Creating Comprehensive Professional Development for a Large Instructional Design Team

Concurrent Session 4

Session Materials

Brief Abstract

This session will cover FIU Online's efforts toward planning and implementing the Instructional Design Core Curriculum (IDCC), a comprehensive professional development initiative for its instructional design team. We will also present the results of a research study into the perceptions and effectiveness of the IDCC program.

Presenters

Lead Presenter: Gus Roque, FIU Online

Gus Roque is the Educational Technology Manager at FIU Online, Florida International University’s centralized distance education unit. He has been working in the field of distance learning in higher education since 2008. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Management of Information Systems from the College of Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the College of Education, both from Florida International University. He has been a member of multiple professional distance education organizations. He has also spoken at different professional conferences such as ATD International Conference & Exposition, UPCEA Annual Conference, Online Learning Consortium Conference, Blackboard World, International Conference on College Teaching and Learning and the FIU Online conference. As an instructional designer, he has designed courses for multiple colleges and disciplines. He previously served on the senior instructional design group which was responsible for setting the best practices and standards for fully online courses at Florida International University. His current role at FIU Online allows him to discover, research and vet educational technologies for fully online and blended courses. Gus Roque lives in Miami, Florida.

Co-presenter: Jessica Rodriguez, Florida International University - Miami

Jessica Rodriguez is the Online Quality Manager at Florida International University (FIU Online). Her primary role allows her to focus on Quality Assurance, ADA Compliance, Accreditation and Academic Integrity. Jessica has been certified with Quality Matters as a Peer Reviewer and has worked with numerous faculty members in certifying over 30 courses. Jessica has presented at numerous conferences, including Blackboard World, OLC and ATD. Jessica has a Master of Science in Higher Education Administration, an Online Teaching Program Certification and a Bachelor of Business Administration. Jessica is passionate about online course design and development and working with the other teams in the department to strategize and implement initiatives, policies, and practices.

Tags

OLC Accelerate 2017 Professional Development and Support Approaches Professional development

Extended Abstract

This session details the design, development, and implementation of a comprehensive professional development program suitable for an audience of largely non-expert instructional designers working in a university setting. This program was implemented with the instructional designers working in a distance learning department at a large public research university. The goal of this program, called the Instructional Designer Core Curriculum, was to address areas of critical importance for instructional design teams while building in a framework for participants to engage in opportunities that leverage their areas of strength, need, and interest. The four areas of critical importance, or strands, used as an overarching framework for the program were instructional technology, instructional design theory and practice, project management and leadership, and faculty collaboration and service excellence. Also covered are the results of a survey research study designed to evaluate the perceived effectiveness of the professional development program using Kirkpatrick’s four levels of evaluation as a framework; the data suggest that participants reacted positively to the professional development program, found their skill sets to be improved or enhanced, and transferred their learning to their work environments.