Instructional Designer Goals

 In my previous post, I discussed my gratification when checking an item off a checklist. Well, I have done it again. This week marks the final week of the second course in my Instructional Design and Technology graduate program. So, I am happy to report that I am one course closer to completing the program and earning my master’s degree. I am looking forward to the five-week break, and it will be even better when those five weeks overlap with my teaching winter break.

This course differed from the first, with more application and practice in learning design. LDT 501 provided the background knowledge necessary to apply skills in this course, with a culminating group project.  A design case provided the information required for designing and developing our project. The culminating project entailed working as part of a team and developing a 3-module instructional program that contains approximately 90 minutes of instruction. The purpose of the instructional program was to teach instructors how to create an introductory video to include in their online programs.

The design case is led by Dr. Davros, Dean of the College of Humanities and Technology at the University of Skaro and head of the committee responsible for improving online learning. Dr. Davros’ findings included strong student support for online learning, better implementation, and strong instructor presence. He also found that students in courses whose instructors included motivating and guiding videos performed better overall and had a better experience. Therefore, Dr. Davros’ instructional needs were creating a strong, supportive, and engaged instructor presence by creating introductory videos.

Dr. Mott, the Director of our unit, outlined the project's rationale and our team's responsibilities in a kick-off meeting. Our target learners are online university instructors with little experience creating videos. However, they may be vaguely familiar with the required editing application, DaVinci Resolve, because other departments at the university use it. Our goal is to create an instructional program that includes basic editing skills for a specific type of video: a bumper, video title, talking head, and fade to black. Also, a dedicated video server is a future goal for the university, so for now, faculty members will be responsible for housing their videos on their university-managed YouTube channel. Instructions on how to export and upload videos to YouTube must be provided. Lastly, instructors will need instructions on embedding the videos they’ve created into their courses hosted by the university’s Canvas LMS.

 Dr. Mott described what we must include in our instructional program and what shouldn’t be. Since faculty members will be using their university-issued laptops, my team was not responsible for providing instructions on installing DaVinci Resolve. Instructions on including closed captions are unnecessary, as the leadership team consulted the Disabled Student Resource Center, and YouTube’s auto-captioning feature is sufficient.

Given the parameters and requirements of the instructional program, I believe my team executed the instructional design well. For instance, our team provided an introductory video at the beginning of our learning module as an example for our learners. Next, each learning module offers various formats of presenting instructions. These formats include step-by-step instructions, videos, infographics, and YouTube tutorials. Each format can meet a learner’s specific learning needs.

To assess learner understanding, our team included various tools to measure student success. We included a self-edit checklist for learners to ensure all video elements are included in their created videos. Rubrics are included as a resource to provide success criteria for learners. We also developed and embedded self-assessments, supporting learner reflections. In addition to a self-assessment, learners peer-review a faculty member’s video.

Feedback from our instructor included comments regarding various aspects. One specifically was regarding our first page, which included our learning objectives. She suggested it could be more welcoming and personalized for faculty members. After reviewing our first page, it immediately jumps into what the faculty members will be learning and guidance on creating videos.  If given the opportunity again to do a similar project, I would design the first page, like how our weekly modules are made, with an introduction to the week’s topics. As a learner, an introduction to each week’s module was welcoming and gave me an idea of what I’d be learning.

Additional feedback from our instructor was positive and constructive. Specifically, she commented that offering learners alternatives was a nice touch. My team and I strived to consider all learning preferences and wanted to provide various options. Designing a learner-centered instructional program was the driving force behind our approach. Also, my team has experience designing lesson plans, as two of us are currently teachers and the other previously taught. This experience was incredibly helpful in our design process.

Furthermore, I would prefer to create the learning program within Canvas instead of Google Sites if possible. Canvas is the learning management system the instructors use to present their learning content; it only makes sense for them to learn how to create introductory videos similarly. Also, next time, I will have a page for troubleshooting if the learner encounters issues. DaVinci Resolve is a complex application with many features. Navigating the software can be daunting and overwhelming. Providing tips and tools for anticipated common problems can add additional support.

Overall, I am pleased with my first major project. I had the opportunity to work with two phenomenal team members, which eased my nerves. Designing and executing the project remotely was a difficult task but insightful. Personally, I do not always enjoy team projects, but I understand it will be common practice in the future. I enjoyed the opportunity to apply what I learned about learning design into practice and participate in a real-life scenario.