Rationale for Proficiency with AECT Standards: Educational Technology Artifacts

Margaret Thayer March 2012 Candidate, Master of Educational Technology, Boise State University

Introduction

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The paper ends with a conclusion and list of references.

For each artifact, I discuss why I selected the artifact to represent that particular subdomain of the AECT standards, what I learned about theory and/or practice by creating the artifact, and how the artifact has impacted my practice of instructional design or thoughts on instruction. In most cases, the artifacts were created for a hypothetical learning situation and audience of learners.

This paper is organized into the five main standards developed by the AECT: Design, Development, Utilization, Management, and Evaluation (AECT 2000, Chapter 2). Each of these standards contains four subdomains, and selected artifacts are listed within those subdomains. The list of selected artifacts is representative of my coursework rather than comprehensive. Following each artifact link is the name of the MET course in which I created the artifact.

The final requirement of the MET degree is the creation of an e-portfolio to demonstrate proficiency with accreditation standards developed by the Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). One component of that portfolio is this rationale paper, which contains my learning reflections about artifacts I created throughout the MET program. The artifacts include such items as instructional design plans, Web pages, multimedia presentations, and research papers. Links to the selected artifacts are listed in this rationale paper as well as on the Artifacts page of my e-portfolio.

In August 2009, I began the online Master of Educational Technology (MET) degree program in the Department of Educational Technology at Boise State University. I enrolled in the MET program as the means for acquiring new technology skills and to jump start my career transition from technical editor in the print publishing industry to instructional designer in the realm of e-learning.

Page |3 Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to design conditions for learning by applying principles of instructional systems design, message design, instructional strategies, and learner characteristics. (AECT 2000, Chapter 2)

Standard 1: Design

The instructional systems design (ISD) subdomain addresses the process frequently referred to by the acronym ADDIE. To apply the ADDIE process, instructional designers may choose from many ISD models. The artifact I selected to represent this subdomain was the first project in which I applied the ADDIE/ISD process, and I used the Smith and Ragan ISD model (Smith & Ragan, 2005). Since I expect instructional design to be a significant part of my future career path, this and other artifacts that apply the ISD process have been particularly significant to my learning. ArtifactPlan of Instruction: Handcarding Workshop (Ed Tech 503: Instructional Design) I prepared this plan of instruction for a three-hour workshop on handcarding taught by a woman who is an experienced instructor, author, editor, and translator in the fiber arts industry. Handcarding is a method of preparing raw fibers (such as wool or cotton) for spinning into yarn. Three project tasks were most responsible for contributing to my understanding of the ISD process: writing learning objectives, designing a survey to solicit information about potential learners, and interviewing an instructor/subject matter expert (SME). The first two of these tasksparticularly the process of applying Blooms Taxonomy of Measurable Verbs to the learning objectives required me to more deeply analyze the details of instruction than I would have without applying a systematic approach.

1.1 Instructional Systems Design Instructional Systems Design (ISD) is an organized procedure that includes the steps of analyzing, designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating instruction.

In many respects the ISD approach parallels the technical communication approach that I was familiar with prior to my MET program, from audience (learner) analysis to usability testing (evaluation). Both processes are user (learner) centered, and both generate a product that is intended to inform or instruct. However, through this instructor-led workshop project, I came to understand that the ISD process adds one critical stakeholder: the instructor. The instructional designers job is to interpret the instructors vision, identify the needs of the learners and the pertinent characteristics of the learning context, then apply principles of learning and instruction to create, a plan that reflects the needs and inclinations of the instructor. 1.2 Message Design Message design involves planning for the manipulation of the physical form of the message.

This multimedia instruction project, titled Using Graphics to Communicate Science Content, is a short set of instructions created with Google Docs that explains how to use different types of graphics to communicate science content. I developed this presentation for a hypothetical group of college and advanced high school students who need to prepare graphics to display scientific content in their papers or class Websites. The purpose of using a presentation medium was to demonstrate several of the multimedia design principles identified by Clark and Mayer (2008):

ArtifactPresentation: Multimedia Principles (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

For the message design subdomain, I selected two artifacts from my Ed Tech 513: Multimedia course. These artifacts demonstrate the application of research-based principles of multimedia design to instructional materials as described in Clark and Mayer (2008).

