IDD Coursework Course number and description	Reflections on Courses with Links to Artifacts
Spring '08
EDIT704 Foundations and Theories of Learning (3 cr) Reviews practical and pedagogical issues related to design and development of technological instruction. Emphasizes investigating instructional design as a field and community of practice, and reviewing core learning theory constructs applicable to design of instructional technology.</	EDIT704 was a real eye-opener for me as a classroom teacher. Here I found the theoretical fundamentals that were lacking in teaching certification courses I had taken. I began to understand what was lacking in my own teaching practice. This was both enlightening and frustrating, because I realized I had neither the time nor resources to provide what now seemed to be the best learning environment for my students. As a result of this realization, I chose Situated Cognition Theory for the topic of my semester paper. SitCog argues that humans learn best in authentic contexts. Unfortunately, many traditional classrooms and learning activities are far removed from the genuine practice of the subjects.
EDIT705 Instructional Design (3 cr) Helps students analyze, apply, and evaluate principles of instructional design to develop education and training materials spanning a wide range of knowledge domains and instructional technologies. Focuses on variety of instructional design models, with emphasis on recent contributions from cognitive science and related fields.	I created a short, f2f course, including a design brief and prototype , to teach residents of an apartment complex about evacuation during a fire. While this course provided an opportunity to design, develop, and produce a project, I found the case studies we evaluated as a class to be the most valuable. Insights included what it is that instructional designers may encounter in contract work: when they are given less than ideal information, they encounter internal political issues that interfere with the production of the best solution, unreceptive end-users, uncommitted managements, or find that a successful end to a project is simply ending the project for ethical reasons.
Summer '08
EDIT526 Web Accessibility and Design (2 cr) Develops understanding of principles of universal web design. Students apply this understanding by designing and developing accessible web site using web authoring tools.	With the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, the ability to create spaces there for anyone to view is critical for people in any field. This class gave me the skills to do this adequately. Tools like Dreamweaver do most of the heavy lifting, while html coding skills from this class make tweaks and troubleshooting faster. This was only half the class, however. The second component is accessibility for all in accordance with Section 508 of the Federal Code on electronic information systems. In essence, websites need to be navigable and comprehensible to people with sensory disabilities. Browsers and other tools have the capability to interpret webpages for these individuals, but only if properly designed. I wrote a paper discussing this here.
Fall '08
EDIT797 Design Issues in Educational Gaming and Media(3 cr) This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of educational video game and media design including the principles of learning theory, and instructional strategies that are relevant to instructional design. Students will learn how educational video games and media can be utilized to enhance and support teaching and learning.	This course presented me with a powerful tool for developing learning environments: play. Games are interesting because the players must learn a system and then attempt to manipulate that system to their advantage. Porting content into a game structure can blend learning and excitement into a self-motivating learning system. I see games as having the most powerful transformative potential in ID. Some learners will figure out how to learn, despite a poor learning environment. Others will learn in order to entertain themselves, but not at the behest of teachers or institutions. Games designed around the relevant content can generate enthusiastic learning on the part of the student player while they learn valuable skills, attitudes, and abilities. Our prototype is here.
EDIT772 Flash (2 cr) Provides an overview of Adobe Flash using guided lecture materials and a hands-on approach. The course includes a review of the Flash interface, features, tools, and specific concepts relating to how graphics and animation are created using the product. Students apply the knowledge and skills learned by creating several Flash products plus a semester project.	Flash is powerful development tool, with a wide range of capabilities. The user can prepare simple slide shows, make an interactive learning module, or even develop an entire website. As a side project, I developed a game using a tutorial at www.kongregate.com/labs. My game is here.
EDIT573 Program Management Tools (2 cr) Teaches students the principles of project management as it is applied to instructional design. Explores project management tools used to manage, plan, and track large-scale multimedia and hypermedia projects.	Project management is a critical part of instructional design. I have experienced this firsthand as a team lead at work. While taking the course, I learned the advantages and limitation of project management software. Tasklists, timelines, and milestones work best when used by team members who willingly engage in frequent communication. This communication must be frank and work to raise issues, reach consensus, and solve problems. Without this, project management software is very limited in what it can contribute.
Spring '09
