Learning Log - Matthew L. for Evaluation in Programs in Adult Learning by Matthew LeBleu https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu en-us 2019-04-04 04:00:15 UTC 2024-11-21 11:31:39 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/icons/Clouds.png Module 1: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/349302771 I learned a lot about my classmates this week, most of which were familiar faces from my previous classes. However, I was really amazed by the fact that there is another individual with an ESL/ELL background who is also interested in pursuing a career in instructional design (ID). I was once in his position and was scared that I wouldn't be able to land an ID position; however, having a background in ESL/ELL is an advantage as an instructional designer. The reason being is that almost all companies hire employees who speak English as a second language, so it is crucial that the course/training program is tailored to meet the foreign-born professionals linguistic needs. Prior to joining the learning and development department at my current company as an ID, they would create training programs without considering the ESL employees linguistic needs and had them read lengthy hard to read articles during the training. Most of the employees weren't able to understand what they were reading, and as a result, the training received negative feedback and it didn't end up being beneficial course for the employees.Once I got on board, I made it my priority to ensure that any course that is going to be rolled out meets their linguistic needs. ]]> 2019-04-07 21:30:39 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/349302771 Response to M1 LL https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/350052908 Hi Matt,
Awesome pic! I was really interested to learn about the work you're doing as I believe it's relatively unique in the ID world (although given multinational orgs and globalization we could argue it's more important than ever.) I wonder if you have considered ways of disseminating your best practices to benefit others?
-SR]]> 2019-04-09 17:35:35 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/350052908 Module 2: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/351526774 I found the posts by my peers in module 2 to be really interesting; however, I held back on asking certain questions that I really wanted to ask because I didn't know how they would take it. E-learning is amazing; however, not really knowing most of the invidiuals is a bit difficult when it comes to interacting with them as I don't want there to be any misunderstandings. I enjoy the group discussions because it allows my peers to share their thoughts with me and allows me to see things through a difference lens. 
When it comes to learning the content, I am noticing that with practice, I am becoming much better at self-directed learning. I find this course's content relatable to my everyday life which makes it very easy to learn, and it keeps me very much interested in wanting to learn more. I love being able to connect the readings to real-life experiences and sharing them with my peers. I think it may take some time, but once I get to know my peers better, I know I will be more open to asking more specific questions. ]]> 2019-04-15 00:30:54 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/351526774 Response to M2 LL https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/352710770 Hi Matt,
Thanks for your reflection! In next week's log make sure to include your self-reflection on your discussion participation as well. I will assess this week. I appreciate you noticing your self-directedness; I, too, consider it a muscle that can be developed. Re: asking questions in the online environment, my sense is that you have earned some trust with your peers over the last few weeks, I wonder if you might consider experimenting with "controversial" questions in upcoming modules?]]> 2019-04-19 04:54:04 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/352710770 Module 3: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/352970824 When reflecting on this week's discussion, I believe I met all the requirements and did great with responding to all of the individuals who had asked me questions and/or left me a comment. In comparison to the first and second week, I believe I am doing a lot better, in particular, ensuring that I am checking back in everyday to respond and makes comments on other individuals' posts. When it comes to the evaluation proposal, I found it to be a tad bit hard; mainly because this was the first time I've ever created a proposal. However, with the examples in the book and with the consulting firm activity in discussion 3 I was able to fully comprehend and complete the evaluation with my team. I am honestly glad that I am taking this class and creating an evaluation proposal because this is exactly something I was planning on doing in my current role as an instructional designer. By evaluating my company's training and onboarding program with my team, we are finding gaps where it could be better and once we are done, I plan to work with my manager and improve it. When it comes to my team, they are great to work with and they ensure to get everything done days before we have to submit the assignment. However, I kind of wish my team were better at responding to comments/texts. We do communicate enough to get the assignment done but there are times when responses won't come in until a day later. It is probably because they are busy, but not receiving input until a day later means I can't move forward with my section. But, I am just glad we get things done as a group, that's the most important thing, haha.]]> 2019-04-22 02:20:28 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/352970824 Module 4: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/354884205 When reflecting on this past week, I believe I did great. With my discussion, I've made sure to post 3-4 times throughout the week and replied to those who had commented on my post despite it being a hectic week. As with every discussion post, I enjoyed it a lot because I was still able to relate it to real life experiences. This week's reading was a tad bit heavy but quite interesting as it provided us with great insight into all of the evaluation designs why one should be used over others. This is something I should know as I plan to pursue an Ed.D. in Instructional Design and Performance Technology.
Another thing that I enjoyed was reading everyone's perspectives on which evaluation design they liked most and which they weren't fond of. For example, in a corporate setting, well at least in my current job a one-shot design is great at the end of each training session, but it is also not that beneficial as it only evaluates what they've learned at that moment. However, it made me wonder if there is a Time Series design that doesn't include pretests but rather posttests to evaluate their progress over time. I am sure it exists, but I just might not have discovered it yet. When it comes to working with my team this week on the Evaluation Logic, I took on the role as the leader, set up out Zoom meeting and ensured everyone was on time. It was the first Zoom meeting I've set up, and quite glad I had the opportunity to do that as I know it will become handy in the future. Overall, we worked well with each other, divided the work and got everything done within two days which was surprising. We've started to get to know each other a lot better which made our overall discussions were great, and I am quite happy to work with them both because they bring a lot of good things to our group. 
]]> 2019-04-29 04:43:35 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/354884205 M 4 Response https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/355113416 Thanks, Matt! Your contributions to discussion have been excellent and really appreciate your perspective. I wonder if you feel this week that your team communication was more timely? If not, I would suggest that your team revisit its working agreements. (Side note: I can totally see you excelling in PhD program!)]]> 2019-04-29 17:04:44 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/355113416 Module 5: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/357042957 This week has been a hectic week - taking three courses, working full-time, applying to doctorate programs and having to prepare to take a comprehensive exam that was on May 4th is overwhelming! Despite all of that, I must say that I enjoyed this week's discussion as I was able to contribute to my classmates' evaluation project. For example, Cene was talking about using a prettest-posttest design but later on deciding to go with the one-shot design as it would be more effective as she is evaluating ESLs proficiencies; however, I suggested that she contact the institution to see if they had achieved the testing scores for the previous course so she could compare and contrast those results. When it comes to posting, I believe I did great and made sure to reply to everyone. With my group's project, it was a bit hard this week with Jason out of the country in Japan, me studying for my comprehensive exam, and us (Paula and I) being a tad bit flustered with everything going on. Communication has not really improved that much but I am going to take your advice and revisit the team agreements this Tuesday. Luckily, we were able to get our assignment done. Assignment-wise, I actually learned a lot and realized that it takes a lot of work to evaluate a program but it is something that is necessary.

