My Reflection
Throughout my experience in this program at the University of South Carolina, I have developed a comprehensive portfolio on learning designs and technologies. This portfolio includes web-designed eLearning modules, research papers, accessibility, and curriculum design, but my portfolio highlights more than just those artifacts. As I have progressed through the last two years in this program, I have deepened my understanding of instructional design and reflected on how to be a better educator in the classroom. The portfolio tells a story of how I have evolved over the last 2 years from being just a regular classroom teacher to transitioning into an instructional designer.
When I first joined this program, I had zero understanding of what instructional design was, what andragogy was, what eLearning modules were, how to create them, or what instructional models were. At the beginning, I came as a first-year teacher with an understanding of how to teach students history content and how to help students take tests. I knew about research-based instructional strategies since we learned that in my undergraduate studies, but I never focused too much on content delivery. The main reason is that I made content through Canva to guide the students throughout the class, but I was in the classroom supporting the students and their learning. Furthermore, the district created all the supplies and materials that we needed to use for our students, which means I never really had to design or develop instructional materials for the class, unless I wanted to. With understanding all of this, at first, the program was tough because I really had no clue what I was doing. Yes, I knew how to create presentations and knew how to provide material, images, and videos on the presentation, and teach students about history, but that was about it.
Throughout this program, I ran into a lot of challenges that made the assignment somewhat difficult. For starters, there was a web development course. Now I have a background and know how to code websites with HTML and CSS, but the issue I ran into is coding a website to upload it into the USC framework to make the website work as a functional website. Also, learning how to use RocketCake was a difficult task because it was simplistic by design, but as a first-time user, the program was a struggle to understand and connect to USC’s website. Additionally, there were some forums and videos on RocketCake, but the information was limited and not helpful when designing this website. Another problem was learning about the evaluation process. Now, this has been a learning experience for me because in K-12, the words “evaluation” and “assessment” are interchangeable, but in instructional design, they are two completely different actions. I found it difficult at first because we talked about the evaluation process in the majority of the courses, but never actually did a formative evaluation until EDET 793. But after lots of reading, discussions with Dr. Grant, and doing the process several times, I have come to understand the difference between the two, and honestly, I really enjoy completing the evaluation process on eLearning modules.
Now, while I did have a lot of trial and error in this program, I did have some successful accomplishments that I am very proud of. For starters, all the eLearning modules, web developments, and course design, because prior to this program, I would never have believed I could have created any of those projects. Furthermore, I have learned and applied several instructional design models, instructional strategies, and effective teaching methods for learners through non-traditional approaches. Some of the instructional strategies that I have applied in my own classroom and have helped me become a better educator for my students are the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) by Sweller, Mayer’s Multimedia of Learning, and Universal Design for Learning (UDL). By implementing these different theories and frameworks in my classroom, I have noticed my students improving their understanding of the material, and their retention rate has improved significantly. I am creating an equal opportunity for all learners in my classroom to be provided with the best possible education.
Overall, this program has taught me so much as a learner, as an inspiring instructional designer and researcher, and as an educator, and it shows how education does not have to be taught in a traditional classroom to be effective. Additionally, instructional design has helped me understand how to investigate problems such as performance and different methods of improving the situation. Lastly, this program has taught me that there are several different ways to teach learners through gamification, storylines, infographics, videos (vodcast and podcast), web designs, eLearning modules, and even course development can be different ways to teach learners on whatever topic you want.