This assignment designs a hypothetical distance education program, with the consideration of the potential market and some instructional design elements. I believe it fits the objectives of being the Artefact #1 as it demonstrates my very first ideas, processes and competencies in the M.Ed. journey. It was a fundamental assignment for the course, and I tried to do my best applying all my skills and practical knowledge.  

I chose to design a preparatory program for undergraduate adult professionals who have been out of school for several years, and who are considering enrolling in a graduate or professional designation program. From my work experience, many students who obtained their degrees ten or more years ago, benefit from some preparatory training which introduces them to the most recent educational technologies and distance learning techniques. Besides, the preparatory program gives an idea of the time commitment required for the actual program. This way, some students might find out that a graduate program would not fit into their schedule, without having enrolled in the actual program and having to drop it later.

I developed a preparatory program Progredi. It is a combination of mandatory and elective modules which cover learning and memory techniques, time management, scientific research and testing methods, and online learning strategies. The elective modules are mostly for the immigrant population, and they outline the North American higher education system and prepare and check the English proficiency level (1.1). I believe that this approach helped me recognize the current issues in the CPA education, and, most importantly, structured my further ideas.

Designing an educational organization from scratch allowed me to see the possible complications and obstacles that can potentially freeze the development of an academic program at its initial stage, or moving forward (1.2). 

A thorough review of the potential market is very important. Since I work in the area of adult education, I was familiar with some of the categories of students who would benefit from a preparation program. The peculiarity of Canadian adult education market is in its heterogeneity, and the high number of internationally educated professionals makes it extremely diverse (1.3, 1.4).

As the program contained several particular modules, I provided brief course descriptions, outlining the directions for further instructional design. The program methodology combines traditional and experimental approaches, and it will apply new advanced methods of teaching, such as productive failure (pioneered by Manu Kapur). In the process of working on the course descriptions, I was studying the existing learning theories and the traditional and non-traditional teaching methodologies (1.8) to select the most appropriate applications - on the premises of the students' background (adult undergraduate learners in their mid-thirties, having extensive work experience in accounting), the availability of the resources and their financial component (as the program costs in the end cannot be too high), the nature of the program (distance education), and the innovative/traditional approaches ratio to ensure most efficient learning (1.6).

One of the program modules, Learning and Memory Techniques, was predominantly based on the cognitivist theory; it described the concept of creating memory chunks and emphasized the importance of revising the newly acquired material later and applying the new knowledge to solve practical tasks. It also used the behaviorist approach to online learning, containing quizzes that could be taken multiple times (until the quiz is passed), which allowed the student to move on to the next module level.  Although I was familiar with these theories, I had to conduct deep foundational research, to ensure I select the most applicable methodologies that would work best for the program I was designing (1.7, 1.8). I always learn best through practice, so this approach later helped me retain and reuse the knowledge that I was also able to apply to my subsequent course assignments. 

The research on technology in distance education for the Analytical Test Preparation module suggested the use of auto tutoring software: Affective AutoTutor (D’Mello, & Graesler, 2012), Cognitive Tutor (developed by Carnegie Mellon University), The Andes Physics Tutor (Arizona State University), ASSISTments by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Educause, 2013), and Knewton. These tutors mostly use the behaviourist approach in distance education and are designed to simulate a human tutor’s behavior and guidance using natural language (Educause, 2013) (3.2, 3.3). The analysis of the software I conducted to select these tutors among the others (1.6) demonstrated the importance of critical assessment in distance education. There are multiple products that are available (both commercial and open-source), and it becomes challenging to make best choices that would align with the program goals, its delivery methods and funding. I believe that I managed to determine the appropriate options most advantageous for the program and its audience. My choices were determined by the graphic interface design (user-friendly), licencing costs, and hardware compatibility (as not all of the programs can be run on iOS or some other less popular operation systems). Having received this theoretical experience, I became more conscious of all these issues in my everyday work routine, as I was able to transfer those skills and apply them to the CPA program I coordinate (1.10, 1.11). 

This assignment also showed me that applying the critical selection skills to program design is crucial for any stage of program development, as typically the majority of the existing instructional design options have their advantages and disadvantages, and it is important to assess those options in the quickest and most efficient manner. 

My MDDE 601 course readings mentioned Rotter's theory of the internal locus of control (Rotter, 1966). It became my strong belief that the strictly internal locus of control is vital for learning online. A mandatory module of the program, Psychology of Online Adult Learning, outlines and promotes the notion of locus of control and emphasizes the importance of taking responsibility for successful studying at a distance. To prove my point, I studied research showing the success rates of the students with the internal vs external locus of control. This also encouraged me in my personal studies and, I believe, set the right direction for my further studies in the program (1.5, 1.10).

While the development of the Progredi program did not directly apply to my work, I was able to use the results of the research in a different project, having created a resource page on my company’s website. It is an online support system containing preparatory resources for the perspective students who consider enrolling in the professional programs (3.4, 3.5). This webpage has been developed even more profoundly since I launched it in 2017, and the MDDE 601 assignment was definitely a great start for this subsequent work project. Although I worked on it autonomously, I did seek for my colleagues' feedback and incorporated it into the final version of the webpage. I also used the assignment comments provided by the instructor (Brad Eastman) and his constructive suggestions, to amend the webpage accordingly. 

This webpage, called Resource Corner, is available on the Chartered Professional Accountants Western School of Business (CPAWSB) website here. It incorporates the research from my course assignment, as well as specific resources for the CPA students, such as the CPA Glossary which I created later. The Progredi program and its modules aimed at directing any students considering a graduate or a professional program; its wide applicability allowed for the use of the developed ideas to be utilized towards more specific areas, such as the CPAWSB programs (1.9, 1.11).

Educause. (2013). 7 Things you should know about intelligent tutoring systems. Educause Learning Initiative, 1-2. Retrieved from https://library.educause.edu/~/media/files/library/2013/7/eli7098-pdf.pdf

Oakley, B., Sejnowski, T. (n.d.). Learning How to Learn. [MOOC]. University of California, San Diego. Available at https://www.coursera.org/learn/learning-how-to-learn

Rotter, J.B. (1966). Generalized Expectancies of Internal Versus External Control of Reinforcement. Psychological Monographs, 80(1), 1-28. Retrieved from http://www.soc.iastate.edu/Sapp/soc512Rotter.pdf