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This brief analysis paper considers the Coherence Principle of multimedia design defined above (Clark & Mayer, 2008, Chapter 7). As I note in the discussion section of the paper, the Coherence Principle makes intuitive sense, but it is also only a general guideline. The process of analyzing the principle and putting my analysis into words was instrumental in clarifying my understanding of its use. In particular, the section of the paper that considers the relationship of the Coherence Principle to other multimedia principles was invaluable for clarifying all of the multimedia principles.

ArtifactResearch Paper: Coherence Principle of Multimedia Design (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

The presentation demonstrates the above principles by delivering the majority of the content with the speakers narrative (contained in the speakers notes) and graphics rather than onscreen text. Each slide focuses on a single concept, and each concept is demonstrated with a single graphic. Many of these multimedia principles are fundamental to the design of the e-courses I develop in my work as an instructional designer. For example, I was able to explain to one of our project managers why the assessment questions in an audio-based e-course would be best delivered as onscreen text to enable the learner to read the question and consider a response at his or her own pace (Clark & Mayer, 2008, pp. 214215).

Multimedia Principle: People learn better from words and graphics than from words alone. Contiguity Principle: People learn better if words are near or contiguous to their corresponding graphics. Modality Principle: People understand a multimedia explanation better when the words are presented as narration rather than onscreen text. Redundancy Principle: People learn better from animation and narration alone than from animation and narration plus onscreen text. Coherence Principle: People learn better from a multimedia presentation if extraneous (interesting but irrelevant) words, pictures, and sounds are excluded.

The two artifacts I selected for the instructional strategies subdomain are two different types of instructional planning documents. The first demonstrates planning at the lesson level, and the second demonstrates planning at the course level. ArtifactLesson Plans: Biodiversity Unit (Ed Tech 506: Instructional Message Design)

1.3 Instructional Strategies Instructional strategies are specifications for selecting and sequencing events and activities within a lesson.

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This artifact is a set of five lesson plans for a unit on biodiversity that I developed for a hypothetical audience of high school science students. The lesson plans incorporate the conceptual and interactive graphics created with Adobe Fireworks in my Ed Tech 506Instructional Message Design class. The lesson plan format was provided by the instructor, which was helpful for me as someone new to the field of formal education. The format required us to write measurable learning objectives and prepare a detailed sequence of learning activities and techniques. The project also required us to consider graphics not as merely desirable, but as integral, to instruction, which reinforces the idea behind the Multimedia Principle defined above. As a result of experiencing this confluence between studying multimedia learning theory and creating graphics-oriented lesson plans, I approach e-course design by thinking in terms of both words and images for presenting concepts. ArtifactInteractive Courseware Design Proposal: Rotten Tomatoes! (Ed Tech 511: Interactive Courseware Design) This artifact is a design proposal for an interactive e-learning project about tomato pests and diseases created with Adobe Flash. The proposal uses storyboards to describe the design, placement, and functioning of different elements in the course. This project was my first experience creating formal storyboards, and it is a tool that I have since used repeatedly. In fact, at the same time I was preparing this proposal, I created a type of storyboard as part of the job application process for my current instructional designer job. Therefore, I was able to directly apply this learning experience to obtain my first job in the instructional design field. 1.4 Learner Characteristics Learner characteristics are those facets of the learners experiential background that impact the effectiveness of a learning process. ArtifactDesign Document: Graphic Identity Standards Tutorial (Ed Tech 512: Online Course Design)

This ISD planning document, based on the Web-Based Instructional Design (WBID) model (Davidson-Shivers & Rasmussen, 2006), is for a self-directed training tutorial. I prepared this plan for my sisters employer, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, which is the governing body for

37 public colleges and universities in the state of Minnesota. The first stage in the WBID plan is a problem analysis for the proposed instruction. The problem analysis part of the design document considers these four key components about the proposed instruction:

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The learner analysis was crucial for this project. I conducted a series of interviews with the SME (my sister), which revealed a much more complex problem than the situation initially appeared. The findings from the learner analysis significantly changed the learning goal, scope, and instructional strategies of the WBI design. Revelations about the learners lack of experience with the content and lack of motivation, as well as the absence of accountability measures within the organization, suggested a need for additional content and instructional strategies aimed at getting the learners buy-in with the training. The additional content is reflected in the Learning Task Map (LTM), which ended up with two distinct but inter-related learning paths instead of just one. The information about the learners unveiled through the SME interviews changed the learning goal and elevated it from a learning category of Apply to Generate. The project demonstrated the fact that training is not always the answer to a workplace problem; in this case, the tutorial could offer a tool to implement accountability measures, but would not be the solution to the essential problem. This powerful experience solidified my belief that the analysis part of ISD planning is not merely a good idea but an essential step in the ISD process. Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to develop instructional materials and experiences using print, audiovisual, computer-based, and integrated technologies. (AECT 2000, Chapter 2)

Instructional goal Instructional context Learners Instructional content

Standard 2: Development

ArtifactAnnotated Bibliography: Theoretical Perspectives on Instructional Technology Use in Inquiry-based Science Education (Ed Tech 504: Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology)

The Print Technologies subdomain covers the production and delivery of text and images, which applies to every artifact in my portfolio. Both artifacts I selected to represent this subdomain are academic papers.

2.1 Print Technologies Print technologies are ways to produce or deliver materials, such as books and static visual materials, primarily through mechanical or photographic printing processes.

In this annotated bibliography, I summarized and analyzed nine academic papers on the use of instructional technology in inquiry-based science education. Although I have written many academic research papers, this was my first annotated bibliography. The annotated bibliography format served as a useful exercise in both academic analysis and concise writing. I prepared this paper during my Ed Tech 504 class on learning theories, which introduced me to the three mostprominent schools of thought on learning: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. Of these three schools of thought, constructivism was the most confounding and troubling to me, largely because it seems too ill-defined and malleable. Therefore, in an effort to enhance my understanding of this school of thought, I selected constructivist-based research papers for this annotated bibliography. Although the project did not enhance my understanding of constructivism, it did reveal the great diversity of approaches to this school of thought. ArtifactResearch Paper: Coherence Principle of Multimedia Design (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

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I previously discussed the content of this artifact under subdomain 1.2, so I will discuss only the medium of this artifact for the Print Technologies subdomain. I used the screen capture program Snagit to obtain images for the paper that would demonstrate both good and poor application of the Coherence Principle. In addition to explaining the Coherence Principle, the paper served as an exercise in practicing the Contiguity Principle: People learn better if words are near or contiguous to their corresponding graphics (Clark & Mayer, 2008, Chapter 4). To apply this principle, I formatted the paper to ensure that text descriptions would appear directly adjacent to or below the screen captures to which they referrednever on the next page. 2.2 Audiovisual Technologies Audiovisual technologies are ways to produce or deliver materials by using mechanical devices or electronic machines to present auditory and visual messages. For this subdomain, I selected two artifacts from my Ed Tech 513: Multimedia course. This class offered a diverse range of project types and technologies to produce them. I used the subject of citizen science as a theme throughout this class, and both of these artifacts follow this theme. ArtifactPodcast: Citizen Science 101 (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia) This artifact is a podcast (approximately 8 minutes) titled Citizen Science 101 that I wrote, recorded, and edited (using Audacity) for a hypothetical audience of undergraduate science students. It is structured to be the first episode of a series on citizen science, and this episode serves as an introduction to the subject. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate two of the multimedia design principles identified by Clark and Mayer (2008) and defined under subdomain 1.2 in this paper: the Modality Principle and the Redundancy Principle. This project was my first experience recording and editing sound, so it served as my introduction to the realm of audiovisual production. I dont expect to ever have a career as voice talent, but I was surprised to discover the ease of use of basic sound editing tools. In my workplace I am not involved in audiovisual

ArtifactDigital Story: Citizen Scientists Find Marble Gravestones (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

production and editing because we have dedicated staff for that work, but having some knowledge of the sound editing toolbox helps me to communicate with my fellow staff members who do this work.

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This artifact is a digital story project that I approached as a personal documentary. I recruited a few family members to join me in a citizen science project (the Gravestone Project), and I recorded our activities with a digital camera. I used the images to form a digital story in Sliderocket and used Audacity to record and edit the storys narration. My digital story (approximately six minutes) is titled Citizen scientists find marble gravestones. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate Clark and Mayers (2008) Personalization Principle: By using conversational rather than formal language, learning is improved. According to Clark and Mayer, the personalization of instruction gives the learner a feeling of a social presence, which research has shown causes the learner to engage in deeper cognitive processing during learning and results in a better learning outcome (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 163). The goal of my digital story was to use a personal account to demonstrate how people without training as a scientist could contribute to real science research projects as well as the procedures for participating in the Gravestone Project itself. 2.3 Computer-Based Technologies Computer-based technologies are ways to produce or deliver materials using microprocessor-based resources. Many of my class projects could represent this subdomain, so I selected two artifacts that are generally representative of the computer-based technologies I used throughout the program. ArtifactVirtual Ecotour: Madagascar (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

This artifact is a multiple-page virtual field trip or ecotour of the island of Madagascars seven terrestrial ecoregions. Each page of the site contains text, images, links to other Web resources, and a sidebar containing quiz questions that the learner can answer using the resources on that page. An answer key is provided so learners can check their answers. I obtained many of the images from Wikimedia Commons, which proved an invaluable resource throughout my MET program. This project presented a design challenge for me since it was the first multiple-page Web design project of my program. I used a free menu template, but I struggled to get the menu to work correctly. When I finally figured out the code I needed to get the menu operating correctly, it was the first great a-ha moment of my MET program! ArtifactScreencasting Tutorial: Getting Started with Galaxy Zoo (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

This artifact follows the citizen science theme in my Ed Tech 513: Multimedia class. It features a tutorial (approximately 12 minutes) to demonstrate procedures for participating in the online Galaxy Zoo citizen science project, including several worked examples of galaxy classification. To create this tutorial, I used another type of tool that was new to me: the screencasting software Camtasia. Screencasting technology is an essential design tool for demonstrating worked examples, because it captures every moment of a users interaction with a computer screen. The captured audio and imagery can be turned into a demonstration video type of instruction. This project gave me experience in designing instruction that promotes near-transfer learning by displaying the same context in which the learner will be using the information (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 168). I also applied Clark and Mayers Multimedia, Modality, and Redundancy Principles, defined under subdomain 1.2 in this paper, by using relevant visuals and presenting steps with audio alone instead of both audio and onscreen text. 2.4 Integrated Technologies Integrated technologies are ways to produce and deliver materials which encompass several forms of media under the control of a computer. ArtifactSound Map: Zoo Anthropology (Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound)

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This artifact, prepared for my Ed Tech 597: Pedagogy of Sound class, is the most unusual project I created during my MET program. For this project, I conducted a sound walk through the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin, to analyze the zoos soundscape. I took my portable sound recorder and recorded people (anonymously) conversing as they observed the animals, then mapped 15 of these recordings, or echoes, to a sound map on woices.com. My sound map presents both an audio and visual record of my sound walk, and the recordings represent a snapshot in time of community voices. The exercise also prompted my reflection about the functions of zoos in human communities. From an instructional standpoint, a sound map presents a unique format for documenting sounds and their locations in a particular place and time, and communicating both the audio and visual information to others via a computer. Those who visit my sound map will gain an understanding of a place they may never visit in personor they may recognize commonalities with a familiar zoo soundscape in their own geographic location.

Candidates demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and dispositions to use processes and resources for learning by applying principles and theories of media utilization, diffusion, implementation, and policy-making. (AECT 2000, Chapter 2)

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Standard 3: Utilization

ArtifactConcept Graphic: Natural Selection (Ed Tech 506: Instructional Message Design)

For the Media Utilization subdomain, I selected two interactive graphic artifacts from my Ed Tech 506: Instructional Message Design class. Both artifacts were created with Adobe Fireworks and were designed for a hypothetical high-school science class unit on biodiversity.

3.1 Media Utilization Media utilization is the systematic use of resources for learning.

This transformational and interpretive graphic (Clark & Lyons, 2004, p. 127) depicts the concept of natural selection. Natural selection is probably the most important concept in the biodiversity unit to depict graphically, because people sometimes mistakenly think that natural selection involves deliberate actions rather than a consequence of conditions in the environment. I designed this graphic with many elements intended to minimize cognitive load as explained in Chapter 6 of Clark and Lyons (2004). For example, the graphic presents a greatly simplified example of the concept to minimize cognitive load and promote far transfer, so students can apply the concept to the more complex and dynamic situations found in real ecosystems. The graphic incorporates simple and consistent line drawings instead of photographs, and the text below each diagram disappears when the learner rolls the cursor away. Other prominent design features such as colors, directional arrows, text chunking and sequencing, and white space are based on information about designing concept graphic in Chapter 12 of Clark and Lyons (2004). ArtifactProcedures Graphic: Web Tree of Life (Ed Tech 506: Instructional Message Design) This procedures visual instructs learners how to navigate certain portions of the Tree of Life (ToL) Web Project site. The primary purpose of this visual is to direct learners attention to certain content on this information-rich Website so they can answer eight questions about the content (to be provided in a Google Document). I designed the procedures based on information in Chapter 11 of Clark and Lyons (2004) on designing procedural graphics. Each screen capture taken from the ToL site has arrows to point to the most relevant information in the image to direct the learners attention; each step in the instructions is immediately adjacent to the relevant screen capture and labeled with a step number. The text in each step indicates which question(s) in the assignment can be answered using the content on the ToL page featured in that step. The benefit that these procedural instructions have over a screencasting instructional project (such as the one described

in subdomain 2.3) is learner control, which allows the learner to move forward and backward through the information at his or her own pace.

