Education
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Reflection
The recently concluded IST conference was one of my most fulfilling moments in the university. The conference was more of a student conference geared toward imparting useful skills to graduate students as well as a haven on how they could gain experience in the areas of listening and disseminating information, presenting information, and taking part in professional conferences in their future employment. We had a chance to have in our attendees’ list the alumni, the faculty of IST, as well as residential and long distance students in our midst. This provided us and me especially, with an experience of sharing the experiences of others in their careers as IST professionals. These students amongst our midst brought with them experiences of their learning and practice in IST, the challenges that they undergo in their areas of study and work, the successes that they have been able to achieve, their visions and ambitions in the profession, their expectations in the career and in the academic studies, and what they hoped to change within the profession to make it even better. “Designers face challenges in choosing the right social media tools for various types of learning tasks”, (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012).
The above experience and informal learning was an eye opener for me and my friends as young students still finding their way in the career. Reiser and Dempsey (2012) define informal learning as, “learning other than that which typically takes place in a classroom or other formal instructional setting”. I was able to explore the many options available in the field of IST so that I could define better what and how I would like to become as an IST professional. I was able to relate some of the challenges and successes of those in attendance to my own experiences in the profession and along the way, found solutions to the challenges. The ambitions of those who had the chance to air them formed a part of mine, as I realized that I could form role models out of them and use their experiences and vision to sculpture mine as well. Above all, I was most comforted knowing that I was not alone in the journey towards becoming a professional IST and that I had the support of the alumni and faculty, who announced their continued and dedicated support of the students community toward success.
An important aspect that I was able to pick from the conference is that recent scholars have made efforts to view and judge design in the lens of science rather than practical lens. This way, they have been able to apply some of the scientific qualifiers that have been lacking in design for many years. Viewing design through the scientific lens would also mean that IST and other related studies will now be accorded the respect and significance that they deserve as science subjects and not social sciences. This was especially critical to me because for a long time, I have wished to study a science and not an art. Although IST is such a good subject, I would admit that on occasions, I got embarrassed among my friends who were studying sciences. With the subject being regarded as a science now, I will be more proud of myself and before my friends.
An intriguing element of the conference was the assertion made by the key speakers of the role of the designer in the design process. According to these speakers, the designer is the one most important element in the design process. This was especially intriguing because with the continued and proliferated use to technology, many aspects of design have been handed over to other players besides the designer. In some cases, these other players tend to demand more recognition for the designing work than the designer himself. The assertion made during the conference, therefore, helped to reinstate the role and influence of the designer in the design process. What this meant to me, in essence, is that I was the most important person as far as IST and design are concerned. The power of making a design process complete lies in my hands and I have all of the power and ability to influence the design process to become what I want and in the way that I want it to. Nothing could boost my ego and morale better than these words as I looked forward into becoming the best designer I could.
I was able to relate back to the course material a number of concepts from the conference, with one of them being the need for organization in the design process. Design is largely a creative subject that relies to a large extent on the creativity and talent of the designer. Many people tend to rely on their creative abilities while designing that they fail to adopt and keep in line with any organized and structured process. Through the conference, however, I realized that just as we had learnt in the course textbook, an effective and successful designer needs to work with some form of structure and designated process.
One speaker talked about the importance of research in IST, an area that I have been interested in for some time. He was able to answer a lot of my questions regarding professional research and even went ahead to identify some of the possible topics that an IST professional could engage in research. I would equate research to a form of performance support, which Reiser and Dempsey (2012) defined as “a system that provides performers with varying levels of access to information and tools that support performance at the moment of need”. I did not think of all of these immense opportunities, especially the one on research in the area of IST, having reserved this for the humanity and sociological sciences. I found it motivating in the words of the speaker that “research drives practice”. With these words, I knew I had the power and ability to inform the design process and the principles governing this process through research. Actually, I, for once thought that I did not want to be a designer per se, but a researcher in the area of design. This way, I could ensure that the design process was guided and based on concrete and highly credible principles, all informed by my research into the field. Now I know that just about anything and everything was possible with IST and that I could mould my area of study and career into whatever shape and form I wanted. “Instructional design skills are necessary in order to prepare effective online courses”, (Reiser & Dempsey,2012). “Instructional design skills are necessary in order to prepare effective online courses” (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). The above statement lays more emphasis on the need for learning for successful engagement in design.
I was surprised, however, that IST professionals are fast moving away from the fascination of technology including the hard and software of technology that had informed the process and practice of design for a long time. “Professionals in the field of instructional design and technology often use systematic instructional design procedures and employ a variety of instructional media to accomplish their goals” (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). The emphasis now is on the learning process, which is the determiner of the technology used in the practice of design. IST professionals and other professionals in the field have discovered that learning is more important than technology itself and that while technology may stall, learning will not stall and will be the tool that will provide options and solutions to such technological stalemates, “knowledge management requires that one moves from codification to personalization of information”, (Reiser & Dempsey, 2012). With this notion, I was able to reevaluate my perceptions regarding technology because like the rest of the predecessors, I was so engrossed in technology and its importance in the design process. Now I know that I have to pass my studies and above all, develop a critical mind that will be able to perceive and deduce aspects of design. Bottom line; I have to pass my exams with excellence and develop a yearning for learning and knowing in order to be a successful designer. Reiser and Dempsey (2012) define knowledge as “collecting, archiving, and sharing valuable information, expertise, and insight within and across communities of people and organizations with similar interests and needs”.
Looking back at the visit, I realize that I am and will become a better IST professional because of the professional knowledge and insight I was able to gain from the conference. The interaction with the faculty members and professionals in the field was crucial in helping me develop a wider scope and insight of the practice of design in general. Besides, I was empowered in my abilities and capabilities as an IST professional and most importantly, as a designer with the power and ability to influence and determine the outcome of the design process.
Reference List
Reiser, R. A. & Dempsey, J. V. (2012). Trends and issues in instructional design and technology
(3rd ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc
