Education Commons^™

Dichotomies: Lessons From A College Life On Tour, Alexander J. Dontre

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

In this unique memoir, the author reveals his struggles and triumphs as a touring musician pursuing a college education. From 2011-2017, Alex Dontre performed 505 concerts with his band Psychostick while simultaneously enrolled in rigorous online courses. It culminated with a master's degree in Business Psychology from Franklin University, at which time he gave the commencement speech at his graduation as valedictorian.

Cybersecurity Education: The Quest To Building Bridge Skills, Andy Igonor, Raymond L. Forbes, Jonathan Mccombs

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Today's employers differ in what skills and abilities they believe make for a competent cybersecurity professional; however, they concur on the importance of technical and soft skills, which we collectively refer to as "bridge skills" - in other words, skills needed to bridge employer needs and what higher education teaches. Higher education, on the other hand favors producing a holistic and rounded graduate, with soft skills incorporated into the first one or two years of study. Somewhere between these two dichotomies is a missing link which currently manifests as higher education not meeting the needs of industry relative to cybersecurity …

An Instructional Design Primer, Rob Wood

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Much has been written in this forum about instructional design; however, for some followers, the primary concepts and principles of instructional design may yet be relatively new. The goal of this post is to provide a little history and a few highlights about the practice of instructional design with an emphasis on higher education.

The Secret To Successful Projects (Hint: It’S The People), Kevin Stoker

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

A project team collaborating There are literally thousands upon thousands of books, articles, blogs, seminars, and airplane banner ads that can teach you how to manage and complete a project. Many of them are excellent and are recommended reading for anyone wanting to become a project manager, to improve as a project manager, or for anyone who just wants to get stuff done. (The airplane banner is not one of these recommendations, but kudos to that person for thinking outside the box.)

Introducing The Learning Lounge Podcast, Joel Gardner

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

At Franklin University’s International Institute for Innovative Instruction, we design and develop learning experiences for students and clients all over the world. From clarifying learning goals and shaping a learning strategy to integrating quality content and creating effective materials, this work can be complex. Instructional media is one of these components, and if done right, it can increase learning and make a course more engaging. In my experience, however, creating quality media can be difficult, especially when working with teams of faculty, staff, and instructional designers who are dealing with heavy workloads and competing priorities.

Enter Bradd Birmingham, the Director …

Why Is It Difficult To Measure The Roi Of A Training Program?, Jessie Kong

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Many organizations spend a lot of money to provide training programs to improve their performance in today’s competitive environment. Since investment in training programs has been increasing, upper management want to justify the actual costs and benefits of training programs for their various stakeholders.

Why Study Human Performance Technology?, Joel Gardner

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

Many instructional design programs, including Franklin’s master of Instructional Design and Learning Technology, include a course on Human Performance Technology (HPT). However, very often, when I work with students or instructional designers who are learning about HPT, they fail to see the connection between instructional design and HPT. In this video, I explain my perspective on why HPT is critical for learning professionals, including instructional designers.

Baby Steps Toward Sleep: Using Instructional Design In Everyday Life, Carolyn Levally

The International Institute for Innovative Instruction Blog

As a mom to a little girl who will be turning one shortly, I’ve realized that I’ve quite suddenly become a teacher of basic life skills for her – how to eat, how to go to sleep, how to walk, etc. For the first few months of her life, I used a cold hard approach to teaching some of these skills, such as “let’s just put a bottle in her mouth and hope that she takes it.” When this tactic failed miserably, I started considering applying instructional design to my teaching strategy, especially the concept of “chunking” learning. Having worked …

Creating A Culture Of Wellness: A Call To Action For Higher Education, Igniting Change In Academic Institutions, Megan Amaya, Teresa Donegan, Debbie Conner, Julie Edwards, Christy Gipson

All Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Background: Due to the continued rise of chronic conditions and unhealthy lifestyle choices, more innovative and evidence-based practices are needed for students, faculty and staff to improve population health outcomes and enhance overall well-being. Aim: The purpose of this paper is to inform academic health promotion professionals of key strategies to consider in order to create cultures of wellness on their college campuses. Methods: A review of the existing literature was conducted. Results: The most current evidence-based practices to create a culture of wellness are discussed. Conclusions: Institutions of higher education have an opportunity to create campus cultures that foster …