Course Summary

Bridging Instructional Design and Active Learning

Instructional Design, Development, and Evaluation (IDD&E) Master of Science Program at Syracuse University

Roadmap to Graduation

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The MS IDD&E program at Syracuse University has a total of ten courses for a total of 30 credit hours. They are usually taken in a set format of 4 courses in the Fall, four in the Spring, and 2 Capstone courses in the Summer.  Successful completion of each required course and a final digital portfolio review will lead to the completion of the program at the end of the summer.

Thanks to the flexibility and support of the program Professors and Chair, I was able to re-organize my program of studies as follows: three courses in the Fall, one Winterlude course, three Spring courses, two Capstone courses in the Summer, and one final course on the next Fall toward Winter graduation. This model helped me focus on learning the materials offered in class, apply concepts while working on individual and group projects, and share results with classmates in presentations.

This section includes all the courses taken, a summary of each goal and learning objective, and selected project examples.


FALL’17 | WINTERLUDESPRINGSUMMERFALL’18


FALL’17 COURSES

IDE 611: Technology for Instructional Settings/ Final Grade: A

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Learning Management System for ESL Adult Learners. Click on the image to learn more.

The Technology for Instructional Settings course facilitated the acquisition of many skills needed for today’s information and communication technologies used in instruction. The various projects required for this course provided meaningful experiences in creating instructional resources, interacting and analyzing relevant information about technologies and communication in education, and designing, developing, and implementing a collaborated technology project.
In this course, I had the opportunity to learn how to create and maintain blogs, which I used to create interactive educational content to inform classmates about technology tools that can be used and adapted to any classroom setting. Information and discussions in those blogs were imported into my IDDE Portfolio blog, but the original addresses are https://googlettl.blogspot.com/ and https://gcextensionstl.blogspot.com/. This project was very labor-intensive, but the learnings and the new ideas it generated were rewarding.
While working on the blogs, I also worked with a classmate to build a Learning Management System (LMS) to support ESL adult learners in their English language education during and after classroom instruction and use mobile technology as the platform learning tool. Overcoming the limitations of time, place, and technology skills, we found that out of 25 adult learners registered in the LMS, 14 were actively engaged during and after class instruction for two months. The results exceeded the expectations! By surveying the students and participating teachers, we found that technology skills and English language acquisition were improved compared to students at the same English level and those with similar technical skills but not using the LMS. For a complete report, please click on the following link: COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGY PROJECT-Final report.docx-2
The last component of this course was the evaluation of an educational organization or school website with the primary objective of experiencing the procedures and tools used to evaluate websites in order to make improvement recommendations. I assessed the National Educational Association (NEA) website in this case. Click on the following link to access the entire report: WebSiteEvaluation-NEA-Task2

IDE 621: Principles of Instruction and Learning/Final Grade: A

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Summary of the Learning Theories

We may think that because the name of this course is Principles of Instruction and Learning, it is a boring-lecture-type course. To my surprise, this course challenged us to explore the principles of instruction and learning uniquely and interactively, and a robust technology component was built into it.

In this course, we learned concepts and factors that affect human learning and their implications for instruction design and management.

Throughout the course, the in-class activities allowed us to find ways to apply these concepts and explore ways to explain how they work in our own words. At the same time, we carry on a course-long project where we develop a Knowledge Base (KB) electronic summary of our understanding of the learning Theories using an Inphogram to build a case study and show how the same case study could be looked at through each of the learning theories lenses. Identifying the learning situation with each characteristic depending on the theory in the analysis, developing an observation checklist, and finally reflecting on our ideas after working on each learning theory was endless work but very interesting.

All these were created using multiple technology skills that I already knew and many others that I forced myself to learn, such as working with WordPress. The complete work of the knowledge Base built in this course is located in the Knowledge Base Section of my IDD&E Portfolio.
–This course didn’t push us to think out of the box; it moved us entirely out of the box!–

IDE 631: Instructional Design-Development I/ Final Grade: A

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IDD&ECompetencies Standard Model

The objective of this course was to introduce us to the significant components of instructional design, such as understanding learning outcomes and objectives. It also introduced us to the IDDE Standards used to evaluate the skills and knowledge needed in Instructional Design jobs. It also combined many different projects to help us interact with the content and skills and bring out the creative part within ourselves.

