Coursework
My first step in compiling this portfolio was to review materials from each of the eleven courses in the M.Ed. in Training and Development program at North Carolina State University. I reviewed course syllabi, lessons, readings, assignments, papers, group projects, and online discussions. After this review, I selected at least one project or paper from every course to illustrate important milestones in my learning process. I refined my selections, considering their connections and identifying three major themes: 1) Instructional Design, 2) Organizational Development, and 3) Adult Learning.
Within each theme, course materials are described in depth through narrative statements. These statements further clarify the significance of the course materials as they relate to my learning and professional development. Some course materials are group projects; this is noted where applicable. I saved all course materials as PDF documents, uploaded them to Google Drive, and set permissions to be viewed by anyone on the Internet. Links to the PDF course materials are included in the narrative statements; clicking on the link opens the PDF in a new window of one’s Internet browser. Course materials have not been modified since their original submission.
Themes:
Theme 1: Instructional Design - Selected course materials include an interview with an instructional designer about his profession; lesson and evaluation plans structured around training objectives; a hands-on evaluation of a learning event; an instructional design project to create an employee training on critical thinking; and, an evaluation of an online technology training.
Theme 2: Organizational Development - Selected course materials include a performance consulting project to increase sales and profit for a company; a needs assessment and task analysis consulting project to analyze performance needs for a specific position in a company; ethics in the workplace exam responses on topics such as conflicts of interest and social responsibility; and, organization change exam responses on topics such as mechanistic and complex systems perspectives in organizations.
Theme 3: Adult Learning - Selected course materials include adult learner interviews focused on learning and motivation styles; evidence of course participation from an adult learner; a report on the case study training approach; a review of a qualitative research article about adult learning from corporate technology trainings; and guidelines for working with subject matter experts.
Within each theme, course materials are described in depth through narrative statements. These statements further clarify the significance of the course materials as they relate to my learning and professional development. Some course materials are group projects; this is noted where applicable. I saved all course materials as PDF documents, uploaded them to Google Drive, and set permissions to be viewed by anyone on the Internet. Links to the PDF course materials are included in the narrative statements; clicking on the link opens the PDF in a new window of one’s Internet browser. Course materials have not been modified since their original submission.
Themes:
Theme 1: Instructional Design - Selected course materials include an interview with an instructional designer about his profession; lesson and evaluation plans structured around training objectives; a hands-on evaluation of a learning event; an instructional design project to create an employee training on critical thinking; and, an evaluation of an online technology training.
Theme 2: Organizational Development - Selected course materials include a performance consulting project to increase sales and profit for a company; a needs assessment and task analysis consulting project to analyze performance needs for a specific position in a company; ethics in the workplace exam responses on topics such as conflicts of interest and social responsibility; and, organization change exam responses on topics such as mechanistic and complex systems perspectives in organizations.
Theme 3: Adult Learning - Selected course materials include adult learner interviews focused on learning and motivation styles; evidence of course participation from an adult learner; a report on the case study training approach; a review of a qualitative research article about adult learning from corporate technology trainings; and guidelines for working with subject matter experts.
