Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Building An Infrastructure For Down Syndrome Care, Kate E. Martin

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

People with intellectual disabilities experience greater obstacles in attaining their full health potential. The most common identifiable cause of intellectual disability is Down syndrome. Established in September 2021, the Down Syndrome Program at The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) aims to meet the healthcare needs of members of the Southern Nevada community with Down syndrome and their families. However, there is currently no infrastructure in place in Southern Nevada to provide Down syndrome care, or clinical services dedicated to individuals with the condition. This work discusses options that were explored to develop …

Engaging The Adult Learner: An Action Research Study On Delivering Effective Online Learning Experiences, Amanda Nolan

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Since the pandemic of 2020, there has been a vast increase of adults learning online. Today, online learning is the most popular learning approach among adult learners. However, many adults have faced obstacles and challenges when learning online, resulting in a poor learning experience. Online learning is a modality that has become the forefront of learning in our society and continues to grow more and more popular, which makes it a critically important research area. This paper discusses adult learners and their most common challenges and obstacles when learning online and suggestions on how to avoid them. A positionality statement …

Standalone, Supplemental, And Embedded Microlearning Development Alternatives For Federal Programs During A Pandemic, Tod M. Hebenton

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Microlearning has been studied since the early 2000’s. Comparisons of microlearning and eLearning are found throughout the research. Some research has presented developing microlearning as an alternative to developing eLearning courses. However, this action research paper is written in support of developing microlearning to be implemented alongside or as a component of eLearning. Microlearning benefits learners because it can be developed as standalone, supplemental, or embedded course content. A literature review and close examination of a series of microlearning videos developed for a federal program will highlight how microlearning can be developed as standalone or supplemental course content that can …

Engaging The Adult College Student: A Case Study On Improving Nontraditional Students’ Persistence, Conzolo L. Migliozzi

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Nontraditional students, defined as those age 25 and older, had a first-year persistence rate of just 46.8% in 2019 (National Student Clearinghouse, 2021). The Education Fund, a large non-profit that provides training and tuition assistance to healthcare workers, is acutely aware of this problem as its membership is made up almost entirely of nontraditional learners. The Education Fund has many college readiness programs, and in an effort to improve upon their outcomes, requested this study on student persistence. Research on nontraditional student persistence was conducted and key Education Fund staff were interviewed as part of this project. While the literature …

Hip-Hop History: Grades 9-12 Local History Curriculum, Sivia K. Malloy

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

As the founders and trailblazers mature, and sadly depart this life, a new generation is left behind with limited to no knowledge of the influence hip-hop has on current popular culture locally, nationally, or internationally. Research for this learning intervention determines what and how local hip-hop history incorporates into a social studies/history course with high school (9-12 grade) students, bridging local stories to the national and international trends and events of the past. Informal discussions took place with local hip-hop subject-matter experts throughout the northeast region of New England with ties to Massachusetts. Their recommendations were to wrestle with the …

Esl A2 Optional Class For 7th Grade Students, Judit Szabó

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper describes an A2 level English class for 7th-grade students. The 10-week course focuses on vocabulary building, speaking, and reinforcing A1/A2 level grammar.

The needs analysis plan is described to provide context for the course and was used as a basis for the course design and instructional choices. The main body of the paper discusses instructional strategy and detailed course design. Key course aspects include scaffolding, relevance, and emphasis on active engagement and interaction. Class materials for Weeks 1-3 are worked out in detail and included in Appendices A and B.

Pre-Mentoring Training On Financial Literacy For Small Business Owners, Marwa Abduljawad

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Small business owners are continuously faced with challenges to grow their business. These challenges are not only related to market conditions, some of them are associated with the business owner's lack of knowledge or skills; thus, many of them seek mentoring opportunities. This project explores the knowledge gap between the mentor and mentee, with a focus on financial literacy and how it impacts mentoring outcomes. A needs assessment was done to assess this performance problem through interviewing project SME’s, surveying stakeholders, and literature review. Based on the findings, a self-paced micro eLearning was proposed with an instructional goal of the …

Arbor Edge Defense (Aed) Sales Training, Michael J. Wetherbee

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Due to a change in revenue policy, an organization that sells products in the DDoS attack solution space embarked on a journey to fundamentally change the strategy they employed to sell their DDoS solution. The offering from the organization was a combination of two products that provided a comprehensive DDoS solution. The solution was made up of a cloud solution combined with an on-premises appliance.

