RUNNING HEAD: Metacognitive Essay

My Journey Through the Instructional Psychology and Technology Program

Learning to Become an Instructional Designer

A Metacognitive Essay

Candace Miller

University of Oklahoma

Fall 2017
Metacognitive Essay

The Beginning of My Journey

When I first entered the instructional design and psychology program at the University of

Oklahoma, I had limited knowledge in instructional design. As for technological skills, I would

say I was at an intermediate level. I could quickly navigate through an LMS, use Microsoft

software, and take pictures and upload them to my computer. However, I lacked knowledge of

the instructional design process when it came to putting together presentations or infographics. I

could make past projects informational but they did not have the instructional aspects to them

that could make them truly useful for learning. For instance, in one course, Teaching with

Technology, I was asked to put together an infographic, screencast a tutorial video, and compose

a handout for a software or application of my choice. I truly struggled with this initially because I

had no background knowledge of instructional design and instructional design theory.

Key Points of Learning and Development

As I entered the program and began to take courses, my knowledge and skill of

instructional design and technology increasingly strengthened. For instance, when taking the

course Instructional Design I, I was asked to do a need and task analysis. I had little knowledge

of these concepts but as I received feedback each time and as I read the articles and text assigned

to the course, I began to feel more confident in my ability to write these parts of a design

document. By the end of the course, I felt very accomplished in finishing my very first, complete

design document. It was a struggle and a process, however, the end result led to the

strengthening of my instructional design skills.

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Another class that truly strengthened my skill level was Measurement and Evaluation.

This course intimidated me at first because I loathe anything to do with math. However, this

class was completely helpful and my math worries were whisked away. Within this course, I

learned how to write test items which is something I had never done before. We also learned in

this course how to do an item analysis and find poor test items. The math used in this course was

not anything I could not handle and the skills I gained from this course were necessary to obtain

in order to be a successful instructional designer.

While taking the Visual Literacy course in this program, I gained some valuable

technological and design skills. For instance, I learned that you cannot simply through colors

together but that they need to contrast each other, among other things. I learned how to design an

infographic, a skill I was lacking when I took Teaching with Technology. I also learned how to

build my own website from scratch using Adobe Muse and OU Create. This is a skill that I am

proud to have because it could help me get a job in the future. It is also nice to know how to

make something completely your own design and to not have to rely on templates from other

sources. Although my website was not the prettiest or the best, it was functional and something I

could always improve upon as technology advances and things become outdated on my website.

Furthermore, within this course, I also learned how to apply Gestalt principles to my designs and

graphics. We learned to manipulate pictures and graphics or to create our own using Adobe

Photoshop, Adobe After Effects, and Adobe Illustrator. When doing so, we needed to ensure that

we used Gestalt principles and other design principles when manipulating or creating pictures

and/or graphics. I feel like this has allowed me to develop a more critical perspective when

creating or re-designing visuals. For instance, cognitive overload can occur when there is too

much action going on in one picture or graphic. If you were to use a graphic that created

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cognitive overload in a course, training, etc. this could cause the learners to dismiss the picture,

graphic, etc. If this happens, then the picture, graphic, etc. becomes irrelevant and can actually

take away from the learning process. This is something I did not know happened. Now that I do,

I can effectively create visuals to support learning and not impede upon the learning process.

I am currently taking Text-Based Instruction. In this course, I will be creating procedural,

informational, and instructional projects using Adobe InDesign. This class focuses on text-based

instruction through text-based media. This course will teach me how to effectively develop

instructional materials that will lead to learning and acquisition of new skills. These skills and

knowledge I will gain in this course will help me to interact and communicate more effectively

with others such as graphic designers, other instructional designers, Subject Matter Experts, and

other media developers.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Strengths. I have found that my ability to write an efficient and effective paper has

increased due to this program. From the beginning, I was asked to use APA style and to write

papers, proposals, research papers, and design documents using that format. My knowledge in

this style has improved and I believe that this skill will help me in my career to support decisions

I make as an instructional designer. My knowledge and application of instructional theories and

principles has also increased due to this program. I am able to think of certain theories and/or

principles can be used for unique design situations. I also feel that this program has enabled me

to use constructive feedback to improve my work. In several courses, through the practicum and

internship as well, I have had many opportunities to hear others feedback about my work and

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how to improve it. At first, this concept was hard for me to take in. I was worried that I was not

good at instructional design. However, I have learned that instructional design is an iterative

process and that there can always be improvements and modifications to my work which will

play a part in ensuring the learner is actually learning from my designs.

