Background

I am Marjorie and I am currently a graphic designer. I hold a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from UBC and a Bachelor of Science in Interactive Arts from Simon Fraser University. Ever since I was a child, I have always been interested in stretching my imagination and finding any opportunity to be creative. Graphic and web design started out as a hobby when, during the late 90s, I began exploring the Internet and playing with applications such as Fireworks, Dreamweaver and Flash. In 2001, I finally decided to obtain formal education and training in interactive media arts and for five years now, I have been practicing graphic design professionally. During my studies, I worked part-time for two years at the Department of French at Simon Fraser University, where I had opportunities to assist with the redesign of their website and assist with some course development. Concurrently, in my final year of undergraduate studies, I explored topics in educational technology (i.e., ePortfolios and re-purposing games for use in education) as a Research Associate under the supervision of Dr. Griff Richards. Since then, I have always been intrigued by educational technology and instructional design. In a creative field where a career in design is competitive, I hope to set myself apart from the norm.

Objectives for ETEC 565A

In my research proposal and literature review for ETEC 500, I had the opportunity to explore pedagogical patterns in e-learning. One of the articles I found discussed the significance of experience (novice vs. expert) for instructional design. As a novice professional, I would like to learn more about the frameworks and models such as the ADDIE model, LAMS, SCORM, etc. that are used in conjunction with learning technologies. While learning more about the standards and models, I must also continue to implement interaction design principles with learning theories and pedagogical principles. In terms of educational technology, I am more familiar and confident with using technology than I am with applying learning theories and using pedagogical concepts. Thus far, while I have met instructional designers and curriculum developers in the program I have yet to discover another graphic designer by profession. In relation to the literature I had previously mentioned, there was one that posited the need for designers to understand pedagogical concepts in order to be able to communicate and address course development needs (Frizell & Hubscher, 2002; Goodyear, 2006).

As I journey through ETEC 565, I want to expand on my visual and instructional communication skills using Moodle, WebCT, and all the other technological goodies the web has to offer. More importantly, I want to focus on the synthesis of education and design to create unique and engaging learning experiences. This includes important principles covered by Chickering and Gameson’s framework of good practice as well as the SECTIONS model developed by Bates and Poole outlining key criteria about the selection and use of technologies (ETEC 565A, Module 1: Unit 2, 2009).

References

Frizell, S. S. & Hübscher, R. (2002). Aligning theory and web-based instructional design practice with design patterns. Retrieved April 24, 2009 from http://www.auburn.edu/~frizess/frizell-elearn.pdf

Goodyear, P. (2004). Patterns, pattern languages and educational design. In R. Atkinson, C. McBeath, D. Jonas-Dwyer & R. Phillips (Eds). Beyond the comfort zone: Proceedings of the 21st ASCILITE Conference (pp. 339-347). Perth, 5-8 December. Retrieved April 29, 2009 from http://www.ascilite.org.au/conferences/perth04/procs/goodyear.html