Because most of the cloud portion was owned by another organization and the profit margins were small, they decided to sell their portion to the other organization. Once sold, they decided to change the sales …

Chunk Of Change: Microlearning, Social Cognitive, And Transformative Learning Theory To Support Wellness Routines, Jessica Brand, Jenny Erickson

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper explores the design of a 5-week course for Jamie O'Neil, a fitness and nutrition coaching company. Any quest to achieve optimal wellness requires the ability to make consistent personal choices that support one's own health, fitness, and nutritional needs. Efforts to support these choices are often strengthened when targeting both the cognitive and behavioral domains. Jamie O'Neil found this to be true. Clients revealed themselves to be highly self-critical and to operate on top of assumptions and beliefs about themselves. These beliefs deterred their motivation and ability to sustain new health habits. To ensure that both the cognitive …

The Perceptions Of Academic Librarians On Their Role In Lifelong Learning, Self-Directed Learning And Heutagogy, Anna Ferri

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper uses a qualitative methodology to explore the perceptions of academic librarian on the definition of lifelong learning and their roles in supporting lifelong learning. Existing research on the topic was aligned to the emergent educational model of heutagogy to identify key concepts including self-directed learning, learner agency, and the impact of technology. Heutagogy is a learning model focused on self-determined learning, often in a high technology environment, for mature learners who have high degrees of agency over the entire learning process including identifying learning goals and methods, locating resources, and designing assessments. Using loosely structured interviews of academic …

Guidelines For Effective Adaptive Learning: A Meta-Analysis, Jennifer C. Dahlmann

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Adaptive learning adjusts to the student’s needs to improve learning outcomes, but adaptive learning platforms approach this goal in vastly different ways. When tested, these platforms also show varying levels of success in improving learning. The goal of this meta-analysis is to develop guidelines for the creation and implementation of adaptive learning based on studies where adaptive learning was utilized.

Asynchronous Training For Online Teaching Assistants, Jason Snellings

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The University of Massachusetts Boston (UMB) eLearning and Instructional Design (eLID) team provides technical support to faculty and teaching assistants (TAs) as they teach online courses. There is currently a lack of support for TAs to properly train them to handle the technical tasks designated to them by faculty. This lack of education results in an increased workload on the eLID team in responding to TAs. Research was conducted to determine what the common duties of TAs are and what roles they should be able to fulfill at UMB. In addition, research was used to determine the best method of …

Hype-On-Campus: A Pilot Online Learning Program Designed For Helping Youth On The Path To Employment (Hype), Sam P. Lenox

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Helping Youth on the Path to Employment (HYPE) is a research-based program housed at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. The program aims to provide support and services to young adults with mental health conditions as they identify meaningful career paths and achieve goals for sustained employment. HYPE has developed a multi-stage trial program called Hype-On-Campus (HOC) that will expand the HYPE model to colleges and universities across the United States beginning with the fall semester of 2020. Graduate-level Student Practitioners, selected to participate in the initial HOC feasibility trial, will be enrolled in an HOC online distance training program …

Preventing Injuries While Training For An Endurance Event, Stephanie Culver

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Team FX is a team that trains for endurance events. Coach Gary Walker launched the team in 2005was started by in response to his own experiences training with other endurance event teams. The training regimens of these teams scaled too quickly and were too intense for most athletes, resulting in the fact that he and many athletes on the teams were consistently sustaining injuries. Coach Gary researched and worked with many professionals to develop coaching materials for his own team, Team FX, in order to make endurance event training more accessible and less injury ridden. However, each season, there are …

Finding Pathways: Best Practices For Ongoing Learning In Toastmasters, Veronica Brown

