Design Artifacts
Design Artifact Reflections
Artifact 1: Proposal for Adoption - Photogrammetry
Summary
This artifact was the final assignment in EDUO 652: Trends in Emerging Technologies. The purpose of this assignment was to develop a proposal for the adoption of an emerging technology program discovered throughout the course or one that is of interest within my context.
For this proposal, I began looking at the use of photogrammetry to create digital 3D models. This explored augmented reality as an emerging technology for anatomy and physiology courses, identified the advantages and disadvantages of using this technology, suggested a strategy for implementation, and explored the implications for the adoption of this technology. In response to the rising costs of education, universities need to increase the value of the educational experience (Brown et al., 2020). Educational value can be increased through the use of effective technologies that allow students to engage in higher-order thinking in class and spend less time on basic knowledge and memorization.
Proposal Strengths
One strength of this proposal is the uniqueness of the technology being proposed. Creating digital 3D models alongside physical 3D models through the process of photogrammetry allows faculty to create customized study and evaluative resources that are motivationally more engaging and accessible (Brown et al., 2020; Sirakaya & Cakmak, 2018). These digitally accessible models allow students to interact with the information rather than just reading information from a book.
A second strength is the implications of adopting this practice to benefit the students and faculty. By offering a resource for students to study basic knowledge and memorization outside of class time, faculty have more time to spend on more difficult concepts like physiology and engage in higher-order thinking activities while in class.
Proposal Weaknesses
One weakness of this written proposal is the lack of detail in the strategies of implementation. This section lists 7 steps to implementation but does not include specific details that would give a better understanding of what is needed for this project. For example, step 1 says, “purchase lighting and staging equipment and a digital camera.” I would improve this step by adding a list of specific lighting, staging, and camera equipment that includes the estimated cost of each item. In step 3, “take photos of the physical models,” I could include graphical examples (images or illustrations) to show the proper way to photograph the objects.
Another weakness that could be addressed through improvements is the overall layout of the proposal. I can make this proposal look more professional by recreating it in a brochure format using Adobe InDesign rather than in essay form. The use of creative document design could make this more engaging and visually appealing, and graphical elements could be used to demonstrate complex concepts like the process of photogrammetry (Sultana & Mahmood, 2023).
Growth and Goals
Since completing this assignment, I’ve learned much more about the process of photogrammetry because I have had the opportunity to implement this program at ACU. I’ve learned several best practices (e.g., photography techniques and alternative software) for achieving high-quality digital 3D models. This project aligns with my work goals because each year, my team works to explore and implement emerging technologies like photogrammetry, drones, AI, VR, and AR.
Artifact 2: Project Proposal and Presentation - Photogrammetry
Summary
This artifact, Project Proposal and Presentation, was the final assignment for EDUO 651: Technology Enhanced Learning. The purpose of this assignment was to submit a project proposal along with an accompanying recorded presentation that proposed a technology-enhanced learning tool or environment within a specific context. For this assignment, we created the proposal and presentation as if we were an educational technology consultant.
For this assignment, I chose to expand the photogrammetry project that I began in EDUO 652. See Artifact 1 above. This proposal is much more in-depth than the previous artifact. This proposal was designed as a resource to propose this technology to faculty in anatomy and physiology and other faculty who work with physical models or objects. When we began this assignment, I had already had the opportunity to implement this technology into one faculty’s anatomy and physiology course. Working with this faculty member allowed me to refine the photogrammetry process and create resources that could be used to give interested faculty a better understanding of how this could be used in their courses.
Proposal Strengths
One strength of this proposal is the various ways that the learning environment could implement these tools to promote pedagogical practices to enhance student learning and engagement. These pedagogical practices include communities of inquiry, gamification, and immersive learning. The methods of gamification, digital badging, and challenges/quests identified in this proposal, enhance student motivation, problem-solving skills, and collaboration.
A second strength of this proposal is the evaluation structure used to measure the success of the program. This evaluation process measures student satisfaction, grades with and without the TEL tool implementation, transfer of knowledge and skills, and yearly final exam grades. This evaluation structure will allow for improvements to be made based on actual data.
Proposal Weaknesses
The first weakness that could be addressed is the layout of the written proposal. Because this was written as a class assignment, it was written in a Microsoft Word document with no graphics or visual elements. I could improve this proposal document by making it more visually appealing using Adobe InDesign to transform it into a brochure. I could also include the infographic that I created in week 6 of EDUO 651 in the brochure.
I could also improve this proposal by including a video that I produced with a professor and two students talking about how this was a benefit to them in their course. This would provide a storytelling element that could enhance an interested faculty member’s understanding of the benefits of this tool.
One final improvement involves the recorded presentation for this proposal. I could make the video presentation more professional by re-recording it with better audio. When I submitted the assignment for the class, I had the flu and a sore throat, making it difficult to talk for an extended period of time. I could also include some subtle background music to make the video more pleasant to listen to.
Growth and Goals
Since completing this assignment, I have worked with a few more faculty members in creating assets for their courses. The most challenging part of this process is working with the faculty members when they have the time to provide the information needed for annotating the models. This is something that I hope to improve moving forward. Streamlining this process and researching more effective ways to receive the needed information from faculty. This project aligns with my work goals through our team’s exploration and implementation of emerging technologies.
