Assignments – reflective Learning Blog

March 29, 2020March 30, 2020

Finally putting theory into practice

As I near the end of my masters experience, it’s time to knuckle down one final time and get over the finish line. I’ve learned a lot over the course of the year and I definitely feel like I’ve been justified in choosing the right course. One of the last hurdles to cross is that of the e-learning course design assignment. In this assignment I will have to create my own e-learning course from scratch. It gives me the chance to put all my newly acquired knowledge to the test, and to see if I can transfer this knowledge to a real life project.

When hearing about the assignment I was a bit daunted to say the least. I wasn’t expecting the scope of the project to be so big. Designing a whole e-learning course is no mean feat and it takes a lot of knowledge and skill to do so. However I can say safely that I feel like I have all the necessary knowledge required to complete a project like this. In many ways I feel like it’s the perfect assignment to cap off a memorable year. The assignment will allow me to see what it’s like to work as an e-learning developer or instructional designer who has to work to a deadline and project brief. At the end of it I’ll also have a real life example of a completed project that I can show to employers as part of a portfolio. Finished examples such as this can be the difference in either getting a job or not. A long with this I’ll also be able to draw on things I’ve learned in a number of modules and these can be blended together to create the final product. I feel i’ts a great way to solidify what I’ve learned all year before I go out into the job market.

It’s therefore safe to say that this assignment is one that I’m looking forward to. As the year has drawn on I’ve come to enjoy the e-learning side of the course. A positive experience in this assignment could finally help me decide what route I want to go down.

March 29, 2020April 3, 2020

Becoming a master of XML

As part of my assessment for a college module I’ve been tasked with creating an XML document. For those of you that don’t know XML is one of the lesser used markup languages in website design. As someone who does not come from a computer background this assignment should prove tricky. Over the course of my 5 years in college I’ve had very little exposure to markup languages used in web development. When I was in 4th year I was able to participate in some labs that showed us the basics of HTML and CSS. In truth I found it difficult to understand what was going on in these labs. Seeing such complicated data was a shock to the system! I had always assumed that such technical content was only meant for students studying computer science. It’s no surprise then that I found it difficult to take anything away from these labs as my natural instinct was to panic over how I’ll never be able to understand the content.

Upon hearing that I would have to learn yet another markup language this semester, my reaction was much of the same. I had just started to try and wrap my head around our HTML and CSS labsheets, and now I would have to add another one to the list. However, when researching about CSS and HTML I discovered a youtube account that provided really handy tutorials in both markup languages. I had found him very easy to understand and he helped me to learn the most basic aspects of both languages. It just so happened that the third installment of his tutorial series would deal with XML!! When the assignment brief came out last week I went straight to youtube and watched the third tutorial. Having already looked at CSS and HTML I found it a lot easier than I expected to follow the lesson. I now understand the purpose of using XML and I have a basic knowledge of how it works.

Despite my initial shock when seeing the assignment brief I feel like I’m in a good place to design a good quality XML document. It’s going to take a lot of playing around before I can finalize my document but this is only normal. Over the next week or so I will review the labsheets provided to us and hope that I’m completely up to speed by then. All going well I’ll be confident when designing the final product.

March 1, 2020April 3, 2020

Interviewing

A few weeks back I posted about the struggles of networking. This post was all to do with finding a professional in the field of technical communication to interview. Well thankfully I can provide a positive update as I have indeed managed to find a suitable candidate. It wasn’t easy but I managed to get there in the end with some help.

However the most important part of this interview assignment is still to come up; the interview itself. When I heard back in week one that I would be conducting an interview I felt nervous straight away. Hearing the word interview brought back many unhappy memories of interviewing for jobs. All this worry wasn’t exactly justified however, as the interview I would be conducting would be a whole lot different to my past interviews. There won’t be any job at stake when I conduct this interview and I’m not under pressure. I will be trying to find out as much as I can about the job of an education technologist. Instead of being nervous I am actually very excited about this assignment. Getting the chance to learn about a potential career from a person who knows what its about is valuable. In a few months time I’ll be finished college and looking to take the next step. I’m undecided on what career I want to pursue as there are so many great options. If this interview goes well and I like what I hear, there’s a high chance I’ll make my decision based on this.

With all the resources I’ve been given this semester about conducting interviews I’m confident it will go well. I’ve learned about how to structure an interview and about how to ask the right questions. These new insights will prove to be useful in both this assignment and my life in general.

February 23, 2020April 3, 2020

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is an interesting design strategy that I’ve become acquainted with over my 5 years in university. A storyboard is a visual representation of the layout and sequence of a digital resource. It should act as the designer’s blueprint and can help them formulate a clear plan. Elements of the design process such as scope and cost can be well gauged with a good storyboard.

Having had my first introduction to storyboarding a year ago, it’s time that I familiarize myself with it again. Just like I had to do as an undergrad, I’ve been tasked with designing a storyboard for an online course of my choice. Last year I decided to make a storyboard for a course that would show beginner DJ’s how to set up their equipment. This year I’ve shamelessly decided to use the idea again. However I am now a year wiser and recognize that there are a few faults with my old storyboard. Not only do I know a lot more about configuring sound equipment but I also know a lot more about storyboarding. My new knowledge in both fields will allow me to produce what I hope will be a more polished storyboard. Last year I had to use Powerpoint as my design tool which limited my design. The storyboard was nowhere near as interactive as I would’ve liked it to be due to the lack of functioning buttons provided by Powerpoint. This time round I have knowledge of software tools like Adobe Articulate that can help me produce a sleeker looking storyboard. I’ve also realized that I failed to make proper use of photoshop in my last storyboard. The photos I used did not fit properly in the storyboard and took away from the appearance. In addition I didn’t have as great an understanding of education theories which hindered my planning of the storyboard. I have e better knowledge of learning objectives now which will allow me to get the most out of my new resource.