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Toastmasters International, an educational organization consisting of an international network of public speaking clubs, has developed a sophisticated elearning educational program called Pathways as an update to a simpler program, published in booklets, that was nearly a century old. Reactions from club members have been mixed and the transition has required a great deal of training and support efforts at all levels of the organization. This research seeks to identify best practices Toastmasters clubs and members can use to successful transition to Pathways. The hypothesis of the research is that Toastmasters, as a community of practice (CoP), is a connectivist …

Ilt To Mobile Elearning Design For At-Risk Populations, Jacqueline R. Tomrdle

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This capstone assisted a non-profit company to produce mobile learning for the vulnerable, at-risk population they serve. A fellow University of Massachusetts Boston Instructional Design Program graduate created an eLearning visual brand guide laying the foundation for a consistent accessible brand for the company. As a result, this author used the tools of analysis, instructional design, development, implementation and evaluation to create deliverables of six workshop modules. The non-profit company is one-step closer to their goal of online support for their graduates and promotion of their program to a larger audience reach in Massachusetts.

A Case Study On A Grassroots, Student-Led Facebook Community For Online Graduate Students And Alumni, Caroline E. Frankel

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This case study explores the evolution of a grassroots, student-led Facebook graduate student community to support graduate students within the University of Massachusetts Boston Instructional Design Program. The study explores literature supporting social presence construction within formal course environments, informal learning networks, and how social media can help bridge the gap between the formal and informal course space. A questionnaire administered to graduate students and alumni within the Instructional Design Facebook community suggests that a grassroots model has been highly effective at helping students feel more connected to each other. Conclusions and recommendations provided by this study will help inform …

Team Building & Coaching, Daniel Kelley

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

A supervisor’s ability to make proper hires and coach existing employees is related to the creation of a pipeline of future supervisors. As corporations grow, so does its personnel. As the personnel grows, so does the need for more leaders that can appropriately manage personnel without human resource intervention. This paper discusses the need for an internally designed program created to help existing supervisors build a bench of future company leaders. Background information of the company is discussed along with the importance of staff development in achieving its mission. A literature review was performed to determine the benefits of an …

Instructional Strategies To Prepare Students For Success In Informal Learning Environments: Leveraging Metacognition And Critical Thinking To Develop Self-Regulated Learning Skills, Carolyn P. Commiso

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper looks at how learning is evolving in the 21st century and what skills learners need to be successful in that environment. Based on existing research into the topic, this paper focuses on how learning is increasingly taking place in informal settings, through the lens of the Social Cognitive Learning and Cognitive Constructivism theories. The hypothesis is that students can be successful in these settings by mastering self-regulated learning strategies which can be developed through critical thinking and meta-cognitive skills. It assesses what instructional strategies can be used to develop these skills and enable continued learner success. In addition, …

Augmenting Education: Ethical Considerations For Incorporating Artificial Intelligence In Education, Dana Remian

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Artificial intelligence (AI) has existed in theory and practice for decades, but applications have been relatively limited in most domains. Recent developments in AI and computing have placed AI-enhanced applications in various industries and a growing number of consumer products. AI platforms and services aimed at enhancing educational outcomes and taking over administrative tasks are becoming more prevalent and appearing in more and more classrooms and offices. Conversations about the disruption and ethical concerns created by AI are occurring in many fields. The development of the technology threatens to outpace academic discussion of its utility and pitfalls in education, however. …

Reimagining First-Year Experience: Strategies For Supporting The Success Of The 21st Century Community College Student, Jennifer A. Puniello

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Across the nation, higher education institutions are assessing and redesigning their first-year experience as efforts to retain students. Community colleges, especially, are piloting and implementing evidence-based practices that have proven to be successful at four-year institutions. Bristol Community College, located in southeastern Massachusetts, is among one of these community colleges. While the research presented in this Capstone does not address non-cognitive issues, as critical as they are to understanding student attrition, this Capstone, backed by primary research and empirical data, focuses on curricular and co-curricular pedagogy imperative to the success of first-year community college students. Using Bristol as a subject, …

