Competency 4

Artifact 4.1 – EDCI – 513 – Revised Definition of Instructional Design

Artifact 4.2 – EDCI 531 – Final Paper – How we e-Learn: A Learning Theory for how we Learn Through e-Learning Courses

Artifact 4.1 – EDCI – 513 – Revised Definition of Instructional Design – After completing the course EDCI 513 – Foundation of Learning Design and Technology, I was to develop my own personal definition of instructional design, and what I thought it entailed.

Artifact 4.2 – EDCI 531 – Final Paper – How we e-Learn: A Learning Theory for how we Learn Through e-Learning Courses – In this paper, I tackled the task of creating my own learning theory for how we learn through e-learning courses. The paper was focused around the “e-Learning Theory Triangle,” which was comprised of what I thought to be the three most important parts of creating an e-learning course: motivation, the student, and technology.

I believe both of the artifacts I have provided help to demonstrate my development of a personal vision of inclusive educational practices. In my revised definition of instructional design, I talk about the necessity of using up-to-date educational practices that enhance the learning experience for the learner while providing better learner outcomes. Then in my final paper for EDCI 531 – How we e-Learn, I began pulling together everything I had learned up to that point to begin creating my own personal vision and theory of how we e-learn. Both of these demonstrate my vision of using learning theory, advances in technology, and the principles behind curriculum design development to help advance the field of teaching and training to create courses that are more engaging and effective than ever before. Developing my own personal vision is something that I will continue to do as I grow. It is important to continue growing that vision and expanding it as I move forward to complete this program, and as I move forward in my career.

Artifact 4.1 and 4.2 both works to help describe the relationship between educational technology and the broader field of education. In my revised definition of instructional design, I focused on including elements of both traditional educational practices, and those best practices applied in learning design and technology. I believe it is important to always remember traditional theories of learning and education whenever you begin considering learning design and technology since that is from where LDT grew its roots. As for my paper, I used a lot of traditional educational theories like cognitivism, behaviorism, and constructivism combined with best practices in LDT and the use of technology in education to help shape my “e-Learning Theory Triangle.” You have to be able to see a connection and understand those connections, in both traditional educational practices and principles and instructional design practices and principles, to begin applying them in new and useful ways. I believe both of the artifacts provided do an excellent job of showing my ability to take both traditional practices and principles of education and combine them with educational technology to create a full picture of education as a whole.

Artifact 4.2 is an excellent example of how I critically evaluate theory and practice to help design my own “e-learning theory.” In this paper, I looked at a number of theories revolving around brain science, motivation, and the use of technology in education to begin creating my own theory of e-learning; based off of these other theories. This required me to critically examine various theories to determine which best supported my theory of how we learn through e-learning. Eventually, I was able to pull all these various theories together to create what I termed the “e-Learning Theory Triangle.” This theory is based on the idea that if you are going to create e-learning around how we learn through e-learning you have to look at three main areas: The student (how the student learns - learning theories), motivation (what keeps the student motivated in e-learning courses - ARCS), and technology (how we implement technology in learning - the 5 C's). I believe this is a great example of my ability to critically evaluate current theory and practice to begin forming a new theory.

The ability to think critically and reflectively is an essential skill to any profession, and instructional design is definitely no different. Could you imagine a firefighter who runs into a burning building and almost gets killed without a skill like this? The next time they approach a fire they will do the same thing, they will run into the fire without thinking. You have to have the ability to think critically and reflectively about your decisions, choices, and the consequences that result. This gives you the ability to correct bad decisions, make right choices, and understand the consequences of your actions. For the firefighter, this means learning to stop and evaluate a situation before rushing in and almost getting killed. For an instructional designer, this means critically and reflectively looking for possible solutions, things that might get in the way, or better ways to solve the performance problem. I plan to continue using this skill and building this skill throughout my career, and life, by always taking a moment to critically examine everything and reflecting upon what I am doing to determine if that really is the right solution. Only by taking the time to reflect on what we are doing, or what we have done, can we continue to grow our knowledge and skills.