Competency 6: Participate Actively in the Profession

This competency is demonstrated in my group's investigation of instructional design in higher education. In this project, my partner and I interviewed Christine Courtney, an academic technology specialist who works at Sam Houston State University's College of Osteopathic Medicine. This experience allowed me to learn more about the community of practice surrounding academic technology and instructional design within higher education.

 

Throughout this interview, Christine provided insightful information about this community, including core responsibilities, skills/tools necessary to succeed, and best practices. Her emphasis on continuous learning and a willingness to integrate new technology into curriculums highlighted some of the shared professional standards in this community. These values reflect the broader instructional design field's commitment to enhance learning experiences through innovation.

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The insights I gained from this interview helped me understand how instructional designers in higher education examine problems, collaborate, and respond to emerging technologies. These insights also informed my professional development goals, particularly the focus on learning new technologies such as AI tools and applying them to enhance learning designs and delivery models. Ultimately, interviewing a professional in the field exposed me to practices that will prepare me to become a successful instructional designer. 

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To stay connected with educational technology moving forward, I plan actively participate in communities of practice and attend professional development events. For example, to increase my proficiency in Articulate Storyline, I've joined the E-Learning Heroes community, where I can engage with other eLearning designers, participate in weekly eLearning challenges, and learn from peer feedback and resources. I also plan to learn more about applications of AI in higher education by attending Los Angeles Pacific University's upcoming virtual conference on AI innovations. Additionally, I'm also interested an upcoming EDUCAUSE webinar that's focused on the impact of AI on work in higher education.