Compentencies

Needs Assessment

Summary
In this area, we learned how to conduct a needs assessment during the design and develop phases of trainings to assist in closing performace gaps. I have provided a performace analysis that I completed for my employer on Priority Ranking (PR). It was a new ranking system that needed to be assessed on its current effectiveness with educators.

About the Process
Needs assessments should be done upon attempting any type of learning system design or development. They may be different scales, but they should still be performed. Needs assessments help one to understand how people work, what they need, what they find motivating, what they understand, and what they want to do. Without some of these very basic ideas of the problems, issues, and ideas--one could easily create a beautiful, usable system that nobody will ever use. And what good is that?

Throughout the Needs Assessment for Instructional Design course, our goal was to learn how to analyze learner, instructional and environmental needs using a variety of documented techniques. The main takeaway from this course was to identify the components, advantages, disadvantages, and applications of instructional systems theory and instructional design/development. One of the projects involved completing a performance analysis to determine what area of a specific work detail needs improvement. I chose to do the analysis on a new data item we implemented at Florida Virtual School into our system called Priority Ranking (PR).

We learned and carried out the process for conducting a needs assessment to better provide instruction. Although it was a bit intimidating to carry out this Needs Assessment, performing it in a real situation with the support of my administrator was highly beneficial and rewarding. My school asked for my needs assessment upon completion of this course. After having received the report, they started implementing some of the recommendations in addition to having a professional needs assessment completed each year.

Artifact
Performance Analysis

Reflection
This was my first exposure to needs assessment. During all my previous years of teaching, I had not been aware of or performed an official needs assessment. During the class we learned about optimals, actuals, and closing the performance gap. It was quite beneficial to take this class my first semester, since needs assessment is the first step in the instructional design process and was also a part of some of the other classes. I learned about many skills in the class such as: writing interview questions, carrying out the actual interviews, creating observation checklists, writing objectives, and writing effective test questions. During the course we learned that performance gaps may be related to a knowledge deficit but could also result from other factors such as motivation, incentive, or environmental conditions. Too often instruction is designed for a knowledge deficit when indeed some of the other factors may be present. This was really brought home when I completed my own needs assessment. Because of my needs assessment summary report, I was able to make recommendations and take actions to close the performance gap.

Formative & Summative Evaluation

Summary
This course involved the study of gathering data and making judgments about the effectiveness of instructional programs. It began by covering the techniques in a formative evaluation process to revise instruction. Finally, it culminated into a project that planned and conducted a basic summative evaluation of an instructional program. I have provided the formative evaluation from this project as it is more thorough and showcases the entire process. It was an evaluation of Mizzou's current English 9A course for online high school students and how it can be designed to better serve their students.

About the Process
The course was organized into 3 sections. The focus of Section 1 was to address big questions that would provide a working knowledge about evaluation – the purposes, the types, what is in an evaluation, etc. The focus of Section 2 was to plan and design an evaluation plan including both formative and summative components. Finally, the focus of Section 3 was to implement and report the results of the formative or summative evaluation planned in Section 2. Time constraints prevented my group from implementing both the formative and summative components of the evaluation plan in Section 2, so we only implemented one formative evaluation during Section 3. Most summative evaluations require more time, so teams were only able to collect preliminary data.

My team initially met via a Google Hangouts to talk about our plan and divide up the responsibilities. The majority of the group assignment was completed utilizing Microsoft Word for each section that we chose to work on. A shared document was created with each of our responsibilities outlined on the document. As each member contributed to the document, the other members reviewed that content and provided feedback or corrections as needed. We periodically scheduled set times to meet via Google Hangouts to discuss and work on the document. I was responsible for the Methods and Data Analysis sections with contributions to other areas as needed. Our team was paired with another team to provide feedback before submitting the assignment to Dr. Moore.

