Program Portfolio
M.S.Ed in Information Technology
Amy Spielmaker
ibstpi® Domain
Artifact Type
Climb a Cascade
Climb a Cascade
Climb a Cascade is an interactive simulation “game” about summiting a large mountain (specifically one in the Cascade Mountain Range). Players are challenged to pack for their excursion and then make it safely to base camp. The goal is that players will be able to recognize hazardous outdoors situations and understand appropriate decisions to make when in these situations. The simulation was built using Articulate Storyline 360, an elearning-authoring program for developing interactive learning experiences.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Organize instructional programs and/or products to be designed, developed, and evaluated (Competency #11)
- Determined the overall scope of the instruction, including learning goals, and methods for teaching content and assessing learning.
- Conducted a task analysis to determine best method to sequence the learning activities.
More than a Marsh
More than a Marsh
More than a Marsh is a family of information materials for “Mason River Wetlands” – a (fictional) natural area in northern Utah. The project includes a visually captivating storyline-style website, an interpretive sign, and a nature map of the area. The overall goal of these materials is to foster an appreciation for wetlands. The interpretive sign, placed near the entrance of the natural area, informs visitors about the major wetland benefits that are immediately relevant while the website provides a more comprehensive overview of the benefits of wetlands and give people details about what they can do to help sustain these ecosystems. The nature map shows the Mason River Wetland trail system and highlights the various scenic points and activities.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Develop instructional materials (Competency #15)
- Developed plan and specifications for learning content.
- Produced instructional materials in the form of a sign, brochure, and website.
- Decided best methods to deliver educational content given project timeline, requirements, and available technologies.
Division of Health & Exercise Science
Division of Health & Exercise Science
The Division of Health & Exercise Science at Western Oregon University was looking to build recognition of their programs, students, and faculty, with the ultimate goals of recruiting prospective students and engaging with current students and alumni. To accomplish this, I created and maintained social media accounts for the Division on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I also revamped the Division’s website, including the addition of a blog to showcase student, alumni, and faculty accomplishments. Finally, I designed posters for local high schools to build excitement about careers in health and exercise science and position the Division as a resource for students.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Identify and describe target population and environmental characteristics (Competency #7)
- Designed content targeted towards minority groups in local area that were underrepresented in programs.
- Determined available delivery methods (website, poster), identified key decision makers within each method.
- Ensured content was aligned with mission and philosophy which were considered important by the stakeholders. Clarified mission in places it was unclear and developed “Our Philosophy” statements.
- Took into consideration needs of various target audiences to create content that could support several different user groups.
Visual Design in Online Education
Visual Design in Online Education
Visual Design & Online Learning is an essay I wrote to meet the literature requirements for the M.S.Ed. program. The main thesis of this essay is that online material should be attractive, which is different than simply clear text and well-organized material. It means online material should be graphically appealing.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Update and improve knowledge, skills, and attitudes pertaining to the instructional design process and related fields (Competency #3)
- Showed how visual design overlaps with ID and how to use these principles to improve learning experiences.
- Made paper available online at no cost for use by other professionals.
Moodle User Guides
Moodle User Guides
Moodle User Guides began as a collaborative project between myself and Benjamin Kahn, a classmate and instructional technologist at the University of Portland. We created moodleuserguides.org to offer an open, accessible, user-friendly, instructor-focused experience that provides both just-in-time training and more in-depth professional development resources for teachers using Moodle.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competencies
Analyze the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their potential use (Competency #8)
- Narrowed the scope of required content in accordance with identified needs.
- Combined content from several existing data sources.
- Considered types of content, identified and filled gaps to ensure a range of content types and covered subjects.
- Organized content into categories and leveraged search technology to allow users to build any missing pre-requisite knowledge.
Manage partnerships and collaborative relationships (Competency #21)
- Spoke with several stakeholders to determine how the resource could be used by their organization.
- Demonstrated ability to work on a joint project and create an end-product going well beyond the scope of required classwork.
Hacking the LMS
Hacking the LMS
Hacking the LMS is a session I presented at the 2018 annual NWeLearn conference. In the session, I covered several examples of how minor tweaks to the HTML and CSS could create drastically better looking and more functional courses. Instead of using “slides” for the session, I put together a website resource with all the code and examples from the session.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competencies
Communicate effectively in visual, oral and written form (Competency #1)
- Presented at industry conference, used audience participation to engage attendees and inform discussion topics (oral).
- Provided information to attendees in on-demand online format (written).
- Provided complete examples in Moodle & Canvas (visual).
Conduct a needs assessment in order to recommend appropriate design solutions and strategies (Competency #6)
- Surveyed instructors and subject matter experts to inform topics covered in session.
Alcohol & Other Drugs
Alcohol & Other Drugs
Alcohol & Other Drugs is a Moodle course I developed with faculty in the Division of Health & Exercise Science at Western Oregon University. The class is taught 100% online. My role as the instructional designer was to help professors transition the class from face-to-face to online.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competencies
Evaluate instructional and non-instructional interventions (Competency #17)
- Determined methods for evaluating student learning through assignments and discussion forums.
- Created rubrics for formative and summative assignments.
Revise instructional and non-instructional solutions based on data (Competency #18)
- Discussed course and received feedback from professors to modify instruction.
- Made minor tweaks to delivery methods to improve coursework while balancing against time constraints.
- Revised the sequence of instruction and learning activities based on feedback from course instructors.
