Arrant Artificer

Companies and organizations are well-served to create and support opportunities for employee development. Developing employees helps teams to build knowledge and skillsets that contribute to productivity and efficiency for improved day-to-day operations and outputs (Career Insights, 2020). National trends indicate that companies with organization-wide employee development programs experience an average of 24% increase in profit margins, approximately 128% increase in employee income, and a 45% employee retention rate (Hill, 2021). Because the world continues to evolve, employees should continue to develop and learn within their professional roles. For that purpose, I attempted to compose a professional development plan that supports my current role. The plan includes four training components - formal training, professional coaching, peer mentoring, and continuing professional development - to help facilitate an effective transfer of sustained knowledge that will continue to develop and...

Technology continues to transform how instruction, training, and learning occurs. The integration of networks, hardware, software, and design influence how knowledge is transferred. Whether internally or externally, organizations utilize technology to construct and deliver instruction as well as to determine the effectiveness of the delivery (Lockett, 2022). This posting examines five technologies for training, their current impacts, and future implications for training. Simulations and Games signify the use of technology to actively engage learners in an experiential exploration of instructional design elements. Best used to instruct complex processes (Noe, 2020). More traditionally used to train within manufacturing settings (Noe, 2022), simulations and games challenge learners to gain an understanding of concepts through application and practice (Arshavskiy, 2021). Benefits include active engagement, adaptability, self-paced, standardization, and cost-effectiveness. Continued advan...

Scope creep or the addition of features or tasks beyond the pre-established plan or requirements can quickly occur and impact the extent of what is accomplished or produced (Larson & Larson, 2009). Whether positively or negatively, scope creep impacts timelines, budgets, and levels of stakeholder satisfaction. Each year, I am unsuccessful at managing the scope of a project without the intrusion of scope creep much to the detriment of the established budget. The Christmas holiday season ushers in the start of the gift-purchase project - a major recurring project that I look forward to managing every year. In this scenario, I fill the roles of project manager, designer, key personnel, and stakeholder. From a project management standpoint, I analyze the individuals for whom I plan to purchase gifts followed by an examination of product availability and prices and establish a detailed budget, list of tasks, and timeline for task completion. The challenge of scope creep begins to occu...

              The tasks of project management are numerous and varied and can easily cause project managers (PMs) to feel overwhelmed (Walden University, LLC (Executive Producer), n.d.). Being equipped with tools and strategies to organize the sequence and assignment of tasks and task activities can assist with project navigation and guiding project teams. Whether as a team or individual, project managers are challenged to complete projects on time and on budget. Utilization of workflow schedules provides a visual representation of the project life cycle – initiating, planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and closing (Adobe Experience Cloud, 2022) – and offers a framework for project development and completion.             This post spotlights resources that may prove useful in planning an instructional design (ID) project schedule. Located through a web search, brief descriptions and evaluations of the identified...

  When I think of communication, I generally envision two or more individuals having an exchange of words, either written or orally, as means of relaying a message. However, the reality is that communication occurs in a variety of ways and uses several modalities. IGI Global (formerly Idea Group, Inc.), considered an innovative leader in the dissemination of knowledge, defines communication modality as the use of input channels for the purposes of transmission exchange (IGI Global, 2022). The number of categorized communication modalities varies based on who you ask or the sources you reference. The most recognized modalities are verbal, auditory, written, and non-verbal. Within each of these four modalities are facial expressions, body language, sign language, tone, etc. Yet, there are so many additional ways that people communicate. Technology advancements have contributed to the communication evolution. Face-to-face, text, messaging, email, memes, etc. With each message relayed ...

  Background Founded in 1980 as a local food grocery store in Austin, TX, Whole Foods Market provides natural and health foods (Whole Foods Market, 2022). Since its founding, the company has grown to become a leader in the natural and organic supermarket industry (IPL, 2022). Its mission is “to nourish people and the planet” as a purpose-driven company (Whole Foods Market, 2022, para. 1). Its motto “Whole Foods, Whole People, Whole planet undergirds its culture and desire to create an experience that has garnered recognition as “America’s Healthiest Grocery Store” (Whole Foods Market, 2022). The company has six core values that further contribute to its culture and guide how it conducts business with each group of stakeholders: ·          High Product Quality ·          Customer Satisfaction ·          Employee Growth and Satisfaction ·   ...

