Professional
Specialization - Instructional Technology: 26 Credits
Overview
As I stated in the Current
Goals section of this portfolio, it is critical for faculty to acquire
the skills to meet the needs of today's and tomorrow's learners, yet
do so without placing additional pressures on their institution's already
strained technology support staff. To do so means providing faculty
with the tools they need to create an engaging learning experience.
My coursework in the Instructional Technology track has provided me
with a solid foundation in learning theory, instructional design, and
the application of these to the virtual classroom. I now feel much better
equipped to address the needs of the adult learners with whom I must
deal in my professional life.
Course Number |
Course Name |
Credits |
Completion Date |
| EDIT 530 | Scripting and Programming (JavaScript) | 2 |
Fall 2001 |
| EDIT 704 | Instructional Technology: Foundations/Theories | 3 |
Fall 2001 |
| EDIT 705 | Instructional Design | 3 |
Spring 2002 |
| EDIT 720 | Leadership Issues in Educational Technology | 3 |
Fall 2001 |
| EDIT 730 | Analysis/Design of Multimedia/ Hypermedia Learning Environments | 3 |
Fall 2002 |
| EDIT 732 | Advanced Instructional Design | 3 |
Summer 2002 |
| EDIT 750 | Emerging Educational Technologies (Elective) | 3 |
Fall 2002 |
| EDIT 773 | Human-Computer Interface Design | 3 |
Spring 2002 |
| EDIT 797 | Cognitive Science/Education Technology Specific Issues | 3 |
Spring 2001 |
EDIT 530: Scripting
and Programming (JavaScript)
Although I am fairly proficient in HTML and have a solid knowledge of
the more popular Web authoring tools (Macromedia Dreamweaver, Flash,
Fireworks, Freehand), I saw this course as an opportunity to learn how
to troubleshoot applications written in WYSIWYG (what-you-see-is-what-you-get)
authoring tools. I was not disappointed. By learning the structure and
syntax of JavaScript, I now have a better understanding of why script-based
objects such as forms behave the way they do on. Working with a fellow
course member, my final project included the development of a form for
newly admitted college students to declare their major, proposed start
and graduation dates online. I've included this project
to illustrate how I learned to use JavaScript to build objects from
scratch without the help of a WYSIWYG authoring tool. Top
Edit 704: Instructional
Technology Foundations/Theories
Although experienced in teaching adults, I missed a solid theoretical
foundation in which to ground my teaching practice. This course, taught
by Nada Dabbagh, provided just the foundation I needed. Starting with
an overview of the epistemology of learning, the readings and papers
in this course enabled me to become familiar with a variety of learning
theories ranging from Behaviorism - the theory in which my own learning
had been grounded - through Cognitive Information Processing; Ausebel's
Meaningful Reception Learning; Situated Cognition; theories of development
by Piaget, Bruner, and Vygotsky; to Gagné's instructional theory
and the contrasting theories of Constructivism. What brought home the
value of learning theory to me was an event that occurred outside of
the classroom. About midway through the course, I received an assignment
to teach a course section of Business Research Methods for
the University of Phoenix Online Campus. Although I had taught this
course section several times before, I regularly review the Syllabus
and course materials so that I can refresh the examples and case studies.
This time, however, I was reviewing not only for new things, but thinking
about what benefit the learners would be getting from the materials.
In so doing, I noted that my Syllabus was highly perscriptive, using
materials that were almost exclusively text-based. What did that mean
for the visual and auditory learners, I wondered. In short, this was
the first time I was thinking about learning from the point of view
of the learner. In addition, I was able to recognize
the application of learning theory in the writings of Instructional
Technology thought leaders. I have included a review of an article by
Zane Berg as an example of how
I learned to recognize and evaluate learning theories applied to concrete
teaching and learning contexts. Top
EDIT 705: Instructional
Design
This project-based course, taught by Wanda Mally, allowed me to get
my feet wet in applying teaching and learning theories to the process
of instructional design. In going through the various models of Instructional
Design, including the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation,
evaluation) model, the models by Hannifan and Peck as well as those
of Dick and Carey, I found myself wishing that I had had this course
25 years ago, before my first venture into college teaching. It was
now clear to me that although a PhD makes one a subject matter expert
(SME), it does not make a SME an expert in instructional design. Just
ask any student who has suffered through an instructor who has prepared
his/her lecture notes the night before class or has been using the same
dog-eared lecture notes for years. This intro course to Instructional
Design also provided mewith the ability to apply ID principles to commercial
training and for my final project, I developed an ID plan for training
Web-form developers working at my company's client sites. An extract
from that plan is included as an example of successful knowledge transfer.
Top
EDIT 720: Leadership
Issues in Educational Technology
When I registered for this course, I had hoped that it would provide
insights into the challenges and issues faced by educational leaders
in attempting to integrate technology into instruction. As a senior
manager, I can certainly appreciate the barriers to strategic decision-making
and was highly curious as to what similarities/differences there might
be between educational leaders and business leaders as they seek to
incorporate technological developments into their strategic planning
process. Unfortunately, I was sorely disappointed. The instructor, whose
name escapes me (isn't that telling?) offered little insight, providing
only photocopies of articles on educational technology written more
than 4 years earlier (a lifetime in the technology world) and chatting
mostly about her experiences as a school administrator. Her anecdotes,
though interesting, were not linked to the larger issues behind strategic
decision-making and in fact, reflected poorly on school administrator
understanding of the relevance of technology to teaching and learning.