EDIT732 Advanced Instructional Design: Constructive Methods (3 cr) Capstone course of three-course sequence on theory and practice of instructional design. Helps students apply ideas developed in prior courses to complete major instructional design project. Covers leading-edge ideas in evolution of instructional design.	This course expanded my understanding of theory that started in EDIT 704. Consistent application of theory into practice is emphasized here. There must be a linear relationship between the understanding a designer has of how people learn and the theories and methods used to create learning environments. As EDIT704 did one year ago for my classroom practice, EDIT732 affected the way I view the online courses I develop at EdOptions, Inc. Unfortunately, we are behind the curve in terms of the best practices and best technologies available. On the other hand, the path to where we need to go is clear! Here is my prototype and the accompanying paper.
Summer '09
EDIT601 Instructional Design & Development Portfolio (1 cr) Enables students to create and publish electronic portfolio that demonstrates effective and meaningful integration and syntheses of instructional design and development concepts, principles, and competencies learned across program courses at mid-degree program point.	An earlier iteration of this portfolio was the product of EDIT601.
EDIT575 Podcasting (2 cr) Podcasting is a means of distributing audio/video content via subscription technology (RSS). This 2 credit course introduces students to the fundamentals of podcasting with an emphasis on how to design an effective educational podcast series to meet different instructional and training goals. Students will learn the complete process of planning, recording, editing, enhancing, and syndicating audio-based educational materials through a combination of lecture, demonstration, and hands-on lab instruction with standard podcasting tools.	This course was fun and not particularly demanding technically. Writing the scripts was the most challenging part. I recorded and uploaded a series of podcasts with a target audience of ninth grade earth science students who would listen to podcasts as they progressed through the lessons of an earth science course I am writing at work. Episode 1: Everglades Episode 2: Volcano
Fall '09
EDIT730 Analysis and Design of Multimedia/Hypermedia Environments (3 cr) Part I of two capstone courses. Enables design, implementation, and evaluation of technology-based education and training materials using advanced computer-based authoring tools.	To kick off EDIT730 and 752, Dr. David Rogers of the Institute of Simulation & Training at University of Central Florida spoke to our class about several mobile learning problems. The class's task over the next two semesters would be to develop prototypes of possible solutions. Team Two, my team, chose to create a mobile application for a high school Spanish classroom in Massachusetts. Our users would be experienced classroom teachers and their students. We determined that the most useful application would be one that experienced teachers could easily integrate into their own lesson plans. The documents linked below track our use of the ADDIE model in creating a solution. Analysis - We quickly did a performance analysis, gathering information on our users. After getting an idea of the user's environment and the demands of the environment, we had our needs analysis. To prepare for the design stage, we created several user personas to give us a target audience. Design - Based on our analysis, we presented a design based on our analysis. Development - We quickly developed a first prototype based on our design.
Spring '10
EDIT752 Design and Production of Multimedia and Hyper-media Learning Environments (3 cr) Part II of two capstone courses. Students design and produce multimedia/hypermedia applications based on current theory and research in instructional design and cognitive science. Examines user needs, information models, structure, and media selection and uses to inform design and production of final project.	Development - We started the second semester with a second prototype based on feedback from Prof Bannan as well as data from a survey of potential users. Implementation - We put our prototype in front of a focus group made up of potential users. Talking to them about the prototype helped us to further refine our product. Evaluation - Team Two's final presentation took the class through our iterative process, and also gave us a chance to present our final prototype.
Fall '10
EDIT590 Educational Research in Technology (3 cr) Focuses on developing skills, insights, and understanding basics to performing research with emphasis on interpretation, application, critique, and use of findings in educational settings. Students develop expertise in action research methodology, design, and implementation.	Excellent research methods course taught by Prof Eamonn Kelly. We learned the fundamentals of both qualitative and quantitative data gathering. Simply put, the trick is in establishing the baseline of human behavior in order to figure out if a learning intervention has had a significant effect. The final project was a literature review in a field of our choice. I chose to review studies done on correlations between various personality typologies and cognitive styles as this relates to one of my academic goals.
Spring '11
EDIT701 Advanced Instructional Design & Development (1 cr) Enables students to create and publish electronic portfolio that demonstrates effective and meaningful integration and syntheses of instructional design and development concepts, principles, and competencies learned across program courses at end degree program point.	The portfolio you are viewing is the product of this class. Compiling the portfolio provides a value to the program that no other class does. Although the capstone courses EDIT730 and 752 provide an in-depth authentic exercise of all the major principles of instructional design practices, the exercise is team oriented. This course, EDIT701, asks the designer to create a product that teaches the reader about the designer. This takes a kind of self-reflection that none of the other courses ask for, but is possibly more valuable to anyone working or hoping to work with me as a designer.