On the whole I feel I’m much more set up for success thanks to all the new knowledge I’ve gained as a masters student. While I achieved a high grade on my last storyboard I’m hoping to go one better this time around!!

February 16, 2020April 3, 2020

Dissertation

Mention the word dissertation to a student in any part of the world and you’ll more than likely elicit a similar response. Students are known to loathe the idea of undertaking a dissertation and many regard it as the most stressful aspect of their studies. However the dissertation is also a chance for students to hone in on a topic that interests them. And while I myself am no different to other students, I am determined to give it my best shot.

When tasked with choosing a dissertation title back in December I was at a complete loss. Picking a topic out of the sky seemed impossible as there were so many options available. When looking at potential research areas I found myself going down an internet rabbit hole. Despite trying to narrow down my list of potential topics, I found the list getting bigger by the day. I decided that it would be best to weigh out the pros and cons of each topic and see which would work best. In the end I picked usability as my topic due to the fact that I had just completed a large assignment on usability testing. I had enjoyed the experience of testing the usability of a local government website. When writing the literature review for this assignment I uncovered plenty of interesting articles. I had started to realize that a lot of these articles shared something in common. The majority of them discussed usability issues with e-government sites in developing countries. Also, a lot of the usability issues mentioned in these studies were very similar. I therefore decided that I wanted to write a dissertation on the usability issues found on e-government websites in these developing countries.

With the title decided I now had to pick a methodology. This was perhaps even trickier than finding a topic as I had only ever completed two large research papers. The methodologies used in those assignments would not be suitable for the topic I had proposed. However when writing the literature review for one of these assignments I came across the term systematic review. A systematic review provides an exhaustive summary of evidence related to a research topic. It summarizes past research and and allows overall conclusions to be made. It also only includes quantitative studies which means there’s a whole range of qualitative studies left out. For this reason I decided I would not undertake a systematic review but rather an integrative review. The integrative review is similar but it includes qualitative and quantitative studies. It also allows for new theories to be developed instead of just making general statements on the state of literature.

Although I have decided on my topic and methodology, there still remains a lot of work to be done. I have chosen a methodology that I have not used before so I am taking a risk. However I want to write a dissertation that contributes new findings to the current knowledge on my topic. I feel that this can be achieved although it will not be easy. By the end of this experience I will have gained a wealth of new knowledge on usability which can only be a positive thing. I will also have a piece of research that can be shown to potential employers. Therefore I will hope to have a different opinion on writing a dissertation by the end of this experience!

February 14, 2020April 3, 2020

Networking blues

Networking is an important aspect of life as a professional. Despite this however it is often overlooked and its importance is misunderstood. When I think of the term networking, I conjure up an image of douchey men in suits with slicked back hair, bragging to their colleagues about their great jobs. And while part of me still feels this way, I am certainly starting to realise the importance of having good contacts.

At present, I am frantically trying to organise an interview with a technical communicator for a college assignment. I have been tasked with reaching out to a company in the hope that one of their employees will speak to me. However this has proved to be a lot more difficult than I initially expected. I’ve contacted close to 15 companies already, either by email or phone, but nobody is willing to help me out. Busy professionals seem reluctant to give up their valuable time to speak with a college student. While others in the course have a range of professional contacts due to the fact they’ve been working in the industry for years, I am at a major disadvantage. I’ve only recently graduated and have very limited work experience. While I’ve worked in an insurance company for a few years, they’ll be of no use to me. They don’t hire technical communicators it turns out so I’m going to have to cast my net fairly wide.

Although this assignment is causing me a great deal of stress, there is one slight positive to take out of it. I’ve learned the importance of networking and how it can make my life easier. In the past I’ve dismissed anything to do with networking. While fellow students have been making the most of networking tools like LinkedIn, I’ve been resting on my laurels. Even when I was working for a large multi-national corporation I failed to make the most of any opportunities to gain contacts. Hopefully I can break this trend and start to build meaningful relations in the industry.

February 7, 2020February 14, 2020

Usability Testing

A few months ago I was introduced to the concept of usability testing. Usability is defined as “a quality attribute that assesses how easy user interfaces are to use”. At the time, I didn’t realize that this concept would play such an important role in my life as a student. It was when the lecturer mentioned that we would be carrying out our own usability test that I really began to take note. The idea of having to carry out a usability test involving human participants was daunting. I had never previously carried out any sort of research involving human participants. The thought of having to adhere to ethical standards also placed extra pressure on me.

This meant I had to knuckle down and invest a lot of time trying to get a grasp of the assignment. I eventually decided that I wanted to perform a usability test on a county council website. A major reason behind this was my own negative experience of using my county councils website. I had hoped that my research would shed light on a genuine cause of frustration for many people. After writing the research proposal and receiving my feedback I carried out the usability test itself. The test itself went well and the results justified my opinions on the selected website.

All in all, this assignment proved to be very rewarding. For the first time in my academic career I had carried out research using human participants. I also gained an insight into the field of usability testing. This has opened up new avenues for me in terms of future careers as I feel I could be suited to a job in testing. Also, I decided to delve into the world of usability again, when choosing my dissertation title. Had I not found the area of usability so interesting, I’d more than likely still be trying to find a suitable title!