Define: seriousness

(The personal essay I submitted to the UPOU MDE Program, dated October 2010. I sound so serious. Thankfully, I really was. Instructional Design is something I really enjoy doing; I take any endeavor to make me better at it with seriousness.)

An instructional designer's primary job is to organize information into a logical sequence of events that enables a learner to assimilate the knowledge effectively. The learning events are packaged into training materials that can be delivered either through instructor-led classroom training, e-learning modules or printed job aids. I believe that with its focus on pedagogy, technology applications and education management, the Master in Distance Education or MDE program will provide me with the theoretical foundation and practical knowledge needed to succeed in the field of instructional design.

I have been working as an instructional designer since 2003 and have learned through experience and mentoring from other training professionals. With the training programs I create, I strive to engage target learners through activities, relevant reading materials and whenever possible, the use of technology. I find ways to advance my own development in the field by reading industry blogs, joining discussions and attending live and online conferences featuring new technologies. I hope that by enhancing my own skills, the resulting training programs I develop come out sound, credible and recent, formed through methods supported by industry best practices.

In my present job, I support the training and development needs of work-from-home employees. I have since been fascinated with online learning and how it takes advantage of a learner’s autonomy. While face-to-face classroom trainings leverage on interpersonal communication, online learning leverages on a person’s ability to motivate and teach oneself. In an age where personal computers and smartphones are regular everyday necessities, online learning is a means to reach a wider audience, with increased results. Even in live webinars, I observe that learners participate more when they have the option to use chat to partake in the discussion, as opposed to the often daunting task of sharing ideas verbally through a microphone or in front of a class. Online learning also paves the way for more in-depth assessments, incorporating questions that encourage learners to solve scenarios through their own research and collaboration with peers.

With these in mind, I find that online learning is a good specialization within instructional design. The MDE curriculum presented a good mix of courses on learning theories, technology and management used in distance education, which I believe can provide structure and organization to my experience. I also hope that it introduces me to the works and writings of industry experts, allowing me to learn from their discoveries and best practices. Moreover, there are courses within the program that sounds insightful, such as Distance Learning in Language Education and m-learning. These are only some of the elective courses I am keen to enroll in, if given the chance.

As I complete the MDE program, I would like to be involved in projects that use distance education in universities, such as what the UP Open University is doing. I have observed many cases of education taking a back seat due to the demands of everyday life. More distance education programs, especially those geared towards certificate and diploma courses that build toward bachelor degrees, will enable more people to work and learn at the same time, at their own pace. Personal accountability for one’s education increases, and so is the value of education itself.