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Mizzou English 9A - Formative Evaluation

Reflection
This course taught me about the evaluation process, as well as the ability to carry it out. It was very helpful to begin the course differentiating the different types of assessments vs. measurements vs. evaluations. We also spent a great deal of time learning about formative and summative evaluations, which included their types, uses, and how to complete them. I felt the entire group project was beneficial, but some team members wanted to nitpick every detail that caused more delays. Still, it was a great learning process.

This was the first collaborative project I worked on throughout my degree program. I was hesitant at first about how this process would work online, but it turned out to be a great learning experience. I felt comfortable with the two classmates that I was assigned to work with because they were motivated to work on the different items quickly and participated in discussion boards on a regular basis. I really liked the feedback team concept that Dr. Moore utilized. We were assigned to another team to provide them with valuable feedback before submitting the assignment for a grade, which in turn they did the same for us. It was also helpful to read the other team's report to get a sense of where their thinking about the project was heading. In the end, this strengthened my understanding of the evaluation process.

I had completed many structured formative evaluations while teaching, so I clearly understood the purpose and need for such items in the design process. I will be able to apply what I have learned in this class to evaluations in my current and future career prospects. The key is to make necessary changes based on the evaluation results.

Project Management

Summary
This course introduced the necessary and practical project management concepts and skills that lead to reductions in project cycle time while maintaining control over budget, resources, risk, and delivered value. The course proposed to integrate practical project management skills within the project management lifecycle (initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing). The main assessment involved completing a project management plan from start to finish. My plan covered implementing the migration of the current Learning Management System (LMS) at Florida Virtual School from Educator to Brightspace.

About the Process
This online course covered knowledge and tools for major phases of the project management life cycle: project initiation, planning, execution, and closure. Integrated online discussions focused on application and resources. Our goal was to plan an authentic administrative project, software product, web environment, or grant proposal for him/herself or a client.

This course helped us to develop knowledge and skills for the steps involved in project management. We had to identify an authentic project to work on throughout the course, describe and define it, create a logic model to display the project, plan and budget for it, learn the project monitoring procedures, identify the risks and risk management strategies, and finally plan for evaluation, deliverables, and closing. We participated in a series of online discussions related to project management resources. Among the main topics had to do with the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.

We had time integrated into the course for accomplishing the major steps that were broken down into assignments. The workflow followed the pattern of an introduction for new content/skills and discussions, which then had one week afterwards to complete and submit required assignments.

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Brightspace Migration

Reflection
The LMS migration from Educator to Brightspace ended up being cancelled after this course was completed. Still, I learned many things along the way. How to start the process of Project Management and continue with various check points led to a more efficient development of the project. Finding errors while you move throughout led to less backtracking, and it also saved the employees time better spent elsewhere. It prepared us to take the PMP certification exam if we wanted to, but I felt I was not ready and/or needed to become certified at the time. I might in the future if needed by a current employer.

Introduction to Applied Statistics

Summary
This course introduced statistical techniques that included descriptive statistics, correlation, simple regression, and hypothesis testing. We were given various numerical data sheets to apply statistical analysis testing using the stats program R-Squared. Results were then presented in report format with the work attached. I have provided the final exam for the course as we never really designed anything else that can be read by outside observers who do not use R-Squared. It showcases the various topics and statistical methods we learned throughout the course.

About the Process
We started this course with bi-weekly units focusing on trial periods for the first week and actual application for the second week. This worked out well in determining if your work needed correction due to a miscalculation in the trial period before submitting the actual graded assignment. We mainly examined statistical techniques used in the analysis of data through the program R-Squared. Specifically, we studied how to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of concepts of basic statistics, comprehend written material which includes basic statistics, and discuss statistical concepts and applications of statistics with colleagues.
2. Learn to select and apply appropriate basic statistical procedures in specific situations, identify the proper statistical procedure to use for given purposes in given situations, and calculate and interpret the identified statistical procedures.
3. Learn to utilize software to conduct statistical procedures and interpret the results.
4. Prepare for advanced study in statistics.