Artifact 3: Individual Change Project
Summary
This artifact was the final assignment, Individual Change Project, in EDUO 677 – Adult Learning. In this assignment, we were asked to identify a goal for personal change that we would like to accomplish and keep track of our progress by journaling about the strategies we identified to achieve our goal weekly. This journal could be written as a blog, podcast, Word document, etc.
As ACU’s Adobe Ambassador, I need to have a basic understanding of as many of the Adobe applications as possible. This change project chronicled my progress in learning Adobe After Effects. It was my initial goal was to learn enough to pass the Adobe Certified Professional exam in After Effects by the end of the semester. Though I did not take the exam before the semester ended, I passed the exam the following week.
Strengths
One strength of this project is the example projects demonstrating the skills I learned each week. During the week of November 8th, the main skill I learned was keyframing. The videos in this section demonstrate using keyframes for making changes in position, rotation, and scale. During the following week, I focused on working with shapes and layers, animating, transparency, and type. The video demonstrates most of the skills learned through online tutorials.
Another strength of this project is the inclusion of certificates of completion of After Effects courses provided through LinkedIn Learning. These certificates show that I obtained semi-formal training in the application.
Weaknesses
The first identified weakness would be the Adobe Express webpage platform. Adobe Express Webpages are great to use when needing something simple. There are some good style templates available, but because of their simplicity, they lack the ability to navigate through the webpage. Changing the platform to a WordPress blog/website or Substack could drastically improve navigation.
The second identified weakness would be the inconsistency and number of images. Images are an easy way to make something more engaging, but they can be easily overdone. I believe my current digital journal uses too many images, and many of them were put in because they were the best I could find when completing the assignment. I could redesign this journal with fewer images and focus on using images that are more consistent with the content and the journal’s design. Making this improvement would make the journal more readable and less cluttered.
The third identified weakness is the quality of the design. Changing the platform and reducing the number of images is one way that could make the journal easier to navigate and read. These changes, along with others like layout, font choices, and color schemes, but Adobe Express has limitations regarding these aspects. A change of platform and more intentionality in design choices will give the journal a more professional look.
Growth and Goals
After completing this assignment, I continued to work towards becoming more proficient in Adobe After Effects and passed the Adobe Certified Professional certification exam. Instead of just learning for my sake, I taught a session on creating basic animations in After Effects. This project gave me the confidence to provide this session for faculty, staff, and students. This project aligns with my work goals because my job requires me to have at least a basic understanding and skill level in as many of the major Creative Cloud applications as possible so that I can provide training and support as needed.
Artifact 4: Learning Intervention Plan
Summary
This artifact, Learning Intervention and Design Documentation, was the final assignment in EDUO 678 – Instructional Design & Technology. This assignment was to create a fully-formed learning intervention with accompanying documentation for a chosen context. The learning intervention that I created for this project was a research poster assignment module template in Canvas that could be imported into a faculty’s course and edited. The research poster project was originally designed for a nursing research course, but I expanded it to include assignments, discussions, and instructional videos that could be used in courses from any department.
Strengths
Although these resources were originally created for a nursing course, one strength of this artifact is that it has been generalized to any course or discipline. As I talk with faculty and see that some already have or want to incorporate poster assignments, I can easily show them the resources that have already been created and ease the stress of having to create something from scratch.
Another strength of this intervention plan is how the instructional videos are broken down into shorter segments allowing students to engage in the design process in Adobe Illustrator one step at a time. When I originally worked with this nursing class, I gave a live demonstration and screen-recorded my presentation to the class. This presentation was then shared with the students through Canvas, but it was a 45 to 60-minute video. This made it difficult for students to go back through and find a particular part of the instructions. I’m grateful that they provided this feedback, allowing me to make changes that would help the students succeed.
Weaknesses
The first identified weakness is that the written Learning Intervention Plan needs to be more engaging visually. This will be addressed by adding a supplemental slide deck detailing the design of the learning intervention plan as stated in the written plan. This slide deck could highlight the main points of the learning intervention plan in a format that is more visually appealing.
The second identified weakness is the instructional videos page which has all of the videos that I produced demonstrating how to use Adobe Illustrator for poster design. This page has nearly 20 videos. Embedding the videos into the Canvas page made for a very long page that required lots of scrolling to find a desired video. The solution to this would be to move the instructional videos from a Canvas page to a YouTube playlist. Moving these to a YouTube playlist would allow for easier navigation of the video resources. I have already created the YouTube playlist, but I still need to update the course module.
The third identified weakness would be the lack of diversity in the types of creative assignments offered in this canvas course. The solution to this would be to build out additional modules for different types of creative assignments. I have already worked with faculty on different types of creative assignments using Adobe Creative Cloud applications. Adding different types of assignments would give faculty interested in creative assignments more options when trying to decide on what is best for their courses.
Growth and Goals
After completing this assignment, I have worked with various faculty on different projects that could eventually be added to this Canvas course. When I have the bandwidth to do so, I will add additional project assignment modules to this course. Through this process, I have learned more about discussion boards, assignments, and quizzes, which has carried over into my work goals of becoming more proficient in using the Canvas platform and more confident in assisting faculty in using Canvas.