Final+Reflection

=Feelings about course, content, knowledge gained.= This course has shown me that I already knew some of the basics of Instructional Design and was already implementing them in courses. It never dawned on me the huge time commitment required to truly follow the process. In my previous role, I would never be able to follow the ADDIE process to the max like we have done for these courses. The project list just grew and grew, but in my new role I will be able from time to time to implement the entire process for courses. I think doing this will keep me and my skills sharp and keep the courses consistent and the highest quality I can develop. Aside from the ID process I learned so many new and FREE tools that I can use and can share with the teams to enhance not only the e-learning that is being developed but all training that is being developed. Our culture teaches us to be afraid of the word Free but the tools presented to us in this class are safe and are going to be SO benefical down the road. The thinking process Ive learned is already allowing me to think further outside of the box when it comes to reaching all of our learners. Im excited about e-learning and this course has only added fuel to the fire.

=How will you use what you have learned in the real world.= Im already using the skills and tools we learned about in the courses Im developing right now. For me, once I learn something if I dont implement it right away I forget it so I had to start using these tools and skills immediately to maintain maximum retention. For me the phase that will definitely be followed for each project is the design phase. In our business we have so many 911 projects and I used to just throw them together because thats what the business owners wanted but for the sucess of our elearning I need to put on the breaks and ask the why questions before development begins to ensure the learner is actually going to learn something from the course and that our library of courses dont become the easy way out.

=Do you feel more comfortable with content and the ID process.= Oh I absolutely do. I had a good mentor when I began learning content development several years ago and she had a pretty good process in place, so where I came from before the class was what I would call half way there and I needed to learn the whole process and can now determine what I did well before and what I can pick up and use from the class. My goal is to get the business to understand that instructional design isnt a 10 day process anymore and we can not continue to build content on that philosophy if we want our Associates to be the best in the industry. ID is a long process but slowing things down and really deciding what the learner needs to learn and the best way to teach them is important to success.