Reflecting on a Design Case

First and foremost, I feel it is necessary to provide a link to the project that my team and I worked on, to help anyone reading to better understand my thoughts and reflections. So: https://sites.google.com/asu.edu/team-c1-mockup/home 

I found it very interesting to be asked to work on a learning module to build that utilized Google Sites as a way of providing instruction. I had a little bit of a difficult time, simply because I work in a corporate environment and hardly use Canvas or Google Sites as an LMS to connect learners and content. However, I think it was a really good learning experience for me, because I now feel more confident in utilizing different tools and different methods of connecting the learners I may encounter with content. It was also interesting because the Design Case gave specific parameters that led to the outcome of using Google Sites, which may very well be something I need to complete in the future. 

As far as the instruction that my team and I created, I feel that we met the parameters provided in the design case. However, it was quite difficult to work in a manner where I did not have access to a SME, something I am more comfortable with due to my current position. However, similarly to utilizing a new tool, it was a welcome challenge to navigate different sites and find information that was necessary to provide for this design case. 

The instruction itself seems to have fallen into the typical format of sharing information through writing. Mostly, each of the sections had an abundance of words on the page and was very rarely broken down into something more appetizing. Personally, I fell into this same dilemma: how to provide instruction by showing rather than telling. It has been something that I have been battling since the start of my educational career in 2020. How do I impart knowledge without telling? It seems like it might be an age-old question for those in Learning Design. Still, it haunts me. I try to challenge myself to create learning in a way that is interesting and engaging, and I feel that the lack of audio and lack of a talking head video of some kind was a major misstep for us in our project. There are ways we could have pushed ourselves to really consider how a learner would be more engaged. Instead I think we were slightly overwhelmed and more focused on providing all the material that was requested.

There was one process that resonated with me, and that was when I was creating and designing the infographic. I really enjoy the creativity I get to use in this career path and I am looking forward to utilizing it more in my work life. I wish I had pushed myself a little further and explored how to build an interesting how-to video for the learner. Overall, the process was interesting and I feel that I am definitely on the right path. The main goal I know that needs to remain at the forefront of my mind is how to build learning materials with the learner front and center. If the material is focused on providing material, it will feel stale and boring. But, if the material is focused on the learner and how to impart knowledge in an engaging way, it will be something entirely different. 

Overall, I think the design case presented was similar to one that might be presented in a work environment. We were provided the need, the materials, and how best to accomplish the task. I think where we may have fallen short is in the delivery of the materials. We built a great site that has all the information, but we lacked the learner being at the center of how we were providing the information. I feel we met the design case, but I do not feel like I met my own expectations. Though, those tend to be relatively high.