For the past year I have been an instructional designer at Lethbridge College. Beyond working on course production teams, I have worked on an institutional strategy to implement a blended learning initiative and support instructors with professional development sessions in instructional technologies. Until now, it has been the issues arising from this work context that have driven my learning path and it has been really exciting. I have had opportunities to evaluate learning technologies from Bates and Poole’s (2003) SECTIONS style approach. My job has moved me towards connectivism, personal learning environments, and social media in college education. All of this, however, will completely change June 3 – my last day of work at the college.
After the weekend I will begin my new job in developing online learning at Alberta Health Services. This shift in professional focus will undoubtedly shift my learning focus. So, what is my flight path for ETEC 565? It is honestly hard to nail down at this time.
In my next job I imagine that I will be more immersed in instructional design and development. Although I feel I have a strong foundation in the andragogy of online learning, I feel a need to develop more in the technical skills needed to create compelling online learning objects. I will therefore look for opportunities to develop my skills in web development and graphic design.
The broad appeal of ETEC 565 for me is the practical side of testing new technologies for instructional development. Can learning be designed in Moodle that has application for corporate and workplace learning? How can adult learning and communication be sustained in busy work environments? How can multimedia be used to build effective learning objects? What alternative assessment practices are suitable for adult learners?
I hope to move closer towards answers to these complex questions in this course. More than this however, I hope to be surprised. The most influential courses I have taken have always surprised me in some way. Sometimes, it is a particular reading, theory, or idea; other times it is work done by a fellow classmate, or feedback from the instructor on a particular project. Each time, the surprising experience has changed my perspective or behavior in some significant way. Obviously, it is not possible to draw a straight flight path to a surprise. Much like life, surprises happen when you least expect them (like landing a job in another city when you have just bought a house!). And typically, they create stress, cause upheaval, and become your favorite moments.
Reference
Bates, A.W. & Poole, G. (2003). Chapter 4: a Framework for Selecting and Using Technology. In Effective Teaching with Technology in Higher Education: Foundations for Success. (pp. 77-105). San Francisco: Jossey Bass Publishers