The picture I chose for this course represents the IDD&E Model I built to explain the rationale of the IDD&E Standards I thought were the most important. To access the complete pdf file, click the following link: ID&E Model 631.
For this Model, I chose:
  • Effective Communication-Speaking/Writing (mouth)
  • Effective Communication-Listening (gig ears)
  • Update and Improve knowledge and Skills (iPad)
  • Identify and describe the target population and environmental characteristics (cameras/eyes)
  • Select and analyze techniques for determining instructional content (camera rolls/brain)
  • Design Instructional interventions (heart)
  • Plan and manage instructional design projects (clock)

The group project I completed, along with a classmate, helped us to put into practice instructional design concepts learned in class lectures and discussions. The most crucial piece clearly stated the performance problem and the possible instructional solution. After some research on a performance problem that could give us the perfect example to develop this project, we found that in an online writing course at a given University, undergraduate students were expected to acquire specific writing skills. Still, participating professors were unable to provide feedback promptly because they seemed to lack knowledge and skills in the use of online collaborative systems that are supported at the University, especially for online cooperative learning. Therefore, this situation creates a performance gap between professors’ expectations and students’ performance. To access the final file of the report, click on the following link: Kdelafe_IDE631 ProjectReport and Storyboards.


FALL’17 | WINTERLUDESPRINGSUMMERFALL’18


WINTERLUDE COURSE

IDE 756: Design Online Courses/ Final Grade: A

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ibstpi Model Rationale – Click on the picture for more project content.

In this online course, we had the opportunity to explore the tools and techniques used for designing online courses, such as aligning instructional learning outcomes and different ways to assess/test. We were exposed to work with the International Board of Standards for Training, Performance, and Instruction (ibstpi) competencies by completing a project to reflect our understanding of a selected group from the learners and instructors. Click on the following link to access the final Model Rationale: DelafeKennia_ModelRationale

The main coursework challenged us to integrate instructional designer competencies in creating an online instruction that facilitates purposeful integration of instructional and communication strategies, engaging visuals, motivational features, interactive content and assessments, and appropriate technologies and resources.  It also challenged us to follow procedures for virtual planning, designing, discussing, critiquing, and presenting a final project to the professor and classmates. The success of each final project was due to class discussions, readings, and other class materials that helped us to clarify concepts and learn from different perspectives, contexts, and experiences.

The main project I completed with a classmate involved developing an online instructional unit for a simulated non-profit healthcare center. This project aimed to facilitate the healthcare center’s clients with a two-hour workshop introducing them to a healthy lifestyle. Click on the following link to access the final pdf life DelafeKMammadovaE-UNIT2PROJECT and the competencies we included in our project DelafeKMammadovaE-TEAMPROJECTCRITIQUE



SPRING’18 COURSES

IDE 641: Techniques in Education Evaluation/ Final Grade: -A

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MLS Evaluation Plan

Techniques in Education Evaluation course gave us applied techniques to evaluate educational training programs and projects. These techniques focus on systematically investigating what will be assessed, such as content, resources, stakeholders, clients, evaluation collection, finding analysis instruments, and the evaluation process. Each class presented a phase of the evaluation process, which allowed us to learn the evaluation procedures and standards while interacting with the professor and classmates. The course also allowed us to apply each phase of the evaluation process step-by-step by completing a group project.

