ALIGN ASSESSMENT

This training is designed for managers of creative teams to equip them with the skills needed to give constructive feedback that allows for flexibility and innovation. Carefully aligning instructional strategies and assessments ensures learners have opportunities to practice the behaviors that will achieve learning outcomes. 

    Many professionals express frustration that they think training is a waste of time. Often, this is because of poorly designed learning experiences that lack situations for learners to authentically apply the skills they are learning. In the case of my training experience, it was critical to allow learners the opportunity to give feedback since that was the main instructional goal. Therefore, learners first used scenarios to identify problems with feedback and revise how to improve the delivery using the method we explored during training. At the end of the session, learners got to simulate feedback by giving partners feedback on a small project. Since one of the principles we reviewed was empathetic delivery, peer assessments served as a tool to measure how feedback was received. A breakdown of the objectives, corresponding instructional strategies, and assessment tools are located on pages 11-13 in the design document. 

Assessments are essential to monitor learning and ensure the path toward desired outcomes, and it is something that I was conscious of during my time as a teacher and leader of my grade level. A common mistake I observed as a lead teacher was that some colleagues would create assessments that did not match the instruction they had invested in the entire unit. The result was wildly inaccurate measurements of learning and confused parents and teachers. Furthermore, when it came time for state testing, the students’ grades were far from the scores they received on the state test. Through this program, I have heard many case studies in various industries that shared the same theme - the training did not achieve the desired performance and behaviors, leaving all stakeholders frustrated with the wasted resources.  

This design document demonstrates how I can connect instructional strategies with meaningful assessments that achieve desirable outcomes. While constructing this training experience, I had many moments of revising my strategies or improving my assessments. Sometimes I would have a creative idea, but it was not based on the most suitable strategy. Even the most creative ideas have to be grounded with intention, otherwise, it will not matter in the end. This is something that I am still working on as I design my eLearning module for EDCI 569. It continues to challenge me because I have to reel in some of my abstract ideas and make them more of a concrete strategy.