]]> 2019-05-06 04:13:15 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/357042957 Response to M5 https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/358956687 Hi Matt, it really sounds like you have a lot on your plate. I hope that you and your team had the chance to do one of the mid-action review tasks and that you have an updated plan for communication.]]> 2019-05-10 16:52:36 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/358956687 Module 6: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/359319541 This week has probably been one of the most enjoyable and less stressful weeks for me. On Tuesday, my project group and I had our weekly meeting and discussed how to communicate better and eliminated any misunderstandings we had during week 5. On Friday, after receiving all of our feedback, we spent an hour working together on Zoom and revising assignment 6B. The thing I enjoyed the most this week would probably have to be collaborating with other groups in the class. Through collaboration, I was able to see their projects, provide them with the necessary feedback to help improve their evaluations, but more importantly, it allowed me to compare and contrast both my group's data collection instrument and theirs to identify whether or not we had some gaps or to better format everything. Going through the two group's projects, I came to the realization that a career adult learning and education is can range from higher education to corporate companies, to hospitals and even law firms. The career opportunities in adult learning and education are endless, and surprisingly, educators can make a lot more money than an Engineer at Boeing. Moreover, this week taught me that collaborating with others, receiving external feedback is important and how feedback is an essential tool to grow as a professional while also perfecting your work. It also made me realize that even though we are a group of three, having peer and external reviews/feedback helped us pinpoint the gaps within our assignment that we as a group didn't even see. 

