ID Artifacts

This page contains artifacts, aka examples, of different projects done throughout my instructional design studies at George Mason University. Also included are artifacts from my time as the Director of Library Services at Virginia International University, including Conference Presentations, Outreach & Marketing, and Reports & Studies.

Instructional Software Examples

What I learned

Our ESL students struggled to use a catalog and find books. In order to gain empathy, the librarians consulted ESL instructors to understand reading development through the eight levels of the program. We decided to separate ESL books into its own section and regrouped the books by category and title instead of the classification system. With instruction, we redesigned the lessons to be learner-centered with allowing the students to work alone or in pairs. Instructors would move to role of facilitator with providing assistance as needed. This scaffolding design improved students’ application of skills and learning. Mostly, I learned through creativity and a willingness to surrender control that students learned more and demonstrated their skills.

What I learned

This business case is the best example of my writing and provides solid evidence-based research to support my proposal. Using quantitative data from two different universities, my case provided proof of increased grades, retention, and resource use when students utilize free or inexpensive textbooks comparing classes where students purchased works or not. From here, I had to provide three scenarios for implementing a plan, including do nothing, a middle of the road option, and full implementation. My recommendation was the latter and involved 14 months for faculty with measurable key performance points. The plan involved some training from outside facilitators and a campus review of all materials to provide quality resources at little or no cost. Our competitors, where many students transferred, offered education without expensive materials. Through the preparation, I learned that having solid, evidenced-based research helps in making the argument. An instructional designer must make a thorough project plan for implementation and estimate the financial and human capital necessary. Furthermore, the designer must have measurable goals, be willing to take risks, and report the project’s progress to upper management. I believe this course prepared me the best for making formal, data-driven proposals in an organization.

What I learned

As spring term 2020 progressed, the pandemic grew of greater attention and concern. The purpose of the class was to learn different problem solving techniques and technologies for S.T.E.A.M. leadership. Dr. Seshaiyer used the Sustainable Goals 2030 as our focus in problem solving. Our group chose education and focused on the disruption of education at George Mason University, which had moved to online-only courses during the final six weeks of the semester. Through using the steps of design thinking, our group created a plan. In the first step we used empathy maps to learn how students were handling the transition. In addition, we examined published student reactions. Affinity mapping assisted us in categorizing responses and then, we used root-cause analysis with the 5 Whys. Using a brain-write activity, we created solutions and developed our prototype plan. Following the design thinking process made the creation of a prototype easier. The key here is learning the user experience. Anytime the group reached an impasse, we reviewed our empathy mapping . This notion has had the greatest impact on me in instructional design.

What I Learned

Online learning is very different from face-to-face instruction. Taking this course while simultaneously taking EDIT 732 with its emphasis on constructivism created a design dilemma. While wanting to create a student-centered design with an ill-situated problem, the approach became the best way to teach about design thinking while focusing on the lowest three levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy. In the first seven modules, the faculty were learning how to remember, understand, and apply. In the final step, faculty were to create a lesson plan. I learned to use a variety of resources to motivate and engage the learner. In several modules, I used short videos to explain concepts. In other modules, I provided short reading. In every module was the opportunity to comment on the blog on what one learned and the learner could read other’s responses. In the end, I created an E-learning module that engaged the learner and offered motivation to learn through professional development incentives.

What I Learned

The subject matter was a “tongue-and-cheek” approach with explaining metro culture to first-time visitors. Topics included escalator culture (walk on the left, stand on the right) and the pay stations with the world’s worse interface. In testing the website, my favorite tool was Web Disability Tester where I could experience the webpage as a user with that disability. In creating the website, I learned to have the skip to main content feature so the screen reader doesn’t read everything on the page. The biggest surprise was the emphasis on color contrast for low vision users. I found the color contrast tools very helpful in creating pages from WebAIM. In this class, I updated my HTML skills while learning how to use CSS for the first time. I found accommodating a website for disabilities not to be difficult and necessary for an inclusive user experience.

What I Learned

AGILE has a lot of flexibility in its design. I like the testing of the product at the end of each sprint. In design thinking, the testing is done at the end in which failure leads back a few steps. Our team divided roles and provided feedback in this plan. My role became making the roadmap, a visual aid showing each sprint through the process. In the end, I used a Gaant Chart with detailed descriptions in a table below the chart. The roadmap provided a great visual aid to understanding the different aspects of the product. I liked the Gaant Chart with the detailed table over the suggested roadmap with just the sprints listed. Furthermore, I liked showing in the Gaant Chart the entire sprint with subsequent parts broken-down underneath.