Reflection
My graduate program can best be described as an experiential learning process. Basically this means the culmination of all the courses I took allowed me to develop the knowledge, and learning strategies then apply those acquired skill sets to demonstrate topic mastery, typically though a project either individually or collaboratively. As such I thought it appropriate to use a facilitation framework to debrief my experience in the program.
What?
When I started the MEd program I was working full-time and providing educational technical support to teaching faculty of a professional college. My immediate basic goal was to develop the skills and credentials necessary to provide better instructional tools, strategies, and theories of learning through using various technologies to support the teaching faculty I was working with. What I didn’t realize was how this program would provide a breath of knowledge much more than what I initially believed it would. My understanding of learning systems design was too limited and the skills I’ve developed have a wider application than simply in the educational realm.
So What?
From the two base core courses of Needs Assessment and Formative/Summative Evaluation I was introduced to the basic strategies and approaches having an iterative process of assessing a myriad of applications that can be applied to a variety systems not only in educational arenas, but other organizations and businesses. Another draw of the program was that it would be completely online, providing me the opportunity to continue to work full time which was a necessity. While this has taken me a little longer than if I would have taken a full load each semester, I’ve been able to use my real-life work experiences as I developed projects and assessments based on things relevant to me within my current position. Throughout my entire program, the majority of the courses included a collaborative element always providing a connection with the instructors and with my fellow colleagues. These connections are important and not only was I able to obtain the knowledge and guidance from the outstanding faculty in SISLT, but also from the variety of students taking the courses. This provided a great benefit of learning from each others varied experiences and perspectives.
Now What?
I’m still working for the same professional college and my role has morphed to providing primary instructional support maintaining all the academic systems since I first started the educational journey. I have been able to use a lot of the skills and experiences acquired from almost every single course to be a better educator, instructional designer and developer. Obtaining the MEd in Learning Systems Design and Development and the Online Educator Certificate will provide me potential opportunities for advancement within my current position and possibilities that may lead to other positions outside of my current position.