My career has been in the information technology (IT) field. I have held roles that involved training users and leading "Brown Bag" sessions. This experience sparked my passion for adult education and learning. I am driven to find more effective ways of helping learners understand and retain information by creating learning materials like cheat sheets and training presentations.

One of my goals is to become an adjunct professor, inspired by my own educational journey. Holding two Masters degrees in Management of Business Administration and Management of Information Systems and Technology has given me a love for discovering new tools and resources. I am not a teacher but I have shared my knowledge both professionally and personally. Through my IT training experiences, I've had numerous opportunities to impart learning using tools and resources.

My training experiences have been limited to the information technology field and I lacked a solid foundation in education. I've always felt that there had to be more to help my users learn and retain the information I trained them on. Most of the training that I did was one-on-one and face-to-face using a training plan containing functionality and objectives. I expanded this training plans by creating addtionally help documents and cheatsheets targeted at assisting my users with navigation and functionality of the application. However, I lacked guidance on applying appropriate instructional design theories ensuring the expected learning outcome was achieve.

The instructional system design and technology program taught me that there is more to training and learning. Teachers and instructors should participate in professional development to enhance learning outcomes (Czyz, 2017). I saw learning and training as part of my job and hoped the users comprehended what I was demonstrating.

To teach and train effectively, certain guidelines should be followed. The process should start with a training plan and analysis that includes a training design or modification. Next, a training needs assessment should be performed to identify gaps, set objectives, determine instructional goals, select strategies and delivery methods, and choose materials. During the learning development stage, appropriate learning tools like media, presentation methods, and evaluations for feedback should be utilized. There are various ways to present learning and assess it. Learning management systems can make or break the training or learning experience. I learned about different learning theories such as cognitive, behaviorism, constructivism, humanism, and connectivism, and how to apply them in training and education. I realized that evaluation is crucial for documenting, enhancing, modifying, and improving training. Although I used to dislike surveys, I now see their value in helping organizations or individuals improve their learning offerings.

After my first three years of being in the Instructional System

Design and Technology program (ISDT), my goals and focus areas shifted significantly. I need to change my career path to expand my opportunities and continue to grow and learn in ISDT. This program has opened up new avenues for me to share my experiences and explore opportunities within academia or other careers.

My evidence of scholarship focuses on research attrition and women in doctoral programs. The pandemic has shifted my research to remote and distance learning and the impact that the pandemic had on students and instructors. In October of 2022, I presented at my first academic conference. This experience inspired and motivated me to continue with researching adult learners who are women and discover the challenges they experience in higher-level education and how attrition and mental health problems impact them.

My learning style is based on coursework, which has helped me develop skills in instructional design. ISDT education has been applied in my job, giving me confidence in creating effective learning materials. The instructional design theories serve as a foundation for presenting any type of learning content.

I was intrigued by the evolution of AI and the Internet of Things in the fourth industrial revolution. The opportunity to create a web application with AI learning capabilities and websites addressing critical issues and offering solutions were highlights of my coursework experience. Developing a mentoring program from start to finish was my proudest moment.

My career as a Testing Manager Quality limits my evidence of professional competency in service in the instructional design field. However, I aim to expand my services in the field of information technology. My expectation is grow by making myself visible within the information technology field in academia and the medical field. I would like to become a presenter or guest presenter where I can share my knowledge in the information technology field with others. In the fall, I will volunteer my time as a facilitator.

My professional goals are to become an instructional system designer, adjunct professor, and consultant. Therefore, I must acquire a position in instructional system design and technology to achieve these goals. Currently, I am exploring job opportunities as an instructional system designer in the medical industry due to my prior experience in this field. However, my newfound passion for academia may influence my decision on which direction to take.

To become an adjunct professor, I need to get experience teaching and presenting materials to a class. This past summer, I assisted with developing a course for the fall and volunteered my time to complete the process. Though being a full-time professor was not my goal, that goal may change due to the ISDT program causing many changes in my goals.

The Instructional System Design and Technology program’s coursework improved my knowledge and skills by applying theory with pedagogy. Teaching is the science of how students learn and retain information and how the instructor or teacher incorporates theory, pedagogy, and epistemology. The ISDT program presents many opportunities I had not seen or thought about when researching this program.

