Throughout my time in the MET program and in my professional career, I have been influenced by the Design Thinking framework. I have consistently used this approach as a way to create learning experiences and solve problems as an approach to instructional design and teaching. The Design Thinking Process employs the use of learning, collaboration, and problem solving. Practitioners who employ the use of the Design Thinking Process begin with empathizing with people who are facing a particular challenge, then they define and brainstorm ways to address it, then they put solutions in place, and finally they check to see if their conditions have improved. Identifying and dealing with setbacks is an integral part of the Design Thinking Process and once they are identified it is easy to try another solution.
The process has six steps: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, test, and implement. This process easily allows you to identify problems, collect information, come up with solutions, refine ideas, and test ideas and solutions. These steps can easily be revisited and repeated to refine, experiment, and reflect on ideas and solutions and feedback from learners. The Neilson Norman Group adapted this framework to include three overarching themes in the process, which include understanding, exploring, and materializing. There is a new iteration that has been introduced to the Design Thinking Process that is more equity-centered referred to as, Liberatory Design. This includes the introduction of two different design modes: Notice and Reflect. Notice and Reflect should be practiced within and in-between each stage of the traditional Design Thinking Process. Practitioners who use this equity-centered design are more likely to develop learning activities that focus on human values, build relational trust, and take action to learn.
As I reflected on my learning journey throughout the MET program, the Design Thinking Process very much relates to my learning process within the MET program and the goals I had set out for myself. In the Understanding phase, I was very much challenged by what I was learning, as I immersed myself in my learning journey and I always thought about how I could create an actionable problem statement to complete my learning journey both as a learner within the program and as a collaborator in team and group settings. Through the Explore phase of my learning journey, I was constantly generating ideas as I read through required reading and participated in class discussions, team projects, and individual assignments. No ideas were wrong, once I had to create a tangible outcome, then ideas were narrowed down and executed. Finally, through the Materialize stage, ideas and tangible outcomes had to be refined or changed altogether, based on feedback or questions posed by instructors, peers, or the audience I was designing for.
Below I outline how each stage of the Design Thinking Process related specifically to my goals in the MET program.
It is important to build a foundation and understand what the problem is. When I started the MET program, I had a clear understanding of my goals, which are related to enhancing my foundational knowledge of educational theories and frameworks in order to enhance my teaching practice, having the ability to explore the use of educational technology for learning and making sound decisions in regards to the use of digital learning tools, and enriching my professional experiences in higher education. These goals led me down a specific learning journey, which led to making decisions on elective courses and the projects I completed within the courses to enhance my own learning.
It is important to explore by generating ideas and solutions without fear of having a wrong idea. The MET program allowed me to experiment with digital learning tools, which has informed my own teaching practice and has allowed me to develop personal resources for myself that can be used in my own teaching practice. For the purposes of my ePortfolio, several resources are highlighted in my artifacts and the other digital tools I have used to create my ePortfolio.
It is important to receive feedback and implement solutions. The MET program has provided a wealth of knowledge in relation to educational technology that I can share with colleagues, students, and peers. Feedback from the instructors and peers has been invaluable and will allow me to move forward as a leader and advocate for the integration of educational technology in adult and higher education. My ePortfolio will allow peers, instructors, and perspective employers a way to provide feedback to me. It will also provide a way for my own metacognitive reflection as I advance professionally.
Click below to read my SMART Goals.