IDD Coursework

Course number and description

Reflections on Courses with Links to Artifacts

Spring '08

EDIT704 Foundations and Theories of Learning (3 cr)

Reviews practical and pedagogical issues related to design and development of technological instruction. Emphasizes investigating instructional design as a field and community of practice, and reviewing core learning theory constructs applicable to design of instructional technology.</

EDIT704 was a real eye-opener for me as a classroom teacher. Here I found the theoretical fundamentals that were lacking in teaching certification courses I had taken. I began to understand what was lacking in my own teaching practice. This was both enlightening and frustrating, because I realized I had neither the time nor resources to provide what now seemed to be the best learning environment for my students. As a result of this realization, I chose Situated Cognition Theory for the topic of my semester paper. SitCog argues that humans learn best in authentic contexts. Unfortunately, many traditional classrooms and learning activities are far removed from the genuine practice of the subjects.

EDIT705 Instructional Design (3 cr)

Helps students analyze, apply, and evaluate principles of instructional design to develop education and training materials spanning a wide range of knowledge domains and instructional technologies. Focuses on variety of instructional design models, with emphasis on recent contributions from cognitive science and related fields.

I created a short, f2f course, including a design brief and prototype , to teach residents of an apartment complex about evacuation during a fire. While this course provided an opportunity to design, develop, and produce a project, I found the case studies we evaluated as a class to be the most valuable. Insights included what it is that instructional designers may encounter in contract work: when they are given less than ideal information, they encounter internal political issues that interfere with the production of the best solution, unreceptive end-users, uncommitted managements, or find that a successful end to a project is simply ending the project for ethical reasons.

Summer '08

EDIT526 Web Accessibility and Design (2 cr)

Develops understanding of principles of universal web design. Students apply this understanding by designing and developing accessible web site using web authoring tools.

With the ubiquitous nature of the Internet, the ability to create spaces there for anyone to view is critical for people in any field. This class gave me the skills to do this adequately. Tools like Dreamweaver do most of the heavy lifting, while html coding skills from this class make tweaks and troubleshooting faster. This was only half the class, however. The second component is accessibility for all in accordance with Section 508 of the Federal Code on electronic information systems. In essence, websites need to be navigable and comprehensible to people with sensory disabilities. Browsers and other tools have the capability to interpret webpages for these individuals, but only if properly designed. I wrote a paper discussing this here.

Fall '08

EDIT797 Design Issues in Educational Gaming and Media(3 cr)

This course is designed to teach the fundamentals of educational video game and media design including the principles of learning theory, and instructional strategies that are relevant to instructional design. Students will learn how educational video games and media can be utilized to enhance and support teaching and learning.

This course presented me with a powerful tool for developing learning environments: play. Games are interesting because the players must learn a system and then attempt to manipulate that system to their advantage. Porting content into a game structure can blend learning and excitement into a self-motivating learning system. I see games as having the most powerful transformative potential in ID. Some learners will figure out how to learn, despite a poor learning environment. Others will learn in order to entertain themselves, but not at the behest of teachers or institutions. Games designed around the relevant content can generate enthusiastic learning on the part of the student player while they learn valuable skills, attitudes, and abilities. Our prototype is here.

EDIT772 Flash (2 cr)

Provides an overview of Adobe Flash using guided lecture materials and a hands-on approach. The course includes a review of the Flash interface, features, tools, and specific concepts relating to how graphics and animation are created using the product. Students apply the knowledge and skills learned by creating several Flash products plus a semester project.

Flash is powerful development tool, with a wide range of capabilities. The user can prepare simple slide shows, make an interactive learning module, or even develop an entire website. As a side project, I developed a game using a tutorial at www.kongregate.com/labs. My game is here.

EDIT573 Program Management Tools (2 cr)

Teaches students the principles of project management as it is applied to instructional design. Explores project management tools used to manage, plan, and track large-scale multimedia and hypermedia projects.

Project management is a critical part of instructional design. I have experienced this firsthand as a team lead at work. While taking the course, I learned the advantages and limitation of project management software. Tasklists, timelines, and milestones work best when used by team members who willingly engage in frequent communication. This communication must be frank and work to raise issues, reach consensus, and solve problems. Without this, project management software is very limited in what it can contribute.

Spring '09

EDIT732 Advanced Instructional Design: Constructive Methods (3 cr)

Capstone course of three-course sequence on theory and practice of instructional design. Helps students apply ideas developed in prior courses to complete major instructional design project. Covers leading-edge ideas in evolution of instructional design.

