Career Development Boot Camp
The sample addresses an innovative program tailored for employees aspiring to transition from their current entry-level positions to more specialized roles within the company. This program was designed to address a dual need: empowering our workforce with advanced skills and knowledge, and fulfilling internal talent demands in more complex, value-added positions. It was facilitated “boot-camp” style over the course of six weeks.
Industrial Distribution Company
The Margin Management Training Series for an Industrial Distribution Company strategically enhances sales teams’ skills in pricing and margin management, significantly boosting performance metrics and aligning with evolving business strategies for sustained growth. In this Case Study I outline the evaluation and refresh plan for the training series.
Leadership Program Proposal
The LEAP program was conceptualized in response to a recognized need within the organization to expand leadership development opportunities beyond the existing framework focused primarily on sales associates. This initiative sought to inclusively address the aspirations and capabilities of a broader segment of the workforce, acknowledging that leadership potential resides across various roles and levels within the organization. The development and contextualization of LEAP involved a strategic process, as outlined below:
Persona and Learner Analysis
This Persona and Learner Analysis showcases a meticulous process of learner analysis and persona development for a cybersecurity training project aimed at a diverse workforce within a New York City-based company. This involved an initial deep dive into the company’s background, selecting from various industries where cybersecurity is a critical concern.
Apparel and Footwear Company
This case study showcases a collaborative redesign of a corporate training program, leveraging instructional theories such as Pretraining, Anchored Instruction, Dual-Coding, and the Zone of Proximal Development. The process highlighted rigorous analysis, creativity, and iterative refinement, culminating in an efficient, engaging, and learner-tailored training solution.
Resource Proposal
n a strategic move to revolutionize our company’s technical training approach for new hires, we embraced Articulate 360, an all-encompassing eLearning authoring tool suite. I partnered with the Learning and Development Specialist who identified training needs and the desire for a more engaging delivery tool. This initiative aimed to not only streamline the training development process but also enrich the learning experience for our new hires. Targeting an audience of senior managers within our business segment, this project was presented as a compelling case for adopting Articulate as the primary authoring tool for future training endeavors.
Job Aid: EV Safety
The document “EV Safety Job Aid” outlines a procedure for generating and accessing safety training reports related to Electric Vehicles…
The Agile Professional: Design Plan
The “Agile Professional Design Plan” is a comprehensive instructional design project aimed at enhancing agility skills in professionals. It utilizes Articulate Storyline for an immersive training module incorporating interactive assessments, scenario-based learning, and a variety of instructional strategies. The project is structured around key agility components, decision-making simulations, and personal development planning, supported by SME contributions.
AI Co-Design Experience
This is a team-based project to design and implement a course centered on AI and Technology-Enhanced Learning Design. This experience embodies the collaborative essence vital in corporate instructional design projects, where cross-functional teamwork is essential for innovation and effective learning solutions.
Situational Skills Benchmark
This project aimed to develop a nuanced benchmark assessment designed to help individuals identify and understand their growth areas across essential career skills. Recognizing the limitations of self-assessments—wherein individuals might not accurately assess their strengths and weaknesses due to a lack of self-awareness—the objective was to create an evaluation tool that encourages honest reflection and offers clear pathways for personal and professional development.
Iconify: PowerPoint Icon Customization
“Iconify It” was born out of a recognition of the underutilized potential of icons in enhancing PowerPoint presentations. Identifying this gap led to the initial concept—creating a training module to empower users to effectively select, customize, and incorporate icons into their presentations to maximize visual impact and audience engagement.
The Agile Professional
An immersive training module developed in Articulate Storyline to empower professionals with key agility skills for today’s evolving workplace. The module incorporates a myriad of learning methods, including interactive drag-and-drop activities, scenario-based questions, and a decision-making simulation to ensure understanding and application of agility concepts.
Cyber Security: Types of Threats
Project Overview This project entailed the creation of a segment within a cyber security training video, specifically designed to outline…
Virtual Meeting Tips
In response to the global shift to remote work in March 2020, the aim was to create an engaging and informative video that addressed common pitfalls of virtual meetings. The project sought to support the organization’s transition to a virtual environment by reminding employees of best practices and enhancing their remote work experience.
Powtoon Explored:
Diving into Powtoon, I stumbled upon an engaging tool that’s intuitive for crafting animated videos. Think whiteboard animations, spirited cartoon snippets, and micro-learning bursts. Let’s unravel this a bit further, shedding light on its user experience, cost-effectiveness, and a few areas where it might be found wanting.
Doodly Do? Doodly Don’t?
In today’s digital age, instructional design has become more than just presenting information; it’s about creating engaging and memorable learning experiences. Another creative tool entering the field is Doodly. As an instructional designer and self proclaimed tech-geek, I am thrilled to explore the features and benefits of Doodly and how it can enhance the effectiveness of instructional design.
