Rationale for Proficiency with AECT Standards: Artifacts from the Master of Educational Technology Program

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

Introduction

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I began the online Master of Educational Technology (MET) degree program in the Department of Educational Technology at Boise State University in August 2009. 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/course developer in the realm of e-learning.

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. My 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.

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. The paper ends with a conclusion and list of references.

This paper is organized by 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 my selected artifacts are listed within those subdomains. The artifacts are intended to be representative of my coursework rather than comprehensive. Following each artifact link is the name of the MET course in which I created the artifact.

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.

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)

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Standard 1: Design

The Instructional Systems Design (ISD) subdomain addresses the process frequently referred to by the acronym ADDIE: Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, and Evaluate. Instructional designers often implement the ADDIE process by applying one of many available ISD models, or by combining elements from more than one model. I applied the Smith and Ragan ISD model (Smith & Ragan, 2005) to the plan of instruction artifact that I selected to represent this subdomain. I chose the Smith and Ragan model because it concentrates on the front-end analysis stage of the ADDIE process and encourages an iterative process of revision during the design and development stagesa process that is familiar to me from my background as an editor and an approach I consider essential when producing any type of communication project. 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 objectivesrequired me to more deeply analyze the details of instruction than I would have without applying a systematic approach. The emphasis on front-end analysis advocated by the Smith and Ragan model was also important for accomplishing this task. 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

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 by Clark and Mayer (2008). ArtifactPresentation: Multimedia Principles (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia) 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), including the following: 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 presentation 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.

1.2 Message Design Message design involves planning for the manipulation of the physical form of the message.

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.

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The presentation demonstrates the above principles by delivering the majority of the content with graphics and the speakers narrative (contained in the speakers notes) rather than onscreen text. Each slide focuses on a single concept, and each concept is demonstrated with a single graphic. Many of Clark and Mayers 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). ArtifactResearch Paper: An Analysis of the Coherence Principle of Multimedia Design (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia) This brief analysis paper considers the Coherence Principle of multimedia design defined by Clark & Mayer (2008, Chapter 7). The Coherence Principle states that people learn better from a multimedia presentation if extraneous (interesting but irrelevant) content is excluded, which essentially means any content that is irrelevant to the learning goal. The Coherence Principle makes intuitive sense, but it is also limited because it is only a general guideline. However, the process of analyzing the Coherence Principle and putting my analysis into words in this paper was instrumental in clarifying my understanding of its use.

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In particular, the section of my paper that considers the relationship of the Coherence Principle to other multimedia principles (summarized in Table 1) was invaluable for clarifying all of the multimedia principles outlined by Clark and Mayer, because initially some of the principles seemed to contradict one another. For example, the Multimedia Principle states that people learn better from words and graphics than from words alone, which could contradict the Coherence Principles goal of avoiding extraneous content. However, the Multimedia Principle supports the Coherence Principle by replacing extraneous onscreen text with images. I regularly refer to the multimedia design principles and the ways in which they support each other as I craft instructional messages in my work as an instructional designer. 1.3 Instructional Strategies Instructional strategies are specifications for selecting and sequencing events and activities within a lesson. 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.

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 plan format (provided by the instructor) required me to write measurable learning objectives and prepare a detailed sequence of learning activities and techniques for each lesson. A significant part of the instructional strategy for this project was to create conceptual and interactive graphics (with Adobe Fireworks) and incorporate them into the instructional activities of each lesson. To define the visual approach to the unit, I also had to determine the overall instructional strategy (Clark and Lyons, 2004, Chapter 17).

