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

At the Very Beginning: My Learning Philosophy (as of right now!)

Arizona State University- Application Essay

Briefly describe an activity or practice you have implemented that reflects your philosophy of education as it relates to your current professional or educational setting.

Overall, my learning philosophy is to paint a picture, show- do not just tell, and to make training engaging for the audience. One method I have employed in my trainings and presentations to foster engagement is to create personal connections to the presenters and encourage the learner to reflect on what we are saying and how it applies directly to their own job or life.

Here is a quick video about my learning philosophy that I put together for the Instructional Design Models course that I took in 2020: https://youtu.be/yUgD8BJME3k.

There is always a place for stoic and formal training, but I have found that making the sessions a little more casual in our presentation style has led learners to relax and engage with us more by asking questions, sharing stories, and giving feedback. When I say we are casual, I mean the presenters will feed off each other’s energy by encouraging laughter, sharing true stories about our subject matter, and even finding touching or funny videos to keep the learners surprised and energetic throughout the sessions. 

 

This has led to great feedback from the learners, with some even proclaiming their sessions as “the most fun I have had while learning as an adult!”

Arizona State University & the Family Connection

Arizona State University- Application Essay

Briefly discuss why you are interested in pursuing a graduate degree at this time. What steps have you taken (or will you take) to ensure that you will be successful in the program?

Many of my current job duties center around creating trainings for our internal community of practice, the Professional Development Specialists. I’ve created some 50 training videos and over 160 other resources and yet I feel I really do not have the educational foundation to support my efforts. Except for one online course in Instructional Design Models, I have been- to put it bluntly- winging it. I am, however, proud of the work I have accomplished so far. After working in this field for almost three years, I have finally decided that this is the path that I want to be on for the rest of my career. Studying Learning Design & Technology would be an excellent place to start!

I was a good student while I was in undergrad, but I was still young, unfocused, and only had a semblance of an idea of what I wanted to do with my life. Now 17 years after graduating, I have learned a lot of life lessons, matured, made mistakes, and recovered from them. I finally know what direction I would like to move and have so much more focus than I did when I was younger.  And after finding success in the Instructional Design Models course and in my certification for User Experience, I feel more confident than ever that I can tackle this program!

Also, in the late 1930’s, my grandparents both attended Arizona State University’s School of Education, (I believe it was called the Arizona State Teachers College at that time) and both graduated with their master's degree. My grandfather even played football under the legendary Dixie Howell. ASU has been a family school for as long as I can remember, and education has been a family value! My father passed last year and I cannot think of a better way to honor him than to attend his family’s alma mater and pursue higher education.

Essay: Empathy is Often Missing from Trainings

Arizona State University- Application Essay

Describe a quality that you believe is critical to working in the field of educational technology and at least one situation where you have demonstrated this quality.

Empathy is the ingredient that should always be included, but so often is forgotten in our everyday interactions. And that is no different in the world of creating trainings. Empathy has no script and for some feels like an abstract concept, but really it is simple. As Brené Brown tells us, “It’s simply listening, holding space, withholding judgment, emotionally connecting, and communicating…”

Too often when creating learning curriculum and trainings, we think only of the content we want to relay and how to present it. But I posit that we need to think more about the learner’s journey. What will be their experience from beginning to end? Are we making this as intuitive and user-friendly as we can? Have we anticipated their questions? All these questions contribute to feeling empathy for the learners and the journey they will take within our course. We can account for these and other experience-based questions by using journey mapping, a tool created to help us step into the customer’s perspective.

We must infuse our courses with empathy, but I learned this hard way. In the most recent suite of trainings that I presented to the Professional Development Specialists, the community of practice within my company, I started by focusing primarily on designing the content. And while the content is effective, the course as a whole was not. After launching the training and receiving feedback, I realized that I did not have a clear vision for the learner’s perspective. Even though I had developed an ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement and Evaluate) model it did not account for the learner's perspective, which led to friction and confusion. I realized that while tried and true, ADDIE simply wasn’t enough. Upon doing some research, I discovered the customer experience journey map and gained a better appreciation for the role that empathy plays in learning. I got to work, created my learner’s journey map, and updated my courses.

Now with empathetic considerations, I am finding that learners are staying more engaged with the process and even passing the exams at a higher rate!