curriculum design
design philosophy
My curriculum design philosophy is based on the idea that education should be student-centered, flexible, and relevant to the needs and interests of learners. First and foremost, curriculum design should be driven by the learning goals and objectives that students need to achieve. This requires careful consideration of the knowledge, skills, and competencies that students will need to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
In designing a curriculum, it is important to start with the end in mind by defining the learning outcomes that students should be able to demonstrate upon completion of the course or program. From there, I work backward to identify the most effective teaching and learning strategies that will enable students to achieve those outcomes.
Artwork by Catie-Reagan
The best curricula are flexible and adaptable to the needs and interests of learners. This means providing opportunities for students to personalize their learning experience by allowing them to choose their own learning paths, pursue their own interests, and set their own learning goals.
Finally, a strong curriculum should be grounded in real-world contexts and should address the challenges and opportunities that students will face in their lives and careers. By connecting course content to real-world issues, we can make learning more meaningful and relevant to students and help them develop the critical thinking and problem-solving skills that they will need to succeed in their personal and professional lives.
educational workshops
At English Tea Paperie, I designed and organized educational workshops on topics such as painting, drawing, the art of design, the power of branding, and work-life balance. Creating educational opportunities for professional development and personal growth is something I am passionate about and continues to pursue. Below are images from these successful workshops.
Continuing the conversation outside of the classroom
For every workshop organized and run, a workbook is designed for attendees to use during the event that includes questions, prompts, and learning objectives for them to reflect on after the event is over.
English Tea Paperie Watercolor Workshop and Afternoon Tea event at Maymont’s Stone Barn
*Photography by David Abel Weddings
mentoring program curriculum
mentorship program welcome packet
pitch video
case study
developing online assessment in an international setting
problem identification
The instructional designer is tasked with creating a certification program for sales consultants, who are the learners, at Trans-Continental Motors. Scott noted that the certification test portion of the training was the most important part. A certificate program was already created for the European division, but now the company needs an adaptation for the American one. Several problems arose during the previous creation of this training, including a high employee turnover rate, Antoine using nepotism to hire a relative, assuming a one-size-fits-all approach will work for all training, high translation costs, and a manager who was difficult to work with, among others (Ertmer et al., 2019).
The sales consultants need to develop knowledge surrounding the products they are selling and the eight-core competencies identified by Scott. While some of the material can be replicated from the luxury brand, there will need to be specific training that is culturally appropriate to the American brand. To cut costs, behavioral styles and personality characteristics will be removed from the training in place of creating personal development plans to satisfy a BER requirement. The challenge for the instructional designer is to create a cost-effective certification program that covers the core competencies, product knowledge, and personal development plans in a way that is generalizable internationally. The assessment portion of the training needs to be redesigned to lower costs and ensure the sales consultants are proficient in the material while considering that cheating is inevitable.
I envision addressing the problem through Merrill's principles of instruction (Morrison et al., 2019). Starting with the first principle (problem-centered), the training will begin with engaging the sales consultants through overviews of the product and examining the brand identity. Unlike the previous curriculum design, the second principle (activation) will use the sales consultants’ prior knowledge as a foundation for the new content. Whether their existing knowledge involves sales experience or vehicle expertise, sharing previous experiences and tying them into the course design allows the sales consultants to apply the learning to real-life situations. The third principle (demonstration) will include videos and tutorials covering topics such as sales tactics, product knowledge, communication skills, and how to create actionable personal goals.
Next, the fourth principle (application) involves role-playing activities and written evaluation assessments. Here, the sales consultants will demonstrate the knowledge gained through the program and how to apply it in real-life situations. Lastly, the program concludes with the fifth principle (integration) when the sales consultants either pass the certification test or fail and move on to an additional training period. If they pass, the sales consultant will receive certification and can begin directly applying the new knowledge to their professional work. However, if they do not pass, an action plan will be developed to offer further training and allow the sales consultants to retake the certification test.
learning objectives
1. Upon successfully completing the product knowledge test, sales consultants will pinpoint the differences between the vehicles sold in their market through multiple-choice questions.
2. Upon successfully completing the competency assessment, sales consultants will demonstrate strong written and spoken communication skills through open-response questions.
3. Upon successfully completing the certification program, sales consultants will examine typical concerns voiced by clients and practice responding to them through role-playing exercises.
4. Combining prior knowledge with the new information from the certification program, sales consultants will develop a strategic sales plan to meet personal sales goals.
5. Sales consultants will identify personal development needs and learning opportunities and formulate a plan of action through building individual development plans.
objective sequencing
The instructional design for the training sequence is learner-related based on the five student-learning concepts: identifiable prerequisite, familiarity, difficulty, interest, and development (Morrison et al., 2019). Identifiable prerequisites and difficult phenomena come into play by first teaching the sales consultants the basics of the products they are selling and how to interact with clients, which helps the sales consultants understand the meaning of keywords and phrases before moving on to more complex topics. The objectives also use familiarity by combining the sales consultants’ previous knowledge with new information to develop strategic sales plans and personal development goals. To increase the sales consultants’ motivation and engagement, the certification program begins by playing to their interest in vehicles and the product’s features. Starting with examining the product, the sales consultants better understand each vehicle and how to relate to potential clients. Lastly, the development phenomenon is represented by including product knowledge and competency assessments to ensure the sales consultants can demonstrate a proper understanding of the material before receiving their certification, which maintains the program’s rigor.
References
Ertmer, P.A., Quinn, J.A., & Glazewski, K. D. (2019). The ID Casebook: Case Studies in Instructional Design (5th ed.). Routledge.
Morrison, G. R., Ross, S. M., Morrison, J. R., & Kalman, H. K. (2019). Designing Effective Instruction (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