The practicum project, titled “Career Essentials,” is designed to provide comprehensive training in essential technology tools and foundational business competencies to enhance associates’ career growth. It aims to foster digital literacy and adaptability among employees to meet the demands of the rapidly changing professional landscape. This initiative proposes a 24-week blended learning program, integrating SME and instructor-led content to achieve individual learning objectives. It includes practical exercises, simulations, and a culminating project to showcase skill progression. Key deliverables encompass curriculum guides, a webinar series, a communication plan, a SharePoint page for resources, and a personal skills assessment tool. The project underscores the necessity of proficiency in business competencies and technological tools for career advancement within the organization.
Promotional video for Career Essentials Program:
The voice is AI-generated, using AI voice from Articulate. The static images are Dall-E generated in ChatGPT4. The animated images are edited stock.
The Design Process: AGILE
Project Overview
As the lead instructional designer for the “Career Essentials” program, I embarked on a mission to create a comprehensive training solution focused on enhancing essential technology tools and foundational business competencies. The goal was to optimally position our associates for advanced career growth in a rapidly evolving professional landscape. Utilizing AGILE methodology, I designed, developed, and began the implementation planning of a 24-week blended learning program.
Initial Planning and Design Thinking
In the initial stages, my team and I leveraged AGILE’s iterative approach to brainstorm and identify the most effective technologies, such as SharePoint and Viva Engage, to create an engaging learning experience, building rapport among participants with interactive elements for self-guided study. Despite facing limitations in fully utilizing these tools, we adopted a growth mindset and reached out to subject matter experts (SMEs) for guidance. This step not only helped in overcoming technological constraints but also marked a significant development in cross-functional collaboration—a testament to the AGILE philosophy of embracing change and continuous improvement.
Reflection and Adaptation
Throughout the development phase, incorporating reflective exercises drawn from transformative learning theory proved fruitful. These exercises, aimed at encouraging learners to examine their assumptions and synthesize their learning, highlighted the importance of staying agile. Feedback from prior participants of similar programs underlined a pressing need for development in “soft skills.” Recognizing this, I adjusted the program scope to emphasize emotional intelligence (EQ) and other behavioral competencies, demonstrating AGILE’s responsiveness to feedback.
Development and Implementation
Moving from planning to full development, we encountered challenges such as balancing the use of technology to avoid overwhelming our learners. Feedback from informal discussions and previous program interviews informed adjustments to our activity guides, ensuring content relevance and engagement. This iterative refining of program components exemplifies AGILE’s commitment to evolving project requirements and stakeholder feedback.
Professional Growth and Learner Engagement
The absence of my manager during a critical phase turned into an opportunity for professional growth, fostering autonomy and honing decision-making skills. This experience, while challenging, underscored the value of AGILE’s collaborative decision-making and the necessity to adapt and proceed with confidence. Simultaneously, we achieved significant milestones, like completing the Adaptability guide, which reinforced my commitment to the timeline and adaptability within the AGILE framework.
Conclusion
The journey of designing and developing the Career Essentials program using AGILE methodology has been a testament to the power of iterative development, responsiveness to feedback, and cross-functional collaboration. Each phase of the project has brought its challenges, but by embracing AGILE principles, we made significant progress towards creating a program that truly meets the needs of our associates. This process has not only contributed to my professional growth but has also reinforced the importance of flexibility, teamwork, and a learner-centered approach in instructional design.
Examples of included activities
Strengths Self-Assessment
This project fosters self-awareness and growth among learners. By thoughtfully leveraging the capabilities of Evolve, the strengths self-assessment tool introduces the Adaptability Essentials segment setting the tone for self-reflection and personal growth.
Perspectives
This engaging and insightful exercise is not just a favored tool in my instructional design toolkit; it represents a core philosophy of my approach to education and professional development. Originating from a simple yet evocative prompt, “Standing at the water’s edge,” this activity has been a cornerstone of my efforts to cultivate communication, understanding, tolerance, and appreciation for diverse viewpoints across various settings.
Time Management Matrix
The “Time Management Matrix”, a component of an adaptability training series, leverages the Eisenhower Matrix to aid professionals in prioritizing tasks effectively. Recognizing the challenge professionals face in distinguishing urgent tasks from important ones, this tool was designed to facilitate decision-making and enhance productivity.
Agility Self-Assessment
The “Agility Self-Assessment” project encapsulates a comprehensive approach to fostering adaptability and resilience in the ever-evolving professional landscape. Developed with the objective of enabling professionals to self-evaluate their adaptability skills
Developing Your Elevator Pitch
The document “Pitch Perfect: Mastering Your Introduction for Career Success” outlines a comprehensive approach to crafting an effective elevator pitch for experienced professionals. This document serves as both a guide and a tool for experienced job seekers to articulate their value in a compelling and memorable manner.