Mark Rash | markrash@vt.edu | August 29, 2009
1-2. Describe an actual use of instructional media in an education or training setting based on your experiences. Describe what you or the instructor learned as a result of using this media and include a description of the change or improvement of instruction.
Several months before I joined the department, the learning solutions development team implemented a new leadership curriculum. This three-day curriculum was developed for supervisors and managers and covered topics dealing with building a high performance team. A number of sessions had been delivered and the course was well-received, however the learning solutions development group was asked to bring the curriculum to the next level and enhance the learning experience for future participants. As an instructional designer, I was assigned a particular course and worked along with a field training manager to make the revisions that we felt would make the course even better. I felt that a visually appealing PowerPoint presentation with integrated animation would be a welcome addition for the learners to experience and would help drive home some of the key takeaways of this particular portion of the course. In conjunction with the training manager, I designed and developed a PowerPoint presentation with interesting visual elements and some fairly simple animations to reinforce the lecture content and group activities. This use of media incorporated text and visuals (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008, p.7) to enhance the communication of specific messages during this particular course.
While the addition of the PowerPoint, with its visuals and animated elements, was well received, later assessments did not seem to reflect any significant change in learner performance or behavior when compared to the previous iteration of the course materials. Quite to my surprise and disappointment at the time, this solution did not achieve the results I expected. The lesson I learned from this experience is that the mere introduction of particular media or technology is not the magic potion that ensures effective instruction (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008, p.4). Research has proven time and again that it is neither technology nor media that facilitates learning but, rather, the instructional strategies used (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008, p.4). Prior to my experience with this particular learning situation and my introduction of media with the intent to help facilitate learning, I did not have this understanding and I learned the lesson the hard way. Fortunately, that experience, in conjunction with the wisdom I continue to obtain through the ITMA program, was enlightening for me.
As a result of the lesson learned, I sought the help of the learning solutions manager and we worked on a plan that would sitll incorporate my media, but that would go one step further by also adjusting the instructional strategy, or the method of engaging learners in a particular activity (Smaldino, Lowther, & Russell, 2008, p.18), to enhance the learning experience. We adjusted some of the instructional activities in such a way that they would set the stage for discovery, allowing the learners to experience an "aha" moment for meaningful learning that would make a difference in their lives as supervisors and managers. When this was combined with the enhanced media, evaluation and assessments later indicated that the learning experience was truly brought to the next level with observable changes in the performance and behavior of managers and supervisors who took the enhanced training.
References
Smaldino, S. E., Lowther, D. L., & Russell, J. D. (2008). In D. A. Stollenwerk (Ed.), Instructional technology and media for learning (9th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.