Ashford 7: – Week 6 – Final Project

Read this document thoroughly and refer to it often while you’re developing your Final Project.

You will submit one document for your Final Project, which will be written in Microsoft Word. This document will include the 6 items noted below.

  1. Appropriate front and back matter (Title Page, References, etc.)
  2. The narrative (“discussion”) that meets Requirements 2 and 3 below
  3. A link to your web-based ePortfolio
  4. Appropriate headings per APA to indicate transitions among sections
  5. A succinct, well-organized introduction
  6. A succinct, well-organized conclusion

Write in a formal tone showing your best academic writing ability.

Note that References for your Final Project document need only pertain to the text in the document and not all citations in the ePortfolio.

The purpose of the Final Project is to use instructional design principles and theory to construct an electronic portfolio (ePortfolio) that aggregates redesigned prior coursework. At a minimum, your ePortfolio will demonstrate attainment of the 8 MATLT Program Learning Outcomes. The overarching goal of the ePortfolio is that you showcase your learning from the MATLT program in a consolidated, web-based format that can easily be shared with anyone: colleagues, potential or current employers, friends, family members, etc.

There are numerous ways you might approach the creation of your ePortfolio. The ePortfolio might be as basic as a series of graphical hyperlinks to activities that demonstrate each PLO. You might choose to utilize a cohesive narrative via Glogster or a video narrative of activities using Voicethread. It can be as advanced as a blog, such as Blogger, with a narrative and reflection on each activity included on individual posts. You might also use an actual website such as Google Sites that tells the story of your educational journey and value of your MATLT degree personally and in the labor market.

The ePortfolio is your chance to shine and show what you know and are able to do in the practice of teaching and learning with technology!

You will submit a link to your Final Project in the Week 6 Discussion for preliminary feedback by peers and the instructor before the final due date. The earlier you submit in the discussion, the more opportunity for input.

Your Final Project will be graded on how well it creates an effective digital web presence. The following items will be evaluated:

  • At least one artifact that represents mastery of each PLO
  • Use of APA for style and formatting
  • Inclusion of all 6 items per paragraph 2 above
  • Level of academic writing ability

Requirements:

  1. Create a web-based ePortfolio that includes redesigned activities from prior MATLT coursework to demonstrate your competency with the 8 Program Learning Outcomes.
  • Be as creative as you desire to meet or exceed the basic requirements.
  • Create an educationally sound project using instructional design principles and theory while exemplifying ethical uses of technology.
  • Incorporate such features as universal design, media copyright/citation, etc.
  • Address each Program Learning Outcome in your ePortfolio; if a single activity demonstrates multiple outcomes, make sure you indicate that in your narrative.
  • The narrative portion needs to indicate in a cohesive, logical manner how each assignment demonstrates attainment of the outcomes.

The 8 Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) stated in the Ashford University catalog for academic years 2009-2010, 2010-2011, 2011-2012 are as follows:

PLO 1 Demonstrate knowledge and skills related to learning using technology.
PLO 2 Demonstrate knowledge and skills in current and emerging instructional technologies.
PLO 3 Design learning opportunities that apply technology-enhanced instructional strategies to support the needs of all learners.
PLO 4 Apply research to support learning in a technology-enhanced environment.
PLO 5 Exemplify ethical practices of technology usage.
PLO 6 Evaluate technology resources to facilitate effective assessment and evaluation.
PLO 7 Utilize technology to collect and analyze data, interpret results, and communicate findings.
PLO 8 Demonstrate the ability to make informed decisions regarding the use of technology in support of learning and leadership.

 

  1. Rank and discuss the importance of each Program Learning Outcome to your individual work setting. 
  • From first to last, rank each PLO regarding its importance to you as an educator or potential educator.
  • Discuss how you use (or don’t use) each PLO in your work setting.
  • Explain why you ranked this PLO in this particular order, and its value to you in your learning environment or your position.

For example, if you are a training manager, you might choose PLO 8 as the most important PLO: As a decision-maker, you rely on technology to meet your organization’s objectives. Likewise, you may also choose PLO6 as the second most important outcome, because your job responsibilities focus on evaluation and assessment.

NOTE: If you are unemployed or otherwise do not work in a teaching capacity, you can either (a) use a previous work center, or (b) imagine the perfect work center (e.g., your dream job) and use that fictional work center to rank and discuss each PLO.

  1. Discuss the design and development challenges you experienced while creating this ePortfolio and how you overcame those challenges.

 

  • If you feel that you did not face any challenges during your design/redesign:
  1. Please state there were no challenges and clearly support this statement a discussion of the details.

or

  1. Reflect and think deeply about your design / redesign process and offer a detailed narrative of how the process excelled.

 

  • Discuss the challenges encountered while meeting requirements for your ePortfolio. Examples of challenges include:
  • Choosing a specific technology to showcase your learning
  • Difficulty ranking the PLOs
  • Finding creative ways to display your newly learned skill sets
  • Tying together concepts and theories into one cohesive digital collection
  • Getting started

Explain how you resolved or worked around those challenges. The below examples map to the examples listed directly above, and include:

  • You became proficient in Jing, so you used that technology
  • You linked PLO’s to your job responsibilities
  • Internet searches uncovered new ways to utilize your talents
  • Peer collaboration produced ways to effectively consolidate multiple concepts and theories in one package
  • ePortfolio examples sparked cognitive thought

Create a separate heading per APA for this section

Instructions:

  1. Submit a word document containing a link to your Final Project through the Week 6 Final Project Assignment Submission Button on or before the due date.

    Reminder: You will submit a link to your Final Project in the Week 6 Discussion for preliminary feedback by peers and the instructor before the final due date. The earlier you submit in the discussion, the more opportunity for feedback!

  2. Post questions about the Final Project in the Ask Your Instructor discussion and check there frequently for answers to peers’ questions that may assist you.
  3. Consider and integrate feedback received from classmates and the instructor given during this course and especially during the Week 6 Discussion before final ePortfolio submission.
  4. Carefully review the Grading Rubric to understand what is expected for a “Distinguished” performance for each of the expected criteria of the Final Project.

Examples to consider!

These examples are MATLT EDU697 Final Projects available on the web. The examples do not reflect the current assignment instructions, but may serve as examples to you for inspiration for design and formatting of your Final Project. In other words, these are provided for inspiration and are not intended to be prescriptive in terms of exactly what you can or need to do with your Final Project.

Blogger Example – MATLT portfolio

Livebinders Example –Masters of arts in teaching and learning with technology portfolio

Wikispaces Example – Masters of teaching and learning with technology (MATLT) portfolio

Yolasite Example – Welcome to my portfolio website!

Carefully review the Grading Rubric for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.