Week 5 Reflection

Outsourcing: is very prevalent in the world of business. I have thought about it in the past as a cyclical trend that may swing one-way or the other, from contract to the full time employee. An interesting fact stated in the book; corporate America spent an estimated $.62.5 billion outsourcing training. That really is a remarkable figure. As a freelance designer for the last 15 years, I certainly could see trends, based on the economy. I filled that “contractor” gap in the industry for outsourcing.

Classroom training: another interesting fact I found in chapter 18, that 70% of training in the US was still delivered in the classroom. I would have thought, certainly in larger companies, more training would be delivered via the computer. A small part of my job is Blackboard training for instructors in a group setting, which I believe is an important part of the introduction process to Blackboard. That said, said, could eventually more be delivered via the Internet, both synchronous and/or asynchronously, a resounding yes!

Roles of Instructional Designers: I can relate. I certainly find myself drawn to the sole designer. At my job as an instructional designer, the dream to be part of a development team is just that, a dream. I am the development team. The department, Online Education (name change as of July) is growing and maybe someday there will be the help we need. It is overwhelming at times, there just isn’t the time needed to create and design effectively. That said, on some level I enjoy working on the entire course. I am able to fill many roles, weaving in and out of job titles metaphorically speaking. For example, I know when to become a consultant, as some instructors only want me to provide strategies, problem-solving ideas, or to help with evaluating course materials to develop an initial course structure. There are other instructor’s that are very hands off, give me creative license to develop. That works for me.

Chapter 21
Systemic change: I have to agree that a product approach to ecological systemic change seems a better option, compared to a process approach. I was surprised at the fact there has only been three major initiatives for change in the educational system since the 1960s; Sputnik, National at Risk, No Child Left Behind. The cycle for change and improvement will not diminish only become more pronounced and there seems to be no shortage of intellectual ideas how change should be delivered.

I did like the Step-Up-Excellent approach which talks about a five-step process for eventual district improvement, which features a collaborative effort. Whatever the initiative, we do need a team approach and to all work together for improvement. I also like the effort towards the pre-launch preparation with this Step-Up-Excellent approach. Certainly on a lower level, or relatable to instructional design, the better pre-prep time done on any project is time well spent. And of course, the bottom line, if discussing education or industry, these systemic improvements all cost money, with continued focus on development there has to be funding available.