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3.2 Diffusion of Innovations Diffusion of innovations is the process of communicating through planned strategies for the purpose of gaining adoption.

This subdomain focuses on communications whose purpose is to bring about change. The first artifact is a proposal intended to suggest technology adoption in an instructional setting; the second artifact is a research paper that considers whether augmented reality technology can help to create an authentic discovery learning environment in science education. This technology use proposal (TUP) concerns an informal and transient instructional setting in which the instructors role is an unpaid extracurricular coach/trainer to youth competitors. For this proposal, I conducted interviews with the instructor to analyze the instructional setting, the needs of the students and various other stakeholders, and the instructors administrative needs, resources, and instructional goals. The proposal identifies low-cost technology solutions to streamline the instructors administration needs and enhance the instructional experience for students and parents through better communication and evaluation of student progress. ArtifactTechnology Use Proposal (Ed Tech 501: Introduction to Educational Technology)

This research paper considers three pilot studies of the use of augmented reality technology in science education. Inquiry-based instruction is considered a desirable goal in science education to promote scientific literacy, and some researchers assert that emerging technologies like augmented reality are uniquely capable of enabling inquiry-based science environments by creating authentic science learning environments. Inquiry-based science instruction is often considered to reflect constructivist teaching principles, and one constructivist-based approach, discovery learning, is often used to createor even considered synonymous withinquiry-based instruction. In the paper, I discuss interpretations of inquiry, student engagement in learning, and authentic science learning environments before considering the ability of augmented reality technology to engage students and generate an environment for authentic scientific inquiry and discovery. My conclusion was that these pilot studies did not necessarily generate an authentic science inquiry environment for learning, but all three studies demonstrated genuine student engagement and discovery, with students taking on role-playing responsibilities as scientists and other inquiring professionals. As a result of this research, I would pursue augmented reality as a tool in science instruction.

ArtifactResearch Paper: Can Augmented Reality Create an Authentic Science Discovery Learning Environment? (Ed Tech 504: Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology)

3.3 Implementation and Institutionalization Implementation is using instructional materials or strategies in real (not simulated) settings. Institutionalization is the continuing, routine use of the instructional innovation in the structure and culture of an organization. I selected two artifacts for this subdomain that offer instructional design plans for use in real settings.

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This artifact is a simple activity plan that I created as a result of the zoo sound walk activity I described under subdomain 2.4. In this activity, the learners conduct a sound walk of the zoo and make recordings of other zoo visitors in an attempt to collect as many sound items on the scavenger hunt list as possible. The scavenger hunt list includes items such as person asking what is that? and person mimicking an animal sound. This activity is intended as a fun summer project, perhaps for a summer school class or summer camp field trip. This artifact is a soundscape design plan for a hypothetical immersive museum exhibit on Wisconsin cave-dwelling bats. In addition to the physical and visual elements of the exhibit, the exhibit would allow visitors to press buttons to hear the calls of bats, and they would feel cold, damp air as they entered a model of a bat cave with ambient sounds commonly associated with caves. The exhibit would educate visitors about the benefits of bats and the threat of white-nose syndrome to the Wisconsin bat population. The soundscape design plan consists of a Web page that introduces the plan, a PDF of the design document, and representative sound files that could be used in the exhibit. To create this design plan, I conducted research on bats and combed the Web for sound recordings of bat calls, which must be acquired with special recording equipment. 3.4 Policies and Regulations Policies and regulations are the rules and actions of society (or its surrogates) that affect the diffusion and use of Instructional Technology. For the Policies and Regulations subdomain, I selected two artifacts from my Ed Tech 502 class. Both artifacts are Web pages that provide guidelines for Web-based behavior and content use. Artifact: Netiquette Web Page (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators) ArtifactSoundscape Design: Batscape (Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound)

ArtifactAudio Scavenger Hunt (Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound)