Weaknesses. Although the courses, practicum, and internships from this program have

taught me a variety of skills and have vastly improved my knowledge and ability in the field of

instructional design and technology, I still have a few weaknesses. For instance, I am still a

novice when it comes to certain software. I am familiar with many of the programs in Adobe

Creative Cloud but I would not say I could I teach someone else how to use beyond basic

functionality. Furthermore, when it comes to creating visual materials, I think I would do best to

work with a graphic designer. I am able to make a rough draft of an idea I want to come to

fruition and that is instructionally sound but I believe others have more of a visual eye than I do.

Another weakness I have found is although I did well in the Measurement and Evaluation course,

I would not say I am comfortable with all of the content learned from that course.

Practicum Project Over Google Hangouts Spring 2017

This project was intended to fulfill my requirements for the practicum in IDT program. It

gave me the opportunity to experience real-life situations which includes an authentic

experience. The learning goals for me were to provide me with opportunity to use my knowledge

and skills from courses such as Instructional Design I and Introduction to Instructional

Technology, and apply them to a real-life, authentic scenario(s). My target audience for this

project was specifically my two clients or were also my learners, two faculty members at the

University of Oklahoma. More broadly though, this could also be used by their students who

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may have had difficulty using Google Hangouts to have remote meetings with their professors.

After meeting with my clients/learners, I found that a training of Google Hangouts would fit their

needs the most along with a supplementary procedural and instructional guide.

The practicum was taken within the first year of my time in the program. I worked one-

on-one with two faculty members to design and develop an informative, instructional, and

procedural guide and an instructional training on how to use Google Hangouts. This project

pushed me to think deeper theoretically and to find how truly iterative the field of instructional

design is. When I began the project, I first set up a meeting with my clients to assess their needs

and to see what they envisioned the final product to look like. I had created analysis questions to

find out the specifications of my clients needs. I had my advisor and Subject Matter Expert, Dr.

Cullen, review these questions I intended to ask. She brought to my attention that my questions

were too specific and I needed to make them more broad and easy for someone who has no

background knowledge in IDT to understand. This was very helpful and made me realize that

you must always keep your audience/learner in mind, even in the smallest areas of the design

process. I was able to redesign my questions before the meeting so that they better suited my

client/learners needs.

Initially, I had little knowledge of Google Hangouts. This caused some panic but with

my SMEs help I was able to learn Hangouts fairly quickly before designing and developing the

procedural guide and training. This practicum really gave me guidance and knowledge in how an

instructional designer has to think. Furthermore, I truly learned how working with SMEs and

clients can be difficult but necessary to creating great design.

After my meeting with the clients, I began to start the analyzing my clients needs. It was

made clear through the answers to my questions from the meeting that my client wanted to

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primarily use Hangouts for remote office hours. I needed to keep this in mind throughout the rest

of the design process. This main task needed to be met. This lead to the beginning of task

analysis.

Task analysis is like the heart of the design document. It is time consuming and can be

tough but it really sets the tone for the rest of the design process. Google Hangouts has many

steps and processes to it. To the novice user, it can be confusing and frustrating. I needed to

design a guide that would relieve the confusion and possible frustration from the use of

Hangouts. I also had to be aware of the possibility of things not going right when Hangouts is

being used and incorporating steps for troubleshooting within my task analysis. I started with a

bare bones analysis and went through each step of Hangouts. I began to consult Googles support

pages, blogs, videos, and tutorials as well. These materials were freely accessible and helped me

learn how to use Hangouts efficiently and effectively. The training and guide I would produce at

the end of this practicum were very specific to my clients needs. I needed to keep this in mind

when determining what parts needed to be included. This enabled me to find the essential skills.