Plan and manage instructional design projects (Competency #22)
- Determined plan to improve course and presented plan to course instructors for feedback.
- Managed competing priorities and limited resources while still completing course on time.
- Made many changes and adaptations to original plan as work developed and obstacles emerged.
Cooking with Care
Cooking with Care
Cooking with Care is an online course about food safety. It was created for a fictional company – Foodservice Officials Group (FOG) – a contracting company that hires and licenses foodservice managers who are then placed in various foodservice operations. This course is designed to help participants understand food safety principles and gain an appreciation for the importance of keeping food safe. From the basics to handwashing, to more complex topics such as foodborne pathogens, this course provides participants with the building blocks to keep food safe throughout their operation.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Design learning assessments (Competency #16)
- Developed learning objectives.
- Constructed assignments and activities to allow students to meet learning objectives.
- Used discussion questions, video quiz, concept map, and multiple projects to assess student learning, ensured that these methods were consistent with course objectives.
@wouhexs
@wouhexs
@wouhexs is an online resource for faculty with the Division of Health & Exercise Science at Western Oregon University build and maintain a social media presence. The overall goal of this resource is to make all faculty members comfortable participating with ongoing management of the Division’s social media. I designed this resource as a “course” in Moodle for easy faculty access.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competencies
Plan non-instructional interventions (Competency #13)
- Identified that access, knowledge, and privacy concerns were limiting usage of social media, and developed plan to address these gaps.
- Gave all instructors access to social media accounts and multiple options for posting to allow participation from a range of comfort and skill levels.
Implement, disseminate, and diffuse instructional and non-instructional interventions (Competency #19)
- Communicated importance of social media and shared how social media could help grow the division.
- Monitored progress and engagement; made adjustments to improve usage.
- Hosted on WOU’s moodle to allow for easy access, enrolled faculty, and presented at division meeting.
Farming in the 21st Century
Farming in the 21st Century
Farming in the 21st Century is an interactive website I created for “AgroWorld,” a monthly E-zine put out by National Agriculture in the Classroom. The slides take the viewer through different examples of modern agriculture. The purpose of this project is to promote an understanding of the source and value of agriculture as it affects our quality of life.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Design instructional interventions (Competency #12)
- Communicated key and poorly understand aspects of farming.
- Delivered content in a self-paced, interactive website.
- Used a variety of media within the website to engage users.
Data & Fairness
Data & Fairness
Data & Fairness is an essay I wrote to meet the literature requirements for the M.S.Ed. program. The essay provides a summary of data collection practices by online businesses, explores the (un)fairness of these practices, and identifies methods to improve data practices in the US.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Analyze the characteristics of existing and emerging technologies and their potential use (Competency #9)
- Discussed a range of key technological forces and demonstrated consideration of their near- and medium-term consequences on society.
- Discussed the benefits and consequences of new technologies
Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Promotion
Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Promotion
Suicide Prevention & Mental Health Promotion is a grant program at Western Oregon University with the purpose of establishing a comprehensive, collaborative, and culturally inclusive approach to suicide prevention and mental health promotion on campus. My role was creating marketing and communication materials and building and maintaining the website.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competencies
Apply data collection and analysis skills in instructional design projects (Competency #4)
- Identified data necessary to make informed design decisions for website and method for collected data.
- Planned and led a focus group to collect necessary data.
- Used appropriate analysis given small sample sizes and qualitative data.
Use an instructional design and development process appropriate for a given project (Competency #10)
- Used principles of design thinking to develop and design content.
- Adjusted website plans as new challenges and constraints emerged.
Apply business skills to managing the instructional design function (Competency #20)
- Worked in a challenging collaborative group setting.
- Aligned design efforts with group goals.
- Obtained and maintained stakeholder support for design plans, making compromises as necessary.
Remix Culture
Remix Culture
Remix culture is an essay I wrote to meet the literature requirements for the M.S.Ed. program. The main thesis of this essay is that “remixing” (combining or editing existing materials to produce a new product) should be seen as a transformative work of creativity that forms part of the fabric of our wider cultural environment.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Identify and respond to ethical, legal, and political implications of design in the workplace (Competency #5)
- Identified and summarized key ethical and legal aspects of the design practice.
- Responded to concerns of creativity and intellectual property rights.
Online Learning & Nutrition Education
Online Learning & Nutrition Education
Online Learning & Nutrition Education is an ongoing project I’m working on with several other researchers. The culminating work will be a systematic review where we investigate the current use of online instruction in undergraduate nutrition courses, determine course effectiveness, and identify practice recommendations for educators. As part of this research, I created and presented the poster below at the 2018 annual Society for Nutrition Education & Behavior conference. The newsletter was developed as a “preview” for the systematic review.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Apply research and theory to the discipline of instructional design (Competency #2)
- Applied a systematic method to summarize research findings on the efficacy of different instructional strategies.
- Explained key concepts and principles related to instructional design.
- Applied concepts, techniques, and theories of nutrition to learning and performance improvement.
Poverty Simulation
Poverty Simulation
The Poverty Simulation Poverty is an online simulation designed to help “players” begin to understand what it might be like to live in a typical low-income family trying to survive from month to month. The simulation was created using Twine, an open-source tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories.
This artifact meets the following ibstpi® competency
Select or modify existing instructional materials (Competency #14)
- Created a modified version of face-to-face poverty simulation.
- Determined what parts of existing instruction to keep, modify, or recreate.