Artifact
Statistics - Final Exam

Reflection
While this course was interesting to work on, I felt the information presented was more for a "filler" class in my Education Specialist degree instead of a course that would be detrimental to learning my program material. While I could see doctoral candidates needing to learn this information thoroughly, I probably will never really use these methods in my current career path. The program used to calculate everything was decent but required extra effort to figure out how to work it properly. The course material mainly geared itself towards using the statistics program solely for outputting data. I see that the new degree path has a replacement research course, which would probably be of more use to other education specialist students.

Instructional Systems Design

Summary
This course involved the development of skills and knowledge related to the systematic design of instruction. Emphasis was placed on content analysis, instructional strategies, and formative evaluation. I have provided the final classroom design document for training how Google Classroom can be utilized in all types of school settings. It would be tailored to educators so they can learn the LMS in the most effective mannor.

About the Process
Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is a process for identifying learners’ needs, articulating the thinking process required to fulfill those needs, identifying a clear set of goals and objectives, and then designing instructional sequences and materials that will enable the learner to fulfill those needs. During the ensuing development processes, designers develop and test their instructional materials to ensure that they are effective. ISD processes are used most commonly in military, corporate, health-related, museums, educational, and other agency training settings. The role of the instructional designer is a team member role. Typically, the instructional designer provides direction and hands-on development of instructional/training programs/products. The instructional designer rarely holds content expertise for the program/product but works with others who are the content experts.

This course provided us with a hands-on introduction to instructional systems design. Like most instructional designers, we were required to create a learning system for a specific audience where we analyzed learner needs and tasks, articulated learning goals and objectives, developed tools for assessing completion of those objectives, and developed teaching sequences, strategies, and materials that we believe would be the most effective way to help learners achieve those goals.

The major goal for this course was not for us to become an expert instructional designer, as expertise in this field requires many years to develop. Instead, we took steps towards becoming an “informed designer” (one who does not work haphazardly). We used well-established ideas about how people learn to create a system of instruction. Those systems would be able to help produce evidence from which valid inferences were made about what people have learned. The ISD approach produces quality-training programs or learning systems for your use whether you work for a multi-national corporation, health center, or a local school district.

Artifact
Google Classroom

Reflection
The course and project provided invaluable information about the process of designing direct instruction for various learners. The knowledge I gained in my Needs Assessment course was put to great use in developing our instructional unit. I was able to see how those aspects apply to the overall instructional design process. Additional skills that I learned in the course included learner and contextual analysis, task analysis, writing instructional objectives, and designing instructional materials. Other than writing objectives, most of the other course content was new and will be highly valuable when I design future instructional products.

The course was based on the backwards design concept in which the designer first identifies the desired results, then determines acceptable evidence, and finally plans learning experiences and instruction. I realized that in my own previous design work, I had not been using a systematic approach. I now have a framework that I will be able to utilize as I design learning experiences for any company or educational entity.

Interaction Design

Summary
In this course, I learned the basic concepts of interaction design with a focus on usability engineering and prototyping principles to support the design process for learning and performance-based technologies. I have provided the final document showcasing how my group would redesign the American Film Institute website for better interactivity. The process was interesting, but unfortunately we could not do more with changing the website with our limited time and skills at that point.

About the Process
Interaction Design is a discipline concerned with the design, evaluation, and implementation of interventions for technology-based or physical tools. Through the use of readings, examples, exercises, and discussions, the course provided an introduction to the basic competencies, processes, and principles of interface and interaction design. The course explored the application of interface and interaction design in emerging technologies (primarily the Internet) to support learning and performance.

We began learning about those different design principles and how they could be applied to various interactions with websites. Next, we were placed in teams to help redesign a website of our choosing that needed a better interface to meet those principals. We finally decided to redesign the American Film Institute's website due to their lack of basic interactive principles and interface. Through various weekly check-ins and peer reviews, we learned about how our ideas of redesign meshed with other people's expectations and understanding of what the website should do. I did the coding and creation of the actual redesign while my peers did the mockup of website materials and information. Our final artifact makes the website more useful and interactive to regular people as intended by the American Film Institute.