For this course, I worked collaboratively in a group project with two more classmates to create an evaluation plan for using Schoology, a Learning Management System (LMS), for English as a Second Language (ESL) adult learners. We evaluated the learning outcomes of the ESL adult learners’ English acquisition using Schoology LMS compared to those coursing the same English level but not involved in using the LMS. Click on the following link to access the final report and the final presentation: IDE 641_ FINAL Evaluation REPORT  and  IDE641-ESL-FinalPresentation

IDE 712: Analysis for Human Performance Technology/ Final Grade: A

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This course aimed to provide us with front-end analysis techniques used to evaluate programs and determine if an educational or training program is the best solution in business or academic settings. Through different simulation exercises, guest speakers, and individual and group projects, we could examine human behavior in various settings and how the role of instructional models can influence behavior changes on the job and society at large. It also allowed us to practice with those tools, including performance cost, efficiency, and effectiveness estimates of education, training, and other solutions; select, adapt, or design an appropriate instrument to collect data; and prepare relevant documentation for clients, stakeholders, and project team members.

In this course:

  • I completed a cognitive simulation project and presentation demonstrating how we create and follow mental constructs for all we do, influencing our responses in front of events. It also showed that once those mental structures are identified, solutions can be created to target parts that need redirecting for a behavior change. For more details, click the following link for the pdf version: Cognitive simulation presentation.
  • I created a SWOT tool to complete a Front End Analysis at West Side Learning Center, a local adult ESL education program, to improve adult ESL employment and retention outcomes.
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FEA Tool Presentation. Click on the picture to see more information.

Abstract: Vocational English for Speakers of Other Languages programs are much needed to prepare current and newcomer immigrants to be integrated into the workforce. Unfortunately, the adult education system is not yet prepared for this challenge. The SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats) analysis for the existing VESOL programs proposed in this paper can be used to analyze prevailing internal and external strengths and weaknesses within the organization, to find ways to improve those programs and to be used as a model for the implementation of new ones in the future. Therefore, Vocational English plans will allow the maximization of their resources to help adult learners become competitive employees in the United States.

Click the following link for the final report: Resources to FEA Tool Project- Final Report.

Click on the following link to access the final presentation pdf file: FEAPlan_Presentation

IDE 761: Strategies in Education Project Management. Final Grade: A

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PMP Gant Chart. Click on the image to see more.

This online course covered the five phases an Instructional Designer will use to design an education project management plan (PMP): Define, Plan, Organize, Control, and Close. Each phase focused our attention on discussing important tactics, skills, procedures, and tools that must be completed, used, and learned, intending to apply them to class group projects and future ones. This very intensive labor course challenged us to think outside the box and work diligently through every step with the support of reading materials, synchronized class discussions, group criticisms, and group work.

  • This course provided pre-course work that allowed us to connect to previous knowledge and start preparing the foundation for new information and skills.
  • A group project that allowed us to develop a Project Management Plan and find alternative PM solutions for a simulated educational project acted as a vivid application of concepts and skills discussed in class.
  • The possibility to learn from other groups’ Project management ideas and solutions by sharing them in small group discussions and class presentations.

My takeaway from this course was the interesting content of the five-step process, which is very similar to ADDIE and ensures the well-functioning and completion of educational projects. Also, I need the technical skills to create functional Gantt charts to support and manage each project’s details and steps until the end. Click on the following links to access the final files:

Link to the final project report: IDE 761-Delafe-Qian-ZhouPrjMgtPlan.docx-2

Link to the final presentation: A Generic Business ID Project Management


FALL’17 | WINTERLUDESPRINGSUMMERFALL’18


CAPSTONE COURSES

IDE 737: Advanced Instructional Design/ Final Grade: A

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Training Solution Flow Chart. Click on the image to see more.

The combination of synchronous/asynchronous teaching strategies in this Capstone Course allowed us to test and apply different instructional design techniques.  As students, we needed to complete ongoing assignments such as keeping a weekly reflective journal, developing a detailed Storyboard from a chosen topic in multiple steps, and developing a Rubric to criticize our storyboard and others. As IDD&E professionals, we had to create a detailed Storyboard implementing the basic and advanced instructional design to complete a practical model that could be developed and evaluated in the future. Therefore, techniques used in class by our professor were expected to be used in our storyboard design, among many others.

