Final Reflection: MS IDT-O
Final Reflection:
Achieving completion of the Master on Instructional Design and Technology has being one full of challenges and accomplishments. I consider that I have gain great level of knowledge, experience and discipline in the past few months as part of this program. I have grown greatly as a person and as a professional during the course of each of the classes. The process by itself has nurture my discipline and my commitment as a learning professional by helping me achieve an effective system to achieve the outcomes of each course. This reflection serves to summarize and expand on all the courses completed and on how I have grown by completing this professional journey.
1. Mastery – Personal Development and Leadership (MDL501)
This course was inspiring and helped me greatly to connect with the purpose of pursuing this degree. Through the readings and assignments, I assured myself that I was on the right track to achieve the completion of the program. I think that the main achievement from this course was the process of convincing myself that I could complete the program by making adjustments in my life and study habits. I graduated from my bachelor’s degree on 2010 and I was not very thrilled to come back to school because of all the responsibilities, the time and commitment. The most outstanding triumph for this course was the connection I found with my purpose and motivations to achieve a higher degree.
2. Strategies for Learner Engagement (IDT520)
Completing this course helped me to understand better the different models of instructional design. I consider that the class served as a foundation to reflect on the models and their differences. I consider that being able to develop a plan for a sponsor was one of the main achievements from the class. At times, the instructional designers can be perceived as an independent entity from the business and this class help me to connect with the sponsors and project stakeholders to achieve better results. The greatest triumph was getting the understanding of the importance of the communication in the instructional design process to achieve better results.
3. Visual and Verbal Communication in Instructional Design (EDM533)
This course in particular helped me greatly on achieving a better understanding on visual principles of design. Through the design perspective, I have always looked for opportunities to enhance my work and projects. I consider that this class provided me a great framework for understanding how effective communications, advertisements and texts work. I consider my greatest achievement for this class to being able to use Adobe Illustrator for the development of an interactive infographic. Before this class I was not even daring to open the software for the complexity and stress that it caused me. Being able to develop something that looked good in this software supported my level of confidence on trying new software and apps for instructional design.
4. Corporate Training and Motivational Development (IDT552)
Completing the requirements for this class helped me greatly on understanding better the data visualization and formats for presenting information in a compelling way. I consider that throughout the class I was able to polish my skills for developing presentations for customers. The feedback served me greatly to incorporate additional elements focusing on the audience needs and in the clients’ expectations. I consider that the greatest achievement for this class was to be able to translate great amount of information and tailor it effectively to an audience focusing on their needs and interests. From this class I am incorporating the principles of design and presentation in my daily life, ensuring to connect with others and providing them the necessary information needed to perform better in their jobs.
5. Instructional Design and Evaluation (IDT562)
This class for me was very complex in terms of understanding the expectations. After getting a better understanding on what were the goals for the course, I was able to push myself to achieve a project plan for the development of an instructional course. Personally, I enjoy using project management for everything I do and this class served me greatly to connect those skills to the instructional design process. I consider that the main triumph for this class was to be able to develop an instructional design plan, with sufficient details to be presented to a customer. I consider that the feedback from the instructor helped me greatly to move from my level of comfort and to push harder to get better results.
6. Digital Media and Learning Applications (IDT574)
The content of this class was very helpful for the development of assessments. The research and paper developed for this class helped me on understanding better the concepts of assessing knowledge and the types of assessments used in the industry. The main triumph from this class was to be able to use coding principles for the development and edition of a web based assessment. I really enjoyed the concepts of this class and the content helped me greatly to apply to real-life scenarios in which we are interested in assessing knowledge effectiveness.
7. Music and Audio for Instructional Design (MUS6018)
One of my main achievements from this class comes from understanding how to reduce distraction though the alignment of concepts and wording on instructional voice-over development. One area that really marked me from this course was the research paper focused on a learner, which his main source of receiving knowledge was audio. This paper opened my eyes to the different learners with special needs and on how our design process may affect them to achieve their goals. I would say that my biggest triumph from this class was to feel confident with a narration developed even when English is not my native language. I have been concerned about my pronunciation since I start the master and achieving a good narration and environment for the learners helped me to increase my confidence in my communication skills.
8. Filmmaking Principles for Instructional Design (IDT610)
I consider that this class was fundamental to my career development and for I want to do in my future. The storyboarding and development of instructional video assets were skills that I needed to round-up my experience and knowledge. I think that my main triumph for this class was to be able to translate my thought process into a storyboard that reflected at the same time my video recording plan. The amount of details in the storyboard helped me to achieve better results and to incorporate feedback during the process before spending all of my time and resources shooting the videos. I consider that the storyboarding process and preparing draft videos to share with clients is a great skill to ensure the effectiveness of your materials. By revising these proofs of concepts with clients, you are able to ensure that the product meets their expectations and needs.
9. Game Strategies and Motivation (EME6227)
The class by itself serves as a game of trial an error on what works and what does not work from the game designer perspective. I consider that the main triumph for this class was to embrace the creative approach into designing content that can be enjoyed by learners while achieving the learning outcomes. Being sincere, I was a little conflicted by the content of this class due the nature of the environment I work. Once I understood more the benefits of the gaming strategies, I was able to embrace that side and think on opportunities in which game strategies can be applied in the instructional design scenarios.
10. Learning Management Systems and Organization (EME6630)
This course served me to see the instructional deign from a broader perspective. By analyzing the different platforms available in the market, I was able to expand my knowledge about how the systems work and support the designer in rolling out content and instructional programs. I consider that the man triumph from this class was learning how to structure content in a logical and effective way, responding to the needs of the learner and the instructors delivering the content.
11. Media Asset Creation (IDT680)
This class served me for the development of assets for my LMS system. I consider that one of my main learnings from this class are around the communication process with the client. During my career and master’s I have being able to connect with the communications skills even more that what I was using in the past. I re-assured that communication is crucial to achieve effective results. I consider that the main triumph from this class was to be able to recognize the amount of work that I was aiming to perform in this class, re-calculate and present alternatives that do not compromise the quality of my work. I consider that though effective communication, we can get into agreements with clients and achieving results that are within the specifications and expectations.
12. Instructional Design and Technology Final Project (IDT690)
I consider that this class have helped me to translate all the work performed during the instructional design master into a working sample of my abilities and skills. I consider that this particular class helped me to understand and connect with all the learning and experience that I have acquired so far. At times, as adult learners, we don’t get the time to reflect on how we have improved in our careers and professional studies. I consider that taking the time to reflect, re-organize, and present ourselves to the field has helped me gain insight on all the achievements from the past few months. I consider that the biggest triumph achieved in this class was the development of a working portfolio that can serve me when looking for new opportunities within the field. I think that this class has helped me to center myself into the field and into allowing myself to process the great journey that I am about to complete (and to start).
