Goal+Statement

** Goal Statement ** After graduating from Florida State University in August of 2011 I intend to continue working with my current employer, a private high school in South Florida. For the upcoming year I will continue as a mathematics teacher, but then hope to gain the position of Dean of Faculty or Human Resource Director at the school, if not at my current school, then at another school in the area. An alternative job choice would be to work for American Companies responsible for creating online and face to face curricula for schools in Rwanda and Nigeria. All of these jobs would utilize the skills I have in analyzing performance gaps, gathering data, job analyses, designing learning modules in multiple media formats, evaluating of these learning modules, assessing what the learner has accomplished, leading a project team, implementing an analysis plan and communicating effectively. I feel these skills learned through the Instructional Systems Program at Florida State University have prepared me extremely well for any of the job opportunities listed above.

Analysis was a key element in many of my courses and an invaluable tool in instructional design. I used my current school setting for many of my analyses, which was appropriate since private schools, like the one I currently serve, are constantly working to improve their program/course offerings to the community they serve. For instance, my system analysis and process model exemplify my ability to accurately describe the system in which I am working as well as identify gaps and possible causes for those gaps in the existing organization. In addition, it is important to analyze the learning audience whether it is young teachers, seasoned teachers, students or campus staff. Although, my learning analysis was for any adult learner and not applicable specifically to a school setting, it was an accurate representation of my ability to analyze the audience I am currently serving. Lastly, working as a Dean of Faculty or a Human Resource Director it will be extremely important to determine the current knowledge, skills and attitudes of my target audience as well as their needs if I expect to provide relevant and excellent training in a timely fashion. Evidence of these skills can be found in my job analysis, needs assessment and training needs assessment. Analysis is a vital skill to being an effective Dean of Faculty or Human Resource Director.

In addition to excellent analysis skills, instructional materials must be designed and developed based on the needs and concerns of the organization and the target audience. Within a school setting it will be important to create materials for students as well as adults, both faculty and staff. The range of topics could be wide: from creating job aids to developing subject curricula for training faculty and staff. In a school setting that values “cutting edge” technology and concepts, it will be important to utilize the most effective and exciting media to convey instructional and developmental material. For example, one must determine whether print, online, or face-to-face is the best way to deliver the learning module. In one case a print module, like my Jing print module, might be the best way to teach faculty how to implement a new computer program. By contrast, an online course would be more useful when teaching a professional development course. My wine tasting module or camera lesson provide examples of online instruction for faculty, although wine tasting would not normally be taught as a professional development course. Finally, face-to-face instruction, as exemplified by my diversity and open communication training module, would be especially valuable when dealing with diversity training and open communication where it is imperative for the faculty and staff to talk to one another. I am now familiar with a range of teaching products that lend themselves to different types of learning.

Once a teaching product has been designed and developed using the best possible technology, the effectiveness of the product must be evaluated. This includes creating appropriate assessments and conducting formative evaluations such as a usability test, small group formative evaluation or one-on-one formative evaluation. My experience with these evaluative approaches will help me effectively assess and evaluate real life teaching situations. In addition to evaluating the effectiveness of the product, it is important to conduct research and create a plan of action. In a school setting this could include educating parents about internet safety, determining the viability of using a particular curriculum on campus, or determining the effectiveness of a greening program on campus. In order to service the school population effectively, a solid background in evaluation and research is crucial.

Excellent management and implementation skills are necessary to successfully use all the above mentioned competencies. Budgeting, planning and communicating with the staff are essential to a successful organization. During my studies I participated in an analysis and evaluation of a company which led to a list of implementations for the LearnSomething organization. This project embodied all 6 competencies including excellent management skills and culminating in conclusions for implementation. In order for a project to be successful and well received the management of the project and the final implementations recommended must be effective.

Finally, superb communication skills are necessary for effective management and successful implementation. The target audience needs to know that you are aware of and knowledgeable about issues of major concern such as bullying in the workplace, or the affects of stress on ones work and personal lives. As a Dean of Faculty, it would be important to research innovative ways to teach and incorporate technology (one of our six school improvement plan areas) into the classroom such as web-conferencing. In addition, work, especially in an educational setting, requires the ability to communicate and collaborate with faculty, staff and administrators. Therefore, it is important to be a good communicator and team player to succeed as a Dean of Faculty or Resource Director in a private or public school.

In summary, I have expanded my knowledge in the Instructional Systems Program at Florida State University and am now prepared to apply it to an administrative position at my current job site or elsewhere. The courses also taught me skills I can use outside a school setting such as a company that provides educational curricula to schools or as an independent consultant working part-time on special projects for a number of organizations. I will continue to seek professional development in the 6 competencies: analysis, design & development, integrating technology, evaluation & research, management & implementation, and communication, to remain abreast of the latest research and theories. With this strategy in place, I intend to develop as an increasingly effective instructional designer and be an excellent candidate for a position in Human Resources or Instructional Design, face-to-face or online.