Reflection

Every class on the instructional design program builds off the previous class. I have been able to use the cumulative skills gathered on this road to apply them into my everyday job at work and improve a plethora of projects, meetings, learning modules, and learning material. I have learned several new online tools that make learning more engaging for my viewers through animation, sounds, captioned text, and graphics that have improved many of my meetings at work. I have learned data collection methods, formative and summative assessment methods, evaluation methods, and peer feedback methods that have transformed not only my day job but my home life as well managing a household. I have learned how to complete portfolios to showcase projects and creative ideas in this program and used those skills to create a portfolio that recently got me a promotion at work that never would have happened if I didn't begin this coursework. Instructional design technology has opened up a post covid era world for me at work where we are 90% virtual and actually thriving due to my changes and adjustments that were inspired by this journey.

Throughout this entire graduate experience, I have been trying to shape my future goals and streamline my work experience with my graduate studies in a way that sets me up to better instruct newer trainers how to train. Evaluation is one of instructional design elements that my company is lacking and working on improving and my Vision Board artifact project was a milestone for me in regard to evaluation mastery. For this artifact I was able to reach out to subject matter experts to evaluate my fictional classroom, and I took those skills and applied them to the department I work at in my career. I was able to reach out to subject matter experts to help me devise new training material to use on my latest new hire class and then analyze that data to ensure we are making positive changes to develop better reps. This evaluative process had been missing from my department. My future goals are now oriented around making the people around me better, to ultimately make our newer reps better. My goal is to create the most effective and user-friendly training experience for new hires. It all stems from my horrific experience as a new rep at my very first corporate job in the financial sector being thrown to the wolves so to speak on the phones for twelve hours a day explaining and selling products, I had new business talking about. This has fueled my empathetic instructional fire!

I believe I have successfully met the five program outcomes. I have applied learning theories and sound pedagogical practices to the instructional design and development process not only in my studies here but at my job. I have applied a systematic process to design instructional strategies that meet identified learning contexts and needs in the post covid era of virtual learning. I am now independently creating authentic, technology-mediated learning experiences in team meetings, portfolio showcases, new hire learning modules and even creating virtual work gatherings. I am better evaluating learning technologies and strategies using a variety of methods at work, to ensure that we are being cost effective and time sensitive with our customers and trainers. Our customers are experiencing a statistically higher expedited process in our claims handling, and overall customer experience based off the latest instructional design technology that was implemented. My colleagues and I are analyzing current research and emerging trends in the area of learning technologies to better serve our customers and new hires as well.

My instructional future will be built upon a rock-solid foundation laid with sound design methods and practices. I will reflect daily on the responsibility that I have as a teacher at work, in my church, and in my home to young kids who will grow up with more technology than any other generation.

Thank you!