Artifact
American Film Institute Redesign

Reflection
This course was not on my radar at all when designing my original course plan. It seemed interesting, but I had other aspects I wanted to learn first. When one of my courses did not jive with the schedule of the university rotation, I selected this course with Dr. Moore. Having her the first time gave me confidence on what she wanted for the course. I learned many things based on how items should be designed so that users can interact with them effectively. During the semester I had multiple items to manage, so I did not focus on the course as much as I would have spent on it with my full concentration.

Designing Online Learning

Summary
This course allowed me to practice designing online lessons for meaningful learning outcomes such as knowledge construction, building models, knowledge transmission, and community building and working collaboratively. I have provided the artifact showcasing the first Design Challenge from the course explaining how students can learn to match functions with the associated graphs. This is a tough unit in Algebra 2 for students to learn, so I wanted to make something to assist them with learning it in a more interactive way.

About the Process
The course was divided into learning modules that were mostly two weeks in length. We would first complete readings on course design and provide discussion on how it affects the learning outcomes. Then, we would create an artifact showcasing these methods in an area of our teaching ability. While we never completely created an actual course from the ground up, we did plan out various course ideas for further development if needed in the future.

During the context of the course, we learned how to locate, evaluate and use Internet based tools in an online course/lesson to enhance the capabilities of a Learning Management System. Next, we developed meaningful assessments for online lessons. Finally, we learned about and practiced strategies associated with the unique issues of implementing an online course (aligning course objectives to assessments and activities, choosing learning activities, etc.).

Artifact
Design Challenge I

Reflection
Out of all the courses offered at Mizzou for the Learning Technology and Design program, this was the one I was most interested in taking. It is aligned to what I really want to use my degree for, so my motivation to delve right in was high. The course ended up being just an average take on designing learning outcomes. I feel it was too much theory-based with most items repeating from previous courses I had taken at Mizzou. The last half was the most interesting as we designed actual interactive courses for online learning.

Intoduction to Digital Media

Summary
This course took a hands-on approach to multimedia production techniques. We developed understanding of technical and conceptual tools for the basics of digital media, video editing, still image and audio file manipulation. I learned how to create a web portfolio to present my digital products, which is located at the link listed below for the artifact.

About the Process
This course focused on teaching us about Web-based digital media (images, audio, and video). It also showed how to display media on the Internet and provided a foundation for more advanced courses in digital media and Web development offered by the Digital Media Zone. Everything was offered via Canvas and supported by Mentors and Instructors who worked in the Digital Media Zone at the University of Missouri. The course broke down various digital items into bi-weekly projects. We spent two weeks working on video, audio, photo, and web design items before finishing an overall project that integrated all the items together.

Using the major products from the Adobe Creative Suite was a great benefit for learning how to utilize basic tools from each program. We were not required to use Adobe specifically, but I felt it allowed me to present a better product compared to the free options we were offered. The programs work well together, which allowed me to better understand how digital media benefits from various tools specifically designed for different parts. The final product was posted to a hosting site I had already purchased for showcasing my degree field.

Once I had my site completed, I performed the usability testing with other co-workers and family members. This part is an extremely important process with website design. As the designer, we know what we are trying to convey but that may not always be obvious to our users. I had some minor changes to make based on the usability testing and the peer reviews given to me. I was pleased with the changes and the final outcome of the project.

Artifact
Intro to Digital Media

Reflection
This course taught us how to use various items to create digital media for the Internet. I had previously dabbled in photo, video, and audio programs before taking the course, but mainly creating basic items. I knew about the various file formats, compression techniques, and how to save for the Internet in some form. This course explained more to me in quite a bit of detail. Even though each of the projects in the course were individual projects, I felt like getting through the course was a collaborative effort based on various experiences posted in the discussion board.

I have already used much of what I learned in this course in my professional and personal life. I really enjoyed this course due to the various digital items we needed to interact with on a regular basis. My employer gave us a personal Adobe subscription to the Creative Cloud products, so I was able to utilize Premier Pro, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and Audition to help me develop many of the projects in this course. These Adobe items are highly required in designing learning systems for companies. I have continued to use what was taught in the course, and especially for designing this website to showcase my portfolio.