This Web page provides netiquette (a shorthand term for network etiquette) guidelines for civil discourse and productive communication in any online science discussion forum. Online discussion forums allow people to participate anonymously and with few consequences for inappropriate communication. The absence of facial expressions and tone of voice in online forums can also lead

ArtifactCopyright Scavenger Hunt (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

to misunderstandings. Scientists often work in a publish-or-perish environment in which they must frequently defend their research findings, analysis, and conclusions. In the online discussion forum environment, netiquette guidelines provide a form of oversight in the absence of a formal peer review process. I based these guidelines on my interactions with authors in my previous career as an editor in the science publishing world. This Web page is an online scavenger hunt activity that is intended to teach learners about open access science publishing. The hunt has five activities pertaining to copyright and open access publishing issues, with linked Web resources and questions for the learners to answer. An answer key is provided so the learners can check their answers. Candidates demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions to plan, organize, coordinate, and supervise instructional technology by applying principles of project, resource, delivery system, and information management. (AECT 2000, Chapter 2)

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Standard 4: Management

4.1 Project Management Project management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling instructional design and development projects. ArtifactMoodle Course: Graphic Identity Standards Tutorial (Ed Tech 512: Online Course Design)

Although the ISD process was tremendously useful for designing this tutorial, the project management aspects were challenging. I had previously experienced project management responsibilities and challenges in my professional life, but this was the first project ISD project that I took from start to finish. Since I designed and produced the course for a client by partnering with an SME, the project required coordination with the SME as well as adherence to the clients

This artifact is the tutorial course described in the design document listed under subdomain 1.4. This project required me to go beyond the ISD process that I used for the plan of instruction under subdomain 1.1 and actually produce and publish the course in a learning management system (LMS). I created storyboards for each of the five modules and developed them using the SoftChalk authoring tool, gathered image assets from the SME, and interspersed the modules with self-check assessment exercises. I published the course to be SCORM compliant (although this was not required by the client), and created a Moodle site to host the modules and additional course resources, including a Getting Started guide to serve as a course introduction and syllabus.

4.2 Resource Management Resource management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling resource support systems and services. ArtifactLesson Plans: Biodiversity Unit (Ed Tech 506: Instructional Message Design)

specifications. In addition, the client was undergoing a shift in leadership and policies during the tutorial production, so the course is likely to require revision again before it will be implemented. In both this project and ISD projects in my workplace, I have repeatedly found that the most useful feedback from clients can only takes happen when the client sees the course in a near-final form.

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This subdomain concerns the management of instructional resources. To represent this subdomain, I selected the set of five lesson plans I prepared for a hypothetical high school science class unit on biodiversity, described under subdomain. Each of the lesson plans contains a section that identifies the details of resources, materials, and technology needed for that lesson. In addition to technology needs and classroom resource needs, I identified the graphics and links to Web resources that were needed for the lesson. This task required some research on my part since I am not and have never been a classroom teacher. 4.3 Delivery System Management Delivery system management involves planning, monitoring and controlling 'the method by which distribution of instructional materials is organized' . . . [It is] a combination of medium and method of usage that is employed to present instructional information to a learner.

The two artifacts I selected to represent this subdomain are both representative because they were designed to deliver instructional information in a particular format or structure. Artifact: mLearning Design: Smithsonian Field Trip (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators) This Web page is designed with three style sheets to allow viewing with different devices or formats: a computer monitor screen, a handheld mobile device, and a print version. If you rightclick on the page and view the page source, you will see the links to the three stylesheets. The purpose of this project was to create a field trip mLearning activity. I designed my project to be a student field trip orientation to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. The project offers students a list of five activities that will help them prepare for their museum visit. ArtifactWebQuest: Bat Quest Wisconsin (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators) This multiple-page Website is designed with the WebQuest model developed in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University. The WebQuest model is intended to promote the development of critical thinking skills using inquiry-based lessons and activities that integrate

Web-based resources. March (2003) indicated that the key purpose of a WebQuest was to prompt a transformation in the learner. He described a real WebQuest as this: A real WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students investigation of an open-ended question, development of individual expertise, and participation in a group process that transforms newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests inspire students to see richer thematic relationships, to contribute to the real world of learning, and to reflect on their own metacognitive processes. (March, 2003, p. 42)

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My WebQuest project asks high school biology and ecology students to explore what factors a wildlife agency would need to consider when planning to reintroduce a species to its natural habitat. I created a hypothetical scenario in which cave-dwelling bats must be reintroduced in Wisconsin after their populations have been decimated by a real disease, white-nose syndrome. The five-part structure of the WebQuest (Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation, and Conclusion) suggests a linear direction but allows learners to access any of these pages at any time. A Teacher Page provides a lesson plan and identifies that standards addressed by the WebQuest. Artifact: Sound Journal (Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound) 4.4 Information Management Information management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling the storage, transfer, or processing of information in order to provide resources for learning.