Due to time constraints of the semester and the deadline set, I chose to only use the essential

skills.

The task analysis was a thorough process and when performing task analysis, I realized

how crucial it is to the design process. I kept my clients needs in mind and their prerequisite

knowledge and skills when designing task analysis. Their prerequisite knowledge was crucial

because it set the standard for how in-depth (or not) I needed to be when describing steps or

processes within my task analysis. Working with my SME also allowed me to gain outside

knowledge and perspective. If I have learned anything from this program, it is that having a

second (or even more) set of eyes look at your design is so important. This will allow you to see

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possible mistakes, design errors, etc. in your work that you may not have noticed on your own.

Also, working alongside a SME is vital to the process of instructional design. A SME will know

the important and even minute steps that need to be included in the task analysis. As an

instructional designer, it is our job to ensure these steps are included. The steps within the task

analysis I designed are both cognitive skills and psychomotor skills. Therefore, there are some

steps that have the learner make decisions, cognitive skills, and other steps that have the learner

physically perform a step, psychomotor skills. When designing the task analysis, this was

important to consider because there could be certain misconceptions within steps or if the learner

made a certain decision it could lead them to a different step then the actual next step in the

process and eventually cause them to end up in a different process altogether. I needed to ensure

that the steps included in the task analysis led to the final goal of the training, the learner could

adequately use Google Hangouts and place a video call for use in remote office hours meetings.

After I had completed task analysis, I moved on to the instructional plan. This included

the learning objectives, instructional materials, and development of each training session. The

three learning objectives I came up with were:

1. Place a video call via Google Hangouts

2. Add two other people to Hangout via Google Hangouts

3. Share screen using practice document with one other person via Google Hangouts

After developing the learning objectives, I was able to begin to write up my instructional

plan. This, like task analysis, is a time consuming and weighty area of the design process. Task

analysis prepared me for this part of the design process though and I did not feel as

overwhelmed. From the learning objectives, I also developed the instructional materials needed

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for the training I would be designing and developing for my clients to learn Google Hangouts. I

came up with the following instructional materials:

iPad

iPhone

Laptop

Practice document to use to screen share with

Google Hangouts handout

YouTube Live handout

Informationa/instructional video as a supplement to instruction (what will be included in

training and what to expect i.e. Google Hangouts basics overview)

Supplementary instructional video over how to add/invite non-Google users to a Hangout

Hangouts Plugin website (https://www.google.com/tools/dlpage/hangoutplugin?hl=en)

Google Chrome Hangouts extension

https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/extensions

All of these materials were necessary in the process and aid of the training. For instance,

some things are obviously needed, such as the laptop or iPad, however, other materials were

needed to supplement the training. For example, to keep the training within the time constraints,

I recorded and compiled an informational and instructional supplementary video to have my

clients watch before the first training session. This video also gave the clients a basic overview

of what to expect during the training and the fundamentals of Hangouts. I recorded all of the

videos for this training using QuickTime screen recorder. Editing of the videos was done using

Adobe Premiere Pro. Not only was it fun for me to learn to use these tools, but they also added

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additional practice for me as well. I wish I had previously taken Visual Literacy or Text-Based

Instruction before completing my practicum. However, I know that is not always possible and I

did my best with the knowledge I did have from the program.

The first training session included both of my clients. Before the training, I had my clients

watch the instructional/informational video that gave them a basic overview of what Google

Hangouts is and what it can do. This helped expedite the training process as my clients were both

busy professors. At the beginning of the session, I discussed what we would be covering and

what they would know by the end of the training. We decided to practice on iPads because they

also wanted to know how to use Hangouts on their iPads. I used my instructional plan as a

guideline for the training. However, during the training, I had to tweak things around in order to

fit the real life situation at hand. Each client had a turn placing a Hangout video call session to

the other. The clients had many questions which was good practice for me. This was

overwhelming at times but I work well under pressure so I did not mind it. Also, it allowed me to

see that even if you are very well prepared for a training as an instructor, there will still be

questions or issues that may throw you off or take the training into a new direction. After they

had practiced making video calls via Hangouts, we worked on adding others to Hangouts calls.