ArtifactLesson Plans: Biodiversity Unit (Ed Tech 506: Instructional Message Design)

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To accomplish this task, I applied the systematic model for visual design described by Clark and Lyons (2004, Chapter 2). First, I defined the goal of the biodiversity unit and described the learning context (learner characteristics, learning environment, and delivery media). Then I identified the concepts, facts, and processes that would be most appropriately displayed as graphics rather than text. As a result of applying this systematic process, I identified the key concepts of the unit and radically revised my original lesson plan; the content from that one lesson turned into the topics for all five lessons of the unit. My visual design approach to the biodiversity unit combined some aspects of receptive, directive, and guided discovery strategies (per Clark and Lyons) in all of the lessons, then had the learners complete a final project that was exploratory in nature. This learning experience prompted me to begin addressing the visual design aspect of e-course development much earlier in the process rather than treating it as a separate or secondary consideration. 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. The proposal begins with a learner analysis, content description, and learning objectives. This is followed by a flowchart of instructional events that I developed with the cloud-based tool Gliffy.com that helped me to sequence the events and activities in the project. The proposal concludes with storyboards that describe the design, selection, appearance, and functioning of the different elements in the project. This proposal marked my first experience creating formal storyboards, and it is a tool that I have since used repeatedly in my e-course design projects. In fact, at roughly the same time I was preparing this design proposal for my Ed Tech 511 course, I created a type of storyboard (called a Concept Approval Form) as part of the job application process for my current instructional designer job. Therefore, I was able to directly apply the learning

experience from creating this artifact to a real-world situation: obtaining my first job in the instructional design field. The Content Development Manager who hired me (and became my supervisor) noted that my storyboard was memorable among the applications she received. 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)

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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:

The learner analysis part of the WBID model was crucial for this project. The series of interviews I conducted with the SME (my sister) revealed a much more complex problem than the situation initially appeared. The findings from the learner analysis significantly changed the 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 I revised to include 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. 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.

Instructional goal Instructional context Learners Instructional content

The Print Technologies subdomain covers the production and delivery of visual materials in the form of text and static images. Both artifacts I selected to represent this subdomain are academic papers; one consists entirely of text, and the other is a mix of text and static images. ArtifactTheoretical Perspectives on Instructional Technology Use in Inquiry-based Science Education: An Annotated Bibliography (Ed Tech 504: Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology)

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.

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)

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Standard 2: Development

In this artifact, I analyzed and summarized published academic research papers on the use of instructional technology in inquiry-based science education using a text-only annotated bibliography format. I prepared this paper during my Ed Tech 504 class on learning theories, which introduced me to the three most-prominent schools of thought on learning: behaviorism, cognitivism, and constructivism. For my annotated bibliography, I researched several dozen research papers, then selected nine constructivist-based papers to analyze the use of instructional technology in inquiry-based science education. Although I have written many academic research papers, this was the first annotated bibliography I had ever written. The annotated bibliography format demands that a large amount of educational content be delivered largely (or exclusively) in text form. Therefore, my challenge with this project was to produce thorough summaries and analysis in digestible amounts of text through concise, succinct writing and formatting. Through many rounds of revision, I attained the desired level of analysis within six pages of text. ArtifactResearch Paper: An Analysis of the Coherence Principle of Multimedia Design (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia) This artifact delivers an analysis of the Coherence Principle of Multimedia Design using both text and static images. As noted in subdomain 1.2 of this paper, the Coherence Principle states that people learn better from a multimedia presentation if extraneous (interesting but irrelevant) words, pictures, and sounds are excluded (Clark & Mayer, 2008, Chapter 7). In addition to explaining and analyzing the use of the Coherence Principle, I

used the screen capture program Snagit to obtain images for the paper that would visually demonstrate both good and poor application of the Coherence Principle. This artifact also 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.

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ArtifactPodcast: Citizen Science 101 (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

For this subdomain, I selected two artifacts from my Ed Tech 513: Multimedia course. This class offered a diverse range of project types as well as many different types of 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.

This artifact is a podcast (approximately eight minutes) titled Citizen Science 101 that I wrote, recorded, and edited (using Audacity) for a hypothetical audience of undergraduate science students. The podcast format delivers an instructional message exclusively via audio, although I also provided the script for my podcast with the artifact in my e-portfolio. My podcast is structured to be the first episode of a series on citizen science, with this episode serving as an introduction to the subject. The purpose of this project was to demonstrate the Modality Principle of multimedia design identified by Clark and Mayer (2008): People understand a multimedia presentation better when the words are presented as narration rather than onscreen text.