Insurance Claims Adjuster Remote Training Initiative, Pamela Wieboldt

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper contains a full training plan initiative to correct a knowledge gap among remote marine insurance adjusters. The problem originated from a longer claims handling process among remote adjusters dealing with Maritime Law claims. In an assessment in the analyze phase this knowledge gap was confirmed. Through analysis there were three major areas of maritime law that adjusters on staff did not test well on. The modules developed will follow the theory of micro learning due to the staff members having limited time to commit to learning each day. As the employees are remote, all of the learning events …

Resilience Training For Va Primary Care Providers, Elizabeth A. Recupero

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Physician burnout syndrome is epidemic within the U.S. healthcare system. Burnout is defined by three main criteria: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment, and its prevalence is highest among primary care providers. The VA’s All Employee Survey (AES) demonstrates that more than 50% of physicians working for the VA Healthcare System exhibit at least one of these symptoms. The literature discusses that this syndrome can be improved by increasing physician resilience. This capstone project first analyzed the need for resiliency training among VA primary care providers. After the needs analysis, an online training that encompassed mindfulness …

New Hire Training For Development Employees, Frances Pickles

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Children’s Cancer Charity employs development staff members in field offices across the country. These new hires require a specialized training for their role within the organization. The existing new hire training consists of a sales training and a week-long training held quarterly at the Executive Office. The current training lacks a foundational understanding of the various fundraising programs that exist at CCC and the training on the soft skills required to be successful in a development role. Two training series were designed to meet the needs of development new hires: Fundraising Program Training and Business Skills Training. The program training …

Enhancing The New Esl Student Orientation At Umass Boston: Applying Udl Principles And Educational Technology Tools, Karol Victoria Castaneda Guzman

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

New English as a Second Language (ESL) students often display confusion during their transition to UMass Boston (UMB). Despite the administrative staff’s best effort to provide students with information about the university, students still lack the relevant information about services, academic resources, the individuals, and offices of interest available to assist them in their success. Additionally, the majority of new ESL students do not adequately understand the information presented in the orientation due to their limited English proficiency. This evidence-based practice project describes the analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation of a blended orientation for new ESL students. It details …

Social Media For Senior Citizens: An Introductory Course, Cheryl Raistrick

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

The Woburn Council on Aging is a municipal, volunteer board appointed by the Mayor of Woburn. The Woburn COA operates the Woburn COA Senior Center as a resource for the community's senior citizen population. The Senior Center provides information, referrals, information, outreach, advocacy, transportation, health screening, nutrition, education, peer support, recreation, volunteer development and intergenerational programming for members of the community. Educational programs on the use of technology are offered monthly at the Woburn COA Senior Center though members have expressed interest in learning more about social media applications and how they can be used to communicate with family and …

Five Potential Barriers To Lms Usage, John Contrado

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

This paper began as a needs assessment investigating low Learning Management System (LMS) usage at a worldwide technology corporation. Subsequently, the company in question underwent a number of personnel changes and decide to forgo the needs assessment. As such, this paper became a review of research literature related to LMS usage barriers, with the intentions of identifying potential causes of low LMS usage in corporate environments. The review of the existing literature identified five major potential barriers to LMS usage. Because of the nature of the process, these are generalized broad barriers that can easily be identified and discovered in …

Natural Gas Safety For First Responders, Aimee Levy

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Natural gas leaks and explosions are growing problems across the country. Recommended Practice (RP) 1162, a federal regulation, requires pipeline operators to implement public awareness programs. One key stakeholder audience includes first responders and fire departments.

This training was developed for a Utility Company, who is a regional pipeline operator, to teach first responders response protocols of different types of natural gas incidents. The module not only helps the Utility Company meet its RP 1162 outreach requirements but also fills educational gaps of firefighters.

To design this training, a team of subject matter experts was assembled to develop the content …

Communities Of Practice, Cailin B. Hochradel

Instructional Design Capstones Collection

Communities of Practice (CoP) are groups where users who share the same interests can discuss a particular practice while sharing resources, tools, and work arounds. With a unique business model and product line as well as a significant portion of Mabey Inc. employees in remote locations, a CoP will bridge the communication and distance gap to make learning and development easier and more fluid. Mabey Inc. chose to install Yammer to facilitate their CoP. With this initiative all employees were enrolled in the system and encouraged to use it but not given any directive on how or how often to …