In this course, I developed a storyboard for a one-hour Professional Development Unit for ESL Adult teachers. This unit was created to target the identified knowledge and skills gap among ESL adult teachers at West Side Learning Center (WSLC). This unit shows a Google application and Chrome extension tools that teachers could use to enhance their ESL teachings and use technology to improve students’ English acquisition. Click on the following links to access the final files:

Here is the link to the final Storyboard file:  KDELAFEFinalStoryboard

Here is the link to the final Rubric: KDELAFEFinalRubricHandsOnActivities

My most significant takeaway from this class was the opportunity to develop a storyboard for a topic I am passionate about. Still, the best part was that the development was divided into phases. The first two phases allowed me to showcase my thoughts and have my work criticized by others in the class. This synchronized part of the class allowed me to understand whether my instructional strategies were understood and evaluate my abilities to use the knowledge learned in previous courses comfortably.

IDE 772: Education Technology in International Settings/ Final Grade: A

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E-Book

This online Capstone course covered issues and solutions or possible solutions in instructional principles, strategies, and processes in different instructional settings. It also offered broad information about the impact of education technology changes in countries worldwide. The course allowed us to choose a country to study and use it as a reference to report facts in group forums that covered issues and challenges in designing multicultural learning and social influences in designing, developing, and evaluating instructions.

This course had two major components: weekly discussions and the development of an e-book (the link to this electronic file is attached below). Every week, we covered very interesting discussions about how technology has raised and impacted education in countries such as Brazil, Spain, Cuba, Algeria, Liberia, Mexico, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, the Czech Republic, Nigeria, Finland, Latvia, Spain, China, and Zimbabwe. Each discussion enhanced our knowledge and opened up our eyes to issues and changes that we had very limited information about — each question posted by the student who hosted the week’s discussion involved readings and deep analysis to discuss findings and support them with facts. While participating in these weekly discussions, we were to work on selecting materials to develop our chapters, which turned into the final collaborative class project.

As I already said, this class was compelling regarding getting to know how technology has developed in different ways and how it has impacted and continues to impact the way we see education around the world today. The structure and innovation in this class were also very attractive and motivating because it was designed from the gamification instruction perspective. The focus of the gamification instruction, which allowed us to build our content-knowledge hierarchy and performance hierarchy among students, was a perfect way to keep us connected and constantly respond to challenges. Click on the following link to access the complete online file: BookChapter.


FALL’17 | WINTERLUDESPRINGSUMMERFALL’18


FALL’18 COURSE

IDE 552: Digital Media Production/ Final Grade: A

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Creating images using Photoshop

This course covered a surface spectrum of design media principles dedicated to learning new or upgraded skills in designing, developing, and implementing digital instructional media. The F2F course format made interaction with the professor, peers, and technology possible through the learning process and creating different projects. The tools covered included the basics of Adobe Dreamweaver, HTML5, CSS3, Responsive Webdesign, Photoshop, WordPress, and Camtasia video editing.

In this course, I have:

  • Created a static web page using HTML and  CSS3. Click on the following link to access the example page:  http://kdelafe.mysite.syr.edu/
  • Created a responsive web page using WordPress (which is serving as my professional portfolio for the IDD&E MS Program) https://kdelafe.expressions.syr.eduI
  • Edited previously made videos I created for my current job using a new set of skills. Click on the following link to access the YouTube file https://youtu.be/lPfzrZnhi8I

My biggest takeaway from this course was the possibility of learning basic web page design using HTML5 and creating styles using CSS3. Also, the possibility of strengthening others’ skills using WordPress and Camtasia was remarkable. I do regret not having taken this course in the first semester as it was initially assigned because, in that way, it would have saved me lots of time creating visuals, infographics, and a solid webpage for all course content leading to the M.S. portfolio. On the other hand, I am glad to have the possibility of taking this course at the end of the program so that I can dedicate the extra time it requires to learn and practice.


FALL’17 | WINTERLUDESPRINGSUMMERFALL’18