have my life together. It’s not that I don’t have goals, I always have goals. But when I look back at my life so far, I see how much I’ve benefited from from staying a bit loose and ready to jump when opportunities present themselves. I think of how many times the choices I’ve ended up making were so different than what I had been expecting, but how they were absolutely the right choices. I always say, “If I followed a 5-year plan too closely, I wouldn’t even be living in the Washington, DC area and I would not have the opportunity to be interviewing for you today.”

However, when I actually looked at this assignment, I realized that the goals we are asked to create are more immediate, and that I can definitely do! I believe, for myself, that working towards a specific goal is a great way to get started, but I am not afraid to pivot or follow the path in a different direction as the work grows. With that said, let me jump into a short-term, medium-term, and long-term goal (the end of this graduate program, not 5 years long-term). 

Short-Term Goal: Something that can be achieved by the end of this course. 

I actually have two goals for each course I undertake in this program. So far I’ve come away with an A+ in my first two classes. And while I don’t know if that plus is attainable to maintain throughout the whole program, I do intend to go for the A in each class. It is just something I would like to see for myself and a way to redeem some of my foolishness in my undergrad years. Though they were long ago and I finished with a pretty good GPA (and knowing that my GPA has never once mattered in my career), I would still really like to see how far I can go with this goal. Does this mean I’ll be disappointed in myself if I receive a “B”? Only if I didn’t do my best work. If I know I could have done better, then yes. But if I know I did my best and that is where my best got me, then ok, I can accept that. We were tasked to talk about who can help us with each goal and for this,  you’d think this is entirely intrinsic. That’s a big part of it, but I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the people in my life supporting me. My mom is just excited to hear what I’m doing for each assignment and celebrates when I do well. My boss and mentor gives me great advice on grad school and a ton of support. But most of all, my partner is the one who deals with my ADHD brain when I get overly busy trying to work my two jobs, finish theatre projects and give grad school my best. He sees the struggle and encourages me when I feel like I have hit the metaphorical brick wall. As we speak, I’ve put off yet another chore in order to work on school. His patience and support make a world of difference. 

The other short-term goal for me is to start making connections with my classmates. Whether it’s just a LinkedIn connection or we actually schedule a Zoom call to chat for a bit, I’ve been working to get to know the others. I think this is super important, as I’ve seen time and time again how knowing people and having connections is the most successful tactic in getting your foot in the door for jobs and opportunities. We should absolutely be networking with each other and not only for future “what can you do for me” moments. But we should be supporting each other so we can give and get advice on certain projects or expectations throughout the program. This takes a little more effort when in an online environment than learning in a classroom setting, because you have to actually step outside of your comfort zone and take definitive action to ask someone to email you or Zoom with you. But to me, it’s totally worth it! My people connections are what make things worth doing most of the time.

Medium-Term Goal: Something that can be achieved by the midpoint of the program. 

In the past few years, I have been learning more about being neurodiverse. It is fascinating to watch a video on something like organizing for people with ADHD and seeing neurotypical people react by saying “Duh, that’s just common sense.” For you. It’s common sense for you. But sometimes that same task that comes so easily for the neurotypical person is a huge struggle for those of us whose brains don’t work the same as “most people”. And the more I learn about being in the “diverse” side of things, the more I see how necessary we are in a work environment and yet how difficult it is for some of us to fit into the “typical” world and its expectations. I started developing a beginners course presentation about neurodiversity in the workplace during my first course in this program. But I think there is more to talk about and more to present than what can be done in just an hour long presentation. So by the mid-point of this program, I would like to draft a plan for how I would like to present this material and start working on it. Does that mean interviews with people who are trying to fit into the standard workplace or those who have created neurodiversity programs at their offices? Is this a presentation or a webinar series? If it is going to involve interviews, I definitely know quite a few people who are neurodiverse but who are succeeding academically or in the workplace. I have actually reached out to one of the creators of the neurodiversity programs at Microsoft to see if we could connect. He hasn’t answered me, but that’s ok. At least I tried. I’ve met other people who can speak about what is being done in their companies. So I do think I have some good people around me to help with this endeavor. And of course I’m hoping to tie this in to future courses and maybe even develop certain parts of this work for my grad work. One class I’m really looking forward to taking is about accommodations for learners with disabilities and other needs. That is coming up for the end of this semester and I believe I will learn quite a bit that will be beneficial for this project and my future as a learning designer in general. 