Finally, we went over the screenshare feature. Since the clients were working on their iPads and

an iPad does not have the capability to screenshare within Hangouts, I did a demonstration on

my laptop of how to screenshare, step-by-step. The clients were able to ask questions the entire

session and this allowed for expansion over topics. Overall, the training went well and was quick

and efficient which was a need of my clients.

There was a brief training session that lasted ten minutes on a set date after the first

training session. This training session was set up to review Hangouts and answer any questions

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the learners may still have. However, some of the questions the clients had were out of my skill

level. For instance, they wanted to know how to set up their students OU e-mail accounts to a

Google account. I answered to the best of my knowledge but without access to OU student e-

mail accounts, besides my own, the question was hard to fully answer and figure out on my own.

Therefore, I referred the clients to University of Oklahoma IT department, as they would be able

to answer their questions further.

I believe I was fairly successful in developing a procedural guide and training for Google

Hangouts. I had a few hiccups along the way. For instance, I was way too specific initially when

developing questions for my client to answer about their knowledge. I made assumptions within

my questions and this was something I needed to fix. I was able to execute the whole process

fairly on my own. However, my advisor and SME, Dr. Cullen, was a huge help in my success.

She was able to help me understand how to fix things within the process without just giving me

the answers. This was beneficial to me and made me really think back to what I had previously

learned before the practicum. Having feedback throughout the process was fairly helpful. As an

instructional designer in the field, I hope to work in a team setting with others who are able to

give me feedback. This is not because I believe my knowledge and skills are lacking and need

help but because much can be gained from an outside perspective of a colleague or mentor.

After the first training, my clients needed a second training session that I had not planned

for initially. This was because of difficulties with technology outside of my knowledge.

However, I was able to point them in the right direction in order to get help with their questions

they had. It was also nice to have a review session and evaluate my design from this review

session. Evaluation is a big part of the instructional design process and I was able to incorporate

this within my practicum. I therefore added in the additional review session/training as a part of

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the instructional plan. Furthermore, I made additional tweaks to the guide and made another

supplementary video after our first training session. This was to help my clients out with the

needs they presented to me after the first training. I think it was helpful for me to learn that

things do not always goes as planned. As an instructional designer, I need to make sure to always

try and address any issues that could arise during a training that the instructor may occur. The

instructor will have a plan that can use to troubleshoot the issue(s) if the instructional designer

addresses the issue(s) and incorporates a plan for them ahead of time. This will help the process

be smoother for everyone involved, including the learners.

Practicums are really helpful for the novice instructional designer. I was able to

experience opportunities that are just not authentically possible in a graduate classroom setting. I

was able to experience frustrations, triumphs, and new learning opportunities that lead to me

obtaining more knowledge in the field. I was able to use what I learned from the practicum in my

classes as well as in the internship I was assigned to. For instance, the practicum allowed to have

some experience in infographics and text-based instruction because I made a guide to go along

with the training and for use after the training. When I was in my internship at the Center for

Teaching Excellence, now the Office of Digital Learning, I was able to use this knowledge as a

foundation when creating infographics, graphics, and pictures. I was also able to use this

knowledge in a course I am currently enrolled in, Text-Based Instruction. In this course, we have

to make a procedural guide. Since, I have the basic knowledge of how to make one from my

practicum, it has made things much easier for me when creating one for that class.

Now that I am in Text-Based Instruction, I see some changes that I could make to the

guide. For instance, I could now design the guide in Adobe InDesign, which is a software I was

unfamiliar with at the time of the practicum. Using this would allow me to fix alignment and

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spacing issues present in the current guide. Knowledge of Adobe InDesign would have been very

useful at the time of the practicum because it would have expedited the process of creating the

design since the software I did use, Pages, was a bit cumbersome in comparison.

