Hello from Irving, Texas

Hello from Irving, Texas

by Dianne Rees -
Number of replies: 0
Hi all,

I live in Irving, Texas (midway between Dallas and Forth Worth) though I'm "from" all over the place. I'm an instructional designer and I'm interested in this course because I want to get the most out of any data I'm able to collect from programs/materials I've designed since, hopefully, I'll be able to create better designs that way. I'm also interested in how learning analytics can be used to identify needs and progress outside of formal learning settings. For this course to be a success for me, personally, I need to be able to integrate what I've learned into upcoming projects.

My background: I came to instructional design from a rather circuitous path. I've always been a writer, but I've also a research scientist, IP attorney, and later a medical writer for pharmaceutical companies and a health information providers. In each of these careers, I received the most joy from mentoring, training (you know, the good kind of training), and helping people see what's cool and useful about a subject. I decided life is too short not to be involved fully in the things you get the most joy from, which is why I've pursued instructional design. I have a certificate in instructional technology from San Diego State University, and will be enrolled in their Masters In Educational Technology Program. My passion is to help people improve their health literacy.

More about my thoughts on Instructional design can be found in my blog and my year-end reflection. I look forward to working with and learning from everyone in this class!