In my Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound class, I maintained a Tumblr blog as my sound journal. The sound journal fulfilled several functions related to information management. It served as the submission space for many of my smaller class assignments, provided the technical means to upload text, images, and sound files, and offered a location to collect and communicate my thoughts about my class projects. I have always found journal writing to be a valuable exercise for organizing my jumbled thoughts, but I had never written a blog prior to my MET program. Initially I was selfconscious about sharing my thoughts in a public space, but I have realized that whether I am writing in a journal or a blog, I write as if I am writing to someone elseand that someone else is most likely the future me.

P a g e | 16 Candidates demonstrate knowledge, skills, and dispositions to evaluate the adequacy of instruction and learning by applying principles of problem analysis, criterion-referenced measurement, formative and summative evaluation, and long-range planning. (AECT 2000, Chapter 2)

Standard 5: Evaluation

ArtifactResearch Synthesis Paper: Science Educators' Beliefs and Attitudes About Technology Integration in the Classroom (Ed Tech 501: Introduction to Educational Technology)

5.1 Problem Analysis Problem analysis involves determining the nature and parameters of the problem by using information-gathering and decision-making strategies.

5.2 Criterion-Referenced Measurement Criterion-referenced measurement involves techniques for determining learner mastery of prespecified content. ArtifactWebQuest: Bat Quest Wisconsin (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

This short research synthesis paper considers why science educators might be reluctant to integrate new technologies into their science curriculum. I delved into this topic because science and technology would seem to go hand in hand. I found that despite this apparent close relationship, science educators do not integrate technology in their curriculum for the same reasons given by other educators. The key reason is that educators are rarely shown how technology can improve student outcomes or how they can integrate technology into their instruction. Some educators also see technology as a distraction from science inquiry. The paper concludes with a list of strategies for encouraging technology integration based on the 11 sources I consulted for the paper.

In this WebQuest, first described under subdomain 4.3, the Evaluation page provides a rubric that teachers can use to evaluate their students participation in the Bat Quest Wisconsin exercise. The criteria in the rubric are intended to encourage group participation, problem-solving collaboration, and personal reflection. The rubric evaluates students in three possible assessment categories: Excellent, Average, and Needs Improvement. This type of assessment is intended for use in instructor-led learning situations; however, the rubric format is as useful to the students as it is for the teacher, because the rubric criteria define student expectations. From this first experience in creating a rubric, I learned the value in developing an assessment tool early in the instructional design process. The process of defining student expectations aids in the development of instructional content and activities.

In this evaluation project, I considered two Web-based learning environments (WBLEs) for possible adoption in a hypothetical scenario. The methodology consisted of a criterion-referenced evaluation and a survey of some members of the target learner group. The criterion-referenced methodology considered the WBLEs overall design and usability as Web-based resources, and the applicability of their content for the learning context. I again used a rubric to evaluate the WBLEs in four main categories, and I considered 20 evaluation criteria within these four main categories. I assessed the evaluation criteria using a four-item Likert scale and assigned points to each scale item. I arrived at recommendations for the hypothetical client based on the results of this criterionbased evaluation. Although I do not conduct formal evaluations in my current position, I would be likely to use the criterion-referenced approach again in a professional evaluation context. 5.3 Formative and Summative Evaluation Formative evaluation involves gathering information on adequacy and using this information as a basis for further development. Summative evaluation involves gathering information on adequacy and using this information to make decisions about utilization. ArtifactEvaluation of Two Environmental Science Web-based Learning Environments (Ed Tech 505: Evaluation for Educational Technologists)

ArtifactEvaluation of Two Environmental Science Web-based Learning Environments (Ed Tech 505: Evaluation for Educational Technologists)