Environmental Racism Video for EIPT 6523 Visual Literacy

The purpose of this project was for me to display all of my skills developed throughout

the duration of the course. The project was a final project that was designed and developed

towards the end of the course. I used various design principles and theories to create the final

video. The requirements of this project included creating an original digital video that had added

sound, multiple shots and angles, still images, titling, and quality lighting and sound. The topic

Environmental Racism was an assigned topic for the course. Although the script, shooting of

footage and sound, storyboard, and ideas for graphics, images, etc. were a team effort, the actual

final video was completely designed and produced on my own. That meant I had to learn to use

new software and edit everything, such as sound, video, and graphics, on my own. However, it

was nice to have support from group members and create a final concept for the video together. I

also found the Lynda Training Videos to be very helpful whenever I would get stuck using or

needed to learn a new software.

Throughout the semester, I learned how important visuals are to learning and how they

can either supplement learning or take away from the learning process. Before taking this course,

I never realized that certain images, graphics, and infographics can have a negative impact on

learning. I knew there was such a thing as bad design but I thought if it looked pretty and

well put together it was usable. However, after taking this course and learning concepts and

theories behind visual learning, I found out that is not the case. For instance, placement of an

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image can have an effect on where the viewer looks initially. When designing this video, I had to

keep that in mind. If there was text that was important and informational, I wanted to make sure

that was the main focus and not the image. The image needed to be supplementary to the text and

help emphasis the concept being taught. Also, with a video you do not want the image to take

from what the speaker is saying. For instance, if the video is about a solemn, serious subject, you

do not want to put images of flowers, rainbows, and people smiling, unless that is what the video

and speaker are trying to convey. For example, when I first created this video, I was given a

critique that my music was too happy for the subject and content of the video. Therefore, I had

to find background music that created a more somber and serious feel then what I previously had

used.

This project really tested my knowledge of Adobe Creative Cloud software. I used

several different apps within the Creative Cloud to make the final video. For instance, Adobe

Premiere Pro was used to edit and produce the video. Adobe Audition was used to edit the sound

and to add in background music. Adobe Illustrator was used to create original images and Adobe

After Effects was used to animate those images. I used Adobe Photoshop to modify images

legally obtained from website sources, such as vectors that were used. All of the software I used

was used individually and then compiled together to create the final video. Therefore, this project

helped me to practice my sound editing, video editing, graphic design, photo editing and

manipulating, and copy editing skills.

I also learned skills such as how to film a video using a video recording camera and

tripod. How to use a microphone to capture sound and how to seamlessly sync that sound with

the video was something that I was able to practice and expand my knowledge and skills in. How

to sync images with video and sound was another skill I learned while creating this project.

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There are a few things I would change in the video. After feedback in class, as mentioned

before, I changed the background music so it would line up with the topic more appropriately. I

would also re-shoot some of the footage to make it less blurry and more focused. I would work

on making animated graphics move more smoothly by attempting to perfect them in Adobe After

Effects. They are not terrible now but they could be less choppy and flow more than they do

presently. I would also sharpen up transitions within the video. The font choices in the video, for

instance when the video begins to talk about Flint, MI, are not horrible but it could be beneficial

and more aesthetically pleasing to pick a new one that fits with the other fonts used already in the

video. Since, I had not taken the text-based instruction course when this video was made, I had

no idea the significance our text choices have. I would also choose photos that were not so

pixelated and were more clear for the viewer to see. I would also revise the closed captions to

make sure they are grammatically correct and free of any errors.

Overall, I am proud of this video. It was not easy for me to produce. I had never used

Adobe After Effects before making this video. It was a fun and beneficial software app to learn

that I could definitely use again in either a job or personal setting. This project allowed me to

apply the knowledge I had learned in the course in ways I had not thought of before. It was

challenging but not impossible.

