Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
On-boarding
Designed to reduce new member turnover in an Unmanned Aerial Systems team at a small liberal arts college in Virginia. To partially fulfill the requirements for the Master of Education Degree in Learning Design and Technology from The University of Southern California.
About the Project
During a needs assessment, it was determined that a knowledge gap resulting in new member turnover within the institution’s UAS team exists. The knowledge gap was determined to exist as the institution does not have an aerospace or mechanical engineering program. Due to a lack in these programs, learners might not have been introduced to critical UAS components prior to involvement on the team. To meet the gap, a blended learning program was designed using the ADDIE model as it better fit the needs of undergraduates. The program was designed to meet the needs of an undergraduate learner with focus placed on first and second year students. To meet the learner’s needs, the program was designed with asynchronous simulated learning experiences as well as synchronous mentor-facilitated activities.
Development
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Mentor Guide: The document to assist mentors in ensuring mentees understand the material presented in the lesson.
Thesis Paper: The rationale, design considerations, and analysis behind the design.
Storyboards: The design document guiding development.
Performance Support: Interactive material that exists independently from the course, designed to reinforce what was learned and serve as a job aid for the mentees.
Reflection
Completing the capstone challenged me as a designer. Prior to completing this project, I had never developed an interactive course item, all my experience was limited to PowerPoint. This was my first time using Prezi, creating infographics, and using Adobe Captivate. The most valuable skills I learned in addition to the aforementioned aspects is to ensure you do not overestimate the design phase. I found myself getting caught up in revisions. It was very easy to get engrossed in the design to the point where the project begins falling behind. There will always be something you will want to tweak in a design, it is important to set performance standards for yourself to ensure the final product remains on track.
Though the project has not yet reached the implementation and evaluation phase, it became apparent that evaluation should not be reserved solely for the end of the program. For example, during both the analysis and design phase, I was constantly seeking feedback on the presentation of the courseware as well as process flows to adjust the program’s overall design. There were several redesigns based on SME feedback and extra insights gained through casual conversations with them during the process. Completing this process also helped me further understand the value of becoming a generalist in the field you are designing courseware in so you can better understand the SME as well as the overall subject matter.