This course expanded my understanding of theory that started in EDIT 704. Consistent application of theory into practice is emphasized here. There must be a linear relationship between the understanding a designer has of how people learn and the theories and methods used to create learning environments. As EDIT704 did one year ago for my classroom practice, EDIT732 affected the way I view the online courses I develop at EdOptions, Inc. Unfortunately, we are behind the curve in terms of the best practices and best technologies available. On the other hand, the path to where we need to go is clear! Here is my prototype and the accompanying paper.

Summer '09

EDIT601 Instructional Design & Development Portfolio (1 cr)

Enables students to create and publish electronic portfolio that demonstrates effective and meaningful integration and syntheses of instructional design and development concepts, principles, and competencies learned across program courses at mid-degree program point.

An earlier iteration of this portfolio was the product of EDIT601.

EDIT575 Podcasting (2 cr)

Podcasting is a means of distributing audio/video content via subscription technology (RSS). This 2 credit course introduces students to the fundamentals of podcasting with an emphasis on how to design an effective educational podcast series to meet different instructional and training goals. Students will learn the complete process of planning, recording, editing, enhancing, and syndicating audio-based educational materials through a combination of lecture, demonstration, and hands-on lab instruction with standard podcasting tools.

This course was fun and not particularly demanding technically. Writing the scripts was the most challenging part. I recorded and uploaded a series of podcasts with a target audience of ninth grade earth science students who would listen to podcasts as they progressed through the lessons of an earth science course I am writing at work.

Episode 1: Everglades

Episode 2: Volcano

Fall '09

EDIT730 Analysis and Design of Multimedia/Hypermedia Environments (3 cr)

Part I of two capstone courses. Enables design, implementation, and evaluation of technology-based education and training materials using advanced computer-based authoring tools.

To kick off EDIT730 and 752, Dr. David Rogers of the Institute of Simulation & Training at University of Central Florida spoke to our class about several mobile learning problems. The class's task over the next two semesters would be to develop prototypes of possible solutions. Team Two, my team, chose to create a mobile application for a high school Spanish classroom in Massachusetts. Our users would be experienced classroom teachers and their students. We determined that the most useful application would be one that experienced teachers could easily integrate into their own lesson plans.

The documents linked below track our use of the ADDIE model in creating a solution.

Analysis - We quickly did a performance analysis, gathering information on our users. After getting an idea of the user's environment and the demands of the environment, we had our needs analysis. To prepare for the design stage, we created several user personas to give us a target audience.

Design - Based on our analysis, we presented a design based on our analysis.

Development - We quickly developed a first prototype based on our design.

Spring '10

EDIT752 Design and Production of Multimedia and Hyper-media Learning Environments (3 cr)

Part II of two capstone courses. Students design and produce multimedia/hypermedia applications based on current theory and research in instructional design and cognitive science. Examines user needs, information models, structure, and media selection and uses to inform design and production of final project.

Development - We started the second semester with a second prototype based on feedback from Prof Bannan as well as data from a survey of potential users.

Implementation - We put our prototype in front of a focus group made up of potential users. Talking to them about the prototype helped us to further refine our product.

Evaluation - Team Two's final presentation took the class through our iterative process, and also gave us a chance to present our final prototype.

Fall '10

EDIT590 Educational Research in Technology (3 cr)

Focuses on developing skills, insights, and understanding basics to performing research with emphasis on interpretation, application, critique, and use of findings in educational settings. Students develop expertise in action research methodology, design, and implementation.

Excellent research methods course taught by Prof Eamonn Kelly. We learned the fundamentals of both qualitative and quantitative data gathering. Simply put, the trick is in establishing the baseline of human behavior in order to figure out if a learning intervention has had a significant effect. The final project was a literature review in a field of our choice. I chose to review studies done on correlations between various personality typologies and cognitive styles as this relates to one of my academic goals.

Spring '11

EDIT701 Advanced Instructional Design & Development (1 cr)

The portfolio you are viewing is the product of this class. Compiling the portfolio provides a value to the program that no other class does. Although the capstone courses EDIT730 and 752 provide an in-depth authentic exercise of all the major principles of instructional design practices, the exercise is team oriented. This course, EDIT701, asks the designer to create a product that teaches the reader about the designer. This takes a kind of self-reflection that none of the other courses ask for, but is possibly more valuable to anyone working or hoping to work with me as a designer.