Long-Term Goal: Something that can be achieved by the end of the program. 

This is where I start to struggle in writing a goal. What is it I want to achieve by the end of this program? I’ve been really thinking about this for a few days. Finally it dawned on me that my original goal in starting this program was to solidify my skills, learn more about this field and to really learn about the many opportunities that exist for people with these skills. I’ve always loved video editing and have already turned that skill into a series of trainings at my job. However, I felt like I was kind of just doing what I thought was right without the knowledge of the fundamentals. So by the end of this program, I would like to have a better idea of what is out there as far as jobs and opportunities, decide what direction I would like to head towards and know that no matter what, I have a solid foundation of skills to bring with me. 

“Ok, but what do you actually DO?”

This week my Foundations of Learning Design & Technology grad school class was tasked with reading an essay by Dr. Ellen Wagner. The article, In Search of the Secret Handshakes of Instructional Design, features an example of a conversation that is all too familiar for those of us working in Learning and Instruction Design Technology (LIDT). In my world right now, this most often occurs when informing people of my area of study in graduate school. 

“Oh you’re in grad school! How cool. What are you studying?”

“Learning Design & Technology.” 

…blank stare…

“It’s studying how people learn and creating trainings using technology.”

“…Ok, but what do you actually DO?”

Wagner’s article goes on to describe just how hard it has been for professional LIDT organizations to come up with an adequate description of what our jobs mean. So when I learned that my assignment was to come up with my own personal definition, you can imagine I found the exercise daunting. I’ve been putzing around all week, trying to get my thoughts in order. Finally, I realized that I give my own definition to people all the time, so why should this be any different?

• What is your personal definition of learning design?

Learning design, to me, is the practice of developing educational experiences where learning theories, knowledge of various teaching methods and learning styles of the audience are taken into account throughout the creation phase. 

• How does technology play a central role?

In today’s world, technology often bridges gaps between the traditional classroom experience and experiences that often would not be accessible to the learners. For example, if students are learning about Egypt and the Pyramids, they can use technology to get a close-up view, learn from a local about the area, or receive facts from the anthropologists who work there. This can be done using video, interactive trainings, Zoom, chat rooms and so many other technological methods. 

Technology also helps us offer our training in various iterations that might be more user-friendly to the learner who needs accommodations due to disabilities. 

Technology can also be used to tailor the user experience of each learner to their preferred type of learning.

• What key phrases or words in your definition are absolutely critical for someone else to understand your approach to teaching/training with technology?

-Developing educational experiences
-Learning styles
-Teaching methods
-Creation

• What does each keyword or phrase mean to you?
  -Developing educational experiences: I want my learners to experience the lesson and not just be taught at. For me each learning opportunity should stand out and be engaging enough for the learner to remember the information presented.
  
  -Learning styles: Learning is unique to each person, and while it’s not possible to give a different lesson to each individual, we can use empathy to ensure that our trainings work for as many people as possible.
  
  -Teaching methods: Understanding the various learning theories and studying various way to impart information to the learners is critical in creating engaging trainings.
  
  -Creation: I love the creativity that can be used in developing the various elements of the lesson.
  
  

• How do the readings that were provided in this module connect to your definition?
  
  One of our readings this week was Chapter 2 in the text Design for Learning. In this chapter, we learned about designing diverse learners and using empathy when considering how to present our material. I loved this, because in one of my previous blog posts, you’ll see that I posit that empathy is needed when considering the user journey and experience with a training. I believe that understanding various learning styles begins with empathy. You first must care that people learn differently in order to want to present your material in ways that would be most effective for the learner.

To me, designing instructional experiences with empathy is like unlocking the learner's brain. My key is understanding how people learn, teaching methods and all the techniques I'll learn throughout my education, career and ongoing professional development.

*Image purchased from Getty Images, no attribution required. 

Gronseth, S. Michela, E. & Oluchi Ugwu, L. (2020). Designing for Diverse Learning, Design for Learning: Principles, Processes, and Praxis. https://edtechbooks.org/id/designing_for_diverse_learners

Wagner, E. D. (2021). What is this thing called instructional design? Foundations of Learning and Instructional Design Technology. https://edtechbooks.org/lidtfoundations/what_is_instructional_design