This course has been very enlightening for me as an educator. Many concepts have been presented, and I have found them to be relevant to my current job and previous roles. The following topics have been the most impactful: Becoming an Instructional Technologist/Designer, IDT competencies, the importance of the ADDIE model, and completing a thorough needs analysis.   

           The article, The Proper Way to Become an Instructional Technologist by Lloyd Rieber, really caught my attention and shifted my thinking about the field. Initially, I was intimidated about the program but was eager to learn about the profession. This article, allowed me to see that my background did not necessarily have to be business or technology related. People come into the profession with various backgrounds, and it is actually seen as a strength. My experience is education. I am a former classroom teacher, and I can see the parallels of instructional design and the lesson planning process.  

The article also emphasized the importance of collaboration and communication of people during the design process. This is directly linked to ISPI’s 10 Competency Standards for Performance Technologists. They name it as “working in partnership with clients and stakeholders.” I believe this is an essential competency because, without it, the project can’t move forward. Feedback allows for IDT professionals to create effective interventions, materials, and products. The feedback is best illustrated when a needs analysis is conducted by the IDT professional this guides the direct of the project and is reliant on open and honest communication from the client and stakeholders that are involved. I compare this to my experience as a classroom teacher when analyzing student data. We would have to determine the student’s needs by identifying the specific gap.  

The last major takeaway so far is understanding the ADDIE model. This framework is linear and systematic. The analysis phase, as stated earlier, is the driving force behind an IDT project. During this phase, we identify the problem, root causes, intended audience, and determine possible solutions. The design phase is really “how” of the project. I find this to be difficult at times, especially because you are trying to meet the needs of the entire audience. The audience demographics can impact this. The development phase comes next and is considered the “what.” During this phase, materials and documents are developed for training. It is not until the implementation phase that we will put the materials and documents into action as the content delivered to the audience. The evaluation phase follows the training and is collected and interpreted to measure whether or not the training met previously set goals and objectives. I feel as though this model is great for keeping the process organized, and it keeps all parties involved goal-oriented.   

I am looking forward to learning more about the instructional design process and field. I want to gain a better understanding of best practices during the implementation and evaluative phase. We must be accountable for the delivery of content and open to feedback from the evaluation on how to improve the product.