Engage in Professional Development
Engage in Professional Development
Demonstrates the disposition for life-long learning and continuous professional development
I want to start by stating that pursuing a second master’s degree strongly indicates my commitment to continue learning and expanding my horizons as an educator. I specifically selected these artifacts to provide examples of my “yearning for learning” attitude. These assignments were both challenging because the processes required critical analyses, research, and foresight. In both assignments, I needed to step out of my comfort zone. It is important to note that one artifact relates to one of my current positions as an SME/ID/Instructor, and the other has nothing to do with my current positions.
Click on the artifact you wish to view, and click on the arrow to view the reflection for each artifact.
For my practicum, I explored the possibilities of housing the university’s English proficiency examination in one platform for a faster turnaround time for reporting results and admitting students into the program. The idea seemed feasible, but the project, overall, did not deliver. The platform failed in certain aspects of the examination. Even though the project was over, I continued to survey other potential tools that could help achieve the goals set when the project was conceptualized. As an instructional designer, I am continuously developing my own strategies and techniques to evaluate technology tools—the features offered, their usability, feasibility to respond to the demands of the project or task at hand. This experience reinforced that setbacks are a part of the entire learning experience; we can always get it right the first time, so the wiliness to continue learning is a must.
The reflection assignment differed from any other assignment I had done in this program. It asked about what I had learned and tasked me to rate my level of expertise based on the three case studies presented in the course. It was empowering to choose my very own quotes from the earlier weeks to demonstrate developing expertise for both problem-finding and problem-solving. Although my ratings turned out high, I was also very aware that two out of three of these case studies’ contexts were unfamiliar to me. There were times when I felt like giving up because the work was time-consuming, mainly due to my unfamiliarity with the contexts and topics (e.g., high school history and the wetlands in Australia), but those feelings went away very quickly after reminding myself of what I wanted to achieve as an educator: acquire more skills in technology integration into curriculum development. This activity confirmed that learning must continue if I wish my instructional designer skills to develop further.
Aside from the lesson learned above, I joined organizations directly related to the field of instructional design, such as ATD San Diego. It was eye-opening to see how broad the field was and the numerous potential career pathways. Lastly, I attended a workshop on e-portfolios presented by the Association of American Colleges & Universities in 2022.