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This artifact, described under subdomain 5.2, is a summative evaluation based on the DecisionMaking Model described in Boulmetis and Dutwin (2005, p. 89). The Decision-Making Model is also known as the CIPP Model developed by Daniel Stuffelbeam and discussed in some detail by Carey and Dick (1991, Chapter 11). Carey and Dick explain that the design of a summative evaluation should mirror the principles of instructional design. They describe a summative evaluation as a two-phase process: phase 1 is the Expert Judgment Phase, and phase 2 is the Field Trial phase. This evaluation constitutes phase 1 of this process, with the goal of determining whether either or both of the WBLEs were worthy of recommendation for phase 2. In addition to the criterion-referenced part of the evaluation discussed under subdomain 5.2, I also conducted an online survey (using Survey Monkey) of members of the target learner group. This survey contained 20 multiple-choice and free-response questions. I found the Decision-Making/CIPP Model to be practical and easy to usean evaluation model I would consider using again in professional practice. 5.4 Long-Range Planning Long-range planning that focuses on the organization as a whole is strategic planning. Long-range is usually defined as a future period of about three to five years or longer. During strategic planning, managers are trying to decide in the present what must be done to ensure organizational success in the future. ArtifactDesign Document: Graphic Identity Standards Tutorial (Ed Tech 512: Online Course Design)

The SME for this project proposed the tutorial as a means to train staff about the organizations graphic identity standards. Through the problem analysis, it became apparent that staff were not following the organizations procedures for creating publications, either because they were unaware of the procedures or because they were not held accountable for following the procedures. In the midst of my task of creating the design document, the organization was undergoing a reorganization, leadership change, and reduction in staff. As a result, procedures and policies were likely to change that would alter the content of the tutorial before it was ever implemented. However, my MET coursework demonstrated that the implementation of any ISD plan requires regular evaluation, maintenance, and modification due to changing conditions. Because of the dynamic nature of the implementation, the design is never completely finished; as voiced by Smith and Ragan (2005, p. 4), perfection is neither a goal nor an option in design. Therefore, I approached the project with a personal goal of providing the SME with a tool to influence the direction of those procedural changes. As of this writing, the organization is still in flux, and I expect to be revising the tutorial at some point in the future. As policies are implemented in the coming months, the mere existence of the training tutorial will give the SME some authority to implement training and accountability measures in the organization. Many elements of the design document will be applicable regardless of any procedural changes, so the design document will be a valid blueprint to implement those revisions. When I began the MET program, I was a complete novice in the field of e-learning and instructional design. As a result, my learning journey, as reflected in this rationale paper, was a series of firsts: my first time writing learning objectives, applying the ADDIE/ISD process, creating storyboards, designing Web pages and writing code, recording and editing sound, developing rubrics and assessments, and evaluating instruction. All of these experiences allowed me to obtain my first job in the e-learning field as an instructional designer/writer.

This artifact was introduced under subdomain 1.4 , where I discussed the learner analysis stage of the project. The subsequent stages in the WBID model prompt the designer to switch gears from the problem analysis to planning strategies that will help achieve the desired learning outcome. Longrange planning is a necessary component to complete this task. Part of long-range planning involves making plans for implementation of the instruction and a summative evaluation after the instruction has been used by learners for a period of time.

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Conclusion

In my MET program, I have learned the correct way of applying the ISD process to e-learning projects. In my professional work, I routinely bump into the realities of designing e-learning projects in the face of time and budget limits. My ongoing challenge isand will probably always befinding a balance between these sometimes clashing priorities. I expect that the ever-changing technology landscape will continue to offer solutions to the challenge of developing e-learning solutions in a timely fashion.

References

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Boulmetis, J. & Dutwin, P. (2005). The ABCs of evaluation, second edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Clark, R. C., & Lyons, C. (2004). Graphics for learning. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Carey, L. M., & Dick, W. (1991). Summative evaluation. In L. J. Briggs, K. L. Gustafson, & M. H. Tillman (Eds.), Instructional design: Principles and applications, second edition, pp. 269311. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Educational Technology Publications. Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction, second edition. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Association for Educational Communications and Technology (AECT). (2000). Standards for the accreditation of school media specialist and educational technology specialist programs, fourth edition. R.S. Earle, editor. Bloomington, Indiana: Association for Educational Communications and Technology.

March, T. (2003). The learning power of WebQuests. Educational Leadership, December 2003/January 2004. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from http://www.personal.psu.edu/cll212/aed322/Learning_power.pdf.

Davidson-Shivers, G. V., & Rasmussen, K. L. (2006). Web-based learning: Design, implementation, and evaluation. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. Smith, P. L. & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional design, third edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.