Artefact #5: The Mobile Learning Proposal

This project was a synthesis of learning from both my Masters program and my professional practice to create a mobile learning proposal for a training environment (3.5).  I was fortunate to work with a like-minded person who was also working while taking graduate program courses.  Her professional approach helped me view this project as not just a course assignment, but an example of the business of education.  This final group project felt more like a real-life work project, where I would be coordinating stakeholders, subject matter experts and instructional designers (4.7).  We were also able to integrate skills learned in our other M.Ed. (DE) courses to create our final presentation (4.8).

Learning 1: Collaborative work is part of professional practice

My partner for this project was also near the end of her Masters program and was experienced in group work.  How this project came together felt more authentic than any group projects done previously.  My first group project in MDDE 603 was a straightforward two-piece paper.  My partner did one half and I did the other.  We proof-read each other’s parts, pasted them together, and submitted our work.  While this was perfectly acceptable, it felt like a high school assignment and I did not feel that I learned any valuable collaborative practices from my partner.

Working on this assignment was completely different.  This project took place almost four years since MDDE 603 and I had gained many skills in both my Masters and in my instructional design work.  We approached the project similarly to a design project in the workplace by outlining our areas of strength and dividing up the work accordingly.  We used tools from previous courses (e.g. the course design plan from MDDE 604) to build our project framework, synthesizing our prior learning into this cumulative assignment.

We also ensured communication was open and timely.  Even if work wasn’t due according to our timeline, we frequently checked in with each other to gauge progress and feelings about the work.  Much of the initial work was done in a Google doc, so we could provide required feedback in real time.  We rounded out our communication with a couple of Skype sessions and regular emails. 

The collaboration I experienced here was a night and day difference from my group project outlined in Artefact #4.  Working through a successful collaborative process was very empowering and further built confidence in my program competencies. 

Learning 2: Instructional design must change to suit the audience

Considering the audience is a fundamental concept in instructional design that I am fully aware of, but until I saw it in my own practice, I don’t think I completely understood it.  I noticed after the completion of this presentation that my online courses look quite different depending on who I’m designing for (2.2).  My Artefact #3 project was designed as a persuasive piece for my administrator, so it was brief, to the point, and highly engaging.  My typical online courses at work are designed for learners with varying literacy levels, so they are simple, intuitive, and rely on images and audio to convey the message.  Our mobile learning presentation was designed for student colleagues, so was rather text-heavy.  If we weren’t trying to complete the presentation as part of an assignment, we would have reduced the slide contents to be more of a brief overview of the concepts and proposal. 

As with most of my design projects, I would have liked to spend more time working on this assignment.  We completed the project months ago, but I still wonder if it could have been improved.   I still waffle between simplifying the language and keeping it as is, but my realm of experience is not designing for a university-educated audience.  In this situation, I relied on my partner, who was more experienced in designing learning objects at this level.     

I have realized that the audience largely determines the direction of the whole ID process and if I’m not familiar with the needs of a particular audience, I must spend more time looking at who I’m designing for during the analysis phase (2.2). 

Learning 3: Integrating work and learning is an important part of professional development

A large part of how quickly our project came together was how efficiently we were able to apply work-related skills.  We were both experienced at planning design projects and using our presentation's authoring software.  We would never have completed the project in the time we had if we did not already have established skills in instructional design.

While the application of work skills enabled a successful presentation, my learning in the project was also helpful in my work.  Our ideas and subsequent research had me thinking about integrating cutting-edge technology at work in ways I had never considered and infused my practice with fresh perspectives.  I was reminded how important it is in any industry to stay current through professional development and to take time away from daily activities to explore current research in education, the future of technology in learning, and best practices in my industry.