Final Design Document for EIPT 6143 Instructional Design I

This project was probably the most difficult but rewarding projects I worked on during

the program. I took this course during my first semester in the program and it truly challenged

me. However, this project also helped to solidify that instructional design was the correct career

path for me. Prior to taking the course, I had little to no knowledge of the methods, models, and

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processes that go into creating a design document and deliverables. This course helped me to

strengthen my knowledge of instructional design and the underlying theories within the design

process.

The final design document was actually built throughout the semester. As we

learned about one process of design, we began to create our own components using knowledge

from assignments, activities, and readings that would eventually lead to the final document. The

whole design document was an iterative process. We had activities that allowed us to gain

feedback from our peers. This was really useful and allowed me to gain insight to things I would

not have addressed or thought of without a second pair of eyes. Furthermore, feedback was also

given from the instructor, Dr. Ge. This was beyond helpful. Her feedback was very constructive

and lead me to revise and to learn new concepts this way. Through this process, I was able to see

where my thinking was misguided and how to correct it using theoretical guidance and

principles. I was also able to see what I had a firm grip on already in the class. For example, I

turned in my first draft of task analysis thinking I really knew what I was doing. After receiving

feedback, I found there was a lot I needed to improve, rethink, and redesign in my task analysis.

This constructive feedback was especially beneficial to me. Another example was when I turned

in my instructional plan. I had a plan of instruction in place but did not even think to design and

turn in deliverables. I also did not turn in the script to guide the instructor who would be using

my instruction. These are crucial components of the instructional plan. I was a rookie and I was

unaware that this was part of the design document process. Through feedback though, I realized I

needed to design and turn in these components. This was also helpful for me because it gave me

the opportunity to learn how to design materials to be used by an instructor. Through the

assignment of the instructional plan, I was able to design a PowerPoint (PPT) that would go

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along with the training and the training videos. I had to think from the learners perspective and

the instructors perspective. This allowed me to have a new outlook on my project and to make

sure I was keeping the audiences in mind. The insight was gained from instructor feedback and

through peer interactions.

Looking back, and with the new skills and knowledge I have acquired. I may have chosen

to add more supplementary guidance for the instructor and students. For instance, now I have the

skills to build an instructional video. Therefore, I could have made videos to be used instead of

only having a PPT for the students and instructors to use. My design and placement of the actual

PPT would probably be a bit more instructional now too. When I designed the PPT I had little

knowledge of visual literacy principles and text-based principles. Now that I have taken both

courses, I think my PPT would definitely benefit from the knowledge and skills I have acquired.

Furthermore, my time in my internship with the Center for Teaching Excellence, now the Office

of Digital Learning, this summer gave me even more knowledge in building PPTs for instruction

and visual literacy concepts. During the internship, we had to build layers using PPT that would

eventually be converted into a video. I had to ensure I placed graphics in places that would not

take away from the text. I also had to make sure that the graphic did not add confusion or

misrepresent what the text or instructor was saying in the video. These skills and knowledge

would definitely help me give the PPT a facelift and would allow me to ensure that the PPT was

instructional and not just informational.

Future

Now more than ever, I feel the confidence in my ability as an instructional designer. This

program has fully prepared me for my future job as an instructional designer. I possess the skills

and qualifications needed to be an effective ID. By learning new software, being familiar with

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visual design principles and methods, and knowing and implementing instructional theories,

strategies, and models, I feel extremely confident and knowledgeable in the field of instructional

design and technology. This program has also allowed me to flourish in other areas such as,

public speaking, project management, and quality assurance. As seen in my projects described

above, I have had several challenges throughout the program. However, I have been able to work

through these challenges in authentic manner by consulting my peers and professors. All of the

skills and knowledge I have acquired are tremendously valuable in my future success as an ID. I

have gone from knowing almost nothing about instructional design and technology to be able to

produce design documents, deliverables, and presentations over the topic. This program was not

easy but has been a necessary challenge to prepare me as an effective, successful, and

knowledgeable ID.

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