Sub-Badge 1: ID Professional Communicator
Professional Foundations in LDT
Challenge 1: Deliver Presentations that effectively engage audiences and communicate clear messages.
Criteria for successful completion of this challenge: Evidence must demonstrate the conveying ideas in writing using effective techniques and formats suited to help the reader best understand; composes clear, concise and complete messages. Reflection must address: How your evidence meets the criteria listed above and any tools or methods you used to compose your communications.
Examples: Presentations (work related or course related) via PowerPoint, Google Slides, video submission, YouTube, Prezi, etc. Infographics (EDCI 588), “7 Things to Know” project (EDCI 564), presentations (design, performance, workplace, educational, other).
Reflection
I chose the presentation "How Do Colors Transform the World?" as my artifact to demonstrate my competency in "delivering presentations that effectively engage audiences and communicate clear messages." Created for EDCI 531, this presentation exemplifies my ability to engage an audience through a well-structured, visually appealing, and informative delivery, utilizing Canva and incorporating all nine stages of Gagne’s Theory of Instruction.
My presentation showcases my expertise in delivering professional online presentations. Its design is clear, visually striking, and grammatically correct, effectively using negative space and color to emphasize the topic of color transformation. By posing thought-provoking questions and outlining clear learning objectives, the presentation captivates and informs the audience. It follows a logical progression from stimulating recall of prior learning to providing content, guidance, exercises, feedback, and real-life application examples, illustrating my understanding of effective instructional design.
My background as a Fine Arts major from Virginia Tech significantly informed the visual design of this course. My deep understanding of color theory and design principles was pivotal in creating an engaging and educational presentation. Previously, at the 2023 Technology-Enhanced Learning Symposium, I applied similar skills to discuss "Using CIDIlabs DesignPLUS to Design Beautiful Courses in Canvas," demonstrating the practical application of these competencies in a professional setting.
Reflecting on this experience, I realize the importance of integrating creative design with instructional strategy. The use of Gagne’s Theory helped structure the content effectively, ensuring that the presentation was not only visually appealing but also pedagogically sound. This experience reinforced my belief in the power of well-crafted presentations to enhance learning engagement and effectiveness. Going forward, I plan to further develop these skills, focusing on innovative ways to combine aesthetic design with instructional best practices in my academic and professional endeavors.
Artifact: Course Presentation - “How Do Colors Transform the World?”
Challenge 2: Solicit, accept, and provide constructive feedback
Criteria for successful completion of this challenge: Evidence must demonstrate asking for, providing critique and utilizing feedback to improve one’s own performance or work. Reflection must address: How you have asked, utilized and provided feedback to others.
Examples: Reflection which learner utilizes feedback to report own behavior and develop a larger picture of personal performance (actions, thoughts, writing), before and after of projects/papers that show changes based on feedback (projects with feedback from EDCI 528, EDCI 588, EDCI 569, or research paper feedback from EDCI 513 or 531) work-related evidence (design, performance, workplace, educational, other) showing acceptance of constructive feedback or giving feedback.
Reflection
For the "Solicit, accept, and provide constructive feedback" challenge within the Professional Foundations in LDT Supra-Badge, I chose my literature review on "Gamification and Autonomy in Educational Settings" as the artifact. This document demonstrates my ability to effectively use feedback to enhance the quality and scholarly integrity of my work. The feedback I received was instrumental in guiding the extensive revisions that improved the coherence, scholarly tone, and APA adherence of the final paper.
Effective utilization of feedback is essential in academic settings to refine ideas and ensure adherence to scholarly standards. In revising my literature review, I implemented significant changes that included correcting APA formatting errors, integrating a cohesive narrative structure, and enhancing the clarity and depth of the theoretical frameworks discussed. These modifications not only aligned the paper with academic standards but also improved its overall argumentative strength, demonstrating my ability to transform constructive criticism into substantive improvements in my work.
My prior coursework and experience in academic writing have emphasized the importance of strict adherence to formatting guidelines and the critical role that constructive feedback plays in refining academic arguments. These experiences were instrumental in my ability to critically evaluate the feedback I received and to integrate necessary changes effectively. This process mirrored similar revisions I have undertaken in previous courses, which further developed my skills in synthesizing and applying feedback to enhance academic work.
The process of revising my literature review based on feedback proved to be highly effective in improving the paper's quality. It not only became more coherent and aligned with academic standards but also demonstrated a more rigorous engagement with the theoretical material. This experience taught me the importance of a unified narrative and detailed attention to formatting standards, which are essential for academic writing. Going forward, I plan to continue developing these skills, ensuring that my future academic work is both substantively and formally reflective of high scholarly quality. I also recognize the ongoing need to stay updated with academic standards to ensure my work remains relevant and rigorous.
Artifact 1: Initial Draft of Literature Review
This is the initial draft of my literature review on “Gamification and Autonomy in Educational Settings,” submitted for academic review.
Artifact 2: Instructor’s Feedback
Detailed feedback provided by my instructor, highlighting areas for improvement in structure, content, and APA formatting.
Artifact 3: Final Revised Literature Review
The final version of my literature review after incorporating the feedback received. This document showcases the changes made to improve clarity, coherence, and academic rigor.