Introduction

In 2016, I began my journey through the Instructional Design & Technology (IDT) program at George Mason University. I did not know exactly where this journey would take me; however, I have always had a love for combining education and technology. As I began the program, I felt overwhelmed by the number of competencies that needed to be learned. I had limited experience in instructional design when I began this program; however, as I finish this program I am amazed at how many competency areas that I have become proficient in.

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When I discovered User Experience (UX) design, I felt an immediate connection to this area. I feel a great deal of satisfaction in putting myself in the place of the user and finding ways to make the system that they are using more intuitive, accessible, and enjoyable. User-Centered design is a very important area in today’s world. A large part of the corporate world operates online. Users have a plethora of options available to them today and if a company does not connect with that user quickly, they will lose that user.

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Instructional Systems Design is also an enjoyable challenge for me. Discovering what the needs of the user are and designing instruction that will meet their needs is fulfilling. I am looking forward to continuing this journey into the world of Instructional Design & Technology.

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Professional Foundations

The Professional Foundations competency encompasses a great deal. This includes written communication, oral communication, listening skills, facilitation skills, collaboration, and negotiation skills. It also includes being able to effectively conduct research, participation in professional development opportunities, collecting and utilizing data, and ethical and legal concerns.

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I have always had a strong foundation in oral and written communication; however, when I began this program it had been 17 years since I had been a formal student. I did have to refresh my abilities to write formal research papers and utilize proper citations. The Educational Research in Technology course (EDIT 590) was very useful in developing this skill. We were given the opportunity to identify a topic that was of interest to us and we wrote a full research paper on the identified topic.

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Throughout the IDT program, I was constantly challenged to conduct research and implement that research into my projects. I developed these skills most aggressively during the EDIT 732 and 752 courses which focused on User Experience (UX) design. My group worked with stakeholders to develop an app for Faculty at George Mason University that would allow them to operate the technology in the classrooms easily as well as obtain technical assistance and training.

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I also identified numerous organizations that facilitate professional development within the IDT field and was able to attend the Adobe e-Learning conference in Washington D.C. I feel that I also had adequate training on the ethical issues of working with stakeholders and understanding copyright laws. These topics were focused on during EDIT 611 while we developed an e-Learning module utilizing a technology of our choice. I worked with Adobe Captivate 2017 for that project.

 

Planning and Analysis

The Planning and Analysis competency includes conducting needs assessments, identifying the population of learners who will be involved, selecting the method of analysis, and identifying the technologies that would be most appropriate for the task.

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My most notable project focused on a real-life problem at work. We needed to restructure the program that I am in charge of because there was a concern that we were going to lose grant funding. I was able to effectively create a needs assessment, gain approval to implement it, and I have now implemented it fully.  In addition, I was able to double the size and scope of the program within a year. I feel confident that I can create a needs assessment and work through the process to implementation for an employer in the future.  

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Design and Development

The Design and Development competency focuses on selecting an appropriate instructional design process and then being able to effectively design that instructional system and implement it.

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Every course within the IDT program has a performance assessment. These assessments are significant projects that allowed me to practice the skills being taught in that specific course. This allowed me to create several different instructional systems throughout the program. During my first semester in the IDT program, I learned how to apply the ADDIE process to instructional design. I was able to create a design document and module prototype for a training on how to easily save a minimum of $1,000 for an emergency fund.

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Later in the program, I was able to work on a project from ideation through implementation for the entire academic year. This allowed me to work through the entire process without interruption and help to create a valuable tool that may be utilized by Faculty at George Mason University in the future.

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Evaluation and Implementation

The Evaluation and Implementation competency focuses on gathering evaluation data concerning an instructional intervention, revising that intervention based on the data, implementing the intervention, and monitoring the intervention over time.

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This was worked on most extensively during the EDIT 732 & 752 courses. We worked with the same group for the entire academic year to create an intervention for a real stakeholder that could actually be released to solve a problem for that stakeholder. We worked through the entire process from ideation through the implementation of a functional prototype. This process involved extensive data collection, data evaluation, iteration of the prototype, and user testing.

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The project that I worked on is for the Faculty at George Mason University. One of our group members works in the Learning Technologies department at George Mason University and she may be able to actually implement the app that we designed.

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I have also previously mentioned the project that I worked on for my employer to create a needs assessment for a grant funded program that I manage. That project was planned and fully implemented while I was a student in the IDT program. I am currently monitoring the progress of that plan and making slight changes, as needed.

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Management

The Management competency focuses on the necessary business skills, partnerships, collaborative relationships, and project management skills that are necessary to oversee instructional design projects.

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Throughout the IDT program, I worked collaboratively with other course members to develop instructional systems. This is not always a simple or easy thing to do due to the variety of perspectives and personalities that must be brought together. However, I found this experience to be valuable. Throughout my life, I have worked in professions that require a high level of control. Those experiences make collaboration difficult because I am so used to being the person in complete control of a situation. So, this was an area of immense growth for me. Over the past two years, I have noticed a distinct change in my ability to take criticism and to collaborate with others. I think that this is something that most people work on throughout their lives; however, I am pleased with the progress that I have made over the course of this program.

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In my current position at work, I am in a position to manage a grant program including the budget, staffing, training, curriculum development, establishing community partnerships, coordinating services between multiple community agencies, and tracking the progress of all of the services being provided. This experience has allowed me to develop strong management skills. There is no doubt in my mind that I will become an effective project manager in the future.

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Conclusion

I have always loved blending education and technology. Until I found the Instructional Design & Technology program at George Mason University, I always thought that my only option was to be a technologist within a school division. I was thrilled to find this program and am excited to graduate and begin my journey into Instructional Design and User Experience Design. It is exciting to be able to help a person or organization find a way to solve a problem that they are having. We don’t just identify an intervention to solve the problem, we are able to design and create that intervention. By keeping an open mind and collaborating with professionals from other disciplines we can truly create innovative instructional systems that can make the world an easier place to live.

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Throughout this program I had the opportunity to create several different projects. Some were more successful than others; however, I can see how my abilities changed throughout the program. Some of my projects solved real-world problems and some were created just to complete an assignment. Through all of them, I was able to gain new skills, increase my knowledge, and cultivate a sense of confidence within this new field. This will be a lifelong journey of learning new things and finding new challenges to conquer.