Educational Technology Showcase
"A great accomplishment shouldn't be the end of the road, just the starting point for the next leap forward."
- Harvey Mackay
When I reflect on the digital artifacts below that compose my project showcase, I see these items not only as examples of my learning but as many small stepping stones to accomplishing my future goals. Learning doesn't end with a completed assignment or final grade in a course; rather, learning grows exponentially as you build on previous understanding. The showcase of items below does exactly that, it demonstrates the skills learned during my academic and professional careers (to date), and acts as the foundation for which my future learning will continue to shine. As my career aspirations are centered around instructional design and educational technology integration to promote learning in higher education, I tailored the projects below into three relevant categories: Instructional Design & Electronic Portfolios, Staff Training & Development Programs, and Technology Integration & Assessment.
Please feel free to take a look around and I'd be happy to chat in more detail about any of the projects below.
- Harvey Mackay
When I reflect on the digital artifacts below that compose my project showcase, I see these items not only as examples of my learning but as many small stepping stones to accomplishing my future goals. Learning doesn't end with a completed assignment or final grade in a course; rather, learning grows exponentially as you build on previous understanding. The showcase of items below does exactly that, it demonstrates the skills learned during my academic and professional careers (to date), and acts as the foundation for which my future learning will continue to shine. As my career aspirations are centered around instructional design and educational technology integration to promote learning in higher education, I tailored the projects below into three relevant categories: Instructional Design & Electronic Portfolios, Staff Training & Development Programs, and Technology Integration & Assessment.
Please feel free to take a look around and I'd be happy to chat in more detail about any of the projects below.
Instructional Design & Electronic Portfolios
Design as a Learning ProcessIn collaboration with concepts founded in the Stanford Design School, I was able to create my own projection of design as a cyclical learning process. This view allows designers to empathize with the end-users to first focus on the needs before crafting a design to fit the ideal resolution. Knowing that the design process does not end, but rather act as another opportunity for advanced learning, this cyclical process allows the designer to revisit each stage of the original Stanford Design Model when building on previous prototypes.
Reflection on Design as a Learning Process |
Portfolios in Learning Management SystemsThrough the Canvas learning management systems, I created a sample electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) for Stanford students to display their artifacts selected by them to reflect their learning during their academic career. The ePortfolio also combined online course reflections from their previous courses as a snapshot to further explain the courses listed on the electronic transcript. The ePortfolio concept allows students to personalize their learning to share with potential employers or in the interest of future academic pursuits.
Overview of Developing Electronic Portfolios |
Online Course Reflections as Evidence of Learning
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Shifting from the routine online course evaluations that students submit at the end of a term, I focused on the use of course reflections as an assessment of student learning. The goal in creating an online course reflection platform (as seen in the Canvas portfolio above), was to allow students to reflect on their learning over the quarter/semester, providing a valuable snapshot of their learning at this point in time of their academic career. Often students are motivated by completing course evaluations to access grades, rather than as a form of self-assessment in acknowledging their own growth. The purpose of course reflections is to provide an in-depth reflection on the student's learning, which could help strengthen a student's electronic portfolio - rather than the student simply relying on a subject, course number and grade listing on a transcript to represent his/her learning.
Electronic Portfolios and the Benefits of Online Course Reflections |
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Staff Training & Development Programs
Online Course DevelopmentThrough the Weebly website platform, I created an online course for departmental student services staff at Stanford University, with an emphasis on course maintenance and classroom scheduling. The purpose of the course was to provide specific training on curriculum management for constituents across campus, to both minimize course/class input errors in the student information system (SIS), and to provide a learning opportunity specific to their job responsibilities.
Stanford Curriculum Management Training Course Video Tutorials for Future LearnersAs part of the Stanford Design Model, the Testing phase is critical component to user acceptance and for the designer, a successful representation of the users' needs. The video above represents my understanding of the Testing phase, and it was created to share with future students within the Master of Arts, Educational Technology (MAET) program at Michigan State University. Surprisingly the internet is limited in terms of testing video documentation within the design process, so I aimed to provide learning opportunities for others with the video creation (completed with Camtasia, Audacity and YouTube).
The Purpose of Testing in Design |
Digital DocumentationWhen I transitioned into a managerial role in the Degree Progress department of the Office of the University Registrar, I noticed a need for an improved documentation portal for student form processing. As our team oversees 20+ types of student forms related to their academic progress, the creation of a Confluence portal allowed staff to reference a single location for all questions related to form processing within the student information system (SIS). The Confluence page reduced the need for standalone Word documents while also allowing staff to directly link to pages within the SIS.
Design Process for the Confluence Staff Training Portal Learning through Game DesignExploring Minecraft as a use for student learning, the video above was crafted to teach Stanford University students and staff members the basics of online course evaluations (OCEs). As questions often arise about the timing of OCEs and the links to grade witholding, the video covered these concepts as I drafted a red bridge to represent the OCE learning process. Students and staff would enter on one side of the bridge, reviewing information sessions as they crossed to the other side. At the end of the bridge was a brief quiz covering the concepts on the OCE bridge to gauge student understanding of OCEs at Stanford.
Reflection on the Minecraft Game Design Process |
Student Records Training Program
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The development of this program plan was designed to address the prevalent gaps in student records understanding and provide clarity on University policy and procedures in a training setting. The goal was to reinforce key student records concepts in areas of course scheduling, degree progress and academic records to departmental student services staff members at Stanford University. In comparison to the scheduling specific training above, the goal here was to develop a comprehensive training program that the Office of the University Registrar's individual units could oversee to train new staff at Stanford.
Expansive Student Records Training Program for New Staff |
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Technology Integration & Assessment
Analysis of Emerging Educational TechnologiesIn this assessment of an educational technology, I focused on the Peter Wallenberg Learning Theater at Stanford University. The learning theater is a two-story classroom highlighted by an interactive screen/panel that measures 32 feet in length and over 8 feet tall. My interest in assessing this learning technology was grounded in the classroom's rising popularity with faculty on campus and to further understand the many methods instructors
utilize in the classroom to promote student learning. Evaluating Wallenberg Learning Theater Addressing Budget Concerns in Higher EducationThrough case studies and financial analysis, I was able to fully understand (and appreciate) the complexity of rising college costs and the impact on higher education budgets. As I aim to continue a career in higher education, I wanted to learn about the topics that are so often chosen for discussion on social media/news platforms: college costs, tuition, need-based vs. merit-based aid, and the political arena of higher education budgets.
Identifying the Rise in College Costs The Political Process of Higher Education Budgets Low-tuition, Low-aid and The Equity Argument |
Formative Assessment in Digital PortfoliosThrough the use of a digital infographic, I focused on the use of electronic portfolios as a method of formative assessment. Portfolios act as a tool for formative assessment by representing the product (digital artifacts) and the process (self-reflection) involved in student learning. The portfolio displays 'what' the students have learned and the process of 'how' they learned. The use of a storyboard allowed me to share my thought processes on formative assessment and how electronic portfolios can be developed to visually represent student learning through a collection of digital projects.
Digital Portfolios as Evidence of Formative Assessment Understanding the Human ElementUsing SoundCloud to capture my interview, I focused on the most basic human element of understanding: body language. These non-verbal cues are essential to our daily interactions and can be used to assess any situation, related to student learning or simply day-to-day encounters. The interview focuses on my analysis of basic body language, the recognition of non-verbal cues and our emotions related to these interpretations.
Body Language and Understanding Non-Verbal Cues |
All photos belong to Matt Shaw or the public domain, unless otherwise noted.