Mobile Web Application Development

Summary
The main purpose of this course was to provide students with knowledge necessary to create a mobile web application with basic functions using HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and jQuery Mobile. We mostly obtained knowledge that included both design and development phases of this process. Upon the completion of the course, students produced a mobile web app that could be operated via a mobile device.

About the Process
The course spent every other week doing a discussion on the new items we learn about in the jQuery textbook for that week. The in-between weeks were spent integrating the new code into our Mobile PowerPoint Video Lecture that we were creating along the way. This helped us to learn the pros and cons about the code before we actually used it in our project. Our final month of the course led us to create a brand new program of our choosing. The web application could be accessed with any device and would conform to that device's screen. Upon completion of the course, we were able to:

1. Set up an environment for mobile web applications development.
2. Design an efficient mobile web application using wireframes.
3. Create a basic mobile web application consisting of one or more pages.
4. Enhance mobile web pages with headers, footers, toolbars, and lists.
5. Design and create forms for mobile web applications.
6. Enhance mobile web applications using grids, panels, and widgets.
7. Add functionality to mobile web applications using JavaScript.
8. Add and implement methods and events in mobile web applications.
9. Create and apply themes to mobile web applications.

Artifact
Mobile PowerPoint Video Lecture

Reflection
This course was on my radar when I began my degree program as I had not spent any time with jQuery. I originally wanted to complete the course that had us create an actual mobile app, but it was not offered that semester. So, I decided to take this course as it seemed to be in the same content area. I had background in HTML and CSS, so it was rather easy to catch on. Once I got the hang of jQuery mobile, I found the framework less difficult to work with than previous web platforms. I love how the basic code of jQuery creates more interactive items for mobile devices in an easy manner. I feel this course will be the most useful for future endeavors as everything seems to be heading towards mobile usage to a greater degree.

Rapid Development Tools

Summary
In this course, I learned the concepts of rapid prototyping to quickly design instruction or training using an iterative process. We also learned how to leverage Adobe Captivate to rapidly produce eLearning modules. I have attached the link to my learning unit on Exchange Traded Funds for the artifact. It was created for the final project, which showcases every aspect of our learning in the course.

About the Process
We applied principles of rapid development and used the Adobe Captivate rapid authoring tool to create a prototype of an e-learning module that uses technology features that can enhance learning (e.g. learner interactions). The specific competencies included throughout this course fell under:

1. Creating learning interactions to enhance the instructional process.
2. Designing reliable quizzes to assess learner’s knowledge, and to provide appropriate remediation when necessary.
3. Producing impactful, visually appealing slides and user interfaces.
4. Develop and integrate advanced multimedia and technical elements (e.g. video, animation, simulations, branched scenarios) that support learning.
5. Evaluate eLearning modules using the Kirkpatrick framework.

The course was done in stages where we learned how to create something one week in Adobe Captivate, and then applied what we learned to an overall project that was submitted at the end of the course. This allowed us to get the individual pieces thoroughly need for each part while seeing the end result through a course topic we created on our own. I chose to create an informational course about using Exchange Traded Funds for retirement planning. It was a learning experience along the way, but I felt I did a great job presenting the information and giving visual cues to support items. Unfortunately, the final product did not seem to work for Dr. Reid as intended. It worked perfectly fine on my end but not on his, so I was marked off enough to earn my only B grade in the degree program.

Artifact
Exchange Traded Funds Learning Unit

Reflection
I was very interested in taking this course due to many employers wanting experience with Adobe Captivate and learning programs like it. I learned many things about the program, but personal issues interfered with the amount of time I could spend on the program. I also discovered some problems with Adobe Captivate as it showed me everything working correctly, but then it was different for my instructor Dr. Reid while grading the assignment. So in the end, I earned my first B after scoring lower than needed on my final project to get the A. I hope to utilize this program for future job opportunities.