Education and learning are critical for the growth and advancement of any career. However, learning delivery has changed drastically. The classroom setting has changed to hybrid, face-to-face, and online classes. Not only has the class setting changed, but new learning technologies such as Learning Management Systems (LMS), Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Slack help students collaborate and learn. Therefore, students returning to classes must adapt to these new technologies. These new classroom technologies bring added programs and applications for learning, collaboration, and communication. Though the 2020 pandemic exposed many adults to technologies for communication and collaboration (Kim, Byun & Thomson, 2022), adult learners lack exposure to the new technologies associated with the education field. As a result, adult students returning to the classroom may experience a culture shock leaving them lacking confidence in their professional growth.

My focus area is to research adult learners who are women and the challenges they face with the technologies used for learning. Adult learners usually have families and jobs. Women returning to the classroom must balance their family, work, and education life. In addition, the evolution of technology has impacted learning delivery within the classroom, and women learners must learn the new technologies associated with their learning. Women learners may lack confidence in the new technologies used for their learning.

Women return to the classroom for numerous reasons, such as higher salaries, self-efficacy, or career development (Furst-Bowe & Dittmann, 2001). However, the classroom setting and learning technologies may threaten their education. Additionally, the barriers faced with balancing family, work, and education (Furst-Bowe & Dittmann, 2001) may exacerbate their lack of support and confidence in the technology. I can speak on this issue from first-hand experience. Working in technology did not prepare me for the added learning technologies and balancing work and family. I struggled to adapt during the first two years of the ISDT program. However, thanks to the support and exposure of my best study buddy, I gained the confidence I lacked and refused to let defeat triumph.

The instructional design and technology program is a great way to research and discover challenges associated with new learning technologies and barriers women learners face. The scholarship area uses the andragogy theoretical framework and a collaborative learning theory to discover areas that may negatively impact learning technologies and expose additional barriers women learners face. The learning design can aid in creating a course or “just-in-time” training tutorial helping these women learners to ask for support, cope with a lack of confidence, and buddy up with a peer to assist with navigation or help with using the new learning technologies. The research can be presented at a conference or “Brown Bag” session informing prospective women learners of barriers they may face with balancing work, family, and work life, challenges with the classroom setting, and the learning technologies used in education.

On-the-Job Instructional Design Training

My knowledge and expertise come from my current and past experiences as a tester working with training and instructional materials for users, other testers, and customers. Currently, I work for the Department of Defense as Testing Manager. My job entails documentation of deliverables for new projects associated with the electronic medical record, evidence creation, and presentation of the testing results to the customer. The testing process starts with the ADDIE method - Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. I first assess project needs and objectives (Analyze). Then, I determine the necessary resources and learning tools (Design), resulting in creating test cases. These test cases are then delivered as instructional material using an automation tool (Develop). During implementation, modifications are made to ensure the tester can follow the test steps and execute the cases successfully. Finally, evaluation of the automation tool confirms that test case objectives are met, and results are presented in a training session, including project objectives, delivery, and instruction (Evaluate). My coursework in ISDT has prepared me to use instructional design theories like the ADDIE model to create training documents, project outputs, and presentations for users, testers, and customers with a learning focus.

Research process

The coursework for instructional system design and technology has prepared me for the research process through immersion and implementation of research on adult learners, women first-generation college students, Hispanic women, attrition, and non-traditional students. I can apply the research to determine gaps in the literature and develop a topic for my dissertation, providing real-world solutions in instructional system design and technology. My work experience is a foundation for training and can push my research beyond just the instructional designer field. Through a collaboration of fields, I can enhance the learning experiences for the people I train, teach, and lead, as these are components of instructional system design and technology.

Career Application

My career goals require researching and providing real-world solutions. My focus area on adult learners who are women and the challenges they face with learning technologies taps into a real-world problem that keeps women from continuing their education. My focus area is a starting point for advancing education among the older generation. By developing this research, I can positively impact learning and improve training or course development for those students who have been out of school for a while.