Recently, our family visited an Irish sheep farm for a demonstration. When talking about the dogs, the farmer said that not all collies have what it takes to become sheep dogs. He said, "They have to be obsessed with work, obsessed with sheep, obsessed with listening." Believe it or not, this explains a little about me.

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1. I am obsessed with experiencing new things with my family.

2. I am obsessed with traveling.

3. I am absolutely obsessed  with "work" - in my case, designing, developing, and creating learning experiences is my passion.

 

No, I'm not a sheep dog or a farmer, but I get it. 

       

        As I am designing, developing, and creating, I am constantly thinking about the learner. Adult learning theory guides my development in that I know that not everyone is as obsessed with learning as I am. Adults need a reason, a "what's in it for me" to attend to information. That information also needs to be presented in an organized, interesting way. Engaging the learner in the process is essential. My goal is to create learning that is as hands-on as possible. Incorporating the rules of primacy/recency, I plan out lessons and modules in a way that teaches by doing. Scenarios in learning, knowledge check activities, and evaluations that are authentic to the concept being taught.

       

        Even though I love learning, I know I do not know everything. I work closely with SMEs and other stakeholders to develop content that is applicable and necessary. I follow a combination of waterfall and agile methods as I work. Waterfall in that I like to set goals and deadlines and I know that a fixed budget is often more realistic. Agile in that I know that those dates aren't always met without close communication. Setting goals and targets for each sprint has been the key for me. Following an iterative process, receiving feedback, and openly communicating have been the ideal methods of success.