]]> 2019-05-13 03:59:32 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/359319541 Response to M6 https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/360951450 Thanks for your feedback on this module, Matt! I loved to hear about your experience working with the other team's instruments. I will really think about how to integrate more peer work in the course to focus on the various ways that evaluation works in organizations. ]]> 2019-05-16 19:08:46 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/360951450 Module 7: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/361605160 I found this week’s discussion to be quite interesting, and I enjoyed reading over everyone’s opinions regarding our assigned reading. This week’s reading in particular provided a lot of insight into data analysis and how we can present it in charts, tables, etc., however, it makes me wonder how to effectively quantify quantitative data. I know that utilizing a post-training survey with a Likert scale does help in that regard, but I wonder how we can quantify open-ended questions more effectively as it can be quite difficult. In regards to my participation in the discussion board, I made sure to respond to individuals on a span of three days on a timely manner; however, due to my busy schedule I was not able to go above and beyond with communicating with my classmates, but I made sure to do just enough to get full points. Also, I am not too familiar with data analysis, etc., so I felt a tad bit out of place with this week’s discussion but of course found it to be very insightful as it is something that I should know. When it comes to my group, we did great overall. Communication was good, work was evenly distributed, and I even took the initiative to help Jason with one of his sections as I was able to get my section completed earlier than I expected
. ]]> 2019-05-20 05:24:35 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/361605160 Response to M 7 https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/363046196 Hi Matt, I am going to talk about quantifying qualitative data in my video this week. I hope you find it helpful. Awesome work supporting a teammate.]]> 2019-05-23 18:15:42 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/363046196 Module 8: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/363644079 I enjoyed this week's discussion a lot. I know I say this quite often, but what we learned this week is really important as we will be applying this knowledge to our careers as educators. It is not only useful for any evaluations we may conduct in the future but also when it comes to establishing communication means, deadlines, showing quantitative/qualitative data. When it comes to my participation in this week's discussion, I believe I did great; however, I misunderstood the directives for this week and accidentally posted a tad bit late. When it comes to my group work, we are working well with each other. We had our zoom meeting and distributed this week's work evenly and have been in contact with each other daily via group text. The only thing I would like to know more about is how often we should involve the stakeholders in the evaluation process, and what do we do if one of the stakeholders is a bit controlling and wants to have full sight into the evaluation process every second of the way.

]]> 2019-05-27 03:59:31 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/363644079 Module 9: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/365194294 I really enjoyed this week's reading and how it drew on the importance of how time is money, and that it should be taken into consideration. For example, phone call conversations, meetings, etc. Those things do not appear to have a cost behind them but when you think about it, it actually does. Employees are to stop their job duties to attend the phone/meeting and this is something that is coming out of the companies pocket as they are not doing what they were hired for. I especially liked how this chapter laid it all out in categories and even addressing costs that would not even cross our mind - this will for sure be super helpful! When it comes to the discussion posts, I actually found it to be super fun! I wish I posted earlier than I did because I know for sure I would have had a great discussion with my classmates. My team and I worked great together and communication with them was perfect! We didn't have much to address this week; however, I enjoyed being able to review others' work as it provided me with a visualization of how we (as a team) could perfect our evaluation proposal.  ]]> 2019-06-03 04:53:07 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/365194294 Response to M8 LL https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/365415452 Hi Matt,
Great question about engaging stakeholders...especially the controlling kind. This can be very challenging. In the case of someone controlling I would assess how much power they have and how much you will need to "defer" to them if they are involved. Based on your assessment I would make sure I had a robust team - who would represent divergent views- so that more voices are heard. If this stakeholder is over-involved to the point of compromising the evaluation, that is another matter and speaks to ethics. I look forward to your thoughts on this topic after you've engaged with the readings this week.

]]> 2019-06-03 20:44:09 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/365415452 Module 10: Learning Log https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/366642806 It was nice putting all of our assignments together and seeing the final product - it was 10 weeks in the making, a lot of work, but I must say that I am proud of both myself and my team for getting it done. We've had our ups and downs as a team; however, it was great working with them, especially working with individuals from different educational backgrounds. Poala and Jason brought great value to the project, and I've honestly learned a lot from them. When it comes to the discussion this week, I found it to be quite interesting; however, it made me think about a social justice class I took last quarter and how we discussed the term "ethical." When we had to define it as a class, every one defined it a tad bit differently from each other, and when giving examples, it varied from person to person. The reason being is that one thing that may be not ethical in someone's eyes may be ethical in another, and this even plays a huge role in the evaluation process. ]]> 2019-06-10 06:19:42 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/366642806 Response to M 10 https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/367986178 Thanks Matt for your thoughts on ethics- I will consider adding an invitation in the prompt to define the term. It would be interesting to surface the different interpretations. I appreciated your enthusiasm for the content and contributions to class!

]]> 2019-06-17 20:40:00 UTC https://padlet.com/mlebleu_t/matthewlebleu/wish/367986178