This project marked my first experience in 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 how easy it was to use Audacitys basic sound editing tools. In my current workplace I am not involved in audiovisual production and sound editing because we have dedicated staff for that work, but the knowledge of the sound editing toolbox that I acquired through this project (and others in my MET program) now helps me to better communicate with my fellow staff members who do this work.

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), titled Citizen scientists find marble gravestones, chronicles our trip to a cemetery to collect data from marble gravestones that scientists use to evaluate the effects of acid rain. The purpose of the digital story format was to demonstrate Clark and Mayers (2008, Chapter 8) 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 a real science research project; however, I also used the story to outline the procedures for participating in the Gravestone Project, which made the project instructional in nature. My learning experience from this project was in comprehending the value of using a personal story to educate others. I hope I will get the opportunity to use this story technique again for instructional purposes. Since all of my class projects were produced with a computer, I selected two artifacts for this subdomain from my Ed Tech 502 course that offer specific benefits to the learners by delivering instruction via a computer. ArtifactJigsaw Activity: Exploring Dinosaur Extinction Theories (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

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

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2.3 Computer-Based Technologies Computer-based technologies are ways to produce or deliver materials using microprocessorbased resources.

This artifact is an Internet search activity for a hypothetical group of high school biology and ecology students. The activity is based on the Jigsaw learning technique developed by Elliot Aronson (http://www.jigsaw.org/). The Jigsaw technique is designed to improve educational outcomes by promoting cooperative learning in which each students participation is essential. In the Overview section of the Jigsaw Website (http://www.jigsaw.org/overview.htm), a Jigsaw activity is described this way: Just as in a

jigsaw puzzle, each pieceeach student's partis essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product. My Jigsaw activity requires the students to collaboratively explore popular science Web-based news articles about three dinosaur extinction theories, then summarize the information they found for others in the class to prompt a discussion about the credibility of the information sources. Since the activity is based on evaluating how science content is presented on popular Web-based science news sites, it is ideally suited to be delivered to the learners via a computer. In addition to introducing me to the Jigsaw instructional techniques, this project enhanced my technical Web design skills by requiring me to write the code for a Website table. ArtifactVirtual Ecotour: Madagascar (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

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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 to the questions. The computer-based delivery of this content is significant because it gives learners virtual access to a remote part of the world that most people will never see in person. The content includes text, images, and audiovisual materials to give learners a multi-sensory experience of the unique flora and fauna of this island nation. This project presented a technical design challenge for me as the first multiple-page Web design project of my MET program. I used a free menu template, but I struggled to get the menu to work correctly on my site. When I finally figured out the code I needed to get the menu operating correctly, it was a significant a-ha moment in my MET program! I obtained many of the images from Wikimedia Commons, which proved an invaluable resource throughout my MET program. 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. ArtifactScreencasting Tutorial: Getting Started with Galaxy Zoo (Ed Tech 513: Multimedia)

This tutorial artifact (approximately 12 minutes) demonstrates procedures for participating in the online Galaxy Zoo citizen science project, including several worked examples of galaxy classification. Since the Galaxy Zoo citizen science project exists entirely online, the Web is the most appropriate format for delivering this instruction. To produce this tutorial, I used another type of tool that was new to me: the screencasting software Camtasia. Screencasting technology integrates audio and visual recording

capabilities. It is a useful design tool for demonstrating worked examples, because the software captures every moment of a users interaction with a computer screen. The captured content can be edited to produce a demonstration video that promotes neartransfer learning by displaying the same context in which the learner will be using the information (Clark & Mayer, 2008, p. 168). By using relevant visuals and presenting steps with audio alone instead of both audio and onscreen text, I also applied Clark and Mayers Multimedia, Modality, and Redundancy Principles (Clark & Mayer, 2008):

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After my experience using Camtasia for this project, I decided to use Camtasia to create the reflection video for my MET e-portfolio. Although I do not use Camtasia in my current position, screencasting technology is commonly used by instructional designers and is likely to be a part of my professional career in the future.