Self-directed learner that I am however, I chose to see this course
as an "independent study" and selected topics and issues that
I uncovered and researched on my own. I have included a paper on Web-based
instruction that I prepared for the course as an example of my take
on the impact of Internet technology on decision-making in higher education.
Top
EDIT 730: Analysis/Design of Multimedia/Hypermedia
Learning Environments
This course was my first opportunity to put the principles of sound
Instructional Design (ID) into practice in a real-world situation.
Working with four other course members as part of an ID team, we were
assigned a real client - the Mining Safety and Health Administration
(MSHA) of the Department
of Labor - and charged with developing online training that also included
a Marketing component designed to persuade reluctant mining supervisors
of the value of the training. Because of my Marketing background,
my team selected me to develop the Marketing component. Each of the
other team members contributed to the overall ID plan based on their
individual talents (e.g., our graphics guru did the wireframes and
storyboards, our learning theory guru went about constructing the
rationale for the Community of Practice component, etc.).
This project made it abundantly clear that clients are not always clear in their own minds as to what they are trying to achieve and that they sometimes send conflicting messages when communicating with their ID vendor. Nevertheless, the project enabled me to apply and refine my project management skills while developing an ID plan grounded in a sound analysis of client needs, learner skill sets and gaps versus performance requirements, and available technology. I have included the prototype of the Marketing component because it demonstrates my ability to translate the ID approach into benefit messages for the client. Top
EDIT 732: Advanced Instructional
Design
This course offered another opportunity to revisit the literature
and reflect upon the various learning theories and how Instructional
Design should be grounded in theory. By documenting my learning throughout
the course, I was able to track how my thoughts about the various
learning theories were evolving and what benefits I saw in applying
specific theories to real world situations. As an example of this
reflective thinking, I have included an excerpt from the journal
that compares the very first journal entry (Module 1) with the very
last journal entry (Module 8).
The course also offered an opportunity to actually build courseware that demonstrated knowledge of learning theory. The prototype that I constructed became the basis of a Problem-based Learning (PBL) software application that I built and tested with my students at the University of Phoenix Online Campus. Top
EDIT 750: Emerging Educational
Technologies (Elective)
This course provided a very thorough review of the technologies
used most commonly in the K-12 and, to a lesser extent, higher education
setting. The types of technologies examined included conferencing
tools, computer-assisted learning environments, IntelliBots, games
and simulations, immersive environments, assistive technologies, and
virtual reality. The highlight of the course was the ability to actually
"play" with each of these technologies in hands-on sessions
either in the GMU labs or via Web sites from home or office. It was
clear that the objective of all these technologies is enrichment of
the learner experience through multiple methods of engagement. What
was also clear is that although some of these technologies have been
around for years, they have only recently gained momentum in education,
not so much because of cost - although money is always a factor in
public education - but because of the conservative culture of education.
Teaching old dogs (faculty, administrators, parents) the value of
learning new tricks is challenging indeed. However, given the current
pressures for institutional accountability and demonstrations of real
student learning, these technologies may find a wider audience among
schools, colleges, and universities. I've included an extract from
my reflections on each of
the technologies I examined because I evaluated them against the criteria
set down in the current goals section
of this portfolio. Top
EDIT 773: Human-Computer Interface
Design
This course was a nice complement to the courses on learning theory
and instructional design in that it focused on the look and feel of
the of the user interface from the perspective of the user. Key concepts
such as intuitive navigation, ease of use, workflow and presentation
were covered. These concepts enabled me to understand why I liked
some instructional sites or courseware and hated others, even if they
were from the same discipline. It also brought home an issue that
I deal with every day in my working environment, namely the gap between
what the software developer thinks is "really cool" versus
the user experience. I've included an assessment
of a commercial website as an example of how I was able to apply the
principles of sound HCI design to an existing site. Top
EDIT 797: Cognitive Science/Education
Technology Special Topics
Of all the IT courses, this was the most theoretical. Offered in workshop
format, the course centered around the relationship between computers
and cognition, with a critical look at artificial intelligence versus
human intelligence. Readings from Winograd and Flores, Maturana, Gleick,
and others, traced the starts and stops of those who believe(d) that
the computer could be a model of the mind and as such, "thinK.
Many of these theories, while interesting, appear to be attacking
a straw man. Few if any in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
today believe that the computer can replicate human thought. Instead,
the focus is on software programs as intelligent agents that support
the learner, not "do" the learning for the learner. Nevertheless,
the course was valuable because it clearly shows that the struggle
to truly understand how humans learn and adapt teaching techniques
to that understanding still continues. Because the course required
only one written submission and the true value of the course lay in
its discussion format, I have not included any examples from it. Top