    What contributes to the success of a project? How can unexpected challenges be avoided in the management of future projects? The delivery of completed projects should come with a sense of pride and accomplishment. However, a retrospective examination of a project from beginning to end, or project post-mortem, helps with the level of project success (or failure) in meeting the client’s goals (McLaughlin, 2013).  This post narratively offers the results of a simplistic post-mortem reflection of a personal project management experience. Several years ago, I lead the planning, development, and implementation of a statewide project designed to engage undergraduate students from across the state who had an interest in pursuing health-related careers. The project involved creating a college-skills type course that would demonstrate the application of academic success skills as lifelong learning skills within the health arena while also engaging students in a self-directed ca...

  If given only 90-seconds to impart a little wisdom about what you do as a project manager and why project management is important, what would you say? As a budding project manager with an interest in delivering solutions for learning, I came up with a sample elevator pitch as if I were interested in establishing a contractual relationship with a business or organization. The script is provided along with a .wav file (click  Elevator Pitch  to access) for your review. Afterward, share your thoughts. What would you change or say differently? Hello, I’m Angelica Christie. As a project management consultant, I assume contractual oversight and accountability for planning, resource allocation, progression, and monitoring of projects that help to achieve organizational goals. Being competitive in the 21 st century require organizations to maintain steady pace with changes that drive existing markets and ultimately drive the bottom line. Research shows that high-performin...

             Advancements in technology have been a driving force in changing societal perceptions and acceptance of the validity and value of learning at a distance. Evolving from the model of correspondence learning supported by postal delivery, radio and television mediums progressed the one-way-delivery of instruction was an early, but failed attempt to extend teaching. The failure is attributed to varying obstacles. The inflexibility of synchronous scheduling failed to consider time zones and, even greater, the absence of inter-relational connectivity and shared experience contributed to passive learning (Baum & McPherson, 2019). Innovations continued, fueled by desires to remove barriers to education and resources to promote learning. The discovery and construction of the World Wide Web technologies helped to enhance the acceptance of online learning as a method expanding educational access. The increased availability, utilization, and practi...

  And just like that … I’m back! Welcome to the Arrant Artificer, a space intended to explore instructional design through constructive and intellectual conversations between novice and seasoned ID professionals. Over the next several weeks, conversations will focus on the topic of distance learning – what it is, its influences, drivers of its evolution, and its role within the field of instructional design. The definition with which I enter the conversation surrounding the concept of distant learning is that it broadly encompasses the delivery of instruction for learning to occur in varying geographic spaces, at varying times, and in diverse ways that allow the learner flexibility in when, where, and how they learn. A review of resources finds that perceptions of distance often emerge from perspectives rooted in the professional domain (Simonson et al., 2019). The resources offer a more universal definition that distinguishes distant learning as the formal delivery of academic-b...

  The introduction to and discussions surrounding learning theories, learning styles, educational technology, and motivation guided my understanding of the conceptual interconnectivity of learning and how it occurs. A reflective analysis of knowledge gained and associated social constructs broaden my perception of learning and my approach to instructional design and delivery. An abundance of research and literature are available to help to define which factors promote learning and why. From the idea of defining the member’s style for learning to the conjectures of cognition and information processing and to that which attempts to determine motivating factors, each theoretical concept seeks to label the learner. Attempting to categorize students can have unintended consequences, especially when valid, reliable, supportive assessments or processes are not included. Through reflection, I can identify aspects of various learning theories that align with my personal approach to lear...

Learning style refers to the method by which an individual prefers to engage with, process, and retain learned knowledge. Six weeks ago, I identified cognitive learning style as my desired approach to learning with a preference for engaging in peer-to-peer instruction. After a deep dive exploration of learning theories and personal reflection taken during that time, I considered the suggested argument of whether learning styles exist, became aware of the theory of mental intelligence, and took note of the concept of andragogy in association with adult or action learning. The exploration culminated with my acceptance of a reality where flexibility in how, why, and if learning occurs. Recognizing that prior knowledge, experience, and perception offer a foundation for learning, that independent concepts help to direct learning, and how environmental relationships influence how new concepts and knowledge are processed broadened my understanding of learning from the perspectives of both a l...

The distribution of an abundance of information through social networks to cultivate learning based upon existing knowledge, experiences, and perceptions encapsulates the basis of Siemens' theory of connectivism (Laureate Education (Producer), n.d.). Rich networks that are made available through advancing technology provide the broad social dimensions that gird the basic concepts of the learning theory. These networks affect how individuals learn professionally and socially. The following mind map visually demonstrates the networks that influence how, when, and why I learn. Technologically, existing search engines provide immediate access to valid information and data ranging from language enunciation to research. This is my go-to when I have questions relating to any subject. New information is often introduced asynchronously through social media networks, including Facebook, and Instagram, which I choose to validate through internet searches. LinkedIn networks often provide artic...