Multimedia Principle: People learn better from words and graphics than from words alone. Modality Principle: People understand a multimedia presentation 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.

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)

Standard 3: Utilization

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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 over an extended period of time. The graphic medium allowed me to depict this time-based transformation to demonstrate the concept. 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 natural selection 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 notable design features, which I based on information about designing concept graphics in Chapter 12 of Clark and Lyons (2004), include contrasting colors, directional arrows, text chunking and sequencing, and white space. ArtifactProcedures Graphic: Tree of Life Web Project Assignment (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 ToL project is a worldwide collaborative effort to catalog the worlds biodiversity and evolutionary history (phylogeny). The primary purpose of my

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. In both cases, the graphical medium was the most significant instructional resource.

procedures 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. One instructional benefit that these procedural instructions have over a screencasting instructional project (such as the one described in subdomain 2.4) is learner control, which allows the learner to move forward and backward through the information at his or her own pace. 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 proposes the adoption of innovative technology solutions to achieve goals in a nontraditional instructional setting; the second artifact is a research paper that considers whether augmented reality technology might be an innovative means to create an authentic discovery learning environment in science education. This artifact communicates strategies for technology adoption through a technology use proposal (TUP). My TUP pertains to an informal and transient instructional setting in which the instructors role is a solo, unpaid extracurricular coach/trainer to youth competitors. The classroom setting is a rented building, so the instructor must bring her own instructional tools and materials and handle administrative tasks from her home. I conducted an initial interview 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. From this initial analysis, I identified these four project goals: 1. Streamline administrative functions to make it possible to extend instruction to a wider audience, 2. Enhance the instructional experience for students and parents through online communication and evaluation of student progress, 3. Address some resource and administrative challenges, and ArtifactTechnology Use Proposal (Ed Tech 501: Introduction to Educational Technology)

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I conducted additional analysis based on the Technology Maturity Model (TMM) developed by EDmin (www.edmin.com), a company that develops products and tools for use in education. The TMM uses a benchmark survey to assess the technology maturity of an instructional setting in five categories: Administrative, Curricular, Support, Connectivity, and Innovation. For each of these categories, the instructional setting is ranked in two areas: Behavioral and Resource/Infrastructure. Based on my TMM benchmark survey of the instructional setting and additional analysis and research, I identified six low-cost technologies that could streamline the instructors administration needs and enhance the instructional experience for students and parents through better communication and evaluation of student progress. This research paper explores the potential of augmented reality technology to create an authentic science discovery learning environment. To address this question, I considered three pilot studies on 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, called discovery learning, is often used to createor even considered synonymous withinquiry-based instruction. ArtifactResearch Paper: Can Augmented Reality Create an Authentic Science Discovery Learning Environment? (Ed Tech 504: Theoretical Foundations of Educational Technology)

4. Accomplish the above goals at minimal cost.

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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. However, in all three cases, the technology promoted genuine student engagement and discovery, with students taking on role-playing responsibilities as scientists and other inquiring professionals. This result suggests that educators should consider adopting augmented reality technology in their own classrooms to promote scientific inquiry.

This subdomain is represented by two artifacts: one to represent the implementation part, and one to represent the institutionalization part. Although I created the first artifact for a hypothetical situation, I designed the plan to be implemented in a real educational setting (a museum). The second artifact is a training tutorial that I developed for a real workplace setting; I designed this artifact to institutionalize a set of procedures in that workplace. ArtifactSoundscape Design: Batscape (Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound) This artifact is a soundscape design plan called Batscape for a hypothetical immersive museum exhibit on Wisconsin cave-dwelling bats. A soundscape, according to Schafer (1993), is any acoustic field of study (p. 7). The idea for my soundscape design plan was partly inspired by the National Park Services Natural Sounds Program, which seeks to understand, manage, and protect the acoustical environment of the national parks. The National Park Service defines an acoustical environment as the physical sound resources in a particular location, and defines a soundscape as the human perception of the acoustical environment (www.nature.nps.gov/naturalsounds).

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.

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The Batscape exhibit is designed to encourage visitors to experience the soundscape of places where cave-dwelling bats live via a simulated environment. Exhibit visitors would feel cold, damp air as they entered a model of a bat cave, and they would hear ambient sounds commonly associated with caves. Visitors could also press buttons to hear the calls of different species of bats. These recordings would represent keynote sounds from the acoustical environment where cave-dwelling bat species live; Schafer (1993, pp. 78) defines keynote sounds as those created by a landscapes geography and climate, including water, wind, and animals. The purpose of the Batscape exhibit would be to educate visitors about the environment where these bats live, bat behavior, the benefits of bats to human society, and the threat of a disease called white-nose syndrome to the Wisconsin bat population. My 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.

ArtifactMoodle Course: Graphic Identity Standards Tutorial (Ed Tech 512: Online Course Design)

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This tutorial artifact is my implementation of the design document listed under subdomain 1.4. I planned, designed, and developed this self-directed training tutorial at my sisters request for use in her workplace, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, which is the governing body for 37 public colleges and universities in the state of Minnesota. As the graphic design manager, my sister is responsible for branding the organizations public image through its print publications. When my sister first proposed this tutorial to me, she said the tutorial should educate employees in various departments about the organizations graphic identity standards for print publications. However, my problem analysis of the instructional setting revealed that the employees lack of education about the standards was only part of a larger workplace problem: employees were not following the established procedures for designing publications (including the graphic standards).

This additional problem suggested to me that the root cause was a lack of accountability for following the procedures. The procedures were merely posted on the organizations Website but not a part of any official training procedure, so I saw the tutorial project as an opportunity to institutionalize the publication procedures training. I added a second but inter-related learning path to the tutorial design plan that covered the publication process and procedures in addition to the standards. This 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 root cause of the problem. 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.

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

Artifact: Netiquette Web Page (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

miscommunication and misunderstandings. Scientists often work in a publish-or-perish environment in which they must frequently defend their research findings, analysis, and conclusions in a public forum, such as a science journal. These public forums generally utilize a formal review process to increase the likelihood that scientific findings are thorough and valid. However, online discussion forums for scientists lack this formal review process. In the absence of a formal review process in the online discussion forum environment, netiquette guidelines provide a form of oversight. I based my netiquette guidelines for scientists on my interactions with authors in my previous career as an editor in the science publishing world. ArtifactCopyright Scavenger Hunt (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

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This Web page is an online scavenger hunt activity that is intended to teach learners about open access (OA) science publishing. In contrast to traditional (print) scholarly publishing, in which the rights to a publication are usually transferred from author to publisher and the published content is available only to paid subscribers, OA publishing makes publications available in a digital format for anyone to use, free of charge, with unhindered access to copy, display, distribute, and make derivative works. The digital technologies used to distribute OA publications present many opportunities for scholars to quickly share their research findings and writings with a vast audience at a relatively low cost. However, the OA movement has also prompted some questions about the relationship of OA publishing to copyright law. Therefore, I created this copyright scavenger hunt activity to provide resources about the relationship between OA publishing and copyright law. The resources are provided in the form of a scavenger hunt that contains five activities with questions pertaining to copyright and OA publishing issues; the questions can be answered by consulting the linked Web resources. 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)

I had previously experienced project management responsibilities and challenges in my professional life, but this was the first ISD project that I managed from start to finish. In many projects I have worked on, the client provided little feedback until the course was well into development. As a result, many of these projects required extensive revisions. In an attempt to prevent this from happening with my tutorial project, I created storyboards for each of the five modules in the design stage that identified the text and visual elements as well as the assessment questions; the purpose of identifying these details was to provide the SME with a reasonably complete picture of the project before the development stage. However, the most effective project management tool I used was the Web-Based Instructional Design (WBID) model (Davidson-Shivers & Rasmussen, 2006). By following this model, I was able to identify elements of the instructional setting during the analysis stage that significantly impacted the project design. I will never know what may have transpired with this project if I had not completed a thorough front-end analysis, but I believe this analysis saved me much time and anguish.

This artifact is the five-module tutorial course that I developed in a learning management system (LMS) based on the design document listed under subdomain 1.4. I developed the modules with 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. I designed and produced the tutorial course for a client by partnering with an SME, so the project required coordination with the SME as well as adherence to the clients 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.

4.2 Resource Management Resource management involves planning, monitoring, and controlling resource support systems and services. ArtifactTechnology Use Proposal (Ed Tech 501: Introduction to Educational Technology)

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In addition to detailing these potential solutions, my proposal includes a project budget and a one-year timeline for adoption, implementation, and evaluation. In light of the lack of technical support in this instructional setting, my proposal suggests the instructor invest in subscription services that include technical support as well as tools with reliable brand names and good user instructions rather than relying on unreliable freeware. The total of the proposed budget was well below the $2000.00 the instructor had budgeted for the project. 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 to control the distribution of the materials.

The artifact I selected to represent this subdomain is the Technology Use Proposal (TUP) I described under subdomain 3.2. Due to the scarce resources available in this one-person instructional setting, resource management was a significant consideration for accomplishing the project goals. The primary purpose of my proposal was to identify lowcost technologies that could be integrated into the instructional setting to streamline the instructors administrative tasks and enhance educational outcomes for the students. To address the project goals, I proposed the following six technology solutions: 1. A Web-based class registration and payment system to streamline administrative tasks, 2. A Web-based student tracking system to enhance student outcomes by adding competency measures, 3. Video capturing equipment to enhance student outcomes by incorporating video instruction in the curriculum and tracking students' skills progress, 4. Video editing software to edit the video recordings, 5. A dedicated instructional Web page to serve as a one-stop tool for communication and resource sharing among stakeholders, and 6. An online discussion forum for use by stakeholders to share needs and resources.

Artifact: mLearning Design: Smithsonian Field Trip (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

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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)

ArtifactWebQuest: Bat Quest Wisconsin (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

The purpose of this Web design project was to create an mLearning (mobile learning) field trip 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. I planned and controlled the method of distribution of the instructional materials by designing the Web page with three style sheets. [Note: If you right-click on the artifact and view the page source, you will see the links to the three style sheets.] The three style sheets permit users to view the site with different devices or formats: a handheld mobile device, a computer monitor screen, or a print version. By having the option to view the activity on a mobile device, students could view the activity while they were enroute to the museum and consult the Web resources in the activity while they were at the museum.

The key element of a WebQuest is the task; if the activity lacks a task to accomplish, students would be unlikely to engage in the activity and explore the resources on their own. 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. To present a context for this task, I created a hypothetical scenario in which cave-dwelling bats must be reintroduced into Wisconsin after their populations have been decimated by a real disease called white-nose syndrome. The WebQuest structure

delivers the instructional materials in five parts: Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation, and Conclusion. Each of the five parts has its own page, accessible via a menu that suggests a linear progression through the activity. I also placed an arrow and link at the bottom of each page to encourage the students to move through the activity in a linear fashion. The students can return to any of the pages at any time via the main menu. The Evaluation page contains a rubric that the teacher can use to evaluate students learning. A Teacher Page provides additional resources in the form of a lesson plan and a list of the 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.

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This artifact is the Tumblr blog I maintained as my sound journal for Ed Tech 597: The Pedagogy of Sound. My sound journal fulfilled several functions related to information management. It served as the submission and storage space for many of my smaller class assignments; provided the technical means to upload text, images, and sound files; and offered a location for me to process and communicate my thoughts about class projects and my learning experiences. I have always found journal writing to be a valuable technique for processing and organizing my jumbled thoughts, but I had never written a blog prior to my MET program. Initially I was self-conscious about sharing my thoughts in a public space, but I came to realize that my most devoted audience was likely to be the future me. My sound journal, as well as a blog I created earlier for another Ed Tech class, served as valuable resources for my own learning journey throughout the MET program. In a year or two, I will likely recall only the handful of major projects from my other classes, but my sound journal will serve as a tidy, organized storage repository of my entire Ed Tech 597 class. As a result of my blogging experiences in the MET program, I (as an instructional designer) would be inclined to encourage instructors to include blogging in their instructional toolboxes. Students may grumble about the assignment, but they will be grateful later to have a log of their projects and learning experiences.

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 longrange planning. (AECT 2000, Chapter 2)

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Standard 5: Evaluation

5.1 Problem Analysis Problem analysis involves determining the nature and parameters of the problem by using information-gathering and decision-making strategies. ArtifactResearch Synthesis Paper: Science Educators' Beliefs and Attitudes About Technology Integration in the Classroom (Ed Tech 501: Introduction to Educational Technology)

This short research synthesis paper considers why science educators might be reluctant to integrate new technologies into their science curriculum. I used the cloud-based research tool Zotero to store my collection of academic papers on my research topic. Initially my research question was going to address the beliefs and attitudes of all educators toward technology integration, but I found such a wealth of information on the topic that I decided I had to narrow my subject. I was surprised to discover that many science educators do not integrate technology into their curriculum, because the two subjects would seem to be a natural pairing. I wanted to learn more about this seeming paradox, so I narrowed my research focus to science educators. I found that science educators do not integrate technology in their curriculum for the same reasons given by other educators. Based on the 11 sources I consulted for this paper, the key reason is that educators are rarely shown how technology can improve student outcomes or what strategies they can use to integrate technology into their instruction. Some science educators also see technology as a distraction from scientific inquiry. My paper concludes with a list of strategies (summarized from my sources) that school administrators could use to encourage technology integration in science instruction. 5.2 Criterion-Referenced Measurement Criterion-referenced measurement involves techniques for determining learner mastery of pre-specified content. ArtifactWebQuest: Bat Quest Wisconsin Evaluation Page (Ed Tech 502: The Internet for Educators)

In this WebQuest, first described under subdomain 4.3, the Evaluation page provides a criterion-referenced rubric that teachers can use to evaluate their students work in the Bat Quest Wisconsin exercise. According to Smith and Ragan (2005, p. 104), the purpose of a criterion-referenced instrument is to assess student competence and identify gaps in learning. The criteria in my WebQuest rubric are intended to encourage group participation, problem-solving collaboration, and personal reflection. The rubric evaluates students in five areas: Group Discussion, Collaboration, Final Report, Peer Review, and Personal Reflections. Teachers can assess students using three possible categories: Excellent, Average, and Needs Improvement. This type of assessment is intended for use in instructor-led learning situations; however, the rubric format is also useful to the students, because students can consult the rubric to gauge project expectations. From this first experience in creating a rubric, I learned the value in developing an assessment tool early in the instructional design process. As noted by Smith and Ragan (2005, pp. 104105), the process of defining student expectations aids in the design and development of instructional content and activities that align to the learning objectives. ArtifactEvaluation of Two Environmental Science Web-based Learning Environments (Ed Tech 505: Evaluation for Educational Technologists) In this evaluation project, I considered two Web-based learning environments (WBLEs) for possible adoption in a hypothetical scenario. My evaluation was based on the DecisionMaking Model presented in Boulmetis & Dutwin (2005, p. 89). This model does not prescribe a specific data collection methodology, so any number of data collection tools may be used. I used 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 used a rubric to evaluate the WBLEs in four main categories: Usability, Content, Educational Value, and Vividness. Within these four main categories, I considered 20 evaluation criteria. The categories and evaluation criteria I used were based largely on a rubric presented in Bayaa, Shehade, and Bayaa (2009). I used a four-item Likert scale to assign points to each of the criteria. Based on the results of this criterion-based evaluation, I arrived at recommendations for the hypothetical client. 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.

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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)

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This artifact, introduced under subdomain 5.2, is a summative evaluation of two Webbased learning environments (WBLEs) based on the Decision-Making Model described in Boulmetis and Dutwin (2005, p. 89). The Decision-Making Model, originally developed by Daniel Stuffelbeam and colleagues as the CIPP Evaluation Model (where CIPP = context, input, process, and product), is used in situations that require a decision about the future use of a program. The Decision-Making Model is also 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. My evaluation of the WBLEs 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 conducted an online survey (using Survey Monkey) of members of the target learner group to get their opinions about the WBLEs. 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 use again in professional practice.

ArtifactDesign Document: Graphic Identity Standards Tutorial (Ed Tech 512: Online Course Design)

5.4 Long-Range Planning Long-range planning that focuses on the organization as a whole is strategic planning. Longrange 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.

Long-range planning is a necessary component of an instructional design plan, so I selected the ISD plan that I introduced under subdomain 1.4 to represent this subdomain. As explained in subdomain 1.4, I followed the Web-Based Instructional Design (WBID) model to create this training tutorial ISD plan (Davidson-Shivers & Rasmussen, 2006). The stages

of the WBID model that follow the problem analysis direct the designer to plan strategies that will help achieve the desired learning outcome, make a plan for implementation of the instruction, and develop a plan for conducting a summative evaluation after the instruction has been used by the learners for a period of time. My implementation plan identifies personnel for the implementation team and provides time estimates and budget allocations for each member of the team. It also describes procedures for future content updates. The summative evaluation plan identifies data collection methods and a timeline for data collection. The collected data will be analyzed and used to guide future revisions of the tutorial. The long-range goal of the training is to accustom the staff to using these procedures so the SME will not need to spend as much of her time on oversight of publications created and distributed by other departments in the organization. While I was in the midst of creating the design document, the client organization was undergoing a change in leadership, department reorganization, and reduction in staff. The SME indicated that 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 expressed by Smith and Ragan (2005, p. 4), perfection is neither a goal nor an option in design.

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Since I knew that this tutorial was likely to require significant revision again before implementation, I decided my goal would be to provide the SME with a tool to influence the direction of those procedural changes. As of this writing, the organization is still in a transition period and the tutorial has not been implemented. However, many elements of the design document will be applicable regardless of procedural (content) changes, so the design document will be a valid blueprint to implement revisions when new procedures are developed. When these new procedures are developed in the future, the existence of this draft training tutorial will bolster the SMEs attempts to promote the formal adoption of a training program and accountability measures within the organization.

In my MET program, I have learned the correct (or maybe ideal) way to apply the ISD process to e-learning design projects. However, in my professional work, I routinely bump into the realities of trying to apply a systematic process to e-learning design projects under time and budget constraints. My ongoing challenge isand will always beto find a balance between these conflicting 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 and within budget.

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. As a result of these experiences, I was able to obtain my first job in the e-learning field as an instructional designer/writer.

Conclusion

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References

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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. Bayaa, N., Shehade, H. M., and Bayaa, A. R. (2009): A rubric for evaluating Web-based learning environments. British Journal of Educational Technology, 40(4), 761763. Boulmetis, J. & Dutwin, P. (2005). The ABCs of evaluation, second edition. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Clark, R. C., & Mayer, R. E. (2008). E-learning and the science of instruction, second edition. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

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., & Lyons, C. (2004). Graphics for learning. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Davidson-Shivers, G. V., & Rasmussen, K. L. (2006). Web-based learning: Design, implementation, and evaluation. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc. 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. Schafer, R. M. (1993). The soundscape: Our sonic environment and the tuning of the world. Rochester, Vermont: Destiny Books.

Smith, P. L. & Ragan